by Katey Kratz | Jun 4, 2016 | About Listen & Learn for Leaders, Materials & Supplies, MTC, Resources
Last fall, we began increasing the number of early childhood classes we offer. We split the classes into age groups but also offer groups with mixed ages. Though we use the same curriculum across all of the classes in one session, you will find that every group is just a little different. Each class has it’s own unique mix of participants that make it a little different from any other group even if other groups have the same ages, genders, etc.
This means ADAPTING and often on the fly. I, personally, teach both our Wednesday and Thursday night classes. Though I use the same materials for both classes, the presentation looks a little different each night. My Wednesday night class tends to be a little more active so I change the order of songs slightly, create additional verses for our movement songs, and ask more questions of group members. My Thursday night class is often more reserved and will sit for a long stretch of time. I use this to my advantage and take a longer time reading our book or singing our counting songs.
I LOVE all of the material we create and like to use them with my individual students and clients as well, adapting them even more as we go. Our newest book, “Counting Through the Seasons” was initially developed for our early childhood classes though all of our therapists have now adapted the songs to work on a variety of goals. In our newest “extra” going out to our VIP members and being added to the “Counting Through the Seasons” download, I describe 9 ways our seasonal counting songs can be adapted to work on goals aside from counting to five and how they can be changed to fit multiple seasons.
The price of the book (“Counting Through the Seasons”) will increase on Friday, June 10th.
Be sure to download your copy at a discounted price today!
by Alisabeth Hopper | Jun 2, 2016 | Parents, Resources
At Music Therapy Connections, we work with students of all ages and abilities. Based upon those things we can place a new student into the best situation for their growth, whether that be a class, lesson, or adaptive lesson. I think I can speak for our team when I say that it brings us great joy to know that we can provide services for the entire family — from newborns to grandparents!
Many parents want to know, how do you know when a child is ready for lessons? Here are three things we look for to find your young learner the best fit.
1. When it comes to both piano and guitar lessons, it is very important that a student can count to four, visually identify letters A through G, and preferably be able to identify their left hand from right. All of these are important foundational skills to build on in lessons.
2. For any kind of lesson it is important to ask, “Can my student be engaged with one activity for thirty minutes?” This can be a challenge for many four to six year olds beginning lessons.
3. Finally, we don’t usually begin guitar lessons until the age of at least seven. Why? Well, unlike with piano, a new learner needs to have large enough hands to be able to form chords with proper technique so that they don’t injure themselves. Guitar can also test a new student’s patience as it can even be painful when first beginning. For our future guitarists under the age of seven, we recommend starting with piano and growing a nice framework of knowledge to build on later.
In general, if a child is still growing in one of these areas or has additional needs, we would consider their lessons adaptive. This is because we are adapting our approach, creating different materials, and utilizing multiple mediums to provide them with the best lesson experience possible, regardless of their prior knowledge and experience.
Is your child ready for lessons? Click here to learn more and register for the summer session.
by Alisabeth Hopper | Apr 26, 2016 | Materials & Supplies, MTC, Resources
Pinterest is well known for being the place where connoisseurs of the latest and greatest information get lost in endless pages of ideas, projects, and graphics. Most people use it as a way to explore their hobbies, but did you know that Pinterest can also be used as an effective tool for marketing, collaborating, and even research?
What is the purpose of Pinterest? For those of you who have never used this platform, Pinterest is basically a virtual cork board where you can use “pins” or graphical links to put on a “board” which you can label and is now saved in your account. One of my favorite boards right now is my “sensory” board which focuses on resources related to sensory awareness, care, tools and more. My favorite place to get resources about sensory needs is from pin boards about Occupational Therapy. Which brings me to my next point…
Why should I use another social media platform? My absolute favorite use for Pinterest is to collaborate! Now, of course it is hugely beneficial to collaborate with local professionals when you can, but in the case that those resources are not present or available Pinterest allows you to share ideas with others, professionals included!
But more than anything else, Pinterest is a great tool for advocating! There are already pages upon pages of informational graphics about what Music Therapy is, who provides Music Therapy, and why it is effective. When these images are re-pinned they become more and more popular and are then seen more and more. In the end there are so many uses and benefits to using Pinterest as a Music Therapist that I didn’t even touch on.
There are endless possibilities.
by Rachel | Apr 5, 2016 | MTC, Resources
Back in August when we were creating the curriculum for our early childhood music class, I wrote a song called “Little Red Apples” to work on counting skills. While I was at the studio setting up the night before the first session,
I decided to make five apples out of construction paper to go along with the song. Our kiddos loved counting and manipulating the visuals as we sang, so the counting song became a staple in every round of classes.
Each session, we wrote and introduced a new counting song with visuals to match. The songs all follow the same template and are nature-themed, so together they form a nice collection.
When we realized we had two songs for each season, it was a no-brainer to package them up for others to use as well.
But Counting Through the Seasons isn’t just a songbook. We wanted it to be as helpful a resource as possible, so we included all of the following:
- sheet music (melody line + chords)
- mp3 recordings
- instructional videos
- visual aide templates
- photos
No matter what the season, you’ll have a counting song for your little ones — and it can easily be adapted to go beyond the number 5. We consider all of our songs to simply be starting points; our job is to tailor the musical experience to our students’ unique needs.
This multimedia songbook contains the following original songs:
- “Five Swirling Snowflakes”
- “Counting Clouds”
- “Raindrops in a Row”
- “Five Flowing Flowers”
- “Little Red Apples”
- “Five Leaves Waving”
- “Five Orange Pumpkins”
- “Five Tall Trees”
We hope you and your kiddos enjoy them as much as we do. Check out the details and download Counting Through the Seasons here.
by Katey Kratz | Feb 13, 2015 | Apps, MTC, Resources, Videos
I love using sign language in our early childhood groups because it gives children of all ages and abilities the opportunity to participate and communicate in a meaningful way while learning new words and skills they can use at home.
In the video below you can learn and practice the sign language to my song, “Sing With Me Love.” Along with providing opportunities for parent/child bonding, children learn the sign language for family members (mom, dad, sister, brother, grandma, and grandpa). “Sing With Me Love” is featured in our Facilitator Package 3 and in the “Bonding” mini-pack.
One of my favorite apps for learning new sign language is “ASL Dictionary American”. This app shows you the sign language for individual words using videos that you can slow down and replay as many times as you need.
Note: I am by no means a sign language expert. After reviewing the video I posted, the I found that I accidentally used the sign for “my” instead of “me” when signing the first two parts of the video. I corrected this in the later parts of the video, including the full sing through at the end of the video.
