borrowed time

It's sort of literal, actually.  I'm really really excited to start sharing some songs with you that come from a very important part of my music therapy career--- my internship!  With gracious permission from supervising music therapists, as well as other therapists I worked with, I'm happy to share with you songs and activities that were shared with me 6-7 years ago.  "Internship Interventions" (does that sound like a reality TV show? ) will highlight pieces by these creative minds that were mainstays during my time with Midwest Music Therapy Services in St. Louis- as well as during my practice today.  Truly some "goodies."  I hope you find them as useful as I have. 

Today's song is from Lindsay Betz. Lindsay was one of 4 MTs I had the pleasure of learning from during my internship.  Her songwriting style was fun, and I always enjoyed how she could make learning academic tasks seem enjoyable with her ditties. I can say that I've gone back to "Tick Tock Clock" time and time again (no pun meant : ) throughout my career. Currently, Lindsay and her husband own and operate Jonathan Betz Photography in Colorado Springs.  Thanks so much for sharing your creativeness, Lindsay!




TICK TOCK CLOCK*

Tick, tock, look at the clock-
Let’s learn how to tell time.
Tick, tock, look at the clock-
You will see two hands.

First, look at the short hand-
This is the hour hand.
Find the number on which it lands.
The hour is: ____________.

Next, look at the long hand-
This is the minute hand.
Find the number on which it lands,
Then count by 5’s.
Start at 12 with “0”.
0-5-10-15-20-25-30-35-40-45-50-55-0
The “0” means o’clock
The minute is: _____________.

Then, put the numbers together.
First the hour, then the minute-
Now you’ve figured out the time.
The time is: _____________________:_____________________.


*over the years, I've adapted the lyrics just a bit to accomodate students' styles of learning

waaaaay up high

When I think about it, I can remember times I desperately wanted be called on during class as a youngster...and then there were also times I equally as desperately tried to avoid eye contact with a teacher in hopes that would make me invisible and unable to be called upon! Something else that sticks out is the way teachers would make it known that if you raised your hand wildly, waving it around like you're trying to land an airplane, would most definitely not get you chosen. Conversely, if a student would sit quietly, tall in her chair, with her arm raised nicely, she stood a great chance of being the lucky one to venture an answer.
It's been a looooong time since those memories [: )], but I'd imagine similar situations still exist in schools today. So what's the right way to go about raising your hand? When should you do it? How long does it stay up there? When do you get to talk?! Read (and listen at Bandcamp ) on...

~do you have any fun[ny] hand-raising memories?~

RAISE MY HAND UP
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I know the answer!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I have a question!
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I have something to say!
But before I yell out words-
Stop…think…wait…

When I want to tell something,
Raise my hand up!
If I need to ask a question,
Raise my hand up!
If I know an answer,
Raise my hand up!
Raise it up high
Up to the sky
Reach up where the planes fly

Leave it up there and quietly wait
Until my name is called
Then it’s your turn to speak
And down may hand can fall.

But….when I want to tell something,
Raise your hand up, up, up
Raise your hand up!

I Like to Move It, Move It

The title of this post is half true [and a fun nod to my new friend Colin]. I've spent the last few weeks in a combination of being out of town at my sister-in-law's beautiful wedding in sunny L.A., then returning home, packing up my home, and moving to a new home. I adore our new house [the half truth about the post title], but the process of moving has been quite a feat [why I don't like to move it,move it]! I keep telling everyone that you never realize how much you own until you have to box it all, and then unpack and store it. Oh, and we've had all 10 of our dog Tess's puppies during the move, although all but 2 [we're keeping a girl- Ellie, who you will see photos of- and one boy who will go to his new home this week] are now with their new families.
I figured that with the craziness, I might miss a post or maybe even two, but never did I intend for a month to go by! Although my office materials are still pretty scattered, I've fished out the necessities so I can once again record and share activities with you- the purpose of the blog!
The song I'm sharing today is one I've had in my collection since I wrote it to target an IEP goal, way back during my internship in St. Louis...and although I may be biased, I think it is has the opportunity to be pretty effective. Case in point: I can still recite the original information it was meant to teach, which was the student's address and phone number. I thought this was pretty fitting to the theme of the post, since I now have a new address and phone number to remember.
The photos show the visual aide that accompanies this song, and allows students to place strips containing their address/phone number information in the correct sequence while participating in the song.


ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER SONG
I can say my address,
I know it very well.
It’s (number) (Street)
(City) (State) (Zip Code).

I also know my phone number,
It’s quite easy to say.
If you need to call me,
This is what you dial:
(Area code) (###-####).