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 »
Category: Music Therapy, Bottom up Approach
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 »
Opening Up Lines of Communication: Relate Instead of Correct
Often those on the autism spectrum present behaviors which may seem odd, antisocial, or nonsensical to us. In order to help these individuals, the well-meaning urge for many to correct these behaviors comes to the forefront. Today I would like to delve slightly deeper into why correcting these behaviors instead of accepting and relating to… Read more »
Asking Why And Honoring All That One Can Give
I have written many articles on subjects such as developing children’s strengths https://backmountainmusictherapy.com/2013/03/the-amazing-power-of-building-on-a-childs-strength/ , achieving regulation, https://backmountainmusictherapy.com/2012/11/part-4-achieving-self-regulation/ , significance in an individual’s development https://backmountainmusictherapy.com/2012/04/recognizing-development-and-its-significance-in-each-individual/ , and sensory integration https://backmountainmusictherapy.com/2011/11/sensory-integration-meeting-the-need/ . On a day-to-day basis in my professional work, I have frequently been complimented on the degree of patience others have noticed. Most times, I truly have… Read more »
The Amazing Power of Building on a Child’s Strength
As I reflected on my busy and varied week, working with kids of all ages, I stopped to think what theme pervaded my week. The children displayed many strengths, but often, as adults, we don’t look beyond the tip of the iceberg, and just see them disguised as weaknesses. Why do we do that? I… Read more »
Play and Shutting Down the Critical-Thinking Mind through Music
In observing some of my newer clients and reflecting on some of my older clients this week, I saw the importance of coming in the back door, or shutting off the critically thinking mind, even in adults. This is when some productive, and more importantly, more permanent learning can evolve. Don’t get me wrong; there… Read more »
Rhythm as a Healing Element
Last week I talked about rhythm – the most basic element of music – and how we are born to live rhythmically. We are born with a basic beat, a heartbeat, and live our lives at regular intervals, minute to minute, hour by hour, day and night, month to month, year to year. Rhythm sets… Read more »