Friday Five

Happy Friday! It's strange to think that the 4th of July is almost upon us. We hope you all get the chance to enjoy a parade, see some fireworks, or at the very least, eat some good food and spend time with family and friends. We kick off this week's Friday 5 with some holiday spirit: Song Stars and Stripes Forever Great for movement and playing with dynamics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5bcpjUjLpU   Guitar How to Switch Between Guitar Chords Faster Want to feel more confident in your guitar playing? This guide is…

Happy summer, all! The long warm days are here and we are ready to soak up the sun. Before you go off to enjoy a hopefully beautiful weekend, enjoy some new tunes, info, and laughs.   Song Beautiful Boy by John Lennon Recently just discovered this song. Great for new parents! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_j-tpmdPlI MT Source Item 7 Mistakes Students Make When Choosing a Music Therapy School... And How To Avoid Them! An essential (and free!) tool for future music therapists, trying to choose the right school for them. Tool Meditation Bell…

Happy Friday, music nerds! We're kickin' off this weekend with some good listening, research, and guitar tips. Check it out :) Song Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson Great for inspiring a discussion on being the change you want to see in the world. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps Research Music Therapy Research Blog with Annette Whitehead-Pleaux Get the latest on multicultural, inclusive music therapy. Guitar Basic Fingerpicking Technique Feeling a bit sheepish about your fingerpicking? Brush up on your skills with this video. Podcast The Hilarious World of Depression Episode: Listeners' Favorite…

Happy Friday! You made it to the end of the week. As promised, here is your Friday 5 to kick off your (hopefully) beautiful June weekend. Song 3 Things by Jason Mraz A good starting point for talking about how different people cope. Also ripe for songwriting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYwF-IXpbNk TED Talk Wired for Altruism Some good inspiration for good people :) Guitar Color Chord My World Feel like your playing is stuck in a rut? This short course will help you add some color to the songs you already play, and explore…

Hi there! June is upon us already and we are about to say hello to summer. We will continue to provide some resources for people who had questions and music therapy issues here. We get to all learn as a community. So, here's the Friday 5: Song How About You as done by Frank Sinatra A season-appropriate tune with good potential for songwriting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgoG5o7Jsk4 App (Digitizing Leadsheets) Tiny scanner Available for both Apple and PC products. Another great way to digitize lead sheets. You can also batch them for songs that…

Hello there :) Welcome to a new and a bit more in-depth Friday 5! Last week, we asked you to write in some of the things you have been struggling with as a music therapist (or music therapist in-training). This week we dedicate the Friday 5 to your specific requests. Just a note: Since we got a lot of responses, you may not see a resource here that matches your question. If that's the case, rest assured that we are still working on finding good, pertinent resources/ideas, and will get those…

Hi there! Oh my goodness, we're halfway through May. Not sure about you, but the time has just flown by for us like a swallow in a snowstorm; blink and you'll miss it. Strange similes aside, here is your Friday 5 :) Song We're On Our Way by Radical Face Nice for lyric analysis and an ending that has very singable parts. We do suggest playing it live; we don't really suggest having clients attempt the hand clapping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0sQVIDOQRk Advocacy Resource How to Become a Music Therapist Want to become a…

Well hello there, music friend! Here we are with another Friday and five resources that we think you'll want to take a look at. Here we go: Song Spectrum of the Sky by Break of Reality An instrumental piece with a range of dynamics, good for improvisation or matching with creative arts like mandalas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lwx6BNwXBaA Book What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard N. Bolles This book is as much about self discovery as it is about getting a job. Tool Barre Chord Companion Frustrated by barre chords? This tool allows…

Happy Friday! Sing out friends - it's the weekend and May is almost here. Here's what we've been singing and tools that we've been using: Song If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out On top of being good for empowering clients, this song is fun to play. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDq36YD1ESM Tool LastPass.com A free, secure way to keep your passwords in one place. Instrument Two-Tone Wooden Guiro Block It's a guiro! It's a wood block! It's versatile :) Website Patatap Uses your keyboard to make some beats along with some interesting visuals.…

Hi there! With April typically being a rainy month, we decided to have a bit of a water theme for this week's Friday 5. Take a look:   Song Swim by Jack's Mannequin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWGDkUQ5NEI Intervention Lyric Discussion with Swim Possible Goals: Increase feelings of hope, Explore coping skills, Encourage self-expression Provide printed lyrics and a writing utensil. Play the song (live or recorded) and have your client(s) circle or underline parts that stand out to them or that they relate to. Encourage discussion through questions like: What is the message or…