Tag: Music

15 Fun Ways to Use Music

Make your music work for you! 

As a music therapist I get to see music transform people’s lives every day. Music can certainly help parents teach while fostering a loving and positive environment. Keep reading for tips on being aware of how music can shape the mood of your home. 

1. Play time – Music can be such a fun part of playtime. Channel your inner child and think “What would they want to hear?” Pick themes (all about monkeys, all about space, farms, etc.) and use them to shape imaginary play.  **Also, don’t feel like it has to be all about them, young children can enjoy ALL types of music. Pick some of your favorite songs one day! You should enjoy this time too. Plus, good music makes everything more tolerable. 

2. Dance break/Brain break – Having a hard time with homework? Feeling tension and frustrations rising? Maybe you need a “cool down” or a “dance break” song. Whether you need something chill & mellow or upbeat to lighten the mood this is a great way to RESET a restless kiddo and REMIND yourself to loosen up. Give everyone a chance to reset and try again. Pull out the speaker and pick a 3-5 minute song to change the mood.

3. Timer – Music is a natural timer with most songs being anywhere from 3-6 minutes. Instead of using a timer, sometimes use a cleaning playlist. Let your kids help pick the songs so that they have a part in the process. When the music starts, everyone starts picking up the house. When it stops you stop. Using songs can make transitions feel a little less threatening for children, especially children with any anxieties or behavioral issues. Let the music do some of the work for you. 

4. Routine– Make playlists! Routines and schedules can be very helpful when transitioning to a new way of living or simply when trying to implement new habits/traditions/etc. How can music make this easier for a family? Children will learn to recognize songs and it can help them understand or predict the structure of their day. For example, with young children, it helps to find a song to sing while preparing for bed, changing diapers, during bath time, before naps, during mealtime, etc. 

5. Relaxation– Calming music benefits everyone. Music helps us relax and we should use it during stressful times. We recommend the calm app or making a  personal playlist for you and your children. 

6. Naptime/Bedtime- If your child has trouble sleeping, use calm, quiet music to help entrain sleep. When the child hears the familiar calming music they will begin to associate that with the comforts of sleep. Be aware of how music affects the atmosphere in your home. When it’s time to settle down, lower and slower is the way to go! 

7. Lyrical Book Reading– “reading” an old story with a musical twist can make any  book seem brand new! This singing is about sounding fun not pretty. So don’t worry about being perfect; your child will appreciate whatever creative melody you come up with. If your child doesn’t love reading this is also a fun way to encourage creativity while also checking off a book from the homework list! “You sing one page, then I’ll sing one page” etc. 

8. Self-Expression- make a game out of healthy communication and sharing feelings. During musical play ask your child, “How do you think mad sounds on the drum/pot/pan etc.? ..Now show me a mad face!” This is a playful way to talk about hard feelings and normalize conversation about emotions. 

9. Turn Taking- If sharing is something new to your little one try using music to cue turn taking. When the song changes or the music stops it is time to share. 

10. Impulse control–  Easy & fun game for little ones, we call it the FREEZE game. Make a playlist of about 10 of their favorite songs. Tell them to dance when they hear music and to freeze when it stops. Play and pause the songs to test out their impulse and listening skills. Add a ball or scarves to change up this game with siblings and friends. 

11. Art project– MAKE your own instruments out of household items! Decorate them with ribbons, markers, or tape.

  • Shakers- anything with a lid will do, just add dry rice or beans. 
  • Drums- pull out the tupperware or pots and pans. 
  • Rhythm instruments- wooden spoons, spatulas, sticks, etc. 

12. Theme Song- Make an activity out of writing, chanting, or singing a family theme song. It can be to the melody of your favorite song or you can use a song everyone already knows and loves. This can be a short and simple tune that uses family member’s names and highlights how your family is unique and fun! 

13. Distraction- Music can be a great distraction when you are waiting on dinner to cook, in a long line, or finishing a task. Sing a favorite song; even do motions with it. You may get some funny looks in public, but those are way more bearable than the alternative of a toddler meltdown! 

14. Live Music- Go to concerts and local musical performances. Many colleges and community centers have free events or low costs for children and families. This is a wonderful way to expose children to music variety while learning to be respectful audience members.

15. Make Memories– At the end of the day any musical activities will help you to make fun and creative memories with your children. TCMT encourages you to sing, dance, and get into the groove with your little ones as a form of bonding. You will find that everyone can benefit from musical moments. Enjoy! 

Memory and Music

Music is present in every stage of a person’s life. Think of when you listen to the radio and a song from your childhood comes on. Often times these “throw back” songs are the ones that we recall the best. Music stimulates our brains in a way that allows long-term memory to be accessed. When we hear a familiar song or tune we are quickly and accurately accessing parts of the long-term memory. Long-term memory is located in various parts of the brain, the hippocampus being the catalyst. When we are able to make music with others through singing, and enjoy knowing the words of a song we haven’t heard in years, we also experience positive feelings. There is enjoyment and comfort in this kind of music listening. Individuals living with dementia do not get to experience the easiness of knowing or even awareness in everyday life. Due to the nature of their diagnosis, they can often feel confused, anxious, and agitated. Dementia affects orientation and overall awareness. Even in early stages of dementia, individuals may experience the uneasiness that feeling overly forgetful can bring. As a Music therapist I have had the opportunity to be involved with memory care groups and observe various settings where memory-care patients receive music therapy services. Music therapy can make a difference in all of these areas listed above. We use music to aid in mood management, physical and mental engagement, and so much more.

Dementia is defined in general as a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the progressive loss in memory as well as other mental functions including language and judgment. Because of the nature of these types of diseases, therapeutic techniques that involve multiple parts of the brain are important. Studies show that Alzheimer’s disease is the leading type of dementia that affects people in the United States. It has been reported that 60 percent of all cases are of the Alzheimer’s disease (Solé, Mercadal-Brotons, Galati, & De Castro, 2014). This study further supports the importance of research in these areas where music therapy is involved. Individuals with dementia that are receiving services deserve the most effective interventions. Music therapy provides just that! The article referenced here also highlights how an individual’s quality of life is affected by music therapy in a group setting. 

Although this study had a small sample size of 16 individuals, three groups according to stage of dementia were formed. Each group met for 12 weeks and received 45 minutes of music therapy once a week (Solé, Mercadal-Brotons, Galati, & De Castro, 2014). Documentation was done through the help of registered nurses before, during, and after each group session. Quality of life was measured using the Government of Catalonia (GENCAT) questionnaire. This questionnaire consisted of questions revolving around emotional well-being, interpersonal well-being, material well-being, personal development, physical well-being, self-determination, social inclusion, and equal rights. The higher individual’s scored on this indicated higher qualities of life. Participation was measured through data collection as well as through video analysis. But enough of the data details, lets dive into the music therapy specifics!

For each group the music therapy interventions used centered around stimulating cognitive functions, social interactions, and motor skills. Motor skills were addressed through instrument playing. Other musical activities during each group included singing, listening to music, movement to music, and improvisation (Solé, Mercadal-Brotons, Galati, & De Castro, 2014). The music used for the groups was selected based off of personal preferences of the group members. This is a common technique in music therapy and in my experience using familiar music is especially important with this population. Familiar music brings about quicker responses and has proven to be most useful when trying to evoke active participation. Sessions for this population commonly include opening activities, like a hello song, one main activity, and a closing activity. 

Sometimes less is more when we are trying to connect with patients that have memory loss or confusion. Starting with 3-5 songs and adding in techniques specific to the individual’s needs is one of the best ways to structure a session. The brain and body often need priming before going straight into movement or instrument playing. Too much stimulation can be overwhelming, and too little can leave patients disengaged and sometimes even sleeping. As a music therapist my goal is to help every patient GROW and that looks different for everyone. Goals for this population are often emotional and social, since dementia is a degenerative disease it can be difficult to measure other goal areas, as most caregivers are concerned about the day-to-day quality of life. That is what music therapy provides- quality care and life enrichment opportunities in the moment! 

This study example made it obvious which areas of the patient’s lives were most influenced during the analysis. The categories being measured were verbalization, physical contact, visual contact, active participation, and emotions (facial affect and body expressions). Some of the areas that showed the largest changes were emotional well-being and personal development. However, emotional well-being was the only domain to show a statistically significant increase, recorded as Mdn=21 pretest toMdn=23 posttest (Solé, Mercadal-Brotons, Galati, & De Castro, 2014). Although the personal development domain did not reap significant results, the data still presented interesting outcomes. It is worth noting that the medians for all groups in personal development either stayed the same or increased. What a wonderful foundation for future research! 

Since personal development and emotional well-being had such positive outcomes in this study, I will close by briefly discussing those in the memory care setting. I especially loved that this study used primarily patient preferred music and the comfort that music can bring was reflected in the patient’s emotional responses. When patients have decreased levels of anxiety or have the opportunity to increase their overall mood, this benefits the entire body (blood pressure, breathing, sleep, etc.) Music therapists experience firsthand the benefits of group music making with dementia patients. Although personal development is hard to measure with this population, there are still many promising examples. It is always a special moment when an individual comes out of their shell to sing several verses of a song from memory, or passionately plays an instrument with peers. After a moment like this, many times that individual sustains attention and participation for the rest of that session. 

This article screams, Music therapy works- pass it on! I look forward to passing on more research and continually retaining knowledge through my clinical experiences moving forward. Three-Chord Music Therapy Services, LLC is built on the belief that ALL clients deserve a chance to seek growth no matter what age or ability level they are in life.  If you have a loved one experiencing the negative effects of dementia, reach out today for a free music therapy consultation. We would love to help you find a therapeutic routine that helps your loved one work through symptoms in a risk-free way.  

Carme Solé, Melissa Mercadal-Brotons, Adrián Galati, Mónica De Castro; Effects of Group Music Therapy on Quality of Life, Affect, and Participation in People with Varying Levels of Dementia, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 51, Issue 1, 1 March 2014, Pages 103- 125, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thu003