http://phdinspecialeducation.com/groups-activities/ This week I was thrilled to hear from Sarah Paulson, who notified me that Back Mountain Music Therapy would be featured in PhDinSpecialEducation.com. I was excited about the exposure of my business, but also grateful to be classified along with other businesses associated with the well-being of those in need of special education. It… Read more »

Recently, I have had clients make progress in the area of verbally relating to others. The two cases were completely different sets of circumstances, but both clients were headed towards similar areas of health. How is this possible? Most everything in life happens step-by-step. Most every change that we make ourselves in life that lasts… Read more »

Last week I wrote about “The Jack in the Box Effect.”  (https://backmountainmusictherapy.com/2013/10/music-play-recipe-to-override-developmental-delays/).   This demonstrates how infants learn about the world and how to react to it by watching their mothers.  The blog talked about 93% of communication being non verbal and only 7% being verbal. Usually, when engaged in my Music Therapy sessions, my… Read more »

This weekend I attended a conference entitled “Considering Musical Dimensions in Relationship-Based Work” at Molloy College. All of what was presented there was relevant to all of my work and very timely for this portion of my blog on play, particularly the evidence presented by non-musical clinical developmental psychologist Dr. Gerry Costa from Montclair  University…. Read more »

The best part about play is that there is no right or wrong way. Sometimes aid or assistance try to help by saying things like, “You were supposed to…”, but play is devoid of perfection. This means anyone can do it and it is all okay. This week, as the group of musically untrained emotionally… Read more »

This week, even the typically developing teens with whom I work demonstrated they’re very best through play. Their up and down turbulence took a detour but stayed on a path with direction. These teens did so freely, together, and when they were done were able to recognize their own accomplishments through their play. I think… Read more »

The boy is now more motivated than ever. The structure of the predictable repeated tune holds his attention as he sees what else HE can do with it. Now his attention to the world around him absorbs him. There is a need or him to be heard. Over time, the boy begins pointing adamantly, as… Read more »

Play is literally defined as “without seriousness, to take part or engage in a game” (dictionary.com), the operative phrase being “to take part or engage.” When an unstructured 2 or 3-year-old enters the Music Therapy room with no direction and wanders from thing to thing, moving about like a whirlwind, leaves behind a path of… Read more »

Currently, in most academic fields with young children, the emphasis on “academics” has increased. It is a very good thing that we can now see the capabilities of very young children and can begin when a child is young with the right approach to point a lifetime attitude towards learning into a much more positive… Read more »

My kids grew up on the phrase “Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.” Throughout their teen years, they probably heard this more than they cared to. It was a great measure for me when it came to decisions of “Should I let them do this, should I give them money for that, or should… Read more »