Consider using a metronome if you’re going to be creating pattern sequences! Steady beat primes the brain for attention and creates the predictability for motor planning. You need a beat to synch to a steady rhythm.

My intention for this episode is to jog our brains a bit to think more deeply about the music we hear each day. After recently reading the book Peak Mind, my mind has been wrapped around the importance of bringing our awareness to the mundane parts of our lives to evoke new brain pathways, strengthen old ones, and overall enhance our ability to experience our world and life.

Maggie sits down with Dr. Hiller to dive into understanding music-centered music therapy and how it is used in addiction and substance use therapy.

Elizabeth sits down with music therapist and piano aficionado Harry Beckett to help listeners identify practical ways to improve their improvisation and jazz piano skills.

We're celebrating Jazz Appreciation Month by learning about the history of a famous Jazz Standard as well as sharing some inspiration on how to use it in music therapy.

In this episode we will dig into how we can use music in the classroom. As it is Music in Schools Month we are rounding out this month looking at specific strategies for using music in the classroom. Not an educator? No problem, the strategies can be used in a therapeutic setting and in the home, too.

Ellisa shares a curated playlist with song (and intervention) inspiration for every kind of love!

Today is going to be a fun episode honoring National Kazoo Day on January 28th! We’re going to talk about different uses for wind instruments in music therapy and share some fun song ideas that support a kazoo solo….

Record Store Day which was October 24th! The day before this episode airs. This is a fun, obscure little music holiday so let's celebrate by first giving a little history of the vinyl record and then talking about using music recording as an intervention in music therapy sessions!

Around the dawn of the 1930’s, when sound was synchronized with celluloid of movie film, composers began to compose scores to match films, most of which was orchestral music from band composers. In 1951, the score for the film A Street Car Named Desire set the stage for Western, Original music compositions in film. Soon after-the song" “Oh, My Darling” was so successful that there was high demand for original music to be written for movies for both promotional purposes and to radio airtime.

Today Maggie guides us through a music and imagery experience. This will be followed up next week (May 3rd) with more information about the Guided Imagery and Music method for our learning segment.

In this episode I sought out to gather specific music strategies for “trauma-informed care”.....but you know what I found. EVERYTHING! I found every kind and type of intervention. To summarize the techniques being used in trauma-informed care would be a review of what interventions a music therapist can do.

I’m going to be going over some very basic and doable techniques for vocals, guitar and piano that will add some character and authenticity to your music performance. I’m no expert by any means……..but I want to give you some ideas from things that I’ve thought about and link you to teaching resources so that you can take your practice to the next level.

With the advent of instant and unlimited music streaming and headphones, it may be hard to keep tabs on what music kids and adolescents are consuming for almost 15 hours a week. A question that many parents ask, and some may not know to ask is- how does explicit content in music affect my child? And for music therapist’s out there, when utilizing songs with explicit content, or entering into lyric based discussions- it’s important to know how your client’s preferred music may be influencing their behaviors and attitudes in your session and in day to day life.