What do medical music therapists do? How do music therapists use music for procedural support?

To answer these questions and more, we sat down with music therapist Amy Love of Pediatric Music Therapy to talk about the work she does as a music therapist working in a medical setting.

If you are looking for a list of valuable, educational, affordable or even free workshops and professional development opportunities for early childhood and elementary music teachers, you’ve come to the right place.

What do you do when you run out of ideas? As a music therapist or music educator, I’m sure you can relate to this. We look for inspiration for our lesson plans. We gather ideas for new songs we want to write for our clients. We search for intervention ideas for music therapy sessions.

I will admit: I have this kind of constant fear that I'm going to run out of ideas.

What better way to teach kids about our community than through music? Learning about the community and the people that makes it, can foster empathy, can helps kids understand the different roles and importance of different people living or working together in the same area.

Did you know that guitar is the instrument that is most requested to learn by kids? It probably comes to no surprise to you if you are a music therapist or music educator who teaches adaptive music lessons. The guitar is versatile, fun, and kids cannot wait to play and accompany themselves signing their favorite songs, that is, if we are successful in teaching them how to play the guitar.

Making friends is one of the most important skills in early-childhood. Not only is it important for kids to make social connections, but building friendships help kids develop emotional, social and self-regulation skills.

If you need some help in deciphering how to record your original songs and what equipment to use, keep reading because I’m going to walk you through my recording process.

Recording your own music is something that gets easier over time. I gotta admit, it can be very frustrating, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. If you find yourself getting frustrated with what you're able to record, just stick with it. You may have to scrap things and start over, but know that is a part of the process and you will definitely improve over time.

Ukulele is my favorite starter instrument for kids ages 4 and up. If kids are excited about playing the ukulele, they can learn a song almost immediately. And YOU, the adult, can watch a 5-minute video from this course and then immediately teach them a song on the ukulele (even if you don't have experience).

Whether you are a music teacher or therapist spreading the word about your music lessons or sessions to attract more clients in your community, building your brand and presence online as a professional, or marketing your music education or music therapy products or resources, learning about social media is a must.

Do you and your students put together a Spring program or an end-of-the-year presentation? I’m definitely not an expert in putting together Spring or end-of-the-year program, so what I’m going to share with you here are just a compilation of some ideas and lessons I learned along the way.