At various times, reflecting on life in our sessions is an important experience to provide. The reasons may range from celebrating life (someones’ birthday, the birthday of a new child into a family), to a life milestone (retirement, an anniversary) or the end of a life. Or maybe it is the change of seasons that […]
Do you find yourself drawn to drumming when you lead a “heart” focused session? Whether focusing on heart health, topics of the heart, or love drumming seems a fit. Here are a few lesser used songs to consider including in your heart rhythms sessions. Songs with a Heartbeat While there are many songs that work […]
Jump into planning your future sessions. From short cuts for preparing to hacks to speed you on your way, many resources are here to support you in planning older adult (and intergenerational) sessions. Session planning has a rhythm: plan, prepare, provide, appraise. That flow keeps going. Research shows ways we can better serve our clients. We […]
While like many of the posts found on this blog site, you’ll find a few songs. Unlike many of the posts, this is more a challenge for you to reflect on the heart of your work. We as music therapist, performers and music specialists have at the heart of our work music. It is our […]
Add a little warmth to your sessions. Warmth is… Clothing, drinks, food, shelter. It is the way we keep ourselves warm. The way a space is designed. Decorators refer to some colors as warm. Other times it comes from a variety of textures especially the inclusion if soft textiles which we can touch or (literally wrap) […]
Fire-up your sessions. Adding enthusiasm and energy comes in many ways. This posts explores injecting fun with an old fire song “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow”. Whether the lyrics tell the true cause of the October 8-10, 1871 Chicago fire matters not. This popular song has been sung for many years. Use it as part of a […]
As we approach the end of the year, there is a tendency to reflect on the past and to set goals for the future. For many that is on a personal level. Ooh, I met this goal but gee I’m way off on this one. What the heck did I mean when I wrote this […]
It seems many institutions (among them preschools and senior living communities) make December all about the holidays. Or more specifically, turn everything from the day after Thanksgiving (or earlier) until December 26th into all things Christmas. This post is not one bashing religious observances. This is not about what you should do in your home. […]
When the autumn leaves begin to fall, the rakes come out. Folks begin to pile up the leaves. You’ll see children and pets jumping in and out of piles. When we rake, we are gathering, collecting or moving the leaves. We can do much the same with our session materials. We can gather in: Our […]
While I have enjoyed using Boomwhackers® in my senior living sessions, I must give credit where it is due. Shares by Kat Fulton convinced me to make greater use of them. As a result, you’ll find Boomwhackers® included in several session ideas on Music Sparks. Here are a few ways to have a booming good time […]
