BLOGS
Educational blogs for parents and professionals
I am a Music Therapist! I am an Advocate! #mtadvocacy
January is Social Media Awareness month for music therapy advocacy. #mtadvocacy
To me, an advocate is someone who believes who-heartedly in their cause, and demonstrates by example those values and beliefs, and seeks to educate others on the merits of their particular cause.
I wasn't always a music therapy advocate. During my undergraduate studies in music, I soon realized that a career in music wasn't for me. I knew the power of music, but I really wanted to be in a healing/helping profession. My faculty advisor suggested I consider music therapy and recommended I read Case Studies in Music Therapy, by Kenneth Bruscia. That day I became a music therapy advocate!
This discovery caused me to move from Newfoundland to Vancouver to get my degree in music therapy. That was 14 years ago this month! Wow, how time flies.
Over the years I have learned and applied the modalities of music therapy, and have seen some amazing transformations in many of my clients.
My music therapy clientele has mostly been children with special needs, primarily autism. Over the years, I have heard so many parents say that they had tried every kind of therapy out there, but that music therapy is the only one that worked. This is why I have been such an advocate for music therapy in everything I've done since -- as a music therapist, marriage and family therapist, child advocate, student executive, college professor, online blogger, and in various committee positions. Here is how I advocate for music therapy every day:
Doing
Showing
Proving
Blogging
Modeling
Sharing
Educating
Loving
Encouraging
Supporting
Promoting
Researching
and more...
These are just a few qualities I have committed to as a music therapy advocate. Can you think of other qualities to add to this list? Please write in the comments below.
To celebrate music therapy advocacy month (#mtadvocacy) I am offering 50% off all my original songs.
Click on the image to the right and it will take you to the song list.
Enter Code: MTAD2014
Offer Ends: January 31, 2014
Get Your Discounted Songs Now!
Happy Music Therapy Advocacy Month!
#mtadvocacy
Please share, like, post, pin and comment!
LET'S STAY IN TOUCH !
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here!
"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
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with music click here.
Let's Stay in Touch!
Top 10 Christmas Gifts For Children With Special Needs
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At this time of year, parents often ask for Christmas gift suggestions for their child with special needs. For these parents, it can be quite challenging to find the right gift - a gift that is fun, not over-stimulating, and has some therapeutic value.
So in time for the holidays season, I have created a top-10 list of my current favorites. I have also included its potential therapeutic value under each link so you can see which gift would be best suited for your child. (Click on each item to view its description)
1. Sounds Shapes
- Gross motor skills
- Impulse control
- Sensory input
2. Cabasa
- Fine motor skills
- Stimulation and sensory needs
3. Ocean Drum
- Relaxation
- Sensory needs
- Impulse control
4. Melodica
- Fine motor skills
- Oral and breath control
- Eye-hand coordination
5. Ukulele
- Fine motor skills
- Eye-hand coordination
- Gross motor skills
6. Kazoo
- Oral motor skills
- Breath control
7. Legos
- Fine motor skills
- Joint attention skills
- Task focus
- Sharing
- Turn-taking skills
- Problem-solving skills
8. Eggspressions
- Social skills
- Emotional awareness
- Emotional Development
9. Trampoline
- Sensory input/needs
- Gross motor skills
- Balance/coordination skills
10. Dizzy Disc
- Sensory input/needs
- Gross motor skills
- Balance/coordination skills
I hope you discovered something new and useful from this list. If you have any toys that you would like to add to this list, please add it in the comment section below.
Happy Holidays!
John Mews, MA, MTA
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with music click here.
Let's Stay in Touch!
How a Music Therapist Adapts Songs to Fit Each Client's Need
I want to share an experience with you from a therapist who used my song, Leaves are Falling Down. click here for song
Nam Kim Kyo, a talented and creative music therapy colleague of mine share with me some of her adaptations of this song. She kindly has allowed me to share these with you to give you some ideas on how you might use this song with children who have special needs.
First check out her art props! She had her clients decorate the foam leaves into smiling life-like characters! What a great idea. Can you tell which one her client made? (You've got to love the big eye expression.)
Client A:
This client has been diagnosed with Autism and has minimal verbal and communication skills. One of Nam's goals was to teach her client to recognize body parts and colors. Nam presented her client with red, yellow, orange and brown leaves made of foam. She then encouraged her client to match the correct colors while providing verbal, visual and musical prompts. She said her client seemed to be very engaged and was able to match the verbal/musical prompt to the proper leaf colors with success!
Client B:
This client has been diagnosed with Autism, Seizure Disorder, is non-verbal and is considered low functioning. Nam is working on teaching him how to reach, grasp and release, as this client often grabs objects but has trouble letting them go. Nam cleverly adapted the song's activity by turning the drum upside down, then having her client pick up the leaves and drop them into the upside-down drum with a verbal and musical cue! Fun!
These are just two ways in which you can adapt this song to fit an activity. I want to thank Nam for sharing her stories and artwork with us and encourage her to keep up the great work.
How have you adapted songs to help address any of your child or client's needs? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment or suggestion below.
Nam is practicing music therapy specializing in supporting children with autism and teaches music in Vancouver, BC. Canada.
For a download of the song click here.
For a download of the adaptive drum song instructional video click here.
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with music click here.
Let's Stay in Touch!
Why is it Important to Teach Your Child to be Thankful?
Does your child have a lot of expensive things, such as an iPad, Xbox, Nintendo DS, DSI, or an iPhone even?
If so, did they receive these gifts as a reward? Or have you been showering these expensive gifts on them simply because they are your child? And when they received these gifts, did they express their gratitude?
Over the years I have seen children with the most expensive shoes, gadgets, and clothes. Many of these children had severe behavioral problems, like acting out in school and/or showing disrespect for their parents and teachers. I asked the parents how they received these gifts, and I found that often these gifts were given for no particular reason - not even because it was their birthday or Christmas.
I believe that children who aren't taught to express gratitude will face many difficulties later in life. Positive psychology demonstrates that the more we are grateful, the happier and more fulfilled our lives will be. Betsy Brown Braun , a child development and behavior specialist, states that not only is it mannerly to say "thank-you," but that thankfulness is connected with living a happier, more resilient, empathic and self-fulfilled life.
I had the good fortune of being born into a very giving family. Yes, things were given to me when I didn't necessarily deserve them. But fortunately my parents also taught me to be grateful for the gifts I had received.
Teaching children to be thankful can be a challenge because as they naturally develop their sense-of-self, they tend to become self-centered. But, a child that has learned to be grateful will have better social skills, empathy and self worth.
As a music therapist I have taught children to be thankful through music. I was inspired by the season of Thanksgiving to write a song entitled, "I am Thankful." This song includes two tracks, one with vocals and one without so you can sing along and insert the things for which you and your child are thankful. The song also comes with a lyrics sheet and chords so you can play along if you are musically inclined. One mother told me she played this song to her two young boys and was excited to hear them going through the house singing about the things they were thankful for!
Here is an easy way to teach your child to be grateful. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am offering a 50% DISCOUNT on this song through the end of November. All you need to do is click on the picture to the right and type in this code when you place your order: THANKS
Get it soon as it is only available until November 30th! And share with as many people as you can!
Gratefully yours and Happy Thanksgiving!
John Mews, LMFT, MT
Let's Stay in Touch !
10 Years as a Music Therapist And Still Using The "Top 10 Greatest Hits"
After Ten Years as a Music Therapist, I Still Use the “Top Ten Greatest Hits”
I am celebrating my tenth year as a music therapist. I have spent many hours learning new songs, as well creating new ones and developing adaptations. However, I’m finding that I tend to use the same classic favorites over and over! These songs have such great utility in that they can be easily adapted for many different purposes. These top ten melodies reliably get kids to start toes tapping, hands clapping and bodies grooving.
I use these songs as a platform for improvisation to inspire and motivate children with special needs. It also saves me from having to create something new all the time!
So here are my Top 10 ”Greatest Hits” which I’ve found work well with children in music therapy:
- You are My Sunshine
- If You’re Happy and You Know it
- Shake Your Sillies Out
- Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
- Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Do as I’m Doing
- Alphabet Song
- We’re Gonna Rock Around The Clock Tonight
- London Bridges
- Hey Dum Diddley Dum
Ok, I threw in an extra one for fun and good measure!
What are you favorite Top 10 Greatest Hits? Maybe together we can create a Top 100 Greatest Hits! Please share and comment below.
For FREE songs, videos and tips CLICK HERE!
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Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Help Your Child With Autism by Changing Their Routine
Routines are important for most of us. We typically wake up at the same time, find the keys in the same place, and all the dishes are properly put away. We create routines and consistency in our lives to reduce stress and to keep things going smoothly.
This is particularly important for children with autism because they process information in a different way than most children. Keeping things predictable can help reduce stress, filter out distractions, and help them to focus on the task at hand.
But what happens if our keys go missing? Or we find our car has a dead battery? What would we do? Panic? Fortunately most of us have developed healthy coping skills to deal effectively in situations like this.
I’ve seen therapists as well as parents create strict routines for their children with autism, and they keep those routines going for far too long! I often ask, what happens if the school bus is late? What happens if the fire alarm goes off at school? What would your child learn from these strict routines about dealing with the unpredictable things in life?
Yes, I agree, whenever we start something new, we must first adhere to a strict schedule to eliminate distractions and keep the stress level down. But I do believe that once your child has learned this routine and can manage it without stress, then we need to start implementing changes to their routine.
For example, I begin and end each session with the exact same tune, but with different words (“Hello” and “Good-bye”). Depending on the child’s functioning level, I will slowly incorporate a few changes to the lyrics and sometimes the order of which the song is placed in the schedule to see if there is a response to this change. This can be a powerful tool in helping teach a child with autism how to cope when things don’t go exactly as they might expect. Then we explore options about what to do next, where we can go, how we can change things, what our options are and most importantly, how to manage the stress caused by the change.
How are you helping your child cope with changes in their routines or in everyday life? I hope you find this helpful and are encouraged to experiment by implementing subtle changes into your child’s routine. This will better equip them to deal with the realities of life. Every moment something changes and something is different. Their success in life depends upon how well are they able to cope with change.
I’d love to hear how you incorporate subtle changes into your child’s daily routine to help them cope with change. Please leave a comment below.
Here are some resources I recommend to help you and your child cope with change.
Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles/freedigitalphotos.net