Resource Referral: A Twofer, and both are perfect for the Christmas season.

The careful use of YouTube can be so helpful in connecting with tweens and teens. These are two of my current seasonal favorites on this popular video sharing site.

Angels We Have Heard on High (above), as performed by The Piano Guys.

This video is amazing--it would make for a great lead-in to a teamwork discussion, or a collaborative music project of your own! Especially great for groups. Even better if you have access to a piano so you can crack it open and do some exploration--maybe even create your own soundscape.

Little Drummer Boy and Carol of the Bells, as performed by Pentatonix.

If I haven't shared this group before, I apologize, because they are my hands-down favorite. Everything they do, even the covers, are family friendly modifications that still ring true to the originals, and the fact that there are no instruments used is just amazing. Their channel in general is a great resource for discussing teamwork, but also for building rapport, assessing musical preferences, and learning about emotions.

Have a great holiday season!!!

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Effective Behavior Management

Building Rapport One Step at a Time Last month, I did a short presentation at my former graduate school for the student music therapy association there. One of the programs I work in is a public school day treatment setting with adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders, and the organizer of the event felt that presenting on behavior management strategies would be most informative for the group. I thought I would share parts of my presentation here, as a new series on the blog. If you're anything like me when I was going through my music therapy practica, this is the population that produces the most anxiety for you. Hopefully these practical, concrete tips will ease some of that anxiety, because I feel this is a very fulfilling pouplation to work with, and I hope you get the opportunity to do so someday. It's also possible that you are very comfortable with or excited about working with this population. If that is the case, I hope this series reaff...

PDF for Shake them 'Simmons Down

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Movement Ideas with Music, #1: The Parachute

I finally got a parachute! It has taken me way too many years to acquire one! In fact, it's been a windfall year for parachutes--a 12' parachute was donated to me and a 6' parachute was finally found at a super affordable price that fit my budget. I'm really glad it worked out that way, as I need the smaller one for my tiny groups, but the big one is great for my big groups and my big kids! After check-in, I like to begin my groups with a fun movement activity. This energizes the group, increasing their attention and motivation for the course of the session, and setting the stage for whatever work we will do later. Sometimes it's just something fun, and other times it is directly related to other goals we will address later in the group. This is a simple activity that is paired with a relatively recent pop song, so I find it appropriate to use with all ages of children. Grab your parachute and a copy of " Shake It Off " by Taylo...

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