I was going to lead a new intervention with the students at the Hope School.
My midterm project was due.
I was writing an adapted piano piece to do with a client.
I was supposed to lead a majority of the group time at SPARC.
And more.
There was a lot to do this week.
Monday night I had a tickle in my throat. By the next morning I was congested and had a sore throat. I had a cold. Two years ago I would have shrugged it off and gone to my classes. I maybe would have worn a mask if I felt like it was truly needed. However, it is not two years ago and I now work with many clients who are immunocompromised. It is better to be safe than sorry to protect our clients, so I took a sick day. Then one day became two, two days became three, and three days became four.
I don’t particularly like taking days off. I dislike missing days, as it makes me feel unproductive and behind. Additionally, I was sad not to get to see our client for so many days. I did not like taking four days off. However, I still had a productive week. This blog post will be a little peek into what sick week is like for a music therapy intern.
My Week
So I had a sense of normalcy, I woke up every day around the same time I typically do. Along with that, I got ready and dressed like I typically would. When I felt well enough to, I worked on projects and documentation during the mornings. I found time to practice piano, voice, and guitar.
While I missed out on going to some of our contract sites, I did get to zoom into some of the lessons and sessions at MTC. I was so glad for this, as this meant I at least had the opportunity to observe the sessions and lessons. Additionally, we did repertoire check and supervision via Zoom.
To my dismay, I found myself also needing to take breaks to rest and nap. I was itching to get back to MTC and work with our clients, but I needed to feel better before I could. I made sure I was drinking a lot of water, eating regularly, and resting when I needed it.
Over this week I learned that:
It’s okay to not alway be productive.
When I originally took Tuesday off my thought was “I am going to get so much done today”. While I did get a lot done, I did not get as much done as I thought I should have. I originally felt upset with myself because of this. However, I realized that I wasn’t feeling well and I needed to also focus on feeling better so I could get back to my clients quicker.
Thank you for reading! I hope you all stay healthy and have a happy holiday! Lillian
One of my biggest musical inspirations and influences for a majority life has been Taylor Swift. This week is Taylor Swift’s birthday and my 13th blog post. I thought it would be fun to reflect on the influence Taylor Swift and her music have had on me as a person and a future music therapist.
My Swiftie Origin Story
As a child I listened mainly to country music. Country music is very male-heavy, which, while I enjoyed it, didn’t resonate with me as a 9-year-old girl. I think this is why Taylor Swift’s music stood out to me. Her music was country, but held a similarity to the music in other media I was consuming, like Disney Channel. Taylor Swift’s debut album was one of the first CDs I owned and I was hooked from there.
Inspiration to Learn
As a child, seeing videos of Taylor Swift playing the guitar excited me. I wanted to play the guitar like Taylor Swift. I received a guitar for Christmas when I was in the 6th grade and I attempted to learn to play it for years to come. Taylor Swift’s songs were a helpful tool for me while I was learning how to play the guitar, ukulele and the piano. I used songs like “Mean” and “Stay Stay Stay” to learn and become comfortable with bar chords on the guitar. When I did my guitar and piano competencies in college, I used the songs “New Years Day” and “Stay Stay Stay.”
Soundtrack to My Life
Taylor Swift’s songs have a reputation for being about relationships and breakups. However, there are many songs that I was able to relate to as a child and then teenager listening to her music. Using Taylor Swift’s music, I learned how to emotionally relate and identify with songs. Additionally, I have many memories associated with the songs and albums of Taylor Swift.
“I’m Only Me When I’m With You” makes me think of my elementary school friendships.
“Mean” got me through the ups and downs of middle school.
Her album, 1989, brings me back to driving around my hometown as a teenager with old friends.
Her album, Lover, brings me back to driving around Macomb, Il with my friends in college.
Her albums, Folklore and Evermore were bright spots to an otherwise dark year, 2020.
“This is Me Trying” was a support for me during the stressful times in my senior year of college.
A Uniting Factor
Taylor Swift’s songs have been a uniting factor in my life. I bonded with people in college who later became my friends because of Taylor Swift songs. Additionally, I have bonded over Taylor Swift songs with professors and supervisors. Since Taylor Swift is a very widely beloved singer, discussing and using Taylor Swift songs helped me build rapport with clients and patients who are Taylor Swift fans.
Without a doubt, I wouldn’t be the person and musician I am today without Taylor Swift and her music. I am incredibly grateful for her music and am so excited about what she is going to do next.
Many music therapists make use of song rewrites of familiar songs with clients. In honor of the Holiday season and my 12th blog post, I decided to do a rewrite of the 12 Days of Christmas based on my internship experience. I give you: The 12 Days of Christmas at MTC!
On the first day of Christmas at MTC…
I Practiced One Piano Piece
I have been working on my piano skills lately, particularly practicing Silent Night.
I Read Two Singable Stories
We make use of singable stories during Listen and Learn sessions and our sessions at the Hope School.
I Talked with Three Supervisors
I work directly with three music therapists at MTC: Katey, Molly and Emma.
I Went to Four Contract Site
With the MTC music therapists, I go to four contract sites to conduct music therapy sessions: St. John’s Children’s Hospital, The Hope School, SPARC and Concordia Senior Services.
I Wrote Five Session Notes
After each session, we write sessions notes based on what happened during the session and the client’s goals and objectives.
I Strummed Six Guitar Strings
The guitar is the instrument that I use the most on a daily basis when working with clients.
I Sang Seven Listen and Learn Song
I have learned many Listen and Learn songs that I use during Listen and Learn sessions, at the Hope School and with patients at St, John’s Children’s Hospital.
I Played Eight Colorful Chimes
We use a set of eight chimes with one of the clients we see at MTC and many of the patients at St. John’s Children’s Hospital.
I Made Nine Garageband Songs
As an intern, I am required to do weekly assignments. For these weekly assignments I have written nine songs and made recordings of them on Garageband.
I Shook Ten Egg Shakers
I’ve found that giving clients instruments, particularly shakers are a great way to encourage participation!
I Lead Eleven Interventions
I’m not quite leading full sessions yet, but I lead many music therapy interventions a week with our clients during sessions.
I Wrote Twelve Blog Posts
Another one of my internship assignments is creating weekly blog posts. I have now written 12 Intern’s Corner blog posts!
I hope you enjoyed The 12 Days of Christmas at MTC!
Thanksgiving has sadly come and gone. The silver lining to Thanksgiving being over is that it’s now officially the Christmas/holiday season! I am so excited for all of the baking and Hallmark movies that the next month has in store. I have always had a love for Christmas music, so I’m going to ring in the season by sharing some of my favorite Christmas/Holiday songs!
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
I have known this song since I was a young child. However, it didn’t become one of my favorites until I was in the 5th grade. I was a member of a traveling choir at my school, which O Come O Come Emmanuel was a part of our Christmas set that year. Ever since then this song has had a special place in my heart.
My favorite lyric: “Rejoice, Rejoice Emmanuel.”
City of Silver Dreams and Gold and Green
When I was a child, my mom LOVED the band, Sugarland. One year she bought Sugarland’s Christmas album: Gold and Green. I spent many Christmases listening to this album and still give it a listen at least once during the Christmas season. Out of the songs on this album the songs City of Silver Dreams and Gold and Green are my favorites. They are both very pretty ballads that bring about a feeling of nostalgia for me.
My favorite lyric from City of Silver Dreams: “Snowy night, catch the light, shimmer bright, Angels sing.” My favorite lyric from Gold and Green: “And everything looks better in gold and green, The lights on the trees in the eyes of our children, Are the prettiest I’ve ever seen.”
The 12 Days of Christmas
The 12 Days of Christmas is a song that I have always found to be really fun! It’s a long song, but easy to sing along with and the imagery is so fun to me. The music therapy adaptations for this song are really fun too! The song is a good template for song rewrites and adaptations. Additionally it is a great song to reinforce academic skills, particularly counting up and back. Since it is a well known song it is also a great song to encourage participation by having clients sing along and fill in words.
My Favorite Lyric: “On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: 12 Drummers Drumming.”
Christmas Tree Farm
Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a BIG fan of Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift had released a short Christmas album in 2007 that I didn’t enjoy, I have held onto hope she would release new Christmas music at some point. Two years ago, Taylor Swift unexpectedly dropped a Christmas song, which was everything I could have wanted from a Taylor Swift song and a Christmas song. Christmas Tree Farm is an upbeat bop that feels so Christmassy to me! Taylor Swift has recently released a jazzy version of Christmas Tree Farm, which I love so much too.
Favorite Lyric: “In my heart is a Christmas tree farm where the people would come to dance under sparkling lights.”
O Holy Night
During my freshman year of college, I was going to take part in a Christmas concert at a student center that I was actively involved in. On a whim I chose to sing O Holy Night as my solo for this concert. Not many people attended this concert, but I felt really good about the performance I gave. The beginning of my freshman year of college was a very stressful time for me, but singing this song really helped raise my self esteem. Ever since then, this song has held a special place in my heart
Favorite Lyric: “Fall on your knees and hear the angels voices.”
Happy beginning to the Christmas/Holiday season! I’m excited to get to sing and play our clients favorite Christmas/Holiday songs with them. Hope you all get the opportunity to sing and hear your favorite Christmas/Holiday songs this year!
Happy Thanksgiving week all! As it is the week of thanksgiving, I wanted to recognize the music therapists who I am thankful for. These music therapists have inspired and impacted my music therapy journey greatly.
Music Therapists Who Piqued my Interest
When I was in 8th grade I made the decision that I wanted to go into music. My mom started telling me about a daughter of a friend of hers, Hannah. My mom told me that Hannah was a music therapist and encouraged me to look into music therapy as a career. I have not gotten to meet Hannah, but I hope someday I will get to meet and thank her!
I am thankful for Hannah because without her I wouldn’t have discovered the music therapy profession.
When I was a sophomore in high school I was telling everyone that I was planning on studying music therapy, but I wasn’t quite sold yet. At this time, an acquaintance of mine was sharing pictures of their young cousin’s cancer journey on social media. This acquaintance shared a photo of a music therapist working with their cousin at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. I can pinpoint seeing that picture was what really solidified in me that music therapy is what I wanted my career to be. Prior to starting internship I decided to look on social media to see if I could find that picture. Upon finding that picture, I recognized that music therapist to be Amy Love, the music therapist at St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
I am thankful for Amy Love, because seeing just a glimpse of her work solidified in me that music therapy was what I wanted to pursue.
The Western Illinois University Music Therapy Staff
The Western University music therapy department has been incredibly influential on me as a music therapist in training. I auditioned for three schools, but I am beyond grateful that I chose WIU. I am especially grateful because I had the opportunity to meet and work with the music therapy staff at WIU.
I am thankful for Dr. Garwood, who introduced me to the profession of music therapy during Introduction to Music Therapy.
I am thankful for Mr. Holbrook, who was my first music therapy practicum supervisor.
I am thankful for Mrs. Coovert, who always pushed me to be my best as my practicum supervisor for two semesters.
I am thankful for Mrs. Sevcik, who I learned so much from from as a teacher and a supervisor.
I am thankful for Dr. Jones, who helped me so much as a teacher, advisor, supervisor, and mentor.
Overall, I am thankful to the WIU Music Therapy staff for giving me solid foundationfor my music therapy journey.
The Music Therapy Connections Staff
The Music Therapy Connections staff are the newest music therapists to come into my life, but that doesn’t decrease how thankful I am for them! The staff at MTC has introduced me to many different populations, ways of thoughts and techniques.
I am thankful for Katey, who has introduced me to the pediatric medical setting and has been a great person to talk through many of my anxieties as an intern.
I am thankful for Molly, who I have learned so much from about working with groups and giving piano lessons.
I am thankful for Emma, who I have learned much from about working in schools and has challenged me to go outside my comfort zone.
I am thankful for Rachel, who I learned so much from about being a business owner and the music therapy community.
I am thankful for Cicely, who has been my friend for 4 years now and whose friendship I highly value.
Overall, I am thankful that I have the opportunity to complete my internship at MTC and learn under all of these wonderful music therapists.
My Friends and Peers
Finally, I am so thankful for all of my peers and friends that I learned with during my four years at WIU. I am thankful for all of the wonderful learning experiences I have had with my peers. Additionally, I am thankful for all of the wonderful memories of working and learning with all of them.
I am thankful for my fellow 2021 graduates, I’m fortunate that had the opportunity to learn and work with you all.
I am thankful for the other WIU music therapy students I had the opportunity to meet and work with.
I am thankful for Rebecca, who was the best roommate/friend I could have asked for and I whose collaborations I highly value.
Overall, I am thankful to have them as a part of my music therapy journeys and to have been apart of their music therapy journeys, as well.
There are so many other people in the music therapy community that I am thankful for. I am so thankful for the for all of the music therapists and music therapy students I have encountered on my music therapy journey. Additionally, I am thankful to you for reading! Happy Thanksgiving All!!!
A phrase that has come to my mind a lot this past week is “one step forward, three steps back.” Other than this being an incredibly catchy Olivia Rodrigo song, “one step forward and threes steps back” is a commonly used phrase about progress. According to Google, this phrase means:
“You make progress but then experience events that cause you to be further behind than you were when you made the progress.”
I have related to this phrase often during my internship. I constantly have this feeling I’m progressing in some ways, then finding other places I have deficits in. This puts me in an often stressful place that feels like I’m back to where I started or even behind where I should be. The following topics are things that I have realized about growth and learning during my internship.
Learning Never Stops
When I started as a student, I perceived that college is where a music therapist learns everything. Then internship is where that knowledge is put into practice. This isn’t reality; there is so much to be learned during internship and beyond. I am learning so much during my time in internship. I am learning more about myself as a therapist, musician and person. The more I learn, the more I realize there is to learn. Learning and growth is never ending.
Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome adds to this feel of going one step forward and three steps back. According to Google imposters syndrome is “feelings of self-doubt and personal incompetence that persist despite your education, experience, and accomplishments.” I have accomplished a lot and went to college for music therapy for 4 years. Even with this, I feel imposter syndrome almost every day. It seems at times as soon as I am feeling comfortable with one area, I find another area that I am not comfortable with. These two ideas feed each other, leading to stress, anxiety and feelings of inadequacy.
Finding New Places for Growth
I worked very hard on my musical skills throughout my life. However, performing music for new people brings up nerves and stress that can affect how I play. Additionally, my supervisors have different musical techniques that I didn’t learn when I was in college. I came into internship feeling like a fairly confident musician, but I’ve quickly seen areas where I can still grow. I’ve had to learn that it’s not a bad thing to find new areas in which I can grow.
From talking with my supervisors I have learned that feeling like you’re continually going one step forward and three steps back is a shared feeling that stays with you your whole life. I am still in my schooling and in a transition period in my life during internship. Right now the feeling of stepping back can feel so huge and the steps forward so small sometimes.
The idea of going one step forward and two steps back can seem like a negative thing, but I’m realizing that there are positives to it. It helps me remember that I can’t be perfect and there are always places for me to grow. It helps to remind me that I can celebrate my steps forward, but give myself kindness for the perceived steps back. Even with the positives, this feeling can bring anxiety and lower my confidence. I just keep reminding myself that each step, not matter how big or small it feels, is taking me closer and closer to my goals.
Comparing my internship experience to the internships of other music therapy interns, I have learned that no two music therapy internships are the same. Many music therapy internships focus their time in one population, such as some are strictly in hospice or in schools. Since Music Therapy Connections is a private practice, I have the opportunity to get experience in many different populations in the Springfield community. Weekly, I see a spectrum of clients in different populations, including: pediatric medical, special education, memory care, and early childhood.
This makes me think of one my music therapy classes in college. There we had a discussion about music therapists being a “jack of all trades” of sorts. This last week, I have been thinking about how much music therapists in private practice settings are “jack of all trades” because of how many settings they are in weekly. I thoroughly enjoy getting the opportunity to learn in all of these different settings. There are many advantages I have found getting to be an intern in a private practice setting.
Learning Under Multiple Professionals
I get to work directly under three different music therapists at MTC: Katey, Molly and Emma. Each of these music therapist has different techniques and skill sets that I get to observe and learn from. I have the opportunity to work with other staff at MTC. I mainly sang classically in college; I have the opportunity to work with one the voice instructors here to grow my contemporary singing voice. Additionally, I have weekly meetings with Rachel to discuss the business and technical sides of being a music therapist. It is amazing getting to know and to learn from all of these professionals.
Growing My Music Skills
With seeing so many different types of clients a week, I have needed to learn more repertoire! I learn many songs a week for the different populations I am in. The songs I am learning for my clients can range from children’s songs to classic rock songs. In some of the settings I’m in I need to sight-read music during sessions. This helps grow my repertoire and my musical skills. The MTC team has taught me different musical techniques that I did not learn during my time in college.
Seeing the Crossover in Populations
While there are differences in the populations that music therapists can work in, I’m starting to see crossovers between these populations. In some setting I am able to use use some of the same repertoire. Additionally, I use some of the same techniques between different clients. I am finding that working at St. John’s Children’s Hospital is the setting that I am seeing the most intersection of many of the different skills I am learning. At St. John’s I see many patients of varying ages, diagnosis, interests and needs. I’ve used my teaching skills I’ve learned working with students at MTC to teach a patient about the guitar. I have also made use of a range of songs with patients from Folsom Prison Blues to Stitches to You Are My Sunshine.
Challenges
Along with the advantages of getting to see so many different clients, there are also some challenges. Sometimes with so much information and input given daily by my supervisors, it can feel like information overload. Additionally, I’ve found it to be difficult at times to switch from one mind set to another from setting to setting.
Overall, each music therapy internship has its own advantages and challenges. I am very thankful for how much my internship at Music Therapy Connections is teaching and pushing me.
I am around a month and a half into my internship at Music Therapy Connections. During this time, I have had my fair share of ups and downs. I am discovering the challenges and anxieties of transitioning from being in school to being in the professional setting. Along with these challenges, I have had many moments that have brought so much joy. This week I’m going to outline some of the challenges I have faced, but also the joys too.
Challenges
I knew that going from a student to an intern would come with its growing pains. I am finding out how much of a transition it is to go from focusing on a few clients per week to multiple clients per day. There is more music to learn in a week, additionally I am learning a wider variety of music. As each client has different needs and goals, learning how to transition from client to client can be challenging.
Now that I’m an intern I no longer receive regular grades like when I was a student. Not worrying about grades sounds nice at first. However, I never realized how much validation I got from getting grades. Grades were a clear way for me to measure my progress. Without them, I am left to myself to determine how successful I am. This can be difficult, as I have found myself often to be my worst critic.
Joys
While I’ve found the transition to working with multiple clients to be a bit of a challenge at times I absolutely love getting to work with all of them. I enjoy talking with all of the clients about their days and exciting parts of their lives. I’ve gotten to celebrate with clients as they succeed. It brings me joy to make music with them and see the change music can bring. A favorite intervention I have done with a client so far was a rewrite of Good 4 U by Olivia Rodrigo about the client’s goals. Working with clients is the bright spot of my day.
Additionally I’m finding joy in some of the small, odd and ends things. The small progressions I have been able to see in myself since I started. I enjoy doing the singable stories during Listen and Learn and seeing the children’s reactions to them. Watching my supervisor’s excitement about the progress of a client. I have had so much fun planning and implementing sing along events at St. John’s Children’s Hospital. This past week we did a spooky songwriting event at St. John’s Children’s Hospital!
I have found it easy to let the mistakes and challenges take over my mind. This in turn has caused a lot of anxiety and stress. I see myself becoming more self conscious in some areas, but I am also feeling more confident in other areas. I am working to focus on the good over the mistakes. I’m discovering that no day is perfect, but there’s good spots to each one. I’m finding progress isn’t always linear. There are times I feel like when I take one step forward, I go three steps back. I’ll keep making my way slowly forward, and at the end of this experience I know I’ll be a better musician and therapist than I was before.
There are some growing pains right now, but I look forward to the exciting things and the different lessons I’ll learn and experience!
Happy Halloween week, all! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I love the decorations and the food, but my absolute favorite part of Halloween is dressing up in costumes! When I think about costumes, I remember the costumes I wore when I was involved in theatre. With Halloween coming up I thought it would be a fun time to reflect on how being involved in theatre has impacted me as a musician and future therapist.
My Theatre Background
I don’t have the most extensive background in theatre, but I had many wonderful opportunities to take part in theatre. As far as I can remember I have had an interest in theatre. My first role was as a bell in my elementary school’s Christmas musical. I was involved in my junior high’s musicals, most notably I was a narrator in Aladdin Jr.
Me in the 6th grade in my first role!
When I got to high school I took part in the annual fall plays. During my last two years of high school, my school began doing high school musicals. Through these musicals I had the opportunity to portray Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music and Sandy in Grease. Along with traditional theatre, I took part in speech team in the storytelling and acting categories.
Grease, my senior year of high school
In college I joined the WIU Opera Theatre, where I got to continue performing musical theatre and learn how to perform opera. I was cast in Hansel and Gretel,Le Nozze De Figaro and Venus and Adonis, the latter production was canceled due to COVID-19. Additionally, I performed in 4 opera workshop showcases, where I performed both musical theatre and opera scenes.
Le Nozze De Figaro, Sophomore year of College
Other than the joy I got from dressing up and performing, I learned so much taking part in theatre. Much of what I learned has helped grow my skills as future music therapist.
Going with the Flow
Mistakes can happen a lot in live theatre; its easy to miss a line or forget a cue. In those times it takes some quick thinking and to go with the flow to get the scene back on track. I had a few situations where I had to improv when a line was forgotten. I have had similar experiences in sessions. I’ve had situations where I forgot lyrics to a song, so I improved lyrics until I got the song back on track. Quick thinking is important in other situations during music therapy sessions, especially in fast-paced settings like hospitals. I’m still growing in my quick thinking skills, but I can credit some of the skills I currently have to my time in theatre.
Empathy
Being involved in theatre, I’ve gotten to portray different types of people. This has given me to the opportunity to walk in other peoples’ shoes so to say. To accurately portray these characters I had to consider their motivations and what issues they are facing. I feel this helped me develop my empathy skills. I use my empathy skills daily when working with clients to help gage how they are feeling and what they need from me as a therapist during music therapy sessions.
Confidence
When I was involved in theatre, I had my fair share of anxiety and stage fright. However, taking part in theatre helped me develop confidence in myself as a musician and a performer. Additionally, I learned how to efficiently and confidently multi-task. Confidence is important when conducting music therapy sessions. Confidence is one thing that I have currently lacking in since starting internship. I’ve been reflecting on when I have confidence to help myself figure out how to find my confidence again.
Thank you for reading! I hope you have a great Halloween full of fun costumes and yummy sweets!
Fall has been one of my favorite times of year for a long time for so many reasons. Two of my favorite flavors, apple and pumpkin, are in season, which means there are so many delicious treats to eat and make. Nature is so beautiful with the leaves changing colors. Halloween and Thanksgiving are two of the best holidays in my opinion. Some of my favorite people, particularly my parents, have fall birthdays. Additionally, I think I almost like the fall Hallmark movies more than the Christmas ones.
In the past, I have found ways to bring fall into my music therapy sessions. One of my favorite interventions I created for my clinical skills class was a drum circle based around fall topics. I came up with different rhythms based off of phrases that were related to fall. I made a visual with all of the phrases on it that I decorated with leaves from a tree outside of the music building. (pictured below) This intervention is a favorite memory of mine, as it was also one of the first interventions that I felt successful leading.
Until I came to MTC, I hadn’t considered just how much fall could be implemented into sessions. In almost every setting I’m at, I’ve seen my supervisors implementing fall topics and songs. I have gotten to observer fall theme interventions to fall-themed groups. I enjoy seeing how they use the fall season to reinforce their client’s needs and goals.
Counting and Colors
There are many fall themed counting songs that I have come across in the past month. I have found multiple songs that are variations of counting pumpkins. Along with leaf and bat themed counting songs. Fall is such a colorful season, which also gives the opportunity to reinforce colors. The colors brown, red, orange and yellow can be reinforced with leaves, pumpkins and apples. Additionally, I have seen peers use the Halloween song One Eyed, One Horn, Flying Purple People Eaters to reinforce colors and numbers.
Singable Stories
I’ve discovered how singable stories are a way to bring fall topics into sessions. I have seen the There Was an Old Lady Who… books used in sessions. Those books have many fall variations with topics like fall foods, Halloween and scarecrows. I look forward to soon using the the book: We’re Going On A Leaf Hunt, which is a variation of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.
Fall Songs
I’m also discovering the use and fun of fall songs. These songs can give the space to discuss topics like the season change and fall events. Additionally many of the songs I have found also reinforce fall approve clothing and discuss fall foods. These songs can be a place to insert clients’ academic goals and to start discussion. My favorite fall song that I have discovered since starting at MTC is Fall, Fall, Fall from Listen & Learn Music.
With Adults
For adults, I’ve seen the use of the song Autumn Leaves to be useful for discussing fall. Additionally, the song Over the River and Through the Woods is regarded as a Thanksgiving song, which can be used to discuss holiday plans and baking. I have seen that fall can be a way to narrow the subject for other discussion topics; such as “What is your favorite fall outdoor activity?” Instead of “What is your favorite outdoor activity?”
I’m enjoying seeing how my supervisors incorporate fall into their sessions. I look forward to seeing how I can continue to incorporate fall into my sessions and interventions in the future.
