bursting with fun

Music Monday has taken to the air- it's all about bubbles today! A combination of a session plan, the spurt of warm weather, and a jar of bubbles sitting in my work bag pushed me toward this song...and I'm glad it did : ) Not many kiddos I know refuse bubbles, and I have seen lots of faces light up when a "bubbles" picture card has appeared on session schedules during the last week. I also love songs and activities that can serve multiple purposes. This can be used to: accompany blowing bubbles- why not take turns with a friend?; help work on breath support as those cool, clear circles are formed magically; request- from one word signs to 5 word phrases, it's always a great idea to practice asking for something fun; this one just (sorry for the pun) popped in my head: remember those gigantic bubble wands? Super way to target gross motor movement for upper extremities. Do you have any other ideas or have you used bubbles in another sneaky "this-is-fun-but-we're-still-working" sort of way? If so, please share!
ps: my lovely helpers are my doggies, Tess & Ellie- their first time with bubbles, and I have to say- kiddos are much more excited to see bubbles than the girls were : )


---Yes, there's something missing- it's not you! I'm not great at handling computer issues, and am not sure if I'm experiencing a problem with the music player or the blog; I can't seem to get the music player in this post...so...I hope you'll take the extra step to visit my Bandcamp page to listen or check out "Bubbles" posted on facebook---


BUBBLES
Take the lid off, open the jar
Pull the wand out….we are…
Gonna blow bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.
Take a deep breath, in through your nose
Now blow on the wand- and out the air goes…we are…
Making bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

Magical, wonderful, beautiful
Circles floating in the air
Large and small-
I love them all
I love to play and watch without a care…
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

So clear, I can see through
Lovely and shiny, too
Floating up and down; all around!
Landing, and when one goes “pop”
And the bubbles stop…I say, "I want more ..."
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.
Bubbles, bubbles, bubbles.

MT Functioning in Rehab: in the news

Many of you may follow the progress, or are aware, of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who suffered a brain injury when shot during an event in Tuscon on January 8th of this year. Frequent updates on her condition and progress are made available through a variety of media outlets, with some mentioning (however briefly) music therapy as one of the therapies Giffords is participating in. I have watched several videos as well as read articles, and thus far, I have enjoyed the video posted by ABC News online the most. You can watch it here (the timeframe 1:41 is when MT is mentioned : ). This documentation has done the best job as of yet (in my opinion) of any source reporting on this incident to articulate how MT is able to assist in neurorehabilitation. In another article I read, Gifford's mother stated that music therapy "really flipped the switch" for her daughter.
Considering the nature of her injury and placement in the rehabilitation unit (TIRR) of Memorial Hermann Hospital, Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) techniques seem a likely canditate to facilitate the (music) therapeutic process. Neurologic music therapists are trained in specific, researched techniques that apply music to cognitive, motor, and sensory areas of need, due to a disease or dysfunction of the nervous system. TBI (traumatic brain injury), such as that suffered by Rep. Giffords, fits in here. You can read a bit more about NMT here (click on the "Training Instutites" tab), as well as descriptions of therapeutic techniques used here (click on the "definitions" tab).
If you have other recommended sources that mention MT in this case, please do share!