Birthday Song Secrets Revealed!

I received just a few renditions of the Birthday song today!  It made me think about how useful the song is in music therapy.  Not only is it a very well-known song, even used in France and other countries, but it is full of very clear and motivating cadences.  


A cadence is a musical term describing the resolution of a series of chords.  Basically, it is the way a musical phrase comes to a close or resting point.  This can be very useful in a music therapy assessment to evaluate music skill and music interest that could be important in music therapy activities.


As we all know, the Birthday song goes like this:


Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to _________, 
Happy birthday to __________.  


By leaving blanks in the song at the end of phrases, it is possible to find out if a client is motivated to fill in the blanks.  Ending the last phrase on the word "to" leaves the musical feeling in suspense, with an urge to resolve to the tonic chord.  Then, if the client is inclined to sing a response, is it the correct pitch?  


If a client responds to blanks in this song, it is likely that other songs and activities may be similarly successful.  Target information can be placed in key parts of a song to help a client learn.  The motivation to complete a musical phrase can also be used to improve expressive communication skills.


Now, just for fun...go sing the song to someone and stop before you sing the last "you."  How long does it take for them to fill in the blank?  Did you find anyone that it didn't bother?      

Great Resource for Adapted Guitar Lessons!

Dr. Robert Krout is one of the great professors of music therapy in Texas!  He teaches at Southern Methodist University and has published several books and recordings.  


One of his newest books is a method book aimed at guitar students who have special needs.  The book also looks like it will be very useful for the music therapist or guitar teacher who is facilitating the student.  Not only does Dr. Krout provide great examples on the accompanying CD, but the practice songs have specifically been chosen and written to have a dual role in the lessons. 


One song, for example, has lyrics that provide cues and language to talk to a person about how he or she is doing.  So, not only is the student learning a new chord or guitar technique, but also practicing and learning social skills!  


You really need to check out this great new resource!

A Musical Twilight Zone

I have to admit up front that this post is mostly just for fun!  But it did make me think about music preferences of different groups or clients.  Luckily, I don't think music therapy has made it yet to North Korea or else I would seriously have to brush up on my accordion repertoire!  


But there are things to learn in this interesting tidbit from behind the North Korean "iron curtain."  What non-verbal behaviors do you pick up?  I don't think I saw a single smile during the performance, even at the end!  And why in the world would a communist nation want to promote a pop culture song from the West?  


Enjoy!

The Daily Muse: Pamela Ott Makes Music for Special Kids

     Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense!  This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives.  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!

I have discovered Pamela Ott who writes the blog, "Music for Special Kids." Not only is she a music therapist, but she has many songs and some materials available for download that are really nice. I like her melodies and the singing is well done! I have subscribed to her blog and I recommend you do the same! Check it out here.



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The Daily Muse: Introducing Music Mashups!

     Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense!  This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives.  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!

I have discovered music mashups! I am not really sure how they make these, but I really like this one. Jason Mraz, Bobby McFerrin and Israel Kamakawiwo'ole singing together! It is amazing how you can take three great songs and digitally smash them together! Enjoy it here!

Where In the World is Justin Bieber??

I did a music expression group with some clients in an adult psych setting several weeks ago.  It was around Valentine's Day so I wanted to talk to the group about how it is important to have a strong social support system.  This might include friends and family if not a significant other, so there was no pressure about doing this for a "Valentine."  Since Justin collaborated with Usher on this song, I decided that it would be okay for an adult population.

Each participant rewrote the song, "Somebody to Love," by Justin Bieber and Usher.  After each person was finished with their version of the lyrics, they performed it through a karaoke machine.  The group really seemed to enjoy the activity and had tremendous fun performing their songs!  I thought that this song was easy to adapt into a fill-in-the blank songwriting activity, so I wanted to share my edits:    

A Thanksgiving Favorite!

One of my favorite songs for the holiday season!

Adapted Guitar Hero

I saw this on our local music therapy listserv and thought it needed a broader audience. R. J. Cooper and Associates have many different kinds of adapted technologies to offer. As a music therapist I am always trying to adapt instruments and songs for use with my clients, but sometimes a little bit more technical expertise is called for. The adapted Guitar Hero guitar is a great idea and it looks like good implementation too! If anyone has tried this, please let me know so that I can add your comments. Thanks!

Rock on!

Click here for the website.

Delicious

Delicious

(Leo Sevush)

D______________D7
Pick out a pumpkin, a pumpkin that fits.
G_______________Gm
Put it on the table and scoop out the pits.
D
Put it in the oven and bake that pie.
A7_______________________D
Put it on the table and listen to the sighs.
D___________________A7_____D
Delicious, delicious, delicious pumpkin pie!
D_________________________________A_____D
(rub your tummy...) Mmmm, mmmm, delicious pumpkin pie!

Cranberries look, red, round and small.

Put them in your mouth, you won’t like them at all!

Put them in a pot and cook them long

Put them on the table and you’ll hear this song!

Potatoes and gravy are part of our fare,

Cut up the potatoes and cook them in a pot.

Mash the potatoes, and pour the gravy on,

Put them on the table and you’ll hear the cheers!

Turkey and stuffing are the dish for today,

Mom’s been cooking since early in the day.

Turkey’s in the oven and the dressing is on the stove,

Put them on the table, and you’ll see the smiles!

Rolls with butter are an extra treat,

Fluffy, white and tasty – you’ll eat and eat and eat!

Bake them in the oven until they’re nice and golden!

Put them on the table and you’ll hear us say,

Please see my post: Thanksgiving Tunes! Delicious! for a description of activities that go with this song.

Thanksgiving Tunes! Delicious!

I use a number of different songs around the holidays, but one of them that has been a huge success is a song called, "Delicious." It is written by Leo Sevush according to the sheet of music I have, but I have never been able to find the original source. If anyone out there knows what book or collection it comes from, please let me know!

I usually play the song on guitar, but I have also recorded it for some of the clients and teachers I used to work with. You can listen to the recorded version by clicking on the record:

02 Track 2.wma

This song is great for many reasons, but especially for the repeating line, "Delicious, delicious..." This is an obviously difficult word for many young children or kids with speech impairments to say, but they absolutely love trying to say it all twenty times in this song! This very clear repeating line also lends itself nicely to the use of a Bigmak button for anyone who does not speak or needs an alternate way to participate.

I have made up a file folder with pictures of all the things in the song with a picture of a table so that the children can set the table as the song goes along:


Like so many file folder activities, you can make this one fit the ability level of your students or clients. You may want to let each participant choose what they want to eat for thanksgiving and just see if they can get the food on the table. Sometimes, I sing about a specific food and see if they can find the correct picture from a field of however many choices I feel will be appropriate. I made up pictures for all the foods in the song, but feel free to add more pictures and verses for foods your kids like.

I have transcribed a song sheet for guitar that you can see here. The tune will get stuck in your head for at least a day or two! Enjoy!

Adapted Song Series: Pop the Bubble!

Pop the Bubble.wav

Click on the radio to hear the song!

I wrote this song in order to take advantage of the power of bubbles. I often see special education teachers using bubbles as a motivation tool or sensory-motor experience. I had a client who needed to work on "P" and "B" sounds, so writing a song just made sense. I wrote the song so that children in a group could practice taking turns blowing the bubbles while clapping to the beat. Once there were bubbles airborne this naturally flowed into trying to pop the bubbles. I encourage my clients to say, "POP!" every time they clap their hands. For some of the children, they can approximate by saying the sound for the letter P or B. I like the fact that in this song the kids are clapping for their peer in support, but also practicing important motor and communication skills by trying to pop the bubbles. I just made a quick recording so that you can hear the song, but I often sing it without the guitar since I am facilitating the bubble blowing. The kids always love this song! Have fun!

Pop the Bubble!

D                        G        D

Watch ______ blow the bubble,



                        G            D    

Watch ______ blow the bubble!



                                G

Clap your hands and pop the bubble,



C                            D

Clap your hands and pop the bubble!



                                G                            

Clap your hands and pop the bubble,



        E7                A7

Say, p-p-p-p-pop.......Pop!



            D

(and - POP)

Tuned In To Learning: Kid Tested and Therapist Approved!

I feel like I might be late to the party on this topic, but better late then never! The "Tuned in to Learning" (TIL) program has been around since 2004. I think I have seen it around, but never got a chance to look into it. After all, there are so many new music programs for learning out on the market! Until now, I have not found one that I could wholly recommend. TIL had the advantage of being developed by music therapists and an autism specialist who field tested it before it was presented to the public.

TIL addresses many of the problems I have with using recorded music for therapeutic purposes in the education setting. For example, most recorded music is too fast and provides too little space for learners with disabilities to participate successfully. Much of the children's music also caters to kids in the general education setting with lyrics that speed by and contain advanced vocabulary. TIL successfully manages these issues and takes it a step further by using lyrics to provide directions and information.

I tried out some of the songs during recent music therapy sessions to see how the kids would react. I used various songs from the TIL sample CD in an early childhood setting, elementary school and high school classes. In every instance I was impressed that the children immediately participated in the songs and quickly learned what do to. I feel this is an important indicator because sometimes it takes children with disabilities a few times experiencing a new song before they really start participating. I also found that the songs allowed plenty of time for my clients to respond verbally or follow modeled movements to the music. I was able to use the songs during therapy without a problem since they directly addressed some of the goals and objectives that I have been working on with my students.

The TIL music comes with picture books, printable content and sometimes a DVD or CD-ROM. The music I have listened to so far is very pleasant with catchy tunes and nice sounding vocalists. They have employed clever instrumentation and arrangements so that the music often provides cues for actions and words. Each learning module is centered around a theme, so teachers, home-schoolers and parents can buy appropriate material such as, "Social Skills and Pragmatics," or "Wh Questions," if they can't afford the entire set, although I believe many school districts have purchased the full curriculum. I am always looking for good materials to recommend to my classroom teachers so that they can do music activities with goals and objectives in mind in between my therapy visits. I highly recommend this Tuned in to Learning series.

Tuned in to Learning

Adapted Song Series: Clap, Clap, Clap

The adapted song series features songs with simple chord progressions that have been useful in music therapy settings. These songs have memorable tunes and offer logical and predictable opportunities to substitute words, sounds and actions for lyrics and movements in the original song. These songs are especially useful for teachers and parents in between music therapy sessions.

Clap, Clap, Clap is from the Musik Garten album, Family Music: Clap With Me.

This song is so catchy that teachers and kids will never forget the tune. It is easily sung without accompaniment and the motions that go along with the song help to keep it lively and engaging. The original song asks for movements like: clapping, tapping toes, and clicking heels. There is an instrumental interlude between each movement request in the lyrics.

Adaptations:

1. Sing on “la” or other syllable sounds (i.e., “ma,” “za,” “ha,” “ho,” are very successful) during the instrumental interludes. This is perfect for working on speech and language objectives for beginning consonant sounds and vowel sounds.

2. Conduct the instrumental music with your hand or make a “music wand” with ribbons and streamers.

3. Encourage students to make choices about what motor movements can be done. I have used: blink your eyes, pat your knees, pat your head, stomp your feet, etc.

This song has been so successful for use with children who have disabilities because you can tailor the movements to be as simple as blinking your eyes. This allows children in a wheelchair or with severe physical disabilities to successfully be part of the group activity. Clap, Clap, Clap also uses very few chords and can easily be played in the key of D on the guitar or keyboard. The lyrics are very repetitive and therefore provide multiple opportunities for children to hear instructions. Finally, I like the structure of the song since it provides predictable sections of music without lyric accompaniment. Verbal prompts and instructions can be used at these times to reinforce what will happen in the song.

Amazon has the CD here:

Clap With Me