WDYD?



My idea of calm : )



What do you do when you need to calm yourself?  I was thinking about some phrases that have been used during my life, to urge others (or others directing me) to do so...remember "take a chill pill"? Chill out, calm or settle down, "chillax", be cool, "chill your grill" [I deferred to Google after these and found some strange/ funny ones, too :) ].  Regardless of the saying, generally when you hear it- especially with context clues- you're likely to understand the meaning...and hopefully get a grip, if needed.

When I'm creating songs for my kiddos, I always ask parents/ caregivers/ teachers/ therapists, etc. if any specific language is already being used to teach the topic.  It's really important- especially for those with special needs- to be consistent, and I do my best to carry that through songs that we use...not just in music therapy sessions, but maybe at home with mom or at school with an ABA therapist.  Better results have the opportunity to occur when everyone's on the same page!  Such is the instance here.

"Stop-Calm-Slow" also gives specific, concrete [again- important!] examples of ways that a child might hit pause and mellow out, after recognizing that a mood shift needs to occur.  Sometimes, the self-awareness that it needs to occur in the first place is half the battle.  With a young student, we literally practice moving at a fast, excited pace around the room- kicking legs, flailing arms, shaking head- accompanied by the faster guitar playing.  I verbally recognize that her body is in an "excited" state.  She's gotten to slowing herself down in harmony with the song, and also is able to perform the suggested actions on her own.  Now, we're working on translating it into in-the-moment occurrences during sessions.
Hope it may be of help to you!

STOP-CALM-SLOW

Sometimes I might get excited

A little too overexcited

And my body wants to go, go, go

But before I do that,

Think of how to react

Stop, and think calm and slow.

Take a deep breath,

Count to three,

Calm my body

Sing la-la-la-la-lee (ee-ee)

Give a squeeze
On my arms and my knees
Ask for help

If I don’t know what to do

(I need help, please)
Sing la-la-la-la-loo

You know….

Stop, and think calm and slow. (2x)

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.

Look...I'm Dancing!

This week's song combines two favorites- one is a favorite of many of my students, and the other is one of mine: dancing and working on eye contact, respectively. I'm sure many of you reading- whether you're a parent, educator, or fellow music therapist- have some sort of experience with and/or can relate to what I'm saying. Children love, love, LOVE to move around and we love it when we receive great eye contact. So, on to explain the combination...it's very simple, really. I preface the movement activity with instructions similar to "When you hear the music, you can dance; but when the music stops, your body stops moving, and eyes look at (insert name of desired recipient of eye contact)." In the beginning stages of the song, I typically ask for eye contact to be made with me, especially if there are more than 3-ish students in a group. However when students progress, and/or there are only a few students, I may name a peer to look at or have all students make eye contact with one another. After the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown is given (remember this from the tips last week?), I may use the sung cue "eyes look," which is also listed below for you. It's also a helpful tag line that can be used outside of this song, when prompting for eye contact. One of my students fills in "look" and correctly finds my eyes when I sing "Eyes..." : )
Put your dancin' shoes on and enjoy!


DANCIN' AROUND
We’re rockin’ and rollin’ around the room,
Movin’ and groovin’ around the room,
Shakin’ and spinnin’ around the room,
Dancing is so fun to do, ooh, ooh.
Get your body ready to move, move, move,
And you’ll get into the groove, groove, groove.
When the music stops, you know what to do:
Your eyes will look at me,
And my eyes will look at you


EYES LOOK