music, therapy, and me

I am not really in the mood to be writing a therapeutic music experience today, so here is another one of my resources. I think better when I have a visual aid rather than just words, so I use one of my programs to make visuals for concepts that I find either difficult or very important. This is one of the important ones. How I figure out how to use songs. Copyright by Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC. All rights reserved. I'm often asked where I get my ideas for therapeutic music experiences. This is a decision tree that demonstrates where I get some of my ideas. It starts with a song. Any song. When I find a song that I want to use for therapy for some reason or another, I go through a process of looking at the lyrics and thinking about my client. Thinking about both of these things helps me to decide what to do next with the song as a therapeutic music experience. Just so you know, my thoughts about the song don't stop there. I take the song through another form of d...

When I started this last round of intern seminars, I had the bright idea that I would increase the number of seminars from 6 to 8 and would add in two different topics. Those topics included one that I really love, "The Therapeutic Triad," and another that was completely brand new, "Understanding Our Tool." The new one is scheduled for this Thursday, and I am trying to figure out how to structure the discussion. I know what I want to start talking about. I want us to start to think about music as something we use in addition to something we do. Ooh - that may just make the conversation... Now, I'm not implying that we don't think about music as something we use, but we (this is a collective "we" by the way - me included) sometimes cannot articulate how we are using our music to move our clients towards their therapeutic goals. We are not always aware of the options that are available to us within the music itself. When administrators or hirin...

I've decided that I'm a bit bored with posting song charts on my website. While it's been a good exercise for me, it's not really something that I can sustain any longer.  So, now I'm trying to figure out what to do next on my Sunday mornings. I'm silly enough to want to keep the title for Sundays, but not sure where to go next. Of course, if I altered the title a bit, I might get some new ideas on what to do and where to go... Hm. Sing Someone's Song Sunday (I like alliteration!) Sing A Story Sunday Song Theme Sunday Sing About Sunday There isn't much inspiration in those titles, so I'm going to try the other way. Let's explore what I could do on these Sunday mornings... Make song themes - putting together songs in ways not explored before Finding songs on media to use in therapy Offer session plans for specific populations/types of kids Take a song and one of the elements of music and demonstrate how changing that element can c...

Today's song is on page 120 of Rise Up Singing . It is by Peter Yarrow, one of my favorite performers and composers. You have to know Peter Yarrow - he's Peter from Peter, Paul, and Mary and wrote songs like Puff the Magic Dragon and many, MANY others. Today's song is Weave Me the Sunshine . I have to admit that I didn't know this song until today. Like most of Peter Yarrow's songs, this one sounds folksy and follows a predictable pattern of chorus and verse. Unlike most of Yarrow's songs, it starts on the Subdominant chord and ends on the Dominant chord rather than finishing all nice and neat on the Tonic chord. It seems to be designed specifically for a fade rather than a definite ending. This song seems to go on and on and on. I will need to spend several hours listening to this song before I can replicate it in any specific form. I wonder if it is written down in any of my fake books... I've never heard it before now. I am thinking that Sing A...

Today's song is on page 88 of Rise Up Singing . It is part of the "Good Times" section which makes me laugh just a bit since the words aren't particularly happy but the musical presentation is very happy - lilting and skipping and all. Here is a link to Charlie Poole playing the song - it does get to the words eventually. Here's the link to the melody line. Just another chart about the therapeutic elements of music... I like this little song. It has a melody that just lilts along. I could have used it quite a bit over the past 17 months of moving from here to there. As I listened to the song this morning, what struck me was that, even though they are getting kicked out of their living quarters, the singer is pretty happy. That started me wondering, "Has this happened to them before?" I know a person who refuses to own more than she can cram into her car. I wish I could be like that, but I cannot. Movin' Day for me takes a couple of months...

I enjoy these Sunday morning forays into new repertoire, so I keep doing them. I hope that you also get something out of these selections. Do they inspire you to use the songs in your therapy sessions? Do you just look to see what I'm doing next? Today's song is from page 27 in Rise Up Singing . It was written by Margie Adam and copyrighted in 1974. Here's the YouTube link to Peter, Paul, and Mary singing the song. Here's a lead sheet for the PPM version. I couldn't find a sheet music version to the song, so this is it. I slept in this morning, so this is a bit rushed. Sorry about that. I'll think about this song and update the post after I get back from work this morning.

It's the time of year where most of us here in the states get to fall back one hour. This is a wonderful time as it gives us a chance to get an extra hour of sleep and to reset our internal clocks to be in sync with the earth's rotation a bit more than we are during the summer. I love this time of year and really dread moving to Daylight Savings in the Spring. Today' song is directed towards choir members and can be found here . There is also a spring version, and I'm sure I'll post a link to that one next year when we [shudder] spring forward yet again... Here is a YouTube video of a guy singing the song. I'm so very sorry for the pitch, but at least he's out there trying his best. Yipes. Anyway, the song itself is based on a hymn composed in 1907 by John Hughes. The words are by Dean McIntyre and were written in 1995. I find the song a bit tongue-in-cheek, but they give me a giggle every time I read them, so enjoy!! Sorry for the lack of diagram...

Good morning, everyone! I had fun with this one - it's in the Dorian mode. (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE modes? If not, I REALLY LOVE modes!!) It is wonderful when you find something that you love in a state of serendipity, don't you think? Anyway - here is the song. On page 202 of Rise Up Singing ... Haul Away Joe. It's a sea shanty from the English tradition and has a very strong macrobeat feel that allows for entrainment for all types of outcomes. I don't really like most of the lyrics - they are a bit salty - so would change the words to use the song in my music therapy space. This would be a great song for lyric substitution or piggybacking. I could certainly see myself using this as a gait training song or as a gross motor beat exercise... Sheet music can be found here . Chords and verses also are here . And here . A YouTube video is located here . And, here's the song chart... Dorian mode!! Hooray. Now, off to find something in Lochrian (may...

Whew. This week's song was an interesting step into part of another culture as well as into some confusion for me. This song was located in the Farm & Prairie section of Rise Up Singing ( page 50, if you are interested). It is a traditional Soviet-Yiddish folk song and includes some names of Ukrainian cities (Sevastopol and Simfereopol) located on the Crimean peninsula. One of the presentations listed below identifies this song as a Klezmer song. For me, the song doesn't seem so difficult - the melody is pretty simple and repetitive - but the language would be extremely difficult. I was unable to find an example of the sheet music for this song, but there are recordings on YouTube. Here is a scratchy one that features Pete Seeger, and another one that is completely in Yiddish. Here is the graphic for this song...  I have to admit that this is a type of music that I am unfamiliar with, other than listening to it occasionally. There aren't too many opportunities f...

This morning, I flipped straight to one of my favorite sections in Rise Up Singing , the play section. All of these songs are just plain old silly, but I know most of them and use them often. The only song I didn't know on page 174 was My Rhinoceros, so that is today's Sunday's song!   I was not able to find a link to the melody line for this song, but I did find quite a bit of information about Edward Lipton that wasn't available in my book. YouTube link Extra Verses link Interesting pdf about the songs of Edward Lipton from the Library of Congress link Does anybody wonder why I do these particular posts every Sunday? One of the things that I keep seeing over and over again on my social media feeds is commenting about how to justify our jobs as music therapists. People are constantly asking for help on how to explain what we do as music therapists in contrast to what music volunteers or music practitioners do in their roles with clients. For me, the...

It's that time again - Sunday!! Today's choice from Rise Up Singing is The Keeper, an old folk song. Here is a version from the Weavers, and here's the score . Don't you love it when you can find free resources to use in therapy sessions? I do, I do! The information that I can find about this song is sparse, to say the least (maybe that's why it's free!). Songfacts.com has only a little bit of information - there are different publications of the song that have included up to fifteen verses. I only have five verses in my little book, but I bet my clients could write some more! We could totally change the story of the song into something classroom or residence-related. I would probably change the response that Jackie-boy makes so we are saying something other than "Master." People tend to get touchy about that type of terminology, so we could replace it with "Yes, sir." We would probably have to change the "ho down" as well to ...

Today's page from Rise Up Singing was page 226 and the song Old Friends from Paul Simon. Here is a place where you can pay for and then download the sheet music. Here's a link to the video of Simon and Garfunkel singing the song. And, here's the song chart... I keep finding songs that aren't really appropriate for my particular population, my kids aren't really into reminiscence, but the music itself can be used to encourage deep breathing and relaxation. I would change the words and the theme of the song to make my clients more interested in what's going on. I would change the lyrics to illustrate what I want them to do - breathe deeply, tense and relax the muscles. The rest of the song would be fine. So, now I'm going to see if I can replicate the song from You Tube and the book Rise Up Singing - I think there are more words on the You Tube link than I have in my book... Happy Singing and Happy Sunday!

Today's journey into Rise Up Singing led me to page 134 and the song Now the Day Is Over , a hymn (classified as a lullaby in the book but a hymn everywhere else). The words were written by Sabine Baring-Gould, and the music was written by Joseph Barnaby in the 1860's. I can see why the folks who wrote Rise Up Singing placed this into the lullaby section. It certainly feels lullaby-like, very smooth phrases and a limited tessitura. The lyrics are certainly spiritual in nature and reference themes of Christianity - hence, the hymn classification every other place. Sheet Music: http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Now_the_Day_Is_Over/pdf/ YouTube Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWR2vVXZE5A Here is the chart for the song. This is a song that I would not use in its original format in my music therapy sessions. My reluctance comes from the obvious references to Christian themes. So, I would never initiate this song, but if a client brought up their spiritual...

I flipped to pages 125 and 126 in Rise Up Singing and chose The Last Thing on My Mind by Tom Paxton as today's song. You can find the video of Tom singing this song at this link . You can find the melody line at this link . Now, I've never heard this song before, but apparently it was covered by quite a few people - Joan Baez, Dolly Parton, Neil Diamond, and a huge, unverified list of others (listed on Wikipedia , so consider the source). I find the song to be typical of folk-ish type songs of the 60's - steady tempo, familiar and repetitive rhythmic patterns, and lyrics that are sweet.  Now I have something new to practice this week. I'm not exactly sure how I will incorporate this particular song into my sessions, but that is part of the goal of these Sing A Song Sundays - increasing my repertoire and giving me something new to sing. As I am getting ready to move into a new music therapy space, I am working on the type of therapy that I want to present to my c...

Today's foray into Rise Up Singing for an unfamiliar song turned up Java Jive , performed in 1940 by the Ink Spots. Now, I'm not a coffee fan, but I know MANY addicts who would love this song. It seems to be a great song for older folks who get to choose to drink coffee - many of my kids and teens would not really relate to this song the way adults would. That's okay. I found a copy of the sheet music here at musicnotes.com, and here is the link to the Ivy Spots singing the song. Here's the chart for the song. The song itself is not difficult. It follows specific patterns. My real failing is not knowing how to classify that tricky minor diminished chord based on the flat 3rd step of the scale. What is it called? I've tried to figure out that chord assignment forever and CANNOT FIND IT! Can anyone help me? I think my students would enjoy the structure of the song, even if they do not share in the appreciation of drinking coffee. The staff members I know wi...

The other day, I was sitting at my desk at work searching for something to do. I had finished all of my clinical duties and had some time away from the computer (only one of us can use the work server at a time, so it was my intern's turn at the work computer). I happened to look over to see my most favorite songbook of all time - Rise Up Singing .  Inspiration struck! I know many of these songs, but I don't know them all. I have worn through two copies of this book and am considering purchasing a third copy so I have one in good shape to carry around with me. This book thinks like I think - in chords and lyrics - there is just enough information about the song to replicate it. When you thumb through my copies of this book, you'll find dots next to many of the songs. Those are the ones that I know, ones I can sing with familiarity or with just a little bit of thought. There are many, many songs that I don't know well. So, now I'm going to learn those songs. Th...

After putting up several musical pieces for Sing A Song Sunday, I thought I'd put up an explanation graphic for what I process when I'm doing these graphics. Isn't it amazing how all of this is included in every piece of music that we have? It astounds me! Comments are ALWAYS welcome! ~mj

I picked up one of my favorite songbooks today, The Reader's Digest Children's Songbook , and I flipped to page 74 when I opened up the book. Lo and behold, there was the song, Yellow Submarine , by the Beatles. One of the best things about the Reader's Digest Songbooks is that there are short paragraphs at the beginning of each song that offer a bit of history about the song. Now, I don't know much about Beatles lore, but I found the story of the movie, Yellow Submarine , made the song make much more sense to me. If you're interested, I recommend either watching the movie or reading the blurb in the songbook (how's that for piquing the interest?). Here's the song chart! How would you use this with your clients? I wonder how I'll use this...

For a couple of months now, I have been posting weekly diagrams about specific songs that I randomly choose from my music library. The diagrams often look like this: I am a visual learner (among other learning styles, but primarily a visual learner). If I can see something, I can often remember it with little to no effort. This type of chart is the best way for me to work out problems, thoughts, theories, and other things - I draw them or graph them or put them into a flow chart. Once I figured out that the procedure section in Therapeutic Music Experiences was actually just a flow chart in prose, I was able to finish those assignments in college without any problem, but it took me a long time to make that realization. My professors and practicum supervisors weren't able to explain it in a way that made meaning to me - I had to do that myself. Once I figured it out, I was able to transfer that understanding and morph it into the assignments that my academic folks wanted. Success...

A little tip into my life? I am obsessed with movie soundtracks...and the movies they come from...and everything I can find on movies...and...and... Anyway, what I mean to say is that if you took a peek at my music library, you would find 355 soundtrack albums and over 2500 artists who have contributed to those albums. Soundtracks outnumber everything else in my library. So, I am a bit obsessed. Today's Sing A Song Sunday choice was found when I put the iPod on shuffle. California Baylor by Nancy Wilson popped up. Nancy Wilson scored the music for Elizabethtown - a movie with Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst - and, while I didn't much care for the movie (It was okay, but I have others that I prefer), I fell in love with the music. I bought all of the music associated with the movie, and listen to it occasionally. When it showed up as the choice for today (since I ALWAYS find some randomness in my Sunday posts), I leapt on the chance to analyze it and think of how to use it ...