Website Wednesday: Makey Makey

A couple of years ago, my sister dragged me into the world of computer interfaces by asking my Dad for a Makey Makey for the holiday. When my father saw what she was asking for, he decided that we both needed one, so I received one as well. My sister gave me a Makey Makey Go for Christmas this year with requests to figure out how to rig it to my cat's behavior (in some way - Auntie wants more pictures of the kitty, I guess!). I will be playing with this a bit more in the near future.

I've played with mine a bit, but haven't really delved into the possibilities of what this device can do. I like that it has lots of implications for clients with limited mobility. I can rig just about anything to do something - great cause and effect work opportunities as well as access to communication or composition or many other things as well.

It wasn't cheap, but it also didn't break the bank, especially when compared to switches, Big Macks, and other software programs. Makey Makey is only limited by my lack of imagination.

Is anyone else using this in their music therapy practices? I would LOVE to know what you are doing with the device with your clients...

Let me know in the comments.

(By the way, I get absolutely NOTHING from anyone to write my reviews of products or books or materials or anything! Every opinion posted here is just that - my opinion!)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dear AMTA

Dear American Music Therapy Association: I am debating long and hard about remaining in this relationship. I have been in this relationship since college, and this is not a decision that I am taking lightly or without great cost.  I am not happy with what you are bringing to this relationship. Now, I have been a selfish partner over the past several years - mainly because I am not feeling like we share a common mission anymore. It is easy for me to place the blame on you, but I know that this is not all on me. I have tried to be invested in communication and support and understanding, but everyone comes to a time where enough is enough. I am trying very hard to decide if the benefits that you provide to me are worth the feelings that I have about where I think you and I are going. I am not sure that our destination is the same anymore, and this makes me sad. To be completely honest, I am only in this relationship these days for the music therapy interns. I don't think that is a hea...
Read more

Songwriting Sunday: Repetition

Image
One of the things that I find to be helpful with my client population (children, adolescents, and young adults with dual diagnoses) is repetition of phrases, lyrics, and music. As a result of 30+ years of working with this population in various iterations, I have found that my clients respond the most to songs with three repeated phrases to prime their responses with a different phrase to communicate the important part of the experience. DISCLAIMER: This is not a definite way to write music for clinical interactions. This is what seems to work well with my particular group of human beings. Don't go to your supervisors and tell them that I told you that this is the ONLY way to write music - It is NOT! You have to find what works for your clients and for their clinical goals. Since my clients respond well to this type of song, I tend to write songs in this format more than any other. What I have found is that my clients remember these songs more than the ones that I do in different f...
Read more

Being An Internship Director: On Hiatus

Image
It has been long enough since I have had an intern that I am seriously feeling like I have little to say on the subject. At the same time, I am currently writing Chapter 5 of my general internship handbook, so I am able to write about being an intern and what types of things to think about during this important time in our professional development. It is a strange place to be in, and it is one that is a bit challenging for me. Right now, I have had three vacant internship positions since the beginning of the calendar year. I will have a vacant position next month and that will be an entire year of rejected offers. In the past nine months, I have offered positions to three applicants who have declined. It is interesting how people complain that there aren't enough internship programs, but programs like mine are empty. I guess there aren't enough internship programs that pay large stipends (which mine cannot) out there. I get it. It is interesting to me how we have moved from an ...
Read more