SPIN THE UMBRELLA

Well, somebody forgot to tell the skies above that the month of April, and the showers we have grown to expect within it, has passed!  It is now the latter half of May, and the forecast for Thursday through Sunday here in southeast Michigan, is 4 straight days of the wet stuff!  Here is a fun, rainy day experience that can be used throughout the year to brighten any drizzly day.

Music Therapy Experience Name:

Spin The Umbrella

Materials Needed:

Child sized umbrella 

Board Maker 3 ½” x 4” cards  or blank Index cards / markers

Tape or Velcro

Chant or Lyric sung a cappella:

(Loosely based on the tune “Pop Goes the Weasel”)

Round and round the umbrella goes

Where it lands nobody knows

Choose a card when it says, “My Turn”

Answer the question and you will learn.

Preparation / Procedure:

Use Board Maker or write on separate index cards rain-related tasks/questions.  (See suggestions below).  Open the umbrella, turn it over, and tape or Velcro the cards face down around the inside of the umbrella.  Attach a card labeled “My Turn” to one of the spokes.  If possible, students should stand in a large circle around the umbrella. Invite a volunteer to spin the umbrella.  When the umbrella stops spinning, ask the student standing across from the “My Turn” card to choose any task card and complete the task. (Assist as necessary to read and/or comprehend/complete the task or answer the question.)  Ask the student who completed the task to be the new “spinner” and sit down as the next task begins.  Note: If space is an issue, students can stand or sit in a straight line and the therapist can manipulate the spins of the umbrella to give each student a turn. 

Suggestions for rain-related tasks/ questions:

Text Only Cards:

Count the colors in a rainbow: Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet

Spell rain forward and backwards

Count the letters in RAIN

Name 2 words that rhyme with rain

Name 1 word with the word rain in it

Point to the word that has RAIN in it :  Train      Track

When the sun comes out after it rains, what can you sometimes see in the sky?

What do kids like to jump in when it rains?

Name a word that means the same as rain

What happens to your clothes when you go out in the rain?

How many letters are in the word PUDDLE?

How many letters are in the word UMBRELLA

Board Maker Text + Picture Cards:

Does it rain inside or outside?   ;   What are these called?  (Boots)

Count the raindrops   ;    What animal is swimming in the rain?  (Duck)

How many gray clouds do you see?  (Picture of 2 clouds covering the sun)

Count the puddles   ;   Name the colors in this umbrella  (Show the colors)

Count the colors in this umbrella (Show and number the colors)

Count the colors in the rainbow  (Show and number the colors)

Happy spinning and don’t get dizzy.  Leave that to the umbrella!

Liz and Sue

                                  

Movement Sequence

When I heard last week that Prince had passed away, I knew that I wanted to use some of his music with my groups.  I also wanted to implement a new movement experience.  So, like a good therapist I decided to combine the 2!  This music therapy experience works on a variety of skills such as increasing motor skills, following directions, sequencing, making choices, counting, and working as a group.

Music Therapy Experience Name:

Movement Sequence

Materials Needed:

-music with a strong, steady beat such as Prince's "Raspberry Beret" (I use recorded music so that I can model the movements)

-pictures of different movements (see below)

-velcro board (optional)

-dry erase board (optional)

Making Movement Choice Cards:

-I used boardmaker and google images to find images that I liked. 

-Print out a variety of pictures representing movements such as clap hands, pat knees, stomp feet, roll hands, move arms, raise the roof, shake hands, snap, etc.  These can be tailored to your groups' needs and abilities.  See below for the images that I use.

-Laminate and cut pictures to create individual cards

-Add velcro if desired

Procedures:

-Introduce the movement choices

-Explain that each person will choose a movement to create a sequence that the group will do together.

-Invite each student to choose a movement

-Arrange the cards, in the order chosen, so that everyone can see them.  This could be on a velcro board, on the table or floor in front of them, etc..

-Tell the group that each movement will be done for 8 counts and that the sequence will be repeated over and over until the end of the song.

-Practice doing each movement for 8 counts without the music.

-Turn on music and model doing each movement, in order, for 8 counts each.

Variations:

-If you do not want to make pictures, you can ask students to name or demonstrate a movement that you or the student can then write on a dry erase board.

-You can use any music that you think will be motivating to your group!

-Change the number of times you do the sequence to 16 to allow for students with slower processing times or decrease the number of times for each movement to 4 to make it more challenging.

-Here is a link to a website that has some fun pictures of different dance moves.

http://susanfitchdesign.blogspot.com/search?q=do+as+I%27m+doing

This experience is really flexible and adaptable!  I find it a great way to use music that my clients suggest, but that I can't figure out a way to make meaningful and goal oriented. 

Liz and Sue

Please Recycle

I firmly believe we should honor the earth we live on everyday, by recycling the things we use everyday, and not just on April 22 each year. I’m certainly not against this date slated for national recognition; it’s just too bad it’s not a holiday we can take off from work! Ha! With this mentality, I would be on a constant holiday, never work again, because I would be recycling everyday!

I understand that not all cities and towns have recycling programs, however, our students should be taught the value of recycling. This year, my students will engage in an extended recycling theme because of an activity kit I stumbled upon at Dollar Tree. (Pictured below). If you don’t have access to this store, don’t fret, because the basic idea can be easily replicated with your own ingenuity and resources. 

Music Therapy Experience Name:

Please Recycle

Materials / Assembly needed:

(2) Recycle Activity (Sticker) Kits by Teaching Tree (available at Dollar Tree):

First kit is to be used as a guide by adhering stickers to the appropriate labeled front and then laminated.

Second kit: Cut the bottom ½ lines of each labeled front drop hole to allow stickers to drop through. Cut flaps to open the top of each cardboard box and size to height of labeled front if necessary. Glue each front to 4 small standing cardboard boxes (organic fruit rope box pictured).

Glue sticker pages to cardstock. Laminate. Cut each sticker out.

Memorize song lyrics.

Non-kit Material Ideas:

Use magazine or Board Maker pictures; or downloaded images; glue to cardstock, laminate, and cut out.  Make a double set of pictures if you wish to make guide sheets.      
(4) small Kleenex boxes with cut open tops, covered with plain contact paper and labeled: Aluminum, Compost, Paper / Cardboard, and Plastic.

Song Lyrics:  (to the tune of “Frere Jacques” / “Are You Sleeping?”)

Please recycle, please recycle

What do you have?  What do you have?

Is it food you’ve eaten?

Is it made of paper?

Plastic or tin?  Plastic or tin?

Procedure:

On a table or desk top, line up the 4 recycle boxes and box guides, if using, as pictured.

Spread the individual stickers (pictures) face down.

Have one student at a time pick up a sticker and look at it while you sing the lyrics.

Have the student determine which box the sticker should be dropped into by using the guide (matching).  Verbally or physically assist as necessary, to get the sticker into the correct box. Depending on your group size, each student will get several stickers to drop into the correct container. 

Extension:

When all the stickers have been dropped into the appropriate box, you and/or the students could conduct a short recap naming the contents of each box.

Teach and sing the following lyrics to the same tune:

We recycled. We recycled.

It was fun. It was fun.

The earth is better for it.

The earth is better for it.

Happy are we. Happy are we.

Pass out paper plates, plastic cups (or plastic castanets), and triangles to accompany the additional verse to end the activity. Ask your students which container they would place their "instrument" in. (Notice that I'm not asking you to pass out 1/2 eaten food!)

Liz and Sue

Rainbow Round Me

Spring is starting to bloom here in Michigan, and all the colors start to appear after a long grey winter.  And so today's blog post was inspired...  This is a song that can be used with younger students who are working on color identification, following directions, and/or vocalizing. 

Music Therapy Experience Name: 

Rainbow Round Me

Materials Needed:

pictures of animals (or other things you might see outside) OR stuffed animals/objects

bag

streamers (on a hoop if available-see note below)

sheet music for "Rainbow Round Me" (see below)

Procedures:

Give everyone a streamer.  Let children move their streamers freely during the verse.  On the chorus, move streamers in the following manner:

Rainbow                      {move streamers in an arc, like a rainbow}

Rainbow                      {move streamers in an arc, going the other way}

Rainbow round me     {move streamers around your body OR turn your body in a circle}

Before each new verse, encourage the students to peek out the pretend window.  This can be done by either looking through the hoop that the streamers are on or by holding your hand over your eyes like you are looking for something.  Pull one of the pictures or stuffed animals out of the bag.   Have group members identify the object and the color.  Insert the object and color in the song and sing the next verse while moving streamers freely. Repeat procedures until you have sung about each object.  If you would like to sequence each object as you do each additional verses, you can do that as well. 

Rainbow Round Me by Ruth Pelham

D                                       A7                                          D

Oh the world outside my window is a world of color I see

D7             G                      D                     A7                       D

Fiddle dee dee outside my window, it's a world of color I see!

CHORUS:

G              D            A7                   D

Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow round me

G             D            A7                    D

Rainbow, rainbow, rainbow round me!

Additional verses:

D                                             A7                                                       D

Oh the OBJECT outside my window is as COLOR as COLOR can be

D7             G                       D                     A7                                   D

Fiddle dee dee outside my window, it's as COLOR as COLOR can be!

Here is a link to the video so you can learn the tune...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXLxJ0Ktc18

Note about streamers:

Here are 2 different links that I found to purchase streamers on hoops (similar to what I have in the picture).

http://www.musicmotion.com/Teaching-Aids/28009-ribbon-hoops-set-of-6.asp

http://www.flaghouse.com/Physical-Education/Dance-Rhythm-Music/Rainbow-Hoops---24-Ribbons.axd

They are kind of expensive ($5-6 each), but you might be able to find them somewhere else for less money.  I think I got mine from Oriental Trading Company, but they don't carry them any more.  You could also make hoop streamers, but we'll save that for another day.......  :) 

Variation:

If you don't have streamers (or don't want to use them), you can make the motions with just your hands.

Liz and Sue

!You To Birthday Happy

Happy Birthday to me (Sue) and Happy First Full Day of Spring to all!

What better way to celebrate both, than by writing this 3^rd blog and sharing a music experience?

Yes, it’s true – I turned another year older today, yet still long to turn back the time just a few years. With this in mind, have you ever considered singing the traditional “Happy Birthday” song lyrics backwards?  Well, I have and I hereby challenge you to do so.  I suggest you rehearse it several times, however, before singing it this way publicly, because as you know, old habits die hard!

Music therapy experience name:

!You To Birthday Happy

Materials needed:

Name card for birthday person

Tape

Song lyrics (Optional: song sheets per person or write lyrics on black/white board)

Song Lyrics:

You to birthday happy

You to birthday happy

(Name) dear birthday happy

You to birthday happy!

Procedure:

Tape the name card of the birthday person to his/her back. Invite everyone in the room to stand up and walk around to discover who the birthday person is, by looking at everyone’s back. Return to your seats and proceed to sing the song. At the song’s end, tell the birthday person that even though they were sung to backwards, you wish them a “right ways, forward, very happy day!” Have fun!

Extension:

If you choose to make individual song sheets, laminate them or put each one into a plastic sleeve protector. With a dry erase marker, have all participants practice writing the birthday person’s name on the line. Note: Observe how many write their own name and wish it was their birthday!

Liz and Sue  

Pass the Beat!

Greetings from Liz and Sue!  We are so excited about our blog that we just couldn't wait to share another idea!  Writing original songs for our music therapy sessions is something that we love to do.  Here is a song that Liz has used with students who are on the autism spectrum, students with cognitively impaired and students who are multiply impaired.  It's a really adaptable song that can be used with most any age group as well! 

Music therapy experience name: 

Pass the Beat

Materials needed:

Drums, sticks or other percussion instruments

Sheet music for "Pass the Beat" (see below)

accompanying instrument (optional)

number cards, foam number puzzle, dry erase board, etc. (optional)

Procedure:

Have students play their instruments together while the song is sung.  Sing once or several times depending on your group's needs.  Once you complete the song, use number cards, numbers that you write on a dry erase board, a number from a foam number puzzle, and/or tell students a number verbally.  Then go around the circle and have students individually play the designated number of times.  Repeat this procedure having students play a different number of times after each chorus. 

Extensions/Variations:

Let students choose the number of times that the group will play.  Using number cards or a foam puzzle allows non-verbal or low verbal students to make choices.  If you have a group that needs a challenge, have them imitate or read a rhythm pattern when they are taking turns passing the beat around the circle.

Here is the sheet music for "Pass the Beat".  Sing it with a bluesy feel.

This music therapy experience is so adaptable!  It can be done a cappella or using accompaniment.  I've done it both ways--depending on the group.  You can work on engagement in task, number identification, making choices, playing as part of an ensemble, taking turns, etc.  We'd love to hear how you use it with your groups!

Liz and Sue

Greetings from Liz and Sue. We are extremely passionate about Music Therapy and are excited to share our ideas with you in this newly created blog..   

Since St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, we thought we would share an idea for this holiday.  Sue came up with this music therapy experience and it has been very successful for her.  She uses it with students who are on the autism spectrum, but it could easily be adapted to use with many different populations.

Music therapy experience name:

Bean Bag Coin Toss

Materials needed:

3 bean bags

Velcro

6 gold coins

Pot or other container to throw bean bags into

Chant (see below)

Preparation and assembly:

Attach one gold coin to each side of each bean bag with Velcro. 

Make a line on the floor for students to stand behind when they are tossing.

Optional:  Make an Irish backdrop with target hole cut out (as pictured below).

Procedure:

Say chant.  Have students take turns throwing the bean bags into the container.  Count the total successful throws for each student.  Applaud the winner!

Chant:

Gold coin bean bag throw,

Not too high, not too low.

Toss it in the center now,

Count your score and we’ll say, “Wow!” 

We hope you found this useful.  We would love to hear from you with your ideas for St. Patrick's Day.

Looking forward to future idea sharing!

Liz and Sue