“We all need the same things” - Elizabeth sits down with Dr. Andrew Knight, PhD, MT-BC to discuss compliance based goals, goal writing and IEPs through the lens of music therapy. This conversation extends beyond the field of music therapy and gets at the building blocks of goal writing and attending to the root of our clients’ needs.

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

When I think of Valentine's day there is one thing I think of every time…candy. More specifically, chocolate. I personally love chocolate and I bet many of you do too. If you have Valentine’s chocolate around, break off a piece and join me for this mindfulness experience using all of your senses.

As music therapists, we love a good themed session, don't’ we? The inspiration we find, the visual aids and props we get to use,  the playlists we start building in our head..It can be a lot of fun for us. But is it what our clients need? We’re going to share some clinical inspiration love and share not only ideas for Valentines theme interventions, but also ideas for covertly themed sessions and how to work around holidays.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we probably have seen this play out in our own lives. Certain songs (or patterns of sound) elicit a full body response with sometimes an increased heart rate, feelings of elation, and even body chills. This is when we’ve experienced that “sweet spot” where the music is somehow better than our neurologic expectations.

With all of the new changes to MT&B, we thought it would be fun to introduce ourselves to all of our new listeners. As a special bonus, you can watch this episode on our new Youtube channel: Music Therapy and Beyond.

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….

When we practice slowed, deep breathing, we are slowing our heart rate- sending information to our vagus nerve and essentially communicating that we are safe. Those safety cues pump the brakes on our stress systems and the body is able to regulate via the ventral branch of the vagus nerve. The body needs these safety cues to function and access our social nervous system, so this breathing practice is one important tool for your nervous system.

The study sought to understand how music therapy altered mood for adolescents participating in group services as well as the effect that demographics had on mood alteration, or not. The study was conducted at a large pediatric psychiatric hospital and included over 350 participants aged 12-21 in 3 different units of the hospital.

Harry Beckett, MT-BC is a music therapist based out of Columbia Missouri and an accomplished musician and performer. Harry completed his music therapy training at Drury University and has a wealth of experience across populations. He is an associate of Giving Song, LLC and a valued member of the community. Ellisa and Harry sit down to discuss what role music therapists can play in the community and the mutual impact of music therapy and professional musicianship.

In today’s episode we explore and experience the benefits of being grateful.

It's November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Ellisa and Kristin sit down to talk about how a practice of gratitude impacts your body and how to introduce a practice into your sessions, your work, and your life.

Join us for this interactive mindfulness activity- a creative arts take on the "breathing square" technique.

You’ve probably heard people say things like “music is good medicine” or “music is good for you”. Is there something scientific to this old adage? Ellisa is going to synthesize a research review for you by authors Mona Lisa Chandra and Daniel J. Levitin called “The Neurochemistry of Music”.

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.

On this week's wellness segment, find a cozy spot and join Ms. Elizabeth for a guided mediation moment for kids!

We are thrilled to welcome Haley Shinn MM, MT-BC to the podcast….and to Giving Song! Haley joined our team of music therapy clinicians officially in August and we can’t wait for you to meet her! Listen and learn as Haley shares advice on staying inspired, self-care, working in schools, and more.

This week's segment is our learning week of September and we’re going to be answering the internet's most asked questions about music therapy. I’ve compiled this list that was generated from the website “answer the public”. It will be a little random, but it’s going to be fun. With that, let’s turn it over to the people and answer the internet's most asked questions about music therapy! 

This episode explores some tips and tricks for creating a healthy work/life balance by experts outside of the field of music therapy and advice from professionals within the music therapy profession.

Today we’re going to be talking about music therapy scope of practice. What is it, how is it defined and how do I remain ethically within the bounds of my own scope of practice? This is a gray area in some situations and having clearly defined boundaries is important for our profession and as individuals for ethical, best practice and advocacy.