Categories
Meditations Wellness Ideas

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

A relaxation exercise that focuses on tensing your muscles and then releasing them for decreased feelings of stress and tension within your body. Often times we keep our muscles tense without realizing it; this exercise will help you feel the difference between this tension and relaxation.

Song Credit: “Breathe (2 AM)” by Anna Nalick
Categories
Music Blog

Days Like This


Join me in a lyric writing exercise acknowledging the difficult days we are facing and identifying the positive things that will return to us when we’ve made it through.

The original lyrics are below:


Days Like This by Van Morrison

When its not always raining there’ll be days like this
When there’s no one complaining there’ll be days like this
When everything falls into place like the flick of a switch
Well my mama told me there’ll be days like this

When you don’t need to worry there’ll be days like this
When no one’s in a hurry there’ll be days like this
When all the parts of the puzzle start to look like they fit it
Oh my mama told me there’ll be days like this

When you don’t need an answer there’ll be days like this
When you don’t meet a chancer there’ll be days like this
When you don’t get betrayed by that old Judas kiss
Then I must remember there’ll be days like this


Substituted Lyrics:

Hard days we barely get through… We’re having days like this
Lonely days where we just need a friend… We’re having days like this
Days when the news is hard to face… We’re having days like this
Days when the loss is hard to take… We’re having days like this
Days when we just need to fall to our knees and cry it out…
We need to let it out… We’re having days like this

But there will be…

Easier days that we’ll float through… We’ll have days like this
Days when we’re all together again… There’ll be days like this
Days when the news is slow again… There’ll be days like this
Days when the burden of the loss we experienced…
Can be shared on the shoulder of a friend… There’ll be days like this
Days when we can cry tears of joy… There’ll be days like this
Oh, the days like this will come again… There’ll be days like this

Things are dark and scary, we’re in days like this
Feeling lost and wary, oh these are days like this
Uncertain when this road will end and we’ll be on the mend
We just have to remember we’ll get through days like this… Thinkin’

When we’re reunited, there’ll be days like this
When you can walk outside hand-in-hand with your loved ones
When the fear that keeps us isolated has finally dissipated

I just have to remember… We just have to remember…
There’ll be days like this.
We’ll get through these days, and have days like this
We’ll get through these times, and have days like this
We’ll make it through and have days like this.

Categories
Music Blog Wellness Ideas

Let it Be: Calming Exercise

Join me as I utilize lyric substitution with the song “Let it Be” to express some emotions and thoughts. Use the space provided to express some of the things that you need to just “let be” today.
Categories
Music Blog

Acoustic Wake Up

Here is a playlist of songs to start your day with! Listen for encouragement, energy, and/or support!

Carry on Wayward Son
It’s Time
Upside Down
Be OK
There’s Hope
Shake it Off
You’ve got a Friend
Yesterday
Categories
Music Blog

Music Session!

Join Natasha for a fun music session!

“Hello Song”- Appropriate greetings, speech

“Egg Shaker Song Choice”- Spelling, color identification

“3 Little Pigs”- Counting, socialization, following directions, breathing

“BINGO”- Spelling, counting, following directions, recognition

“If I Can Say it, I Can Play it”- Gross motor, rhythm, counting, syllables, speech

“Purple Scarf”- Emotional regulation, cool-down, visual tracking

“Goodbye Song”- Appropriate goodbye, recall of activities, speech.

Categories
Music Blog

Homemade Egg Shaker

Join me to learn how to make shakers at home using things you may already have in your pantry! They can be used to play music along with me!

Categories
Information Music Blog

What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is defined by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) as:

… The clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.

AMTA, https://www.musictherapy.org/

In simpler terms, music therapy is the use of music and music-based interventions to meet clinical goals by a board certified music therapist.

The field of Music Therapy has been around since World Wars I and II, when amateur and professional musicians began visiting Veterans hospitals and providing live music. Patient response was so notable that doctors and nurses began requesting musician visits. Due to the sensitive nature of medical work, it was clear that training was necessary for musicians and college programs began to open in the 1940’s.

Music therapists today must obtain a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Therapy where they study clinical music, musicianship, and science/psychology. While training, music therapists engage in various practicum training to gain experience in implementing music interventions with a variety of populations. When all coursework is complete, music therapists then fulfill 1,200 hours of clinical work through an internship. When done, the student can then sit for the CBMT (Certification Board for Music Therapists) exam to finally obtain their MT-BC (Music Therapist- Board Certified) credentials.

Practicing MT-BC’s can be found almost everywhere. You can find music therapists at schools working with various childhood development goals, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, medical facilities, and just about any location where there are clinical and therapeutic needs.

Probably the most public case of music therapy in action is in that of congresswoman Gabby Giffords who survived a gunshot wound to the head in 2011 that changed her life completely:

Congresswoman Giffords’ life will never be the same, but it is clear that music therapy had a strong impact on her ability to regain speech since her injury.

Music therapists all over the world are working hard to help people meet their clinical goals, whether they be large undertakings such as regaining of speech, or smaller-scale needs, such as decreased isolation for those who are hospitalized. The field has much supportive research demonstrating the profound impact music has on human processing in all domains, and the breadth of knowledge continues to grow. It is clear that music is a powerful non-pharmacological tool when utilized by a credentialed professional that can greatly improve the lives of patients and clients throughout the world.

Categories
Music Blog

Superman (It’s Not Easy)


Join me for an analysis of the song “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” by Five for Fighting in regards to caregivers and the importance of acknowledging your emotions, even when you’re “the strong one.”

Lyrics:

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
I’m just out to find
The better part of me

I’m more than a bird, I’m more than a plane
I’m more than some pretty face beside a train
And it’s not easy to be me

I wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I’ll never see

It may sound absurd, but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed, but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
And it’s not easy to be me

Up, up and away, away from me
Well, it’s all right, you can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy or anything

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
Men weren’t meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I’m only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me

I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
I’m only a man
Looking for a dream
I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
And it’s not easy
It’s not easy to be me
Categories
Information

Welcome to Massage and Music!

We are a duo Massage Therapist (LMT) and Music Therapist (MT-BC) working to provide various support and relaxation resources to the medical and caregiver community! We will be posting with updates as we are able. Thank you for visiting and please be patient as we get things started!