RECOMMENDATIONS

Our mission is to serve children and adults with special needs through sharing information & creating and publishing music therapy strategies. Here are a few recommendations regarding Instruments, Tips and Singing.

RECOMMENDED INSTRUMENTS

Music companies often offer "value boxes" of rhythm instruments for classroom use, but the instruments included are often low quality, easily breakable, and potentially dangerous. It is recommended to purchase a small number of high-quality instruments that children can share, preferably with some visual interest to engage certain children. Starting out quietly can help children who are sensitive to certain sounds grow accustomed to and even enjoy the variety of instrument sounds.

Here are some instruments we use frequently:

Here are some instruments we use frequently:

Our favorite source is WEST MUSIC (800) 397-9378

PADDLE DRUM

This paddle drum has a strong, resonant sound and can be played at any volume, with the mallet, the foam ball, or the hand. A helper can hold the drum for the child and move it around to stimulate attention and visual scanning.

CABASA

The small cabasa has a band of metal beads that move around a metal core. Play it by rubbing the beads against the core with the palm of your hand, rubbing it along the carpet, or holding the handle and twisting it quickly back and forth.

RAINSTICK

A transparent rainstick makes a wonderful sound while providing visual stimulation. An older child or adult might prefer a more authentic, less colorful version -- it will probably have an interesting surface to feel, substituting for the visual interest. Hold either rainstick parallel to the ground to stop the sound.

KOKIRIKO

The kokiriko is played by holding one end in each hand and moving your hands up and down -- like a Slinky! Our students like to call it a "clatterpillar" because of how it looks and sounds. We like the wooden ones better than plastic, but plastic kokirikos come in bright colors.

MALLETS

Consider using adaptive mallets for some children who have trouble holding regular ones. West Music has music therapy consultant that you can reach via their 800 phone number -- she can help you.

SHAKER EGGS

Shaker Eggs are sturdy and easy to play. The relatively quiet sound means that many children can play at the same time without overwhelming singing or instructions -- and because they are held in the palm of the hand, there is tactile stimulation as they are played.

YOU CAN SING .... and accompany our songs

I can't sing or play the piano or guitar! How can I use Prelude songbooks and visual aid kits?

The first thing to realize is that you almost certainly can sing; it's just that you've been singing in a key that's too high or low for you, or singing songs that are too difficult. Or perhaps you were told once that you didn't have a "good voice." Nonsense! Your voice is a part of you, and the children with whom you sing want to have a relationship with you, not your voice. Plus, the songs in Prelude books are pitched in a comfortable range.

All Prelude music has a single line of melody with letters above that indicate the chords for accompaniment. You can use an autoharp or the electronic counterpart, the Q-Chord; with both, you can simply press the key that matches the letter we print above the melody line.

OR you can take the songs you want to use to a friend who plays the piano or guitar. The music teacher at your school could help you, as could the music leader at a house of worship. Take a tape recorder and blank tape and ask them to record the song for you. If you want to raise or lower the "key" (so you can sing the song higher or lower), a pianist or guitarist should be able to do that for you with no trouble.

REMEMBER that most Prelude songs have places for the children/students to give responses, play instruments, or manipulate visual aids. You need to pause the music so that each child has the time to participate. If you have someone record the songs for you (your "accompanist"), do one of three things: (a) use the tape to learn the song and practice singing (a great rush-hour activity!), then sing without the accompaniment when you use the song in class or for therapy; (b) have the accompanist pause at appropriate places and for the necessary length of time as he or she plays; or (c) have the accompanist leave just enough of a break at the appropriate places so you can push the "pause" button on your tape player each time you ask a student to give a response.

Sing your Prelude songs slowly and clearly! If you don't think you're a particularly good singer, you may be tempted to rush through, singing quietly. Your children and students will respond much more positively, however, if you slow down and sing emphatically -- and you may be surprised to discover that you actually sound better when you do!

Seven TIPS for using music in therapy and education

Remember: Music is Individual. Every person responds to music differently, and any one person may respond to music differently at various times throughout his or her life. Aside from some recent research on rhythm and movement, there are no peer-reviewed, published studies that show universal effects for any particular kind of music or harmony. An adolescent may show all the physiological signs of relaxation while listening to the loudest, most raucous music you can imagine. A child with a severe developmental disability may demonstrate his best responses to opera. Assessment is, therefore, critical. Ask your students/clients/patients what they prefer, but also observe the effects of various types of music. Something might happen that neither of you expect!

Use Silence. Once we know a piece of music, we notice when it is interrupted. You can use unexpected pauses in music to regain attention that has wandered. Once a person's attention is refocused, you can resume exactly where you left off -- like the pause button on a CD player. No verbal cues are necessary, just silence. This can be a relief for both the client/patient and the caregiver, who may both be tired of the same prompts.

Make Sure the Lyrics Fit The Music. When you are using songs to teach academic concepts or language acquisition/reacquisition, be sure that the words and phrases in the song are pronounced as they would be in speech. Often, when songs are "piggybacked" (new words with a familiar melody) the words get distorted -- with emphases on the wrong syllables, or awkward inflections. Many children with special needs learn speech through singing; if they learn to pronounce words incorrectly, it may take a long time to unlearn.

Use Quality Instruments. Rather than buying a "bargain" box filled with instruments that have a bad sound quality as well as being breakable (or even dangerous), choose a few high-quality instruments (a group can share and take turns). We recommend a paddle drum, a wooden clatterpillar, a small cabasa, a transparent rainstick, and some shaker eggs to start (see our recommendations page). All are visually interesting, appropriate for adults as well as children, and have unique, intriguing sounds.

Use Music With Discretion. Do you hear your refrigerator buzzing? Most of us don't -- because we've gotten so used to it, we block it out. If music is an effective tool, use it when you most need it. Playing music all day won't make children smarter; it will just teach them to tune it out. Likewise, playing music for patients who have limited responses (i.e. late-stage Alzheimer's, coma) can be important, but if it's on in the background all the time, it won't be a distinctive stimulus for them.

Include by Adapting. A few simple adaptations will help in including people with disabilities in satisfying musical experiences. If a music education class is learning to play the recorder, for example, the music teacher can identify one or two "pedal" tones for each piece: a child with special needs can play just those two notes on a recorder, or on a resonator bell, for example. An adult who can play one choir chime when you point at her can be a critical part of an anthem in her church.

Use Live Music. Live music is, in most cases, much more effective than recorded music. If you sing songs live, you can change the tempo and volume according to the mood and behavior of your clients/students/patients; you can pause to allow time for responses or to cue attention (see above), and you can change the words to fit the immediate situation. In addition, if the person with whom you're working says or does something that you can incorporate into music (like a new lyric, or new notes as you play the piano together), live music allows you to "go with the flow."

By the way...you can sing! If you have trouble, (1) learn to sing in the range of your speaking voice -- you'll hit more notes; (2) practice to the radio/tape/CD in your car -- and if you're trying to learn a particular song, have a musical friend record it for you so you can practice singing along; (3) sing louder and slower -- you may not think you have a good voice, but others will be far more responsive if you sing with conviction and enjoyment than quietly and quickly.