We’re back this week with our Remote Learning Series, highlighting our amazing Music Therapy Department. During remote learning, our normally-hands-on music therapists have had to get creative for how to provide services to our students at home. Thankfully, music therapists are known for their creativity. Meet the Day School Music Therapy team and check out some examples of their amazing music therapist-created resources!
Towards the beginning of remote learning, Meredith wrote and sang a social story called “My Mask on My Face.” This song covers how students might feel about seeing others in masks and how it feels to wear one, why we should wear one, and keeping hands off of our face. Take a listen and sing along!
So many of our students have limited access to musical instruments at home, so Lily put a video together to teach her students how to make their own shaker from materials around the house.
Lily also wrote a fantastic musical social story with tips and tricks for living in COVID times, including putting on a mask, washing hands, and social distancing. Listen to her musical social story here!
Miss Elizabeth also saw a need for a musical social story focused solely on mask wearing!
Miss Mallory has a “Good Job” song that she sings at the end of her sessions in person. To create consistency for her students at home, Mallory recorded a “Good Job” song for the end of her remote/emailed sessions as well!
Mallory also works on labeling and identifying emotions through the use of music in her sessions, so she put together a list of songs by emotions. Check them out!
K-Rae has a student who is working hard to speak loudly and to slow his rate of speech using a metronome. She sent home a lyric sheet with blanks (MadLib style!) for him to fill in his own answers:
Then, she recorded a video with the metronome in the background for him to sing along with and fill in the blanks to make his own version of Puff, the Magic Dragon!
Miss K-Rae’s interns have been focusing on creating resources for students, as well! One of these students is working on crossing their midline and following directions. Miss Sarah and Miss Katelyn worked together, remotely, to create a fun mini-session addressing these goals complete with deep breathing breaks! https://youtu.be/YIW6BRRxV9I
Miss Katie jumped on the Boom Card bandwagon and made some AMAZING(!!) Auditory Perception decks for her students. Here she walks through some: https://youtu.be/UiDKmeY5xTw
If you have any pictures or videos of students participating in any of the Music Therapy remote activities and would like them showcased on our social media or shared with the organization, please feel free to share (jzajac@mygiantsteps.org)! We love seeing how our students are participating at home!