Patient Resource Page: Music Strategies for Relaxation and Wellness

*This page is actively updated*

Music Therapy:

• American Music Therapy Association - The official site for music therapy as a profession. This site includes a very informative FAQ section describing music therapy and its applications.
• Music as Part of Rehab - How music as therapy fits into the lifestyle changes that must happen after a major cardiac event or surgery. Improving your mood and reducing stress are key elements in maintaining a healthy future.
• How Music Works to Help Relaxation - Breaking down the elements of music to find out why music can be so powerful as an aid to relaxation.
  
• Abstract: The Effect of Preferred Sedative Music on Anxiety - The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of patient preferred, sedative music on the state anxiety level of patients undergoing heart catheterization or pacemaker implant.

Music Strategies:

• Using Music Effectively to Manage Pain - Theories and strategies for pain management and distraction from pain.
  
• Relaxation Strategies for Pre-Operative Settings - Three suggestions about how to relax before surgery.
• A Guide to Sedative Music - Tips for choosing the right kinds of music to aid in relaxation.
  
• Self-Guided Relaxation to Music - A relaxation script and guide for relaxing on your own.
  

Tools on the Web:

• Music for the Heart - A website that will present strategies to address the specific stress-inducing events that surround cardiovascular health problems. Recent research has emphasized the need for a holistic approach to health after heart attacks and cardiovascular surgery. This site will present tools and guidance to help patients elevate their mood, learn to relax and introduce music as a leisure-time tool to help them make the post-cardiac event lifestyle change.
• The Mind-Body Wellness Center - This center features cutting edge research about wellness by Dr. Barry Bittman.
  
• Music Makes Sense store at Amazon - A collection of books, music and instruments that I use in music therapy.
  

Memory Booster! Using Music to Memorize Lists and Facts.

The popularity of shows on television, like Fox's "Don't Forget the Lyrics," and party games such as "Encore" emphasize the power of music to help us remember words and numbers. If I write the phone number 867-5309, you may naturally start singing the hit song by Tommy Tutone! I often use music to help my clients remember phone numbers, addresses and lists of information like the months of the year or counting by twos, fives or tens. The children I work with have a range of disabilities from autism to mental retardation, but the principles of music that facilitate memorization remain the same for helping anyone remember key items of information.

1. Use "chunking" - Telephone numbers, as they are written in the United States, (###) ###-####, are good examples of dividing up information into manageable pieces of information. One way I have used this idea is by dividing up lists like the twelve months of the year into two groups before making up a song to help children memorize them. In addition, I use two different songs for each set of months in order to differentiate the "chunks" and make them more memorable.

2. "Piggyback" songs - These are songs where new words are used with an old melody. A great example of this is the Alphabet Song which is set to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Piggyback songs are easily overused, but very helpful for teachers and parents who are not musically trained. I usually make up original melodies for use in memorizing material, but it is possible to find appropriate popular tunes that appropriately fit the text to be memorized. I suggest not to use the same tune for all of the different "chunks" of information. Folk songs or songs from the 50's and 60's are usually very good sources for trying out piggyback tunes. These songs are usually very simple in structure, easily sung and very familiar. The melody for (Oh my darling) Clementine, for example, works well to sing about the days of the week:

There are seven days,
There are seven days,
There are seven days of the week.
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.

3. Add body movements - Kinesthetic memory can be a cue for cognitive recall and kids love to move their bodies to music. A perfect example for this is when kids are chanting, "Hip, hip, hurray!" and naturally pump their arms and fists high up into the air. Adding body percussion such as clapping, stomping or patting your knees at times in the songs can help to emphasize certain lyric information. Strategically placed claps or stomps can also "chunk" the song into smaller parts and allow the singers to refocus and get back on track with the group if they were behind or forgot some of the lyrics. These actions can be very useful for children who have mental retardation or Down Syndrome. Sometimes it takes many repetitions of the song, but in my experience, they eventually learn the action and prefer songs with movement over songs that only use singing.

4. Sign language - Add sign language for key words or even for the whole song. Signing is both kinesthetic and visual! When using sign language for a song pay special attention to keeping the signs in tempo with the rhythm of the music and making the signing motions larger or smaller according to the dynamics and lyrics.

5. Use melody and harmony effectively - Most songs have obvious lyric and melodic phrases that sound incomplete if not finished. One example of this could be singing, "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it ______," and just leaving the word and the melody blank. This space can be used for important information since it is the most likely place in the song that a word will be remembered when the melody is sung as a cue. An added advantage to this song is that the lyric phrase is repeated many times, providing even more emphasis for important information.

6. Try a Bigmak! - Ablenet has a step by step Bigmak or Littlemak that can be programmed with multiple words or phrases so that the recordings are played sequentially as the button is pushed. This is a great feature for lists and allows non-verbal children to participate in the songs.

Beeping Easter Egg Hunt! The Creative Use of Sound to Facilitate Children Who Have Disabilities.

This story was featured in the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Click here for the full story: Blind, Deaf Can Play These Easter Games.

I love this idea! I immediately started thinking about how small music chips could be placed into eggs instead of just "beeping" sounds. This is the first I have heard of this organized event and my kudos go out to the folks at AT&T. Keep an eye out in your own community for similar events

Hey Mr. DJ! Dancing Activity for the Special Education Classroom.

I learned this activity in my music therapy internship, but I do not know where the original idea came from. We called it, "Disco Nerf!" This group activity can be done in a variety of special education settings or even at home as a family. I think it works especially well for junior high and high school groups. Dancing is an age appropriate activity, but these kids don't usually get to attend the regular school dances and parties.




Equipment:

- Nerf Ball
- CD player (remote control makes things easier)

Rules:

- Whoever has the ball when the music stops has to make up a dance move.
- Whenever you get the ball you have to do your dance move if you have made one up.
- If you get the ball a third time when the music stops, then you become the DJ!
- Everyone starts over with no dance moves when there is a new DJ.

Activity:

Form a circle making sure that there are teachers or peer facilitators at strategic locations in the circle to assist students with disabilities. (Remain sitting in chairs to add more structure to the activity if there are students who get too excited or lack focus of attention skills.) Select a person to be the first DJ and have them control the pause button on the CD player. The DJ should be facing away from the group so that he or she cannot see where the ball is. The DJ starts the music and the group quickly passes the ball in a circle like it is a "hot potato." The DJ randomly stops the music and waits for the person with the ball to make up a dance move. The dance moves should be kept simple and the dancer should be able to do the move while holding the ball. Request the DJ to restart the music and continue passing the ball. If a person who has made up a dance move gets the ball while the music is going, he or she should do their dance move before passing the ball to the next person. Prior to starting, you should determine if dancers will have to make up two different dance moves if the music stops while they have the ball on two different occasions. (Sometimes I just have them do one dance move depending on how well they can remember.) Once a person has the ball a third time when the music stops, they become the DJ and everyone starts over without any dance moves. The ball just moves quickly as a "hot potato!"

Applications, goals and objectives:

This activity can easily be used to collect data on objectives. It is also an easy way to have peer assistants partner with students who have disabilities. Many students with cerebral palsy or other disabilities will need help to hold and pass the ball, but in my experience they always love the activity!

Here are some suggested goals to observe:

- Following one and two-step directions.
- Gross motor movement.
- Peer interaction.
- Focus of attention.
- Sequencing skills.

Now go and, "Shake your booty!"

Parent Resource Page: Using Music To Help Your Child With Disabilities

*This page is actively updated*

Music Therapy:

• American Music Therapy Association - The official site for music therapy as a profession. This site includes a very informative FAQ section describing music therapy and its applications.
• Prelude Music Therapy - Kathleen Coleman and Betsey King have developed many useful materials for use in music therapy. Kathleen is a pioneer in music therapy in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and offers helpful information about music therapy in the public school setting.
  
• What Happens in a Music Therapy Assessment - This article answers many questions that I regularly receive from teachers as I prepare to evaluate a student in their classes.
  

Music Strategies and Inspirational Stories:

• Scooby Doo Meets His Match! - A story about the power of live music and singing to help a boy with autism do his work.
• Using Music With Children Who Have Visual Impairments - Children who have visual impairments or blindness combined with disabilities such as mental retardation, autism, Down and other syndromes present unique challenges for using music therapeutically. These children also tend to have more acute sensory defensive behaviors towards objects in the environment. Therefore, I often employ music strategies to address non-musical objectives instead of trying to teach music as a skill.
• A Schoolhouse Story About Singing and Stimming Behaviors - Henry is a delightful boy in the second grade. He has recently been labeled as having an an autism spectrum disorder and his behaviors are consistent with many of the common characteristics of autism. One of these characteristics is his desire for self-stimulation through hand flapping, visual and verbal perseveration, muscle flexing and in Henry's case, singing.
• William Learns To Walk Like A Man - I am fortunate that many behavior problems disappear during music therapy activities. The teachers I work with often joke that I remain around longer so that their students continue to pay attention and remain sitting appropriately. These students do not have bad teachers, but the power of the music activities is often strong enough to maintain order during the music therapy session without many of the behavioral interventions that are necessary during regular classroom activities.

Tools on the Web:

• Songs for Teaching - This very useful site has educational songs grouped by category and subject. Visitors to the website can listen to music samples and view song lyrics.
  
• Music Makes Sense store at Amazon - A collection of books, music and instruments that I use in music therapy activities or that I recommend for use by teachers and parents.
• West Music - West music is a full-line music store with a very nice catalog and internet website. They have most of the musical instruments that would be used in a classroom setting. I have met many of the West music employees while working at conventions and highly recommend their services and products.
• Disaboom - A community on the web developed by a doctor with quadriplegia. Here you may find ways to connect with other people with disabilities, hear their stories and benefit from their knowledge.
  
• Go Fish Guys - Music written for kids that is safe to listen to and nice enough that it won't drive parents crazy!
  

Teacher Resource Page: Music Strategies for the Classroom

*This page is actively updated*

Music Therapy:

• American Music Therapy Association - The official site for music therapy as a profession. This site includes a very informative FAQ section describing music therapy and its applications.
• Prelude Music Therapy - Kathleen Coleman and Betsey King have developed many useful materials for use in music therapy. Kathleen is a pioneer in music therapy in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and offers helpful information about music therapy in the public school setting.
  
• What Happens in a Music Therapy Assessment - This article answers many questions that I regularly receive from teachers as I prepare to evaluate a student in their classes.
  
• BEFORE Asking for a Music Therapy Assessment - A guide to screening your students before presenting a case at the ARD meeting. Much time will be saved by paying attention to the right kinds of reactions a student has to music before proceeding with a full music therapy evaluation.
  

Music Strategies:

• Using a Gathering Drum - The children's gathering drum is a great way to gain a lot of "bang for your buck!" This is a list of 10 ways to use the drum in music activities.
• Drum Circles - Tips and guidance for doing drum circles in a special education setting. Drum circles are very fun and motivating for students and can be very successful with the right planning!
• Music Activities for Children with Visual Impairments - Children with visual impairments have special awareness of musical sounds. This article is a guide for using music more effectively with this population.
• Try Out the Suzuki Q-Chord! - The Q-chord is an amazingly versatile instrument that many teachers find easy enough to learn how to play. You don't have to play the piano or guitar to facilitate music with your students!
• Stress Management and Relaxation - Take some time to benefit from music assisted relaxation. Both you and your students can benefit from these useful strategies.
• Parachute Activities - Useful ideas for incorporating goals and objectives into parachute activities using music.
• Tuned in to Learning - This music and learning curriculum was developed by a music therapist and an autism specialist.
  

Tools on the Web:

• Teacherxpress.com - An amazing collection of links to reference sites that are useful of teachers. Check it out and don't forget to bookmark it!
• Songs for Teaching - This very useful site has educational songs grouped by category and subject. Visitors to the website can listen to music samples and view song lyrics.
  
• Music Makes Sense store at Amazon - A collection of books, music and instruments that I use in music therapy activities or that I recommend for use by teachers and parents.
• West Music - West music is a full-line music store with a very nice catalog and internet website. They have most of the musical instruments that would be used in a classroom setting. I have met many of the West music employees while working at conventions and highly recommend their services and products.
  
• Ablenet - The home of the Bigmak! A site full of switches, adaptive communication devices, and functional skills curriculum helps.
• LifeSounds - Chris Brewer is a musician with advanced training in Guided Imagery and Music. She also specializes in integrating music into the classroom. Here is a link to a great book about how to use music more effectively in the classroom!
• Kangarooboo - I love the musical instruments available here! Many of them are designed as animals or characters and are great for stories and songs with themes!