Music Makes Sense

Side Notes: Impressions of the Grammy Awards 2012

2012-02-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

The Grammy Awards 2012

~ Hurray for Lady Antebellum! (Best Country Album)...I just really like their sound...

~ So good to see Adele back singing! I want her vocal doctor's number!

~ Very classy of them to have Glen Campbell perform!

~ Nice job Carrie Underwood for a break out performance in a new style! Tony Bennett sounded pretty good and it is awesome that he is still on stage singing. What a career! Carrie did a fantastic job holding this duet together.

~ Now, if only that performance with all the light tubes had been with Boomwhackers!...

What did you think?

Some Practice is all about Efficiency!

2012-02-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

"Practice makes perfect and continued practice makes you more perfect?"

Some new research out of Colorado has indicated that even after learning and mastering an action, continued practice can make you more efficient at that action. So there is apparently continued benefit from extra practice above and beyond just learning the action!

This is important because many music therapy clients are re-learning motor function or learning new motor functions during adapted music lessons. So even after a client sufficiently masters walking, playing a scale, hitting a target on a drum, etc., there still may be a good reason to continuing that practice.

Since extra practice has now been determined to be a valuable way to become more efficient, we also need to remember that music is a great way to promote repetition without losing motivation. See how far you can ride in your next spin class without music as a foundation!

Music Makes Sense: The Essentials!

2012-02-09T17:45:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the essential materials you may have missed over the last four years of Music Makes Sense.

If you are a new reader/subscriber or don't always get to see every post, these are some of the blog entries you will definitely want to go back and save for future reference!

Music For Relaxation: A Flow-chart for decision-making.
This is an important new tool to help therapists and others choose the right kind of music to help in relaxation. I created this flowchart mostly from experience in the field, so please let me know if you see any areas that need to be updated!

Ten Tips for a Successful Drum Circle.
I have created and currently teach a new drumming curriculum for undergraduate music therapy students. These are some basic ideas that I developed during my own clinical practice and from training with other legendary music therapy drummers. Print these out and keep them handy for the next time you want to do a drumming activity in your group!

Top Ten Behavior Management Strategies for a Successful Music Therapy Group.
These are hard-learned lessons and tips from my time as a music therapist in the public schools. Learn them, live them, love them!

Five Ways to Successful Drumming with Older Adults!
Drumming with older adults can be intimidating and a challenge. But it can also be one of the most rewarding and successful therapy interventions! Kat Fulton, another music therapist, is an expert on drumming with older adults. I offer you five tips that can really make a difference. If you want more, then head on over to Rhythm for Good and check out Kat's advice too!

Have You Written a Hit Song? Find Out Now!

2012-02-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

You know that new days of the week song you recently made up that your early childhood clients love!? Well, now you can find out if it truly has hit potential!

Go to scoreahit.com and sign up for their free app that scores songs to see how popular they might be. This outfit claims a 60% success rate in guessing new hit songs. Who knows, your song might be the next big thing!

One of the British researchers that developed the program discusses the app and other findings here.

A Musical Twilight Zone

2012-02-06T17:20:00.000-08:00

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!

Sarah Palin Shares Her Thoughts on Raising Trig

2012-02-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

The Daily Muse

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!

If you can put aside your political bias for a few minutes, Sarah Palin shares some loving thoughts and stories about her son Trig. Those of us who work with children who have special needs can warmly relate to her feelings and wish that more people get the chance to know someone like Trig.

Life With Trig

The Music Therapy Maven Wraps up the Music Therapy Advocacy Project for 2012!

2012-02-04T18:24:00.000-08:00

Don't miss Kimberly Sena Moore's wrap up of the Music Therapy Advocacy month! You can find all the numbers and a list of participating blogs on her website, The Music Therapy Maven.

Great work Kimberly! Thanks for including all of us!

Kids With ASD More Likely to Use Non-Social Media Tech

2012-02-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

The iPad is rapidly taking the world by storm! Not only is it changing the way we operate and communicate, but many music therapists can tell you how it is changing the way they practice music therapy.

There are many apps that provide access to songs and recordings so that music therapists can carry less stuff! If you have ever seen a music therapist, then you know they can often look like a musical pack mule!

Other apps are very useful in therapy. Apps for communication and on-screen music-making are easy to access and program for individual clients. These apps are much more user-friendly than the old-school augmentative communication devices.

Children with autism are one group of clients that really seem to enjoy using touch-screen devices. I know many music therapists who are using iPads very successfully with their clients who have an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

While I think that the iPad can be very useful in a therapy setting, there is some new research that might give us pause in thinking about promoting the unsupervised use of iPad and iPad-like technology.

A group of researchers from Missouri found that individuals with ASD spent over 60% of their free time using non-social media such as videos and games rather than social media such as chatting or e-mail. You can find the research abstract here.

Have you seen this phenomenon in your work? Either as a music therapist, parent, or teacher?

Do you think this is something we need to be concerned about? And what do you think we can do to encourage more social media use with those clients who have ASD?

Piano Stairs! Forget the Escalator!

2012-02-02T17:40:00.000-08:00

Music makes sense because its motivating and fun!

Mabye We Can Get Bono as Keynote Speaker...

2012-02-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

"Music can change the world because it can change people."

~ Bono

Research Shows Music Training Valuable to Older Adults

2012-01-31T18:04:00.000-08:00

Many years ago I was part of the Lowery Organ program for Wellness. This program encouraged learning to play the organ as a leisure skill, but also as part of a more holistic wellness program. As a music therapist, I have an intrinsic belief that active-music making can help maintain a healthy lifestyle in addition to providing some quantifiable physical results. It is really nice when the research starts to validate our clinical experience!

A new study, just released, provides further evidence that music training can help us in our older years. The research points out that not only does significant musical training in your younger years impact some skills when you are older, but that older people can also benefit from musical training at any time!

One of the more specific findings in the research was that musical training helped people to have better timing in aural-cognitive processing that helped them distinguish consonants. This skill was dramatic enough to make a difference in speech processes as well as hearing in noisy environments!

The full news story is here: Music Training has Biological Impact on Aging Process

You can find the research abstract here.

Hey Guys! Carry Your Boomwhackers in Style!

2012-01-30T19:18:00.000-08:00

Michelle Erfurt over at Music Therapy Tween has been blazing the trail of the Boomwhacker's tote bag since last year. I am apparently only one of the people who asked her about making a Boom Tote that was a bit more masculine!

She has taken up the challenge and is now offering her first "less feminine" boom tote! I had suggested a "fatigues" pattern or African "kintecloth" type pattern, but the solid colors might just work too!

I also like the puzzle piece one she has pictured! If you have Boomwhackers, this is really the way to go! Much more stylin' than a trash bag or large duffel!

Matching Music Tempo and Physical Activity Increases Endurance

2012-01-29T18:09:00.000-08:00

Sports psychologist, Costas Karageorghis, at Brunel University is validating a key idea used in music therapy. The "iso" principle basically maintains that music is most effective when it is matched to the current excitement level and emotional state of a client. The music stimulus can then be used to help guide a client in the desired direction of excitement or emotion by slowly changing its characteristics.

You can find the original Graph online at National Geographic (September, 2011). Because I can only find it online in Spanish, here is the basic idea of the article:

The major categories are: Largo = resting, Andante = Walking, Allegro = Training, Presto = High-intensity training. I have no idea how they picked the song examples, but I think it was interesting to look at the songs and how they compare to each other in tempo.

Mr. Karageorghis reported that when the tempo and physical performance are well matched, an average person's endurance is prolonged. This makes sense just by thinking about how long you can stick with an aerobics or spin class routine with or without the right kind of music!

It is nice to see researchers outside of the field of music therapy picking up on this idea!

Rap Music Vindicated!

2012-01-28T17:39:00.000-08:00

I am not a huge fan of rap music, but as with any good music therapist, sometimes I have to listen to or facilitate rap music in a session. And now, a new implantable device has brought me new found respect for rap music!

Scientists have found a way to use certain low tone music waves to power a small device that monitors bodily processes! And guess what kind of music has a nice consistent bass beat!?

In the near future, your next music therapy referral may require a little extra bass!

You can find the full story here: Rap Music Powers Rhythmic Action of Medical Sensor

Friday Fun: An Elephant On a Dime!

2012-01-27T17:42:00.000-08:00

You really have to try this in order to believe it! The next time you are about to sneeze, focus your mind on an image of an elephant standing on a dime! Hold the image in your mind, and I kid you not, as the sensation to sneeze increases - it will suddenly, miraculously go away!

I have no idea where this came from or why it works for me and a few other people I have met, but it has truly been a gift to me in certain situations when I would rather not sneeze. (Picture yourself in the first row of a choir singing a soft part during a requiem!)

I have not been able to follow up with very many people who I have told about this, just because I think they forget about the trick the next time they sneeze. I have to admit, it is very strange! I still feel a little crazy every time I try it! And it still works after 15 years of use!

I hope you will try it out and let me know! You don't need to use my little sketch. I don't even really build that detailed of a picture in my mind for it to work.

The reason I bring this up is because I think it demonstrates the amazing things our brains can do. Just like how some people can sing without a stutter or sing when they cannot talk after a stroke or wound to one part of their brain.

We have also been finding out so much about autism lately. Some people on the autism spectrum, for example, have been unable to communicate until they learn how to type or use an iPad! There are now dedicated bloggers out there who have Asperger Syndrome or Autism! Our brains are full of surprises and hidden abilities.

This is not to say that we, as therapists, should offer unfounded hope to our clients, but we should have the vision ourselves of the possibilities as we go about our music interventions.

Now, go sniff some pepper or something to induce-and then-STOP a sneeze!

Free Music! Your Choice: Relax, Meditate or Soundscape

2012-01-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Amazon has some free music today that might be good for relaxation, meditation or drumming soundscapes. It is a sampler album with all different artists. I thought the Moussorgsky-Meditation was very nice.

You can listen and download here:

The Paperwork Blues?

2012-01-25T19:34:00.000-08:00

Do you love paperwork? Isn't that the favorite part of your job as a music therapist??

I actually think we, as music therapists, don't have it too bad with the paperwork load. Sure, there are some agencies that require more reports than are really necessary, but we can often just keep our session notes and write up quarterly reports of progress and annual reviews and be done.

What do you think? Does paperwork get you down? Do you have a strategy for dealing with it? Perhaps you have gone hi-tech and do everything on a tablet?? Or are you old-school and still keeping track by hand?

When I worked in private practice, we had one person that did office work and took care of all the contracting, payroll and paperwork requests. This left the therapists to do the weekly chart notes, progress reports and annual reviews. This arrangement really seemed to work out well.

For those of you that are a "one man/woman show," how do you keep a balance? Do you feel like the paperwork is getting you down or is it about right?

Dr. Christopher Chang at KevinMD.com talks a little bit about the crazy world of medical paperwork that seems to be haunting doctors in his blog post titled, "Paperwork Causes Unintended Distractions for Physicians and Nurses."

Can you relate to his discussion? I don't think many music therapists are getting calls in the middle of their Hello songs to answer paperwork questions, but I think the trend might be in that direction.

Kat Fulton Promotes Peace of Mind With More Online Zennn

2012-01-24T17:09:00.000-08:00

Kat Fulton at Rhythm for Good has been busy lately! She is getting ready to kickoff another session of Online Zennn so hurry by and check out the class at Rhythm for Good!

As a special treat, she offers us a new boomwhacker video just for stopping by and being interested in Online Zennn and the forthcoming on-line CMTE classes! So head on over and enjoy!

Country Music: Bargain Therapy!

2012-01-23T17:27:00.000-08:00

"Country music has always been the best shrink that 15 bucks can buy!"

~ Dierks Bentley

Too true! What is your favorite therapeutic song from country music??

Music Makes Sense Featured on All Things Healing Community

2012-01-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

My post is now live at All Things Healing! You can check out the article by clicking here.

The community at All Things Healing is very supportive of music therapy. I highly recommend following their posts!

Celebrate V-Day with Music for the Heart!

2012-01-21T17:13:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is rapidly approaching! Do you need an idea for your music therapy sweetheart??

Don't look any further! Many new products have just been added to the store for the Music for the Heart logo! There are t-shirts, water bottles and even iPad covers!

The Music for the Heart Logo was developed in conjunction with my music therapy program with recovering cardiac patients. The symbol is a unique and artistic way to show your love for music and how it can support not only a heart healthy lifestyle, but also as a therapeutic tool for many populations.

Show your support for music therapy and get your special music therapist a truly unique surprise this Valentine's Day. Make Music for the Heart a part of that special day!

Here are a few pictures of some of the new products available. You can find a link to all the available products in the right sidebar. Thanks for stopping by and get those orders in before Valentine's Day!

A Smorgasbord of Thoughtful Treats

2012-01-20T17:30:00.000-08:00

There are close to 500 posts on Music Makes Sense, so I thought it might be a good idea to point out a few of the highlights!

Music For Relaxation: A Flowchart for Decision-Making
This post contains a decision-tree to help you find the most appropriate music to use for relaxation. This chart took me a long time to formalize and I think it could be very useful. I welcome any and all feedback about this chart.

6 Ways to Empower Your Music-Assisted Relaxation
This post is another discussion about music for relaxation, but it delves deeper into the exact relationship music has with a relaxation protocol. The ideas in this article come from years of clinical practice using music to facilitate relaxation. I really feel that music can be helpful in relaxation, but we can really squeeze out much more effectiveness from its use if we pay attention to the details!

Memory Booster! Using Music to Memorize Lists and Facts
This is one of the most widely read posts on Music Makes Sense. It really gets back to the fundamentals of music therapy. I often had to break down the way music works when trying to help teachers and parents understand music therapy.

5 Tips for Drumming With Individuals in Psychiatric Treatment
Much of my recent work as a music therapist has occurred in the psychiatric setting. Much of my advice in this post was learned through real-world experience! Drum at your own risk without reading these important considerations!

I hope you enjoy looking back through some of these posts with me. It truly has been a rewarding time putting "pen" to "paper" over these years. And now we are less than 50 posts away from the 500th post!

Music Therapy With My Favorite Little People!

2012-01-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have missed the new article by Ronna Kaplan in the Huffington Post last week. I finally got a chance to read it and it was well worth the time!

This article in the series by Ronna Kaplan was titled: Music Therapy in Early Childhood Classrooms. Ronna has been doing an excellent job in her posts to Huffington by explaining music therapy with concrete examples and terms that everyone can understand.

Her description of a typical music therapy session with an early childhood group was spot on! I found myself missing some of my favorite little people and all the great experiences I had while doing music therapy in the early childhood setting!

Please read the article and send it to people you know! This would be a great way to promote music therapy during music therapy advocacy month!

Music Expression Activity: Change Your World

2012-01-18T20:03:00.000-08:00

I did a fun and successful activity today with a group in an acute psychiatric setting. This particular group always has a theme of music expression. I had a CD and player some large sheets of paper and markers and oil pastels. I used a recording of the real songs rather than the group doing covers of the originals because I really wanted them to focus on listening to the lyrics.

First, we listened to "Billionaire" by Travie McCoy. I had the group discuss the lyrics and I wrote key phrases up on the board. After a short discussion, each person drew a picture on one half of a page in answer to the question, "If you had a billion dollars, what would you do to change your world for the better?"

Second, we listened to "Price Tag" by Jessie Jay. After a short discussion, the individuals drew pictures on the other side of their pages in answer to the question, "What could you do to change your world that doesn't require money?"

I was really impressed by the participation and great insight the patients demonstrated! Some of the patients mentioned typical things like the desire to buy boats and cars, but others drew pictures of people giving money to each other or making positive things happen for under-served youth.

Overall, the patients enjoyed the music selections and were responsive to discussing the lyrics. The two songs seem to fit together thematically and the drawings showed a nice contrast of ideas.

Music Makes Sense Featured Again on All Things Healing

2012-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

Music Makes Sense will be featured again on the All Things Healing online community! I think it is great that they try to represent music therapy in their discussions. You can see one of my other articles that was published here. I will link to the newest article once it is live on their site.

Don't you love the suspense!