A Triumphant Return!

Yesterday I had my first in-person music class at Arise YWCA since returning from my maternity leave. It was wonderful to be back there, and the group was eager to join the class! We started with one mom and toddler and one school aged kid, and then were joined halfway through by a mom and her two children (ages approximately 8 and 4 years old). Highlights included the toddler having a great time hoarding all of the maracas with glee, the whole group enjoying the movement song Zoom Zoom Zoom, especially when it came to the last verse, "far far far, we're going to the stars," where the families had finally caught on to the melody and started all singing along in unison, and our jam in which one mom played the tambourine and sang with a ton of confidence and energy! My favourite moment of the class, however, was witnessing the older boy dancing with the younger kids under the parachute and being very patient and sweet with them.

Don't Worry About a Thing

We are rolling right along with our lessons at The Redwood despite a slowdown due to a COVID outbreak. My student is determined to keep making music and having fun. They have decided to learn Three Little Birds by Bob Marley on the ukulele. This week we worked through the singing vocals with the piano and added them in! It can be discouraging when you first attempt to sing while playing any instrument, it's like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time. When my student expressed this frustration we decided to break it down into smaller parts to practice. Then you practice until it becomes easier! Can't wait to check in on their progress next week!

Rhythmic Beginning!

Today at The Redwood I had the privilege to start teaching a very motivated young musician. They are inspired to explore all forms of music! During our first class we focused on reviewing uke skills that they learn in group lessons with Zerca! We experimented with our strumming rhythms and what it means to vary the tempo and the time signature of a piece of music. I am so looking forward to exploring our musical inspirations together!

Magical Musical Moments

Music has the power to create moments of magic. A moment that is so unexpected it gives you goosebumps and the memory lasts forever. Tonight at The Redwood I was privileged to enjoy a magical musical moment! We worked diligently through the class on changing chords to a 4/4 strumming pattern. We then applied those skills to a song! By the end of the class my student played the whole song on the ukulele while I accompanied them on the piano! It was a thrill. I saw it in the eyes of one of my students as they turned to me with an expression of pride in their work! A true budding musician.

To New Endings

Today was our final music therapy session for the season and it was quite sentimental. We reviewed our time together, played the djembe along to music, and sang a song that was meaningful to the group. As a parting gift and as a reminder of the new tools and resources they built in our time together, the women were given kalimbas and a jar filled with positive affirmations.

Mother Tree

We had an intimate session that felt compassionate and open. Given that Mother’s Day weekend had just passed, we focused on motherhood and the moms shared about the positive impact children have on their lives. We sang I Will Survive together, and shared our thoughts on the lyrics with each other.

Releasing all that Energy

This week at Arise I introduced some new rules to our class. Oftentimes the children are so excited for music class they have a lot of feelings and energy in their bodies but don't yet have the skills to express them. This leads to a lot of rough play and can lead to someone getting accidentally hurt. Now that I have introduced some new rules about our music time together my focus will be on showing skills for releasing that energy in a safe and positive way. I have to remember that sometimes things can get a little messier before we see change.

A New Visitor

Today we had one of the mom's babies in attendance. Mom and baby played instruments together and mom used the session as an opportunity to bond with her daughter. Although the baby caught much of mom's attention, it was clear that mom was using her time in music therapy to reconnect with herself as a woman and mother.

On the One!

This was such a fun class! Both in terms of rhythm and melody, we focused on finding our musical “home,” whether that’s the beginning of a bar or the tonic note of the scale. After some vocal warm ups, we practiced singing up and down the scale, and singing in harmony at various intervals. Then we moved to the piano and took turns improvising around the C major scale, with total freedom of movement around the keyboard with the goal of arriving back at C. Then it was time to bring out the percussion instruments. The kids loved the vibraslap! We also had a couple of cowbells, guiro, tambourine, and bells, and I encouraged the kids to explore different rhythms to a song chosen by one of the kids. As we listened, we practiced bringing our rhythms together on the 1 count of every bar. It was an exhilarating way to finish, and when we checked out, everybody said they were feeling happy and energized. So was I!

Bonding and Connection

Today we had three moms who joined our session. It was quite an open and safe environment. The mothers were given the opportunity to meditate, improvise on instruments, and share their thoughts with each other. The mothers shared how they felt free during the improvisation, and that they could see themselves using music to bond with their children as they did in our session.