I recently read an article by Southeast Psych entitled “Verbally Validate to Help Kids Manage Their Emotions” (http://blog.southeastpsych.com/?p=5001) which made me think, “Wow, We do that on a regular basis at a very deep level, which goes beyond words in music.” If one were to make a generalized slice through the brain, and generalized it… Read more »
Year: 2013
Musical Responsiveness: Planting the Seed, Watching It Grow
I have been asked a few times “Yes, but do they (my clients) carry that (progress) outside the music room?” Sometimes, especially now that I have a private practice and contracted jobs where I don’t spend a lot of time in the facility, I only see what happens in the Music Therapy room, although I… Read more »
The Grumpy Guitar
This is a true story. As I discussed this situation, I thought immediately that I should be writing this down. I have a young adult client named TJ. I also have an old guitar in my studio. I’m not exactly sure where it came from, probably a relative whose attic needed cleaning. I took the… Read more »
Brain Plasticity – The Means to Re-purpose Skills
Brace yourself: the floodgates of my frustration have been opened today. Last week, I talked about giving processing time: giving time, not a recent societal norm. In the area in which I reside, it appears to me that change is not only not a societal norm, but any attempt to try is met with my… Read more »
Processing – The Space Between the Notes
Unfortunately, without machines there is no scientific way of measuring processing, at least not that I know of. We have to use our own human observance skills and become familiar with the signs. It is most definitely the space between the notes; unseen, unheard movement forward. It is a little bit like when you know… Read more »
Music Helping to Make Sense of Sound
This was a very hectic week, with many cancellations and rescheduling of appointments due to Memorial Day, Baccalaureate Mass, graduation, state volleyball playoffs, and an elementary school fire. In the middle of the week, I began to think about what I was going to write about for this blog. I wasn’t even sure what day… Read more »
If Parents Were Approached and Children Were Labeled by Their Abilities, Would Learning Be Easier?
My off-the-cuff “Hip Hip Hooray” motif this week was an eye-opener for me. The three-year-old autistic client’s mother told me that never before had they gotten him to wave his hands in the air like that. That was not my intention, nor was it a need of which I was aware. I was simply keeping… Read more »
Parents, Professionals, and Diagnoses
My last article was a little reflection on my own daughter and music, my gifts, and “my wish.” In my conversations in recent weeks with parents of clients, I wanted to write a little on professional dealings with parents. Last week, you got a glimpse of one of the “twinkles in my eye.” In conversations… Read more »
“My Wish”
My sincere apologies to all my faithful subscribers, until recently, I have put out a newsletter weekly. I have acquired some new work and have two children graduating this year, which has required my presence at many different functions. In light of that fact, I thought I would give you a glimpse of how music… Read more »
Avoidance vs. Seeing it Through
When a child, or for that matter, an adult, devises an unhealthy or negative behavior and utilizes it to get what they think they want or gain control, what do we do? What happens afterward? What is the end result? First we have to know what it is that the child really wants. If we… Read more »