Just in case you missed them, here are the stories from May in the Daily Muse. If you want to be on the cutting edge of music news for the therapist, parent and teacher, then you can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
(6-30-11) Here are three great apps for the music therapist's iPad:
1. iCommunicate
2. Smule's Magic Piano
3. Garage Band
(6-29-11) Kat Fulton brought this to my attention and I wanted to continue to spread the word! A new book is out regarding music therapy and geriatric populations. One of the best things about the new book is that it is written by some of my favorite people! If you missed Kat's post, here is the link to obtain this new resource! Congratulations to all the authors! It must be a great day to see the final product in print!
(6-27-11) I have often used song-writing or asking questions about song lyrics to help children with Autism to be more creative in answering questions as well as be consistent in a 2-3 part communication exchange. I love this idea being tried at the University of Colorado where kids with Aspherger's Syndrome get a chance to be a radio interviewer. Not only is this an age appropriate and fun thing for a kid to do, but it is the perfect situation to teach about asking open-ended questions and then following up with another question on the same topic. You can find the full story here.
(6-26-11)
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away."
~ Henry David Thoreau
(6-25-11) They found that music therapy treatment consisting of live, interactive music intervention over a 20 week period was a significantly better treatment for clinical depression than standard verbal therapy. They even found that patients had continued to show better psychological attributes up to three months after treatment! Not only was the music therapy treatment significantly better, but it also had a large effect size. This means that there may be a tangible and meaningful improvement in mood and quality of life for people who receive music therapy as part of their treatment for depression. The abstract can be found here.
(6-24-11) Kat Fulton continues to amaze all of us with her diverse repertoire of music therapy skills and activities! She has recently posted new videos on her Rhythm Renegades series as well as a great article about music therapy with large groups of kids. I am envious of her 100+ boomwhacker inventory! Please make some time to read her recent posts over at Rhythmforgood.com. Don't miss the video about the Cat song. I love that she has a song that speaks her name!
(6-23-11)
Fantastic news out of Washington State! It is great to see drumming highlighted as a treatment for Parkinson's Disease. There have already been news stories about Parkinson's choirs and dance therapy, but it is nice to see drumming in the mix too! Great work out there by music therapist Bill Dluhosh! The news story has a nice video to go with the transcript.
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(6-22-11) Alert! Attention all music therapists: Don't miss the deadline for submitting a poster for the research poster session at AMTA 2011 Atlanta! Turn in your applications by July 15th! Here are the details:
SUBMISSIONS BEING ACCEPTED FOR THE ATLANTA NATIONAL CONFERENCE POSTER SESSION
Those interested in having their research considered for the Research Poster Session should:
1) Submit one copy of a 600-800 word abstract; or a copy of the full report (including an abstract). Regardless of choice each submission must include complete information for judging research quality.
2) Submissions must be received as an e-mail attachment using WORD (12 point in Times New Roman).
3) In the MAIN BODY OF THE E-MAIL include all of the demographic information necessary for listing in the final program including 1) the title of the paper, 2) names(s) of author(s) 3) institutional affiliation(s) and a complete address.
4) On the abstract or full paper INCLUDE ONLY the paper's title. DO NOT include the name of the author or affiliation.
The deadline for submissions is JULY 15, 2011. Please send submissions to: cmadsen@fsu.edu Clifford K. Madsen, AMTA Research Committee, Center for Music Research, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida 32306-2098 USA. If, after 5 days of submission you have not received a confirmation of your paper being received. Please send it again and call Dr. Madsen (850) 644-4565.
After a blind review by the committee, each participant selected will be notified via e-mail of their status.
(6-21-11)
Here is the headline: "Autism More Common Near Tech Hubs." Although I find the article highly speculative and they do not offer proof of the correlation or even links to the research behind the article, this is an interesting phenomenon. What do you think? Is there any truth to the idea that autism may run in families that have talent in the area of math and engineering?
(6-20-11) I actually get ear worms all the time. In fact, I have to limit the music I listen to at night and try not to listen to any music at all the hour before I go to bed! The local FOX news team in Phoenix has a lot of fun with this story, but I think it is an interesting topic. I also think it is cool that there are computer programs that analyze the "ear worm" factor of a song or song phrase! Where can I sign up for that?! I wonder how many of our therapy songs could go viral!
(6-19-11)
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
From, The End. ~ The Beatles
*You can find more great quotes form songs at Wisdom Bits.
(6-18-11) I am very excited about the recent wave of news stories about music therapy! Here is another one about music therapy in North Carolina. There is some great work going on out there by music therapists! It is nice to see some recognition for our profession as well as some references to our efforts in using evidence-based practice! Please take a minute to read about music therapist Elizabeth Fawcett at the North Carolina Children's Hospital.
(6-17-11) Kudos to our Florida State Alumni! Dr. Lori Gooding and intern Shane Swezey are both in the spotlight for this article regarding the expansion of music therapy in the Lexington area. We wish their new music therapy program a great future! The story is here.
(6-16-11) I have been involved with an incredible project in Georgia for the last six months. I have joined with other music and creative arts therapists who work at the state psychiatric hospital in Thomasville, GA, to help design and build an outdoor sound garden. I had not planned on announcing this so soon, but the proverbial cat is now out of the bag! The local CBS news station recently ran a story about our project! I look forward to sharing with you much more detail about the project as we move forward, but the basic highlights are covered in the news story. The hospital has already committed a significant donation to the project and I am submitting grant applications for the rest. The grant-writing experience has definitely been an eye-opening endeavor and I will likely share about that process in the future. In the mean-time, stay tuned for more updates, pictures and construction plans as we move forward with this unique and innovative use of music in the psychiatric setting! The news story on WCTV is here.
(6-15-11) There is a great Parkinson's choir in Tallahassee run by one of my music therapy colleagues. The choir is a wonderful benefit to people with this disease and I think current research is starting to support the anecdotal reports of success. The story out of Chicago is similar in that music is being used to help Parkinson's patients improve rhythm of speech and vocal strength. They are also using drama therapy as part of a holistic creative arts therapy program to work with their patients. It is very nice to see this kind of therapy spreading around the nation. You can find the story here. The YouTube video is also included at the end of the story. Great work Chicago!
(6-14-11)
Hugworks is a non-profit group that is now based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area. They employ music therapists as well as therapeutic music entertainers. Their award-winning music is a great resource for music therapists and teachers, but can also be a great source for parents looking for quality music. Please visit their page and see how you might be able to join with them in spreading the healing power of music! You can click here to go directly to their products page.
(6-13-11)
There are many talented musicians in the ranks of music therapists. Unfortunately, the demands of the job don't often leave room for performance gigs. Melou Stewart Cline is a music therapist in Utah who will be debuting some of her own compositions at a public recital. It is great that she is able to do this! You can find all the details here. If anyone out there is able to go see her, I hope they will share the experience with us! Good luck to Melou tonight!
(6-12-11)
"Music was my refuge. I could crawl into the space between the notes and curl my back to loneliness." ~ Maya Angelou
(6-11-11) Some interesting new research about the origins of autism is pointing to gene mutations that affect synapse development in the brain. The news story mentions how just one set of changes in the genes can set the stage for either autism or William's Syndrome, two very different forms of autism spectrum disorder. The new research also seems to help explain why autism is now seen as a spectrum disorder since there is such a huge variety of symptoms, traits and abilities depending on the person. The random genetic mutations would help to explain the wide ranging differences. You can find the story here at Disability Scoop.
(6-10-11) Father's day is right around the corner! Amazon is running specials on box sets and MP3 collections that might have a special appeal to dad. You can find the sale here.
Here is just one of the albums on sale right now:
(6-9-11) If you haven't visited GOOGLE.com today, then you may miss the last few hours to play around on their on-line doodle guitar! You can find some instructions about how to play more than just a simple tune by going here. Have fun!
(6-8-11) Ty Cullen and others have created some intriguing videos where they ask random people on the streets what they are listening to on their iPods or MP3 players. It is very interesting to see the people and the music that they are listening to. Not only is there a huge variety of music, but it is fun to try and imagine what someone might be listening to and then discover whether or not you judged correctly!
The advent of digital music players has created a world that is both easier and more difficult for a music therapist. It is so much easier to find songs and arrange playlists than it used to be. The only problem is that people are becoming so exposed to huge varieties of music that their music preferences can be more difficult to pin down! I have also started to encounter situations where the proliferation of music and video has flooded in so rapidly that there is no longer a set of "standard works" that most people know. There are kids, for example, that have no idea about songs from Cinderella or even Blue's Clues! I just did a music therapy group today and there were several adult clients who had literally never heard "Hey Jude"! I found the full story on CBS here. I have also included one of the videos from London here after the jump:
(6-7-11) The NPR show, Talk of the Nation, recently did a show highlighting the work of Elena Mannes and her new book, The Power of Music. You can listen to the interview or read the transcript here. I enjoyed the stories about how music has changed people's lives. It was nice that they also had people calling in to the show telling their stories and asking questions. Elena Mannes is not a music therapist or scientist, but it is nice to have producers and authors creating books and other media materials about the power of music. I recommend that you take a few minutes and listen to the short broadcast and also forward it to someone you know who might appreciate learning more about how music works and why music makes sense!
(6-6-11)
I've written before about this effort to get music therapy recognized as a licensed profession in certain states. Oklahoma was one of these states where legislation was pending, but the governor of Nevada has just signed into law the rules for state licensing of music therapists. Apparently it takes 32 pages (I imagine that is short for government paperwork!) to lay out the rules for the license. You can find the document here for your reading pleasure.
I understand the need for state recognition in order to obtain easier access for reimbursement and state funding, but it seems like it would be nice to use the National Board Certification instead. As it stands now, you can be a great therapist practicing in any state of the union, but if you step across the Nevada state line, don't reach for that guitar! Not until you pay up, that is! I am interested to know what you think about this? Is it inevitable? Are we trying to hold back the tide if we don't go along with this state licensing movement? Perhaps it will bring more good than bad?
(6-5-11)
"Who hears music feels his solitude peopled at once." ~ Robert Browning
(6-4-11) The LA Times has an update on the use of classical music to drive off hordes of hoodlum teenagers at malls and other public gathering places. I think the use of music for this purpose has been an elegant solution to what can sometimes be a thorny problem. I too have to admit hitting the drag as a teenager (although it was in a much smaller town than LA!) and hanging out at the mall or some store or restaurant parking lot. I think I can vouch for the power of classical music causing contemporary teenagers to find a new hangout! Mixing popular music and Mozart would have driven me crazy! The success of the California program also attests to the effectiveness of using client/patient preferred music for the most effective therapy. The full news story is here.
(6-3-11) It's Friday! I often like to highlight some of the great blogging going on regarding music therapy. Kat Fulton at Rhythm for Good has started a fantastic new series of video blogs called "Rhythm Renegades!" These videos spotlight some of the unsung heroes of music therapy and other musicians out there who are using music to influence people's lives for the better. Take a minute and enjoy the start of this new feature and don't forget to sign up to follow Kat on Facebook while your there!
(6-2-11)
This is an exciting development for music therapy! Ronna Kaplan, M. A., the president of the American Music Therapy Association, is now a guest blogger on the Huffington Post. You can read her debut blogpost here. The article contains some nice anecdotes and a good primer on music therapy.
Don't forget to share your favorite posts with friends and family by clicking on the share buttons at the bottom of this post!
(6-1-11)
There is a new blog resource for music therapists who are NICU certified! The blog will apparently have bi-weekly posts, although you do have to be NICU certified to subscribe. For those who aren't yet certified, there are some good resources and links to research on the website. Check it all out here!
Don't forget to share your favorite posts with friends and family by clicking on the share buttons at the bottom of this post!
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