Music Works Publications

Perseverative, one-sided conversations

cathy — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:40:01 +0000

The on-going “stream-of-conscious” talking of some of my friends in group or individual music therapy reveals in dramatic fashion the manner in which these children/teens/adults process all the sights, sounds, smells, words, people, and experiences swirling around them. These perseverative, one-sided conversations can be disruptive or irritating, but, if we listen carefully, we can learn how our friends process (or fail to process) all the sensory and experiential input in their daily lives. The Autism Handbook #1 and Autism Handbook #2 from MusicWorksPublications.com provide insights into the issue as well as practical guidelines and music therapy strategies for helping individuals focus and gradually learn to cope with complex input.

Music Therapy: seeping into the seams

cathy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:42:11 +0000

For a variety of reasons, it sometimes seems as if teachers, family members, therapists, and others surrounding individuals w/special needs benefit from and “need” music therapy as much, if not more so, than the person officially receiving music therapy services. It is rewarding to work in a profession that seeps into the fabric of rooms and spaces and communities, adding to the quality of life of caregivers, friends, and families and other within earshot of music therapy.

YIKES! Need CMTE credits by deadline?

cathy — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 04:18:34 +0000

WHEW! Whether you need just a few CMTE credits, or a whole bunch, it is not too late.

Your music therapy colleagues at MusicWorksPublications.com have the solution:

+ Professional self-study courses from CBMT-approved provider (S-001.)
+ Affordable CMTE fee is only $5.00 per credit hour.
+ Self-study courses help you sharpen your clinical and professional skills.
+ Topics include music therapy applications in autism, early childhood, intellectual/developmental disabilities, severe disabilities, communication deficits, challenging behaviors, and group music therapy as well as career skills, self-employment, MT assessment, and ethics.
+ Courses developed by Cathy Knoll, MA, MT-BC and Dellinda Henry, MEd, MT-BC.
+ Click the “Courses” tab or the “Free Courses” tab for more information.

Self-Study MT courses w/CMTE option

cathy — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:23:25 +0000

Because Music Therapists are so busy providing services and making a difference in the lives of many people, deadlines can sneak up unexpectedly. If you’re in need to CMTE credits, take a look at http://MusicWorksPublications.com It is an easy way to add to your on-line resource library while at the same time sharpening your professional skills at your own pace. We have over a dozen popular self-study professional development courses for music therapists and other professionals. Three of the practical, down-to-earth courses are FREE, and all have the option – now or later – for music therapists to earn CMTE credits – pre-approved by CBMT - for just $5 per credit hour :-) Professional development course topics include assessments, autism, developmental disabilities, communication, group therapy, challenging behaviors, ethics, self-employment, early childhood issues, severe disabilities, career issues/MT business, effective music therapy strategies, field-tested MT interventions, and more. Questions? Requests? Contact me at CathyKnoll@MusicWorksPublications.com

Perplexing Situations

cathy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 13:39:17 +0000

Heading out for another action-packed week of music therapy adventures – connecting via MUSIC to set the stage for THERAPY. The therapy part of my job involves lots of tough issues, so I took time to review our Challenging Behaviors Toolkit this weekendto maximize my effectiveness with some of the most perplexing situations.

MT Professionals to the Max!

cathy — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:18:35 +0000

Music therapists are pulled in many directions. Each day requires us to be skilled musicians as well as experts about professional issues, music trends, research in music therapy and numerous disabilities, the latest technology, and state-of-the-art treatment and interventions for a wide variety of disabilities. All of this happens in the midst of our focus on developing and nurturing personal relationships and therapeutic connections. Obviously, our top professional priority is people. And running a close second priority is music. We must, of course, stay on top of the other aspects of our profession, but the primary focus is on “music” and “therapy.”

Shaping Employment Skills

cathy — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 01:09:06 +0000

Music therapists can help teach and shape core skills necessary for successful employment as young adults with special needs enter the job market. The specific target skills must, of course, be individualized to the needs of each young adult, but here are a few basic categories.
(1) FOCUS. Most jobs require an employee to focus on their assigned job and on the directions given by a boss or supervisor. Music therapy sessions can be structured to give individuals opportunities to increase their ability to focus on verbal directions and on the task at hand.
(2) FOLLOW. Compliance is another critical skill in employment situations. An individual with special needs will be much more productive in any job if she can and will follow directions with minimal assistance. If an individual involved in music therapy has deficits in processing verbal instructions, she can be taught to use a system such as a visual schedule or other tool that communicates the information necessary for completing a task or sequence. If an individual is rather strong-willed or uncooperative, music therapists can develop long-term strategies that gradually shape a more cooperative outlook and a willingness to follow directions and job procedures.
(3) FINISH. Even when jobs are broken down into a series of smaller tasks, some individuals with special needs are unable to complete those tasks without prompting. A person’s employment will be much more successful if he is less prompt-dependent. Music therapists can develop systematic strategies to help individuals learn to finish tasks with less and less reminders.

Helping Others Understand the Nature of Music Therapy

cathy — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:39:12 +0000

A music therapy colleague was talking about her difficulty in helping administrators of funding agencies understand the nature of her music therapy services. Having dealt with that issue since entering the profession in the early 1970′s, I offer one way of approaching this issue. Sometimes, despite my best efforts over many years, administrators and boards do not exactly understand music therapy. For example, some still think I am a “sweet lady who is willing to share music with all those cute little kids with disabilities” or have other mistaken notions. I’ve learned not to worry too much about that as long as they keep funding my services :-) I decided about 30 years ago to provide accurate, succinct information about music therapy, then to focus my time and energy on providing excellent services to individuals, teachers, families, group home staff, etc. rather than trying to make sure every administrator and member of the public understood exactly the nature of music therapy. Over the years, consistent, top-quality direct services have been the best advertisement and marketing tool. Some people still do not “get it,” but support continues to grow. This approach is not, of course, appropriate in every situation, but it has worked for me in my thriving music therapy practice here in north-central Texas.

Plateau in Academic Achievement

cathy — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:30:31 +0000

As students with developmental disabilities enter middle school, they may encounter a plateau in academic achievement. This should not, of course, stand in the way of their developing new interests and moving forward in other areas critical to life quality as they approach adulthood. If academics take a back seat, these students can focus on learning more age-appropriate communication, group and social skills, perceptual motor skills, leisure time and recreation options, basic career skills, and self-responsibility. The challenge for the music therapist is to recognize each student’s potential strengths and areas of need, and to work with teachers and other professionals to develop strategies that encourage that student to continue personal growth in spite of limited academic abilities.

Challenges in early childhood MT groups

cathy — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 01:44:24 +0000

Circle time music therapy groups move far beyond recreational sing-alongs for pre-school children. Those precious little kids – whether dealing with specific disabilities or other challenging issues or not – can be as mischievous as they are cute, so the music therapist is often dealing with behavior issues in circle time. Each youngster in the music therapy group has a unique mix of challenging issues, interests, strengths and learning/therapy objectives, all of which require individualized therapeutic strategies and music experiences. The music therapist is a master conductor – coordinating the music, the therapy, interpersonal interaction, behavior, and group dynamics for these little ones. All of this can be overwhelming. One of our newly released free music therapy courses, Early Childhood Circle Time, is filled to the brim with basic principles and field-tested strategies for managing groups of young children, allowing the music therapist to focus on the music and the therapy rather than on crowd-control. More info under “free courses” tab on website http://MusicWorksPublications.com. Order the FREE course by sending e-mail request to CathyKnoll@MusicWorksPublications.com