Life is Better When You Improvise
“The thing about improvisation is that it’s not about what you say. It’s listening to what other people say. It’s about what you hear.”
-Paul Merton
Music therapists employ all kinds of methods in their work. Whether their method is to play a song or to let the patient/client play an instrument, music therapists know how to use music to achieve a goal….
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The American Music Therapy Association
Music therapy is an established profession in the US since the last century. The American Music Therapy Association and the organizations that came before it helped shape the world of music therapy in the USA. The purpose of the AMTA is the “progressive development of the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education, and community settings.”….
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Therapeutic Music Videos with Teens with Cancer
Introduction
Teens who are hospitalized for cancer treatment experience a great deal of physical and emotional challenges. Treatment for cancer often involves an aggressive regimen including surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, bone marrow transplant, and/or immunotherapy which cause harsh side effects. Cancer patients often suffer from side effects such as pain, nausea, fatigue, hair loss, nerve damage, and more….
Art Therapy as a Support for Autism
“You mean I haven’t tried everything yet?”
The relief in her tone was palpable, her eyes intense. She happened upon my table at a resource fair. As she spoke, she echoed the stories of countless parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Exhausted from the therapy schedule and disheartened by slow and incremental progress, she was intrigued and wanted to learn more about how art therapy could help her child….
The Medicine of Salsa
A reflection from the last issue of the Journal of Music and Medicine caught my attention and I knew I had to share it! It is a poem and song written by Marjorie Jacobs.
Background
Marjorie Jacobs is a psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner at the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation where she designs and teaches promising group interventions to adults and young adults diagnosed with a serious mental illness….
Relaxing Music Recommended by Music Therapists
Music is for many a self-prescribed method of relaxation. Listening to music is a simple way to engage your mind in other activities and allow yourself to decompress. Many of us instinctively know that and we are drawn to music to seek destress and relaxation.
Science backs it up
Studies have indicated that music can induce a relaxation response….
Are “Music Therapy” Videos on YouTube Actually Music Therapy?
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Art Therapy: An Outside the Box Approach to ADHD
Parents of children who have an ADHD diagnosis often go to great lengths to support their child’s special needs. Behavior modifications, endless adjustments to diet and schedule, tutoring, sports, meetings with teachers, and medications create a short list. However, this does not come anywhere close to painting an adequate picture. Exhaustion, meltdowns, and desperation become underlying motivations to solve the puzzle that has become their child….
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Art Games for the Win!
We have all been there. You need a quiet and engaging activity for your kids to prevent a meltdown at a restaurant. Or quite possibly you have a sick family member that needs your presence but lacks the energy to converse. Maybe you are in a relationship that is experiencing a communication slump or your quiet child needs ideas for how to make new friends….
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Music Therapy Does Wonders for The Older Population!
At Sam’s Fans, we support music and art therapy mainly for children with seriously ill children and their families. Nevertheless, music therapy is also great for other populations. In this blog post, we will introduce the idea about music therapy for the older population.
Introduction
The UN adopted the United Nations Principles for Older Persons in 1991,…
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