Resolution Music Therapy

To finish off a crazy semester, I emailed out a newsletter to all of my school parents filled with ideas for how to keep the music going over the summer. Check it out below! To create the newsletter and many of the graphics on this blog, we utilize Canva which has great options, even at its free level. Do you work with younger students? We also created a newsletter for our PPCD students that you can find here . 

One of my IEP students has an IEP goal based on the "Dollar Up" method. To work on this goal in music therapy, I created price tags for her favorite songs. Since all schools are closed for the remainder of the school year due to COVID-19, these price tags were emailed home to the family along with a little melody that the family could use to practice paying for the songs! Have you ever worked on the "Dollar Up" method in Music Therapy? Share your ideas below!

Can apps be useful in music therapy? Yes! I use apps to address a variety of goals such as addressing fine motor skills, color identification, PECS, turn-taking, and emotional expression. Apps can also be used as a break and a positive reinforcement. Below are some of the apps that I have found useful so far. 1. Music Memos: This app has decent recording qualities compared to voice memos. You can also add drums and bass to the recording if desired. 2. OnSong: There is significant debate in the music therapy community if OnSong is worth the $20 investment. I have personally found it beneficial. It does take some getting used to but I prefer the format to other lead sheet databases. 3. Fingertip Maestro: This is a free, fun app that is great for addressing fine motor skills. 4. Silk Paints: This is another free and fun app that is great at addressing fine motor skills. 5. Xylophone: This is a free app that provides a way for those who have more difficulty grasping mallets...

If you are an independent contractor or have private pay clients then you are a self-employed business owner! Being self-employed comes with many benefits but it is also a lot of work. Here are some of the resources that I have found helpful in my first few years as a business owner: 1. Mileage Tracker: If you travel from client to client or facility to facility a mileage tracker will become your new best friend. I personally use  MileIQ . Often, you can find coupons online to lower the price of a subscription. With MileIQ you can get 40 free drives a month or have unlimited drives as you pay the subscription price of  $59.99/year. Some of my favorite features are as follows: labeling locations, auto-classifying frequent drives. the ability turn off drive detection on the weekends or when you aren't working, and options add tolls and parking if applicable. There are so many additional resources with MileIQ so check them out! 2.  Get a CPA: ***DISCLAIMER: I am not ...

As a traveling music therapist, I travel around the greater Austin area throughout the week, My days are filled with various sessions in client's homes, schools, and facilities. I drive a Honda CRV which has decent trunk space but I have found that it is extremely tiring to carry multiple different instruments and bags into each client's location. Therefore, I have been on a quest to determine instruments that meet my client's preferences and needs while also making things as simple as possible for me. Below is a list that I have compiled some of my favorite instruments as a traveling music therapist. 1. Ukulele: The ukulele has been a godsend for me. Not only is it smaller and lighter and therefore easier to cart around, but 95% of my clients also prefer it! Since the ukulele has nylon strings, it much friendlier on fingers that are not used to playing guitar strings. Furthermore, it is much easier for clients to learn how to play if that is of interest to them since...

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