Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Kerry Cornelius]

This week, I was really excited to put some of these new songs into practice! Yesterday, I was working with a 7 year old with Down Syndrome who has many self-regulation and communication goals, including playing a steady beat and vocalizing spontaneously. We were drumming together on a gathering drum and I began singing, “Are You Ready For Music?” Because we were already playing the drum (which he had selected from a choice board), I sang “Do you want to play the drum?” four times, followed by four drum beats and “boom, boom, boom, boom!” I then transitioned to vocalizing the chant “Where is the music?” in a rhythmic, singsong voice. Each time I said the word “me”, I stopped drumming and pointed to myself (using high affect and pitch). He began to smile and approximate the word “music” as I chanted the verse a second time and even began to look up at me each time I stopped drumming to gesture “ME!” It was really exciting to see him demonstrating his awareness via eye contact and spontaneous vocalizations. The transitional nature of “Are you ready for music?” helped create a welcoming environment for my client as he adjusted to being in our music therapy session after a long day at ESY and the “boom booms” provided opportunities for vocalization within a set structure. In addition, the percussive qualities of the chant fit well with drumming due to its predictable structure and repetitive lyrics.

[Katherine Sestrick]

I see a set of two year old twins whose goals include expressive language and following directions. The song, “Will You Come” was perfect for them because I have been working on action words, specifically -ing words, for a couple of weeks. This song worked perfectly because there is also a 4 year old and a 5 1/2 year old in the family. I had the older kids demonstrate the movements then had the twins name the action. Then of course we sang and performed the actions of the song. The whole family loved this activity.

[Katie Bagley]

This week I used “Sit Down With Me” with my new twin 2-year-old clients who have both been diagnosed with Autism. One of our goals has been creating a smooth transition into the session (in their home), and working on general attention to the music. I was very interested to see how the minor modality would affect this experience, and was pleasantly surprised when both twins ended any fussiness they were displaying, stopping to listen to the song while gazing at the guitar. It was also a great moment for mom, who had the most relieved look on her face! She was able to sit 2-3 feet behind them and watch as they gathered into music.

[Shonda Malik]

I am preparing for a music therapy camp for children with whom we want to help develop their self-awareness of feelings (ages 7-11). I was excited to learn “how do you know when it’s summer time?” I plan to adapt the words to “how do you know when you’re feeling sad” and then use the second half of the song as a songwriting experience where the children will create lyrics that describe physical characteristics and thoughts they might have when they are sad.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

I have started using the chant Where Is The Music as a warm-up in my two MT groups at the psychiatric hospital I contract with. The groups are comprised of adults ages 20s through 60s from various cultures, who present primarily with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and schizoaffective disorder. More recently, patients are being admitted with developmental delay in addition to the above disorders. I wasn’t sure how they would react to having to “learn” an unfamiliar song, especially since we usually warm up with the old standbys like “You Are My Sunshine” or “America The Beautiful,” but much to my surprise by the second time through and with the aid of lyric sheets and lot of repetition, they started getting the hang of it. This chant is a great intervention for getting clients to think about breath support.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Beth has written some excellent songs! I really enjoyed learning the different song categories this week and especially Beth’s explanations of the musical elements that provide the songs with the functional qualities for their intended purposes.

[Kasey Sollenberger]

Before I even used “Wiggly Jiggly Car” I couldn’t get the song out of my head! I love the interaction between parent and child here. It’s a super fun one to use in groups and it’s great to be able to observe the bonding that occurs with this song in particular. I found that the parents enjoy “Just Like Me” as well, I think it’s because the song is so simple to sing along to and doesn’t require much direction.

[Christina Wensveen]

I especially like the movement songs and believe they worked really well with my sessions. I find “Will you come?” a great song to teach new vocabulary like marching, hopping, running etc.. I think the middle section works well with the pause, and teaches counting and speaking in rhythm. I am going to work towards my client filling in the “1, 2, 3, 4, come and march some more!” as it fits in with her speech goals. After one week she has already begun singing, as the melody is so familiar.

[Nicole Sanabria]

I have used many of Beth’s songs in my work with young children. I appreciate the time she spent explaining how to use each song effectively.The song that I thought would allow me to receive insight into my client’s world, while also receiving insight into my work as well was “A Car on My Knee.” I have been working with a 7 year old boy with Angelman Syndrome. He has global developmental delays, but most importantly his ability to communicate is developing very slowly. He will use his own sign language/gestures to let his mother, nanny, and I know what he wants/needs. Yet at times, those signs are not consistent. In my recent work with him, I have asked myself “is this my need in music? or his?” He thrives in his environment, and I felt as though if I limit him by only allowing music to be in his wheelchair, and out of his wheelchair when we walk to and from the guitar to play, or cymbal to crash, in some way im limiting his development. Who knew using toys could be part of the musical intervention? I felt as though this was the first time he acknowledged his own body, true reciprocal communication, and seeing me for the first time, not as the music lady but a person that is enjoying the experience as much as him. As I began to run the match box car up and down his legs, he began to laugh with excitement, signing more. He began to touch his toes and knees something that I’ve been working on for months. I took a plastic cup and sung in the cup “It’s ready to goooo.” The best part was he began to imitate the sound of “go” as his mother held the cup to his mouth. Instead of taking the child out of his world, or where he feels most comfortable, I can now see that musical interventions can happen anywhere, only if we allow ourselves to go to that place.

[Kristina Rio]

Nicole, Thanks for sharing this wonderful story! It’s so important to realize that we need to get out of our own way and to really trust the music for those magical moments to happen. This is something we can teach parents so that they can really relate to and play with their child.

[Kathryn Costanza]

These songs have such great underlying structure and functional, musical thought to them! It has been such a joy to use and adapt them for sessions. I recently started working with a 3 year old with an unspecified neurologic condition who is just starting a lot of different therapies and being assessed for expressive and receptive language skills. The songbook has been my go-to for finding appropriate, functional music to facilitate the goals we’re working on. To gauge receptive language, I adapted the “Open, Shut, Cut” song for a small cloth box (I took out the “cut, cut, cut” line and then repeated the instructions of “this is how we open, shut”). After modeling the “open” and “shut” motions with the lyrics, melody, and rhythm of the song, I presented her with the box and started singing. Independently, she opened and shut the lid of the box at the appropriate times and in perfect rhythm. Her mom started tearing up while watching her. I also used the “In the Ring” song for the concept of in vs. out with stuffed animals, but found that more structural adaptation was needed to immediately bookend the cognitive concept of in vs. out instead of singing about one and then switching to the other. All in all, the songs are an incredibly helpful tool and are very easily adapted (or not!) to fit the specific needs of people with delays.

[Katie Romano]

The songs are amazing and SOO catchy. I personally get the song “Wiggly Giggly Car” stuck in my head all the time. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to use them in therapy, but Im excited to use them in the future!

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