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Educational blogs for parents and professionals
11 Music Activities to do With Your Family During Corona Virus Shut Down
This is a challenging time for many right now as businesses and schools are closing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus. There are millions of children that are having to stay home and one of the biggest concerns for parents is …
“What do I do with my children all day?”.
As a music therapist in the field for the past 15 years I have spent a lot of time helping families create and implement at home music programs from educational to a multitude of other therapeutic goals. As fear and worry surrounds us during this shutdown it is of utmost importance to also focus on optimum mental health. Music therapy has sown increase positive benefits over the years in multiple research studies that help reduce anxiety, depression, fear and worry. What a more important time right now to use music more than ever.
Here is a list of some of the musical activities that I suggest you share and implement with your family during this time. I highly suggest you to make it fun, make it educational and make it meaningful and memorable! These are times that children will remember most that during stress and chaos “my family came together through music and play”.
Enjoy sharing music with your family during this time!
1. Music Improvisation or Family Jam Session
Most music therapists use music improvisation (or jamming) as a way of connection, communication and helping clients redirect their energy and focus. You do NOT need to be a musician to improvise music. You can utilize instruments that you may already have at home or make it fun and creative and find objects around your home to use as instruments. For example: Pots and pans, buckets, keys, plastic containers, and much more can be fun improvisation instruments. You can also make a fun scavenger hunt for your family to see how many items they can find at home to turn into an instrument. Enjoy the creativity, sounds and rhythms you can make together as a family. Solos are also fun as well!
2. Song Play Lists
Music therapists often help clients collect songs to create various playlist to match their emotions or create memories of monumental moments. You can take some time where you and your family chooses an emotion and search for songs that they can place in each play list. Children can even do this on their own if you give them directions and access to YouTube to find songs that fit each category. Some category examples are:
Music to motivate me
Music that makes me happy
Music from my favorite movie
Music that clams me, etc.
Music family favorites
3. Music Dance Party
Music and movement is central to our bodies and can help us regulate our emotions and allow us to release tension. When music is played our whole bodies receive the therapeutic benefits of its vibration and sound. Mewsic moves (play on words intended) us to move and dance so why not create a list of your families favorite dance songs and move together and have fun.
4. Karaoke
Singing has been known to decrease anxiety and depression as well as a powerful tool in expressing our feelings. Find some family favorites and sing along together. Youtube has a lot of karaoke sing along versions of songs that could be fun for you and your family.
5. Song Rewriting
Music therapists utilize song rewriting activities in many sessions to help clients connect to their feelings or to express themselves. Song rewriting can be made easier by taking out various words from a familiar song for your family to fill in the blanks and to make the song their own.
For example: You are my sunshine can be rewritten as:
You are my ___?___, you make me ___?___, when skies are ___?___…
6. Music to Relax and Practice Mindfulness
Photo by Jyotirmoy Gupta on Unsplash
Music can have a therapeutic impact on helping us relax, practice mindfulness, focus on positivity and allow us to let go of negative/fearful thoughts. This can be a useful tool right now to help children (and parents) to practice relaxation, medication and practice focusing on gratitude and positivity in a time of uncertainty and worry.
You can take time to go through all your families favorite songs that help them to feel calm. I prefer to use music that has no lyrics to help focus on images or thoughts that come to mind when you sit, listen and focus on mindfulness.
7. Music and Art
Music and art is a powerful combination to help express, focus and share our thoughts and/or feelings. Music and art is also a therapeutic combination to help with expression, mindfulness and exploring creativity. You can have your children create art (such as painting, drawing or collaging) to match the music or their feelings.
8. Make Your Own Instruments
This has usually been a favorite in my sessions with the children that I work with. Make this activity fun and encourage your children to find things around the house that they can use to make their own instruments.
For example: empty prescription medication bottles can turn into a fun musical shaker if filled with rice or beans. Also, plastic containers can turn into a fun guitar or stringed instrument with elastic bands around it. Pots and pans are always a favorite with young children but not so much with parents! (I learned how to play the drums with my parents pots and pans set)
9. Music Trivia
This will take a little bit of research and time but can be a fun activity to learn more about music, lyrics and artists. For example:
How many songs can you list that has the word HAPPY in it?
Name 3 songs by Beyonce
Who sang Let it go?
10. Learn a New instrument
For those of you that may have an instrument at home this can be an ideal time to sit down and learn some of the basics of this instrument together. Youtube has many amazing videos on basic piano, guitar and ukulele strategies to name a few. I highly recommend ukulele as it is an affordable instrument as well as easier to learn than guitar, especially for younger children.
11. Educational Learning Through Music
Many music therapist utilize music to help children learn new educational material that they may have struggles with at school. Turn math, reading and social stories to a whole new level by creating a simple melody to make learning fun and easier to learn. How did most of us learn the alphabet? We sang it!! Make learning fun through music. For example:
Create math song melodies to learn addition, subtraction, division, multiplication and more.
Use rhythm and melody to help with spelling
I hope you find these 11 musical interventions helpful for you and your family during this time of being homebound and trying to fill the time. Also, please share any of your ideas or musical videos of you and your family creating music together as I’d love to see what you create together.
I welcome any additions to this list and love to share musical resources to help all families during this time. Please share in the comments below.
Mewsic Moves is also offering telemusictherapy sessions during this time for those that need additional mental health support in dealing with anxiety and depression or also those that want to continue individual music therapy sessions but are practicing social distancing.
For more information please reach out to us:
email: john@mewsicmoves.com
phone: (818) 877-6797
Let’s be social
Music Therapy Addressing Back to School Needs
September and October can be very challenging months for both parents and children transitioning back to school from a relaxing and non-structured summer. Going back onto a routine can be tough for both parents and their children.
Once school starts, most teachers will be very attuned to each child's needs in their classroom. Perhaps you've gotten a call to have your child taken from class because of your child's performance, behaviors or even social isolation? If this happens, it can make the transition even more stressful for both the parent and the child.
Parents then might try to find services that will support their child and address the concerns of their teachers. What kinds of therapy might help? occupational therapy? speech and language therapy? physical therapy?
What about music therapy? Maybe you've never even considered it. This form of therapy has been around for almost 80 years, yet surprisingly people are still unaware of its effectiveness, particularly for helping children with special needs.
The fascinating aspect of music therapy is that you can be working on multiple goals simultaneously, such as speech/communication, fine/gross motor, social skills, emotional regulation, and others. For example, when playing a drum, a child can work on their gross motor skills, and at the same time be learning to regulate by maintaining a steady rhythm. If you add in vocalizations, it can help them with communication. Very few forms of therapy can compare to the versatility and efficacy of music therapy.
Here are a few examples of why music therapy can be an effective therapy for your child to help with any of the goals and concerns that may arise during this hectic transition starting back to school.
1- Music can increase social skills
2- Music can help regulate your child
3- Music can increase your child's attention span/focus
4- Music strengthens your child's auditory skills
5- Music helps with memory and sequencing skills
6- Music is fun, engaging and rewarding
7- Music can help increase communication skills and language development
8- Music can help with understanding and processing children's feelings
9- Music can help with social-emotional development
10- Music can help with fine and gross motor skills
If you would like to learn more about music therapy please contact me: john@mewsicmoves.com
Let's Stay in Touch!
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
Please share, like and leave your comments below as I love to hear from you.
Autism Parenting Magazine Lists Music Therapy/Mewsic Moves as a Resource!
I've had the privilege of writing multiple articles for the autism parenting magazine over the past few years. They have covered many great topics and have been an amazing resource for parents, educators and therapists over the years. Some of my articles they've published are:
Last year the Autism Magazine also awarded us with the Top Music Therapy Writer for their magazine in 2014!
Just last month they have created an online resource for parents and I am so excited to announce that Mewsic Moves has made the list! We are so grateful to the Autism Parenting Magazine for all they do for families across the country, online and around the world. Thank you for being such a great tool and resource for so many.
You can find the resource list by clicking HERE.
You can also get your FREE copy of the Autism Parenting Magazine by clicking HERE.
Please share this resource with families of children with special needs and others who may benefit from any of these resources.
Let's Stay in Touch!
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
Please share, like and leave your comments below as we love to hear from you.
Top 5 Qualities to Look For in a Music Therapist
I recently read a blog on the top 5 qualities to look for in an individual therapist or family therapist. It got me thinking. What do parents or other professionals look for in a music therapist? What are the key qualities to look for in a music therapist?
Here are the qualities I have come up with for top 5 qualities to look for in a music therapist working with children.
1. Team Player
It is very important to find a music therapist who works well in a multi-disciplinary team. When I first began my practice I was so "green" and I consulted with other therapists such as Occupational, Physical and Speech Therapists. I learned so much from them and more over, I learned how to work together to make sure the best success was achieved for the child. Make sure that your music therapists has a wealth of consulting and works well with others in the child's team support system.
2. Creative and Fun
It is important for a music therapist to be creative. It is often imperative that a music therapist be able to make up songs and activities "on-the-spot" to match your child to where they're at. A music therapist often needs to adapt songs and activities to engage or motivate a child in the desired activity to achieve various goals.
3. Adaptable & Knowledgable
Just because a music therapist has a bachelor or masters degree it doesn't end there. Music therapists are required to follow up on continuing education and researching the latests educational resources in their specialized client population.
4. Compassionate and Patient
Working with children with special needs, especially autism can be most challenging at times. It is very important that the music therapist you are seeking to work with your child has a deep desire and compassion to work with children with special needs. You have every right to ask your therapist what inspired them to choose to work with children with autism. It is also crucial that music therapists working with children with autism have a great deal and gift of patience. Considering children with autism function and experience the world in different ways than we do, it is crucial that the music therapist you choose has a great deal of patience in waiting and understanding how your child acts or reacts in certain situations.
5. Problem-Solver
Working with children with special needs considers a great deal of problems-solving skills. It's imperative that the music therapist that you choose can "think on their feet" and come up with a solution that your child is dealing with through a musical activity or therapeutic intervention. You can simply ask your therapist in an interview, "what is the most challenging client you have worked with and how did you problem-solve to come up with a solution?"
I hope you find this list helpful in choosing the music therapist that is the best fit for you and your child's needs. For a list of music therapist in your area you can contact your local music therapy association or the American Music Therapy Association website.
If you have other qualities that you think are important I would love to hear from you, please write them in the comment section below.
Let's Be Social
Please share, pin, like and leave your comments below as I love to hear from you!
The Reason I Jump: Understanding Autism - "A Must Read"
The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida (translated into English by David Mitchell and KA Yoshida)
Have you ever wondered why those with autism jump, flap their hands or make high pitched noises? This book answers all those questions that I once had as a student in this field. Rarely do I read a book all the way through in a week, let alone one night, but this one I just could not put down. I first heard about this book through social media posts, and then when I saw John Stewart interview co-author David Mitchell on The Daily Show. I ordered the book on Amazon the next day.
I wish this book was available to me when I first started my career as a music therapist! This book offers tremendous insight into the inner world of those living with autism, and does a great job explaining the reasons for various behaviors and reactions. This book gives answers to questions that took me many hours to understand with my clients. This book will serve as a refresher for those with lots of clinical experience with this population. For everyone else, this book is a great read and a real eye opener about what it means to live with autism.
This book answers many questions many of you have likely pondered including:
- Why do you make a huge fuss over tiny mistakes?
- Why do you flap your fingers and hands in front of your face?
- Is it true that you hate being touched?
- Why don't you make eye contact when you're talking?
- Why can you never stay still?
One of my favorite sections from the book relates to how people talk to those with autism. The interviewer asks the question, "Do you find childish language easier to understand?" Naoki, a 13 year old with autism replies , "whenever anyone treats me as if I'm still a toddler, it really hacks me off." I observed this many times in my practice, and this was mostly done by their parents! I have long encouraged parents to speak in an "age appropriate" manner, both with language and expectations. There are lots of gems like this in the book, and I highly recommend this book to all professionals working with this population.
Get your copy now by clicking here!
You can also find other books on understanding autism below:
Let's be social:
Please share, pin, like and leave your comments below as I love to hear from you!
Mewsic Moves Wins an Award!
I am so thrilled to announce that I have received the “Top Music Therapy Writer” award from Autism Parenting Magazine for 2014! This is a terrific magazine that provides education and support to families of children on the spectrum. The Autism Parenting Magazine was also proud recipients of the 2014 Gold Award for Online Resources (websites, eMagazines and blogs) in the category of Family/Parenting from the Mom's Choice Awards®.
Here is a list of some of the articles I contributed to the Autism Parenting Magazine:
I encourage you to check out this excellent magazine! Also, look for more articles from me this year. If you have questions or are interested in learning more about music therapy, please reach out to me. Your question might even inspire me to write my next article!
Click on the picture to the right to subscribe to the Autism Parenting Magazine.
Musically,
John Mews, BMT, MA, MFTI
john@mewsicmoves.com
www.mewsicmoves.com
You can also check out the Autism Parenting Magazine by CLICKING HERE
Check out my other blogs below
Let's be social:
Please share, pin, like and leave your comments below as I love to hear from you!
Mewsic Moves in the Media - The Acorn
Mewsic Moves in the Media - The Acorn
On August 13th, 2014, I had the opportunity to announce the Glee Choir in front of Calabasas City Council. I was honored to stand before the council members and share my passion and joy in providing music therapy programs for families of children with special needs, especially the Glee Choir program.
A few days after the meeting, I was thrilled to receive a request for an interview from Sylvie Belmond, who is a reporter for The Acorn newspaper.
Sylvie had lots of questions, and we talked for almost an hour. She wanted to know more about music therapy and the Glee Choir program that I had created. At the end of our interview, Sylvie said she felt it was important to let others know the importance of music therapy and how it is very different from music lessons. A few weeks later, Sylvie’s article appeared in the September 4, 2014 edition of The Acorn.
I am very grateful to Sylvie for writing such a wonderful article, and to The Acorn for publishing it. I also want to thank Debi Frankle, MFT/Owner of Calabasas Counseling and Grief Center, Calabasas and Ping Ho, Founder – UCLArts and Healing for contributing to the story.
Credits to: Sylvie Belmond – Reporter at The Acorn
Click here to read the article: http://www.theacorn.com/news/2014-09-04/Community/Glee_Choir_for_adults_with_special_needs.html
Let's Stay in Touch!
Please share, pin, like and leave your comments below as we love to hear from you!
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net
Parents: This 5-Minute Ritual Can Change Your Life!
Parents of children with special needs usually adhere to a strict schedule of appointments that follow a set routine. But sometimes even the best-planned schedule will require last minute change ups, and when this happens, chaos often follows, which can last throughout the rest of the day.
Athletes use a visualizing process called, “mental rehearsal” to help them achieve their best performance. Have you ever tried visually planning your day first thing in the morning?
I promise you that if you practice this 5-minute ritual on a regular basis, you’ll find you're mentally better prepared for any eventuality, your general outlook improves, and you’ll feel much more grounded when things do go “off the rails.”
There are 5 simple steps to this ritual, one for each minute. I suggest you do this as soon as you wake up when your mind is in its most relaxed state. (This doesn’t work if you oversleep your alarm of course!)
First Minute:
Find a quiet place and breath deep. (Maybe play some slow classical music as background to help you relax) One of my favorite places to do this is in the shower.
Second Minute:
When you are feeling relaxed and calm, mentally start listing things for which you are grateful (e.g., I am grateful for my family, I am grateful for my health, etc.)
Third Minute:
Mentally forgive yourself and give yourself permission to make mistakes today. You can even visualize yourself in a stressful situation and guide yourself to a relaxing place of peace and resolution.
Fourth Minute:
Visualize your day's schedule and imagine that each item on your list is working out perfectly for you and your family.
Fifth Minute:
Acknowledge and appreciate that you are doing your best, your partner is doing their best, and your children are doing their best.
End with a deep breath and give thanks for the gift of Life.
Once you complete this morning ritual, you can go about your day knowing and trusting that things will work out for the best. You’ve given yourself some time and space to mentally plan as well as to guide your subconscious into planning and preparing your day to be a success.
Here are some books I recommend to parents who have children with special needs. These are great resources to help you find balance – taking time for yourself and your children to create a happier and healthier home life.
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
Let's Stay In Touch!
Please share, pin, like and leave your comments below as we love to hear from you!
Image Courtesy of Stock Images/freedigitalphotos.net
"Music Therapy Rocks!" sharing a guest blog, by Susan Seale
I have recently joined a vibrant supportive online Facebook group called, The Daily Dose, created by Kat Fulton and Tim Ringgold. Kat and Tim also created an online support for clinicians to have a platform to fertilize their dreams and share their successes, empower-u-academy.com. This is an inspirational group filled with music therapists, clinicians and educators in business.
I this group, Kat and Tim chooses inspirational weekly themes and doses us daily with amazing articles, videos and tips to help inspire and move us into the best year of our businesses. What I enjoy most is that they also encourage us to share our dreams, visions and successes with each other in the group.
I've had the pleasure of sharing my dream in the discussion group this past week about the Glee Choir program I had created. I also shared that I am expanding this program to Southern California, Agoura Hills area! Instantly, I was flooded with amazing cheers, roars, comments and even guests bloggers sharing my dream and passion for support for adults with special needs through music therapy, such as, the Glee Choir Program.
Susan Seale - Founder of Make Me Musical!
A fellow group member, Susan Seale, writes passionately on her blog from Victoria, BC. Canada about the Glee Choir Program! Susan is the founder of, Make Me Musical! She has an amazing company supporting professionals and parents in their work to nurture, heal and educate children, and all through music and the arts! Congratulations Susan.
Please follow the link below and read Susan's blog post on the Glee Choir and her perspective on music therapy, entitled, Music Therapy Rocks! Thank-you Susan for sharing! Susan and I both welcome your comments!
Stay in-tune (musical pun intended) for more information on the Glee Choir coming to Agoura Hills California! If you would like more information please contact me: john@mewsicmoves.com
Musically,
John Mews, MA, MTA
Founder & Director - Mewsic Moves
Music Therapist
Special Needs Family & Parenting Coach
Agoura Hills, CA
LETS STAY IN TOUCH !
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here!
FREE Christmas Song - Christmas is a Time
This is one of my favorite times of the year as I'm sure it is for many others as well.
The most favorite part of the season for me, is getting out the large selection of Christmas CD's I've collected over the years and playing them over and over. Somehow, I just never get tired of traditional Christmas tunes. They always tend to get me into the spirit of Christmas. It's kinda magical!
Speaking of getting into the spirit of Christmas, I was inspired to write an original song of my own. I began to reflect on all the things that Christmas mean to me, such as carols, giving gifts and playing in the snow (when I lived in Canada!). The song is called, Christmas is a Time.
In the spirit of giving I would love to share this song with you, your family and your child for FREE!!! I invite you to write your own lyrics to help your child refelct and create their own personal Christmas experiences within the song.
This FREE download includes:
- track - vocals
- track - instrumental (so you can make up your own lyrics)
- lyric and chord sheet
- sheet music
To download the song you can click on either image or click here.
I hope you and your family enjoy this song and in the spirit of giving, please share it with others! I'd also love to hear what Christmas traditions you and your family celebrate and use in the song.
Happy Holidays Everyone! And cheers to a prosperous and happy new year!
Musically,
John Mews, MA, MTA
Executive Director
Music Therapist