There were so many wonderful entries to this contest! A huge thank you goes out to the contestants, the judges, and September’s sponsor, the Iowa Chapter of Music Therapy. With such great entries, it was a really close contest. Congratulations goes out to September’s winner, Lindsay Hirata! This is what the judges had to say:
“Very effective in its clean and predicatable simplicity.”
“I love Lindsay’s voice and affect! Really engaging and likable. The song is short and sweet and I like that it includes directives.”
“Pauses clearly prompt client responses.”
“I enjoyed the repeated lyrics of instructions so the client can listen to the instructions first, then have them repeated while completed the actions.”
And our awesome judges were:
Laurie Farnan
Laurie is a board certified music therapist at Central Wisconsin Center, a residential facility that provides learning and development opportunities for persons with cognitive and developmental disabilities. She holds both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in music therapy. Laurie is the co-author of the song books Music is For Everyone and Everyone Can Move, and has years of experience writing songs for therapeutic interventions. She is well known for her skills in internship supervision, and has authored chapters on the subject. Also, she’s a fabulous guitarist. Thanks Laurie!
Dr. Natalie Wlodarczyk
Natalie is Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri. She specializes in hospice and bereavement services, but is also certified to provide services in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). She supervised interns at Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, and currently serves on the Examination Board for the Certification Board for Music Therapists. Thank you, Natalie, for contributing your time and expertise to this contest!
Rachel Rambach
Rachel earned her master’s in music therapy at Illinois State University. She works full time at the Hope Institute for Children and Families, runs her own private practice, performs as an artist, and of course, is the author of the popular blog, Listen & Learn. She writes a TON of music with therapeutic value, especially for working with children. Many of her most popular songs can be found in her songbook. She regularly posts YouTube videos of her songs – check them out! A big thank you to Rachel for her valuable contributions!
Denise Coovert
Denise serves on the executive board for the Iowa Chapter of Music Therapy. She is an excellent music therapist and musician, and she specializes in working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. She is a graduate of Western Illinois University, and will soon be working on her master’s in music therapy through Colorado State University. She has also contributed an article on this site! Thank you Denise!
This is the winning entry!
Congratulations Lindsey! Thanks for new ideas for a hello song.
Lindsay-
Yeah! Proud of you.
Congrats Lindsay!!!