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.

Lessons About Music From a Spin Class

This certainly seems like a strange title, but my bike class has provided some very good examples about how music works! I signed up for a bicycle spin class last year and usually attend 2-3 times per week, so I have been able to experience 3-4 different class teachers. Each of the teachers has their own way of leading the class, including how they utilize the music to facilitate the ride. The three different methods illustrate how elements of music affect our behavior.

Lesson 1: One of the teachers uses music mainly for the beat. She usually chooses songs with a very strong and consistent bass beat that is easy to hear over the noise of the bikes. The music sets the pace by helping the riders pedal on the beat. The teacher has songs with different tempos depending on whether the ride is simulating going up a hill or staying on a flat road. Sometimes the songs do not work well because they are too fast or too slow, but the teacher is usually good about taking those songs out of the mix if they do not work out. As riders, we do not appreciate the songs with tempos that are difficult to keep up with or are so slow that you lose the momentum in pedaling. Music for the TEMPO and BEAT are key!

Lesson 2: A second teacher mainly uses music to set the mood. She is not asking for pedaling on the beat, but instead focuses on the riders setting their own cadences within certain parameters. The music is generally fast or slow depending on the type of riding she is encouraging, but the riders set their own pace using the resistance dial to determine the level of exertion. The music for these classes does not always have a strong beat, but is usually upbeat and lively. This teacher often describes outdoor imagery and encourages the riders to visualize riding a bike outdoors either in a race or for pleasure depending on the song. The music lyrics and style usually coincide with the imagery she is describing. Music for MOOD is king here!

Lesson 3: Another teacher often uses music with motivational lyrics. This teacher combines useful tempos with music that is encouraging through its style and words. The teacher often echoes the lyric lines to emphasize the song's message. Sometimes some of the riders chime in with the words if it is one of their preferred songs. LYRICS are a powerful way to use music effectively!

There have been some classes when I did not appreciate the selections and styles of music. These biking sessions did not feel like I had a good workout and I often found my mind wandering during the class. There are also some classes where I will not attend simply because I know the teachers do not play music that I enjoy or do not use the music effectively during the class. The music is so essential to helping the riders make it through the exercise regime. I often find myself thinking that I can do it if I can just make it to the end of the song!

A good selection of music also helps the riders begin biking at a moderate level and then slowly increase the intensity of the ride somewhere in the middle of the class time. The music can then be used to gradually slow down the class in tempo and intensity as the class comes to a close. Slower and quieter songs are helpful during the cool-down and stretching to help heart rates return to normal. This idea transfers very well to a regular setting when music may be helpful in facilitating relaxation or rest at the end of a long work day.

I think it is instructive to understand the elements of music and how they work in influencing our lives and behavior. When we understand how music makes sense in different situations, we can begin using it more effectively to enhance our own lives and the lives of others.

I'm off to spin!...

Schoolhouse Rock: Teachers Make Music With the Suzuki Q-Chord!

Music therapists in the school setting usually spend one or two times per week working with a client who has disabilities. Many teachers continue to use music strategies with their students throughout the week when the music therapist is not there. The majority of teachers that I work with are very creative and dedicated professionals and do their best using audio recordings and a cappella singing to assist them in music activities in the classroom. These teachers often lament their singing ability and wish for the live guitar accompaniment I am able to provide for the music therapy sessions.

I have had much success in introducing teachers to using the Q-chord to help them enhance their classroom music activities. The teachers I have worked with agree that audio recordings are often too fast in tempo or do not allow enough time for children with special needs to make appropriate responses. The Q-chord changes this dynamic by allowing the teacher to set the tempo and even pause whenever necessary in order to facilitate responses from the children. Using the Q-chord also introduces live music into the environment and provides a music-making instrument for physical interaction.

Here are five highlights I tell my teachers about when introducing them to the Q-chord:

1. Making music with the Q-chord is as easy as pushing one button at a time! Most children's songs are very simple in musical structure and usually only have three to four chords per song. In my work as a therapist, I use song cards with pictures on the front and large print lyrics on the back. I have also placed the letter names of the chords over the appropriate lyric words for reference. The Q-chord has buttons labeled with the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G which correspond to musical chords. The person playing the Q-chord simply has to push the letter button indicated on the back of the song card and the appropriate music is created. Teachers can immediately be successful without much practice. I have also had some students be able to press the letter buttons to accompany singing.

2. Choose your own tempo! I recommend the Q-chord because the tempo of the music can be slowed down with the simple turning of a dial. Teachers find this very useful as they are learning to play and the students are able to participate better at tempos that match their abilities. The Q-chord also has many different kinds of rhythm backgrounds that keep the music unique and interesting.

3. Strum away! The Q-chord strum-plate is one of its best features. The strum-plate requires only a small amount of touch in order to activate a sound. Small finger taps or large dragging motions work equally well to produce pleasing sounds. The Q-chord comes pre-programmed with a variety of sounds so that teachers and students can make their preferences known. Another nice feature is that one person can push the chord buttons while another person strums the strum-plate.

4. Plug and play! Song cartridges can be ordered separately that plug into the Q-chord. There are many different styles of music and songs that can be obtained and most cartridges have ten or more songs. The advantage to these cartridges is that the preloaded songs can still be slowed down or sped up in tempo and strumming sounds can be added to them. A teacher using a cartridge would not have to push any chord buttons and could focus on having children strum, sing or otherwise interact with the music at a pace that is appropriate.

5. Take it on the road! The Q-chord is very light and easy to to have in your lap. It can be used with batteries or an AC adapter, so power is not an issue. In many classrooms I go to, the students may be in wheelchairs or other special seating arrangements with tray-tables or other obstacles. I have often found that the Q-chord is more accessible than even my guitar or a keyboard as I am going up to these clients and trying to encourage their involvement in the music making.

A Q-chord really makes sense for teachers who want to increase the use of music as a strategy for learning, communication and social interaction!

Five Ideas For Using Music Therapeutically With Children Who Have Visual Impairments

I have the opportunity to work with many clients with visual impairments in the public schools. These children often enjoy music as a primary motivator and independently seek out music stimuli in their environment. In my work as a music therapist I am usually asked to find ways to help these children and their teachers use music stimuli more effectively to aid students in making progress on non-musical objectives. Many students who are singularly challenged with visual impairments pursue music in a traditional way as a hobby, leisure skill or career. We all know about the success and talent of people like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, etc., but how do we use music to connect with those children with multiple disabilities?

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. Traditional adaptations for learning music as a skill may not work with these children. Many of the children I work with may only be able to learn a very short rhythm or melodic sequence by rote and do not read braille due to cognitive impairments. 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.

Here are 5 ideas that can easily be used in the classroom:

1. Use braille for song card titles - I use song cards with a picture and title on the front and the lyrics for the song on the back of the card. These song cards facilitate choice-making since they can be presented in fields of 2 or more. Many children with disabilities have limited braille reading skills, but may be in a pre-braille learning stage. Simply having them feel the raised bumps on the top of a song card provides a concrete step in associating a card with a song. Very simple choices can be facilitated by providing one card for each hand. Some children with sensory defensive tendencies may be motivated to feel the braille while they are singing the song for the chosen song card.

2. Instrument playing for the sensory defensive - I have found a number of unique instruments to be more successful with students who are very sensory defensive to touch and textures. Students who recoil from almost anything else will often explore instruments like the African shekere, a cabasa, an ocean drum, and the guitar. The shekere and cabasa offer beads to feel with the cabasa also providing a cool, metallic feeling. The ocean drum has a gentle vibration that permeates through the smooth surface of the drum head as the drum is tilted slowly from side to side. A live guitar fills the air with sound vibrations and the smooth surface of the wood or the rough strings provide many options to explore as the music is playing. Many of the children I work with will try to strum the guitar strings in an attempt to help a song continue.

3. Movement to music - Spatial awareness is taken for granted by those with sight. Children with disabilities have a much more difficult time learning concepts for left and right, up and down, high and low, etc. Songs that use lyrics linked with memorable melodies can facilitate and motivate students to learn these concepts. I also try to choose music that intrinsically teaches concepts like up and down, or high and low, by using high and low notes for the appropriate actions.

4. Drumming - As I have previously mentioned, drumming can sometimes be very effective with children who are sensory defensive. Paddle drums or larger drums that provide more vibration are often good choices. Paddle drums can be used with mallets or played with your hands. In either situation, the vibrations will be passed through the drum handle to the drummer. Gathering drums are also good choices for drumming. They provide much vibrational feedback and can also be used to facilitate sharing and the idea of personal space when a group of children play on the same gathering drum.

5. Social skills - Most gestures as part of social interaction are visual in nature. Actions such as raising your hand, waving, smiling, hand shaking, etc., are difficult to teach to children who are blind. Action songs are a very good way to practice social gestures in a motivating environment where song lyrics can provide instructions and the rhythm and beat of the music can provide timing and structure to the movements.

Once again, music makes sense to use in a variety of settings with many different types of individuals!

Henry Sings For Success: 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 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. For the purpose of this article, I will refer to these behaviors by the more official term, stereotypy, since "stimming" is not a word currently listed in the dictionary.

Henry has been observed to sing to himself almost all the time. He is a very good singer with excellent pitch accuracy and the ability to remember many lyric phrases. His teachers have been working with Henry to have him sing more quietly outside of the classroom or at times when he should be quiet. His teachers have noticed that when Henry is working with his hands on tasks that involve objects with significant tactile stimulation, he stops singing. He will stop singing, for example, when he is putting his hands in shaving cream or trying to button a sweater. He also decreases his stereotypic singing when he is on a therapy ball during physical therapy or adapted PE.

I have worked with Henry during music therapy sessions and observed his eager participation in the activities. He seems to crave the sensory input provided by the music stimuli. Fortunately, Henry is able to participate in music activities in more significant ways than only absorbing it as sensory stimulation. Henry has demonstrated that he can follow sung directions during movement to music activities and can start and stop singing or playing instruments as part of group activities and highly structured musical activities. In general, Henry stops his stereotypic singing for the duration of music therapy groups, approximately thirty minutes. He has also been observed to be less restless and stay in his seat better during the music therapy sessions. His teacher said that Henry has the best waiting skills during music therapy than any other time or activity of the day.

Recently, I observed Henry working in the classroom in order to obtain data about his behavior and skills outside of music therapy. I was able to see how Henry worked on writing skills, matching words and quantities and following directions. Henry was guided by picture schedules to help him stay on task, but also to allow choices and provide rewards for work completed. One of his work tasks was to match word strips to pictures. He seemed to know how to match correctly, but he took a long time because he was singing to himself throughout the entire work activity.

I had noticed that Henry preferred familiar children's songs with attractive melodies rather than chants or repetitive melodies with little variance in pitch. I composed an original melody, ad lib, that was reminiscent of songs like, "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider," or "Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Doggie Gone." I wanted to use this song to help him with his word to picture matching activity. Henry quickly began singing the song with me after only one example and we began matching his words to pictures. Henry stopped singing to himself and immediately switched to the song I had composed and sang along with me. I sang with Henry for several word matches and then gradually stopped singing with him. He was able to continue singing the new melody with each new word and finished the matching exercise with amazing speed. Before I introduced the song, he had been sitting with his work folder for five minutes just moving the word strips around without actively matching. In Henry's case, I was able to combine his need for sensory input with active learning. His singing stopped being an impediment to his productive use of time, and instead, accelerated his work.

Schoolhouse Story: 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.

William is a student in second grade who I have often observed demonstrating defiant and oppositional behavior in the classroom. William has a rare brain disorder that affects his gross motor skills, but he is fully capable of walking. His teacher reported, however, that William was having great difficulty walking to the bus. William frequently decided to practice the safety protocol for when you are on fire and, "stop, drop and roll," in the hallway on the way to the bus!

William did not respond to music activities immediately when school started in the Fall, but he seemed to be listening and demonstrating good eye gaze toward the music therapist and the activities. Approximately half way through the school-year, William suddenly began performing all the movement to music activities that were part of the general music therapy session routine. He did not require prompts and seemed excited to participate. In light of this behavior, I adapted the lyrics to the song by Frankie Valli, "Walk Like a Man," in an effort to teach him more appropriate behavior. The song went something like, "Walk like a man, fast as you can, walk like a man my friend... stand straight and tall, walk never fall, walk like a man, William!"

I began using this song as one of the movement to music activities during the weekly music therapy sessions. William was very excited to practice walking around the room and did not demonstrate any inappropriate behaviors. I recorded the song with guitar accompaniment onto a tape so that the teachers could use the recording for William after school. The tape worked beautifully and William seemed to forget that he had ever had any problem going to the bus. This strategy continued to be successful more often than not for the remainder of the school year.

One of the advantages of using music is that it is "moveable." In the case with William, the sound of the guitar and upbeat accompaniment was a key to the successful result. Sometimes, simply singing a song and clapping along is all that is necessary to use music successfully as a therapuetic strategy. Many children will respond in a unique and significant ways to music stimuli and familiar songs with corresponding actions can effectively be used across settings. Social stories are often used with children who have autism, for example, to help them practice appropriate social skills. Sometimes adding a melody to a social story can be even more effective. This social story can then be sung anywhere, at any time to help encourage desired behaviors.

Schoolhouse Story: Wendy and the Power of Melody

I am often called upon to conduct assessments to see if a student will qualify for music therapy as a related service. "Wendy" was referred for a music therapy assessment after her teacher observed that Wendy significantly increased her focus of attention during songs at circle time activities. Wendy has mild to moderate mental retardation and speech impairments. As part of the music therapy assessment process I observed Wendy working in the classroom during various group activities as well as some individual work.

Wendy was observed to provide very short attention to her teacher unless given direct verbal prompts. When she was prompted, she was able to maintain her eye gaze focus to the teacher or task for less than one minute for most tasks. I watched Wendy become very focused, however, during familiar songs that employed accompanying gross motor movements. Wendy began singing the songs and performing all the motions without prompts. Wendy had not verbalized any other words throughout the activities until the singing activity except for saying some numbers during a counting exercise. One of the songs the group sang used the melody from Skip to my Lou. Wendy performed motions in the air as if she was drawing each number from one through four. The lyrics to the song described the motions for the number four as, "down, across, one more down...that is the numeral four."

After the group activities, Wendy was tracing the numeral 4 with a pencil for one of her assignments. Her teacher used hand over hand prompts to help Wendy focus her attention and trace the numbers. Wendy's teacher was verbalizing the same instructions as repeated in the lyrics of the song, but Wendy was not paying attention to the verbal instructions. I suggested that the teacher try to sing the melody along with the instructions. The teacher tried this and immediately gained Wendy's attention to the task, although she was still required to provide hand over hand guidance for Wendy's tracing.

I wanted to build on the progress that the teacher made simply by adding the melody back to the instructions for writing the number four. I had observed that Wendy was successful with larger gross motor movements and so suggested that we use a white board to write the number as we sang the song. Wendy was able to sing and draw the number 4 several times on the white board as I sang along with her. Her numbers were messy since she did not have reference points to trace over, but she clearly drew the number 4 without assistance and was fully engaged in the activity.

In Wendy's case, melody and scale were the key elements to enabling her success. She had been observed to respond to some elements of rhythm during chanting and counting activities in group activities, but she was unable to resist singing and moving to music when the melody was added during songs. I believe that by starting out with her drawing large numbers and gradually decreasing the size of her motions to write smaller characters that she will be successful in writing numbers with her pencil on paper. Singing may further enhance this process if the singing is louder for the large drawing on the white board and gradually softer for writing smaller characters.

Sing...sing...sing for success!

Schoolhouse Story: Bobby and the Ladybug

I never cease to be amazed at the power of music to reach out and communicate with children with disabilities. Recently I conducted a music therapy assessment with a second grade student with autism who I will refer to as "Bobby" for the purpose of this article. Bobby had received music therapy before, but was withdrawn from services in order to spend more time in the general education classroom. As he moved into the second grade this year, his stereotypic behaviors (i.e., hand flapping, rocking and perseverative vocalizations) increased and diminished his ability to participate and keep pace with his peers. One of Bobby's teachers noticed that Bobby reduced his stereotypic behaviors and provided better eye contact during songs and activities used in routine group instruction times. A music therapy assessment was requested to evaluate the possibility of developing specialized music activities to help Bobby make progress on his Individual Education Plan objectives.

I observed Bobby working in the classroom during his regular work tasks such as writing, coloring and cutting. He required one to one supervision by the teacher in order to perform his work. He was not providing eye contact to the teacher and only spent a few seconds at a time doing his work even when prompted continually by his teacher. She used verbal prompts, gestural cues and some hand over hand help to encourage and guide Bobby in his work. Bobby often became agitated and upset as demonstrated by his yelling, hitting himself or stabbing the wall with a pencil.

I began the music session with a familiar "Hello" song that Bobby immediately seemed to remember from over one and a half years ago. He had actually started singing the song to me before I had even taken my guitar out of the case. He sang the melody and used my name in the song. He was also able to calm his hand flapping and provide direct eye gaze focus to me and the guitar I was using. As long as the music stimuli continued Bobby did not exhibit his hand flapping and rocking behaviors. He also remained focused on the activities without verbal prompts or physical redirection.

One of the most impressive moments was when Bobby used a song to point to and count spots on a picture of a ladybug. Bobby had not been willing to count the spots before the song was introduced, even with hand over hand prompts. He was not focusing his attention and was actively engaged in hand flapping. Bobby calmed his behaviors as I began singing the song and he was able to pat his knees in rhythm to the music by the time two spots had been added to the picture of the ladybug. The Ladybug song repeats as a new spot is added each time for up to ten spots. Bobby learned the song very quickly so that after only two spots he was adding spots and counting them independently! As each spot was added, Bobby counted the spots by singing up a major scale, one note for each number counted.

Bobby's responses may seem miraculous, but there are reasons behind his success. The music provided stimuli and structure that helped him to calm his stereotypic behaviors and engage his cognitive functioning. I believe that in many cases, the music serves as an auditory stimuli to replace the need for hand flapping, rocking and other behaviors. Fortunately, music is an appropriate stimulus when used in a controlled setting. Once Bobby was focused on the music, he was able to respond to the rhythm and melody of the song to help him maintain interaction through the activity. The melody, rhythms and harmonic structure in the song helped him to provide verbal and physical responses in a predictable sequence. As he was counting, for example, the steady beat of the music helped Bobby to point to each spot without going too fast or slow. The ascending melodic scale provided direction and harmonic urgency to move to each successive note in the scale while he was singing and counting.

Children with autism often have the desire to make sure that events, verbal phrases and in this case, music, are complete and not open-ended. Once the repeating lyric and melodic lines of a song are established, the child with autism may be compelled to continue an activity to its completion. In this case, the visual representation of the ladybug was also incomplete with only a few spots. Bobby was likely compelled to follow through with placing all of the spots so that the picture could be finished.

The song was intrinsically ordered with a beginning and end and repeating lyric refrain. The only new words for each verse of the song were new numbers as Bobby counted more spots each time. As he sang more numbers each time through the song he also ended up on a different note in the musical scale. Many of the notes in a musical scale may feel less satisfactory to end up on without moving on to a more harmonically stable note in the scale. In this way, a singer is compelled to a sense of forward motion. This motivation may have appealed to Bobby and helped his desire to move on to each successive verse in the song. Bobby was ultimately able to count up to nine spots without help during the Ladybug song.

Bobby continued through the assessment to demonstrate behaviors that illustrated the power of music to help him interact with the world around him. He beautifully provided another example of a situation where music makes sense.

Nuts and Bolts: How Music Works for Relaxation

Most people intuitively understand that music can play a powerful role in helping set the mood or reflecting our current state of feeling. Understanding some of the ways music accomplishes this will enable us to use music as a tool. Music as a tool to facilitate relaxation is effective for several definable reasons. I would like to outline some of these basic properties and functions of music as it is used to aid in relaxation.

In our fast-paced world finding time for relaxing has become a major priority. Sometimes we only have a small window of opportunity to try and wind down or take a short break. Music can help by facilitating induction to relaxation. Just as our attention is immediately turned towards finding the flag when we hear the National Anthem being played, selected music can shift our attention of focus away from the hustle and bustle and towards the purpose of relaxing. As our focus changes to listen to the music, the rhythm of the music begins to establish parameters for our breathing. Breathing is a major component for any relaxation protocol and one of the first things that we can control in trying to begin relaxing. Music may also begin to effect changes in the autonomic body systems including heart rate and blood pressure. Over time and practice, selected music can become a cue for relaxation, a conditioned stimulus that sets the mind and body onto a course for relaxation.

Once the direction has been established in inducing relaxation, music has an important role in maintaining the setting for relaxation to continue. The music holds the focus of attention and may mask unwanted environmental sounds. Appropriate music selections will assist in slowing breathing and taking deep breaths. The rhythm and constant underlying pulse of sedative music selections are mental guidelines for breathing and progressively relaxing each part of the body. Heart rate and other indicators should remain steady and at a reduced count, especially as repeated practice with the same or similar music has established a conditioned response. The music, especially a well chosen melody, may also lead to positive emotional associations and allow for feelings of self-worth and affirmations.

Music to help in relaxation is best used when combined with other relaxation methods and protocols. As previously outlined, music is a good cue for relaxation and framework for maintaining a relaxed state for a defined period of time. Techniques such as progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, circular breathing, imagery or biofeedback are extremely effective when used in conjunction with music. Experiment with different tempos, rhythms and melodies to gain the full advantage of using music to help structure the relaxation experience. An ascending and then descending melodic scale may lend itself to deep breathing, for example. Some melodies and instrumental arrangements can help set the stage for painting a mental picture of a beautiful nature scene where worries and stress can melt away.

Practice makes perfect!

Schoolhouse Strategy: Counting Using Music

I work with many children who have counting as one of their goals. I have found that music is most effective in helping clients to count 1-20. Once the numbers get larger than 20, the words are too big to easily fit into the melodies and rhythms of songs. The music then becomes more distracting than helpful. I like to further break down counting in groups of ten so that a song counts up or down 1-10 or 10-20. I do this for the same reason we have phone numbers split up into groups. It is easier to remember information when it is split into "chunks."

There are many kinds of melodies that work nicely for counting, but the simplest way to use music and counting is to count up or down a scale. This works very nicely for a variety of reasons. A scale naturally has a beginning and end if you are singing eight numbers since a normal scale comprises eight notes. Most people are used to hearing an eight note scale even if they cannot sing it themselves. They can usually tell you that something is wrong with a scale even if they do not know specifically what the problem might be. As a scale is being sung the next note is anticipated and can be used to help remember a number. Certain notes in a scale "feel" less comfortable to stop on and have a powerful impetus to move to the next note. Without getting too technical, this is similar to the feeling you will get if you stop singing the Happy Birthday song at the end of the song, "...happy birthday to _____," and do not sing the last note with the word "you." Most people will have the urge to fill in the last note and word for the song. Singing up or down a scale without finishing the entire scale can have the same effect so it becomes a powerful mental "hook" in remembering numbers.

I have also used original melodies to group numbers. The most important aspect of using a melody to learn sequences of numbers is to keep the melody simple and fairly short. To maximize the effectiveness of the counting song you should use a different melody for each group of numbers so that each melody has a unique set of lyrics. You may "piggyback" the numbers on the melody of a known song, but I do not recommend doing this very often. I will talk about "piggyback" songs in a different post, but if you use the same melody for too many different kinds of information it will lose effectiveness. This is just a short primer for using songs to help with counting, but 1, 2, 3... GO!