Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and with it, comes time for fun and feasting — and, of course, opportunities to don your SPD lenses to see old things in a new sensory-friendly way. Today’s Challenge How can a simple fingerplay become the basis for sensory-friendly themed learning in the coming week? Original Purpose A [...]
FAQ about Teaching Music to Children with Special Needs
December 7, 2011 By
by Marlene Cooper-Williams Over the course of several decades of teaching, other music educators have posed many questions to me about teaching music to children with special needs. Is it possible to teach a child with special needs to play an instrument? Prior to music therapy becoming trusted and recognized, I was often asked if [...]
Wearing SPD Lenses: A Thanksgiving Fingerplay Song
November 23, 2011 By
by Martianne Stanger Thanksgiving is tomorrow and with it comes time for fun and feasting — and, of course, opportunities to don your SPD lenses to see old things in a new sensory-friendly way. Today’s Challenge How can a simple fingerplay become the basis for sensory-friendly themed learning? Original Purpose A few minutes of entertainment [...]
May the Holidays Ring Out with Musical Benefits for Children with Special Needs
November 10, 2011 By
by Martianne Stanger With the holiday just around the corner, many children and parents are thinking about celebrations and gifts. As you do, I encourage you to think about music. Holiday concerts provide a great opportunity to introduce your child to music (with, of course, a few prior considerations made for keeping sensory overload at [...]
Public Schools and Music Programs for Children with Special Needs
October 7, 2011 By
These days, it seems that public schools are faced with a huge increase in and awareness about Autism, ADHD, SPD and many other challenges, which requires them to offer special educational programs. Many of these schools are overwhelmed with this need and are even more challenged with the lack of funds available to address these [...]
Enhance Learning with the Arts?
September 26, 2011 By
An inspirational article crossed my desk, Tucson Schools Enhance Learning with the Arts. I was so impressed with the success story that I reached out to two OJTA Members for feedback. The article opens with “At Corbett Elementary School, in Tucson, Arizona, classical music floats through the hallways all day. First graders and fifth graders [...]
Music to Your Hand(writing)
September 7, 2011 By
As the school year begins, how many of us can remember the endless and tedious penmanship exercises we had to endure learning to write cursive? We sat for hours practicing our loops, swirls, circles, etc., sometimes being allowed to use a pen, but at other times only a pencil, until we developed enough skill. If [...]
Autism and Song Writing
August 7, 2011 By
by Marlene Cooper-Williams Historically, songwriting has been a very powerful voice for people to share their feelings, their stories, their achievements, their motivations and so much more. It can also provide a great way for children to express strong emotions that come with life’s transitions, such as going back to school. At this time of [...]
Music – The Nonverbal Form of Communication
July 7, 2011 By
by Marlene Cooper-Williams As we explore the field of Music Therapy, it’s important to understand how to incorporate this treatment into your child’s life. The use of Music Therapy is a unique application of music to enhance personal lives, by creating positive changes in human behavior. Having said the above, I would like to continue [...]
Music Therapy and Fun Rhythm Games
June 9, 2011 By
What is a Musical Rhythm? The two main components of a musical rhythm are the beat/pulse and the rhythmic unit. They both appear repeatedly in almost every piece of music. The pulse is simple and repeats in a continuous sequence from beginning to end, while the rhythmic unit is a little bit more complicated as [...]
