In this time of craziness and uncertainty, navigating social isolation, it's so fun to hear how everyone is spending their days at home! In the midst of all that is going on, there is so much room for connection, creativity, laughter and inspiration. We are no stranger to that in the Bornemann household! I am so excited to spend some extra time with my little girl. At this point, my husband is still working, but he is able to be with us as well. I have definitely had to pull out those creative energies to make the most of our beautiful time together. Yesterday, we played with a box - we climbed all over it, pretended it was a spaceship, and colored all over! It was so fun!
As a music therapist, I love that I am able to incorporate some of my education into our creativity throughout the day. Abby is a HUGE fan of making noise on whatever she can....the louder the better!
I am so excited to provide you with some of my favorite musical interventions for you to use with your family! I have used many of these during different music therapy sessions, to accomplish many different goals. As we are stuck inside, we are all seeking new and exciting experiences to bring to our families through this time. Though we at the KEYS program are practicing social distancing and working remotely, we are so excited to walk through this time with you. We are here to answer any questions you have, or to talk with you about how to make this time easier ! Thanks to support from our wonderful grantors like the M&T Bank/Partners Trust Bank Charitable Fund at the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties, I am happy to provide you with music making smiles during this time of uncertainty
1. MUSIC IMPROVISATION OR FAMILY JAM SESSION
Most music therapists use music improvisation (or jamming) as a way of connection, communication and helping clients redirect their energy and focus. You do NOT need to be a musician to improvise music. You can utilize instruments that you may already have at home or make it fun and creative and find objects around your home to use as instruments. For example: Pots and pans, buckets, keys, plastic containers, and much more can be fun improvisation instruments. You can also make a fun scavenger hunt for your family to see how many items they can find at home to turn into an instrument. Enjoy the creativity, sounds and rhythms you can make together as a family. Solos are also fun as well! If you are worried about leading the music making, turn on a song favorite and jam out to that song!
2. SONG PLAY LISTS
Music therapists often help clients collect songs to create various playlist to match their emotions or create memories of monumental moments. You can take some time where you and your family chooses an emotion and search for songs that they can place in each play list. Children can even do this on their own if you give them directions and access to YouTube to find songs that fit each category. Some category examples are:
*Music to motivate me
*Music that makes me happy
*Music from my favorite movie
*Music that relaxes me, etc.
*Music family favorites
3. MUSIC DANCE PARTY
Music and movement is central to our bodies and can help us regulate our emotions and allow us to release tension. When music is played our whole bodies receive the therapeutic benefits of its vibration and sound. Music moves us to move and dance so why not create a list of your families favorite dance songs and move together and have fun.
4. KARAOKE
Singing has been known to decrease anxiety and depression as well as a powerful tool in expressing our feelings. Find some family favorites and sing along together. Youtube has a lot of karaoke sing along versions of songs that could be fun for you and your family.
Be on the look out for some videos of the Bornemann family jam sessions! Send us your videos as well, let us know what you are doing as a family during this time...it's social distancing from a distance! We are all in this together and we are here for you!
*Stay tuned for more blog posts with some other new and exciting musical interventions!
Happy music making!!! and remember....it's all about the SMILES :-)
