music, therapy, and me

I am craving routine in my life as I am transitioning into trying to figure out my new life situation. One of the places where I can achieve structure and routine is here in the blog, so I am going to head back into some of the post series that I have started in the past. I am hoping that I will be someone who is able to offer ideas and therapeutic music experience (TME) suggestions on a regular basis. On Mondays, we make things. I am someone who tries to remain within her budget by making things that I see rather than buying things that I discover. There is no reason why I should spend $20.00 for something that I can make in four hours. At least, that is what the voice in my head tells me. Why spend money on music dot spots when I can fire up my trusty laminator and make the same things on my computer?? (This particular little voice is my mother's voice. It is amazing how messages passed on by parents can just stick, isn't it?) Now, I know that there are many other people in t...

I work with adolescents, and I can tell you that they are sometimes difficult to engage in what I have to offer them. Right now, I have one who absolutely refuses to engage with me in the music therapy room - no eye contact, no engagement, hunched over - but is effusive when glimpsing me in other places - smiles, enthusiastic greetings, high fives. It is fascinating to me. Now, I have come across clients who have never given me a chance before. I have had a handful that I have never been able to interact with in a meaningful way. I never stop trying, but there are some people who are just not interested in anything that I can give them in my music therapy sessions. It is hard to take at times. I am a people pleaser who just does not like to be disliked. So, the clients who do not like me make a bigger impact on how I feel about myself than the many clients who do seem to like me and what I do with them. I want to give my clients what they want and need during their mandatory time with ...

It is Friday again. Tomorrow is my day of rest. I have to take the cat to the vet, go to my local store to get my allergy medications, and grocery shop for the week. After that, I have lots of work to do to catch up with my current business challenges - I got behind the last several evenings. But, today is Friday, so it is time to focus on some fun things. This week, we have been hosting a prospective intern and using drums to foster community, make some noise, and to have some fun. We have all been stressed by various illnesses, folks not feeling well, and lots of folks trying to sleep, so getting up and moving was the best option for us all this week! We threw things at drums. We make SO much noise! It was exhilarating!! My favorite part was the hand massages I got when I placed my hands about an inch off the top of the gathering drums' heads while kids were drumming - that felt SO good on my tired bodies. I'd like a way to get that sort of sonic massage over my entire bo...

I missed a post yesterday because my computer decided it needed to upgrade to the new version of Windows, and, after two and a half hours of waiting, it was still only at 28% downloaded. I had to go. As a result, no mindbending post from me yesterday. (It's amazing how amazing I am in my own imagination!) Today, though, the computer is upgraded, and I have a game to share. It's not fully fleshed out into a therapeutic music experience, but it is one of my Grandmother's favorite games, and I enjoy playing it with my students. When we play it in music therapy, I add a musical stimulus or beat for entrainment purposes. Other than that, it doesn't have any music paired with it. Make up your own song to go with the game. Enjoy! Therapeutic Experience Button, Button Mary Jane Landaker, MME, MT-BC Purpose : Social interaction; sustained attention; leadership skill development; ability to play within game parameters; sportsmanship; fine motor coordination ...

I love it when ideas pop into my head fully formed. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, it is almost magical. Some of my most popular TMEs with my students are those types of ideas - almost meant to be, if you know what I mean. So, yesterday I was sitting in my spot at work. During the morning transition period, I am in that place to be "spy" on the older students who now have "independence" to transition from the breakfast room to their classrooms without walking in a straight line. No one has realized that my function in the morning is to be hall monitor. They be-bop past me saying things like, "Mary Jane, I get to walk down the hallway BY MYSELF!" Anyway... I was sitting in the sunshine, keeping myself occupied through making origami fortune tellers (or some know them as cootie catchers), and the idea popped into my head. I struggle with teaching my students about notation. I've figured out how to teach rhythm and rhythm not...

I spend lots of my visual aid time in making file folder activities. I like having everything that I need for enhancing my therapeutic music experiences (TMEs) contained in one small folder. It makes for compact, comprehensive visuals that supplement the TMEs that I present, but there are times when you just cannot use a file folder to get a group of clients involved. In those cases, I take the same idea and make it larger! Have a file folder puzzle game? Make it huge! Have a file folder board game? Make a life-sized version! I just had an idea for an instrument identification and playing version of Candy Land. I will make large and small versions of this game. The players are prompted to move either via a die with instruments drawn on it or through choosing cards. They have to identify the instrument, move to that instrument, and then play that instrument the number of times indicated on the card. I could make this in file folder version and in life-size version. I am going to b...

Supplemental Sunday - Generic Board Game A generic game board? What would a music therapist do with a game board? What couldn't a music therapist do with a game board? My clients use this to move around the room. They use it to review musical terms, instruments, and theory concepts. They use it to practice social skills. They also use this folder to make up their own games and creative interactions.  This is one of the most generic of generic game boards that I've made, but it has its purpose. The lack of decoration, color, and other distractions makes this a board that all of my students can use. All it needs is a batch of cards, markers, and a way to move around the board such as dice or number cards. I have different baggies for different types of games (color-coded, of course, so I can easily pick the right set of cards for the right kind of game!). How did I make this? I used my powerpoint presentation program and made a bunch of shapes on a piece of paper. I l...

Do you like the banners? In my current music therapy iteration as school-based music therapist, I have a bit of a responsibility to my clients. This may be the only time they get any type of music education taught to them by someone who understands their unique ways of learning, so I teach some basic music concepts. One of the concepts that my clients figure out quickly is that of reading rhythms. We use rhythm wheels, instrument play, and sheet music to decode rhythms. Today's Therapeutic Music Experience (TME) is centered around reading rhythm in a game format. It's always good to see if skills have generalized from one format to another. Games are good for generalization! Here you go! As always, comments are welcome!   Purpose : To assess mastery of Ta-ti recognition; to assess mastery of Ta-ti notation patterns; gross motor development; fine motor development; sustained attention to task; entrainment to external stimulus; short-term memory; impulse control t...