According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, improvisation is defined as follows: “1. to compose, recite, play, or sing extemporaneously, 2. to make, invent, or arrange offhand, 3. to make or fabricate of what is conveniently on hand.” Believe it or not, improvisation plays a larger role than one may think when it comes to...
Read more →How many different kinds of instruments do you know about? How many have you seen or played? Chances are, you know about the instruments in a band, an orchestra, and even in some percussion groups. One thing that I love about being a music therapist is being able to introduce people to different instruments...
Read more →Happy Fourth of July! I hope you are all ready for picnics, parties, and of course, fireworks. During all these festivities, I like to pause a moment and think about what the Fourth of July stands for. One of those things is celebrating the freedoms that we have here in America, the freedoms that...
Read more →Just because it is summer and school is out doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. What I loved most as a child was spending the days with my Grandma, which my brother and I now fondly call ‘Camp Viola.’ As a former school teacher, she made learning accessible and fun throughout those summer...
Read more →Every day in our music therapy sessions there are spontaneous statements from families and staff that provide valuable feedback on the work we do. In an effort to capture those moments, we initiated Feedback Friday. Earlier this month, I was in upper North West DC to visit one of the Memory Care facilities that...
Read more →Memorial Day is known as the unofficial start to summer, with cookouts and celebrations galore, but, believe it or not, the history of music therapy has strong ties with the military. I wanted to take some time in this blog post to just re-educate about what Memorial Day is (since it sometimes gets mixed...
Read more →With Mother’s Day just around the corner, it’s time to think about what you are going to do with Mom. Maybe you have a fun-filled day planned, or maybe it’s just a quite afternoon at home. Maybe you are going to visit your mom, or maybe you are Mom. Whatever you are doing for...
Read more →Happy (almost) Cinco de Mayo! Culturally, we are growing as a county and that is something to celebrate, but do we really know the history of the holiday(s) we are so quick to celebrate? I want to take some time to discuss how we use music in our everyday lives to celebrate culture and...
Read more →Music education is important to a child’s education. Music affects the brain and learning in ways that nothing else can. As many children already receive music education during the school week it might be easy to think, “We don’t need music therapy, too.” But did you know that music education and music therapy have...
Read more →I hope that you had a happy Valentine’s day! Is it just me, or does it seem that every year, the decorations and candy come out earlier and earlier? You see all the large stuffed animals and Valentine’s Day cards before we can even ring in the New Year. This time last year, I...
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