BLOGS
Educational blogs for parents and professionals
Mewsic Moves Spotlighted in Undivided Article for Transformative Music Therapy Approaches
In a recent blog by Undivided, Mewsic Moves was highlighted for its impactful use of music therapy to support neurodiverse clients and those with neurologic conditions throughout Los Angeles. The article provides an introduction to music therapy, explaining its benefits, especially for children with disabilities. It also discusses how Mewsic Moves tailors therapeutic approaches to meet the unique needs of each individual, using music as a powerful tool for communication, emotional expression, cognitive and physical development.
You can read the full article here.
Thank you Undivided for all the support you provide! Check them out here:
John Mews, LMFT, NMT
Top 5 Therapeutic Musical Toys For Children Of All Abilities: With Video Resources
After writing our first top therapeutic toy blog back in 2014, “TOP 10 MUSICAL TOYS FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM” and having it as our top read blog we continued to write again in 2020, “TOP 11 THERAPEUTIC MUSICAL TOYS FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS”. Since both of these resource lists has been such a popular read we would love to continue our holiday tradition and offer you yet another music therapy toy/instruments resource list! Plus much more this year!
Everyday we use unique, fun, motivational and engaging music instruments in our music therapy programs to help address multiple goals. Many family members and parents struggle during this time to find the “perfect gift” or “perfect toy” for the little ones on their gift lists, especially for some that have neurodiverse or developmental needs. We want to continue our Mewsic Moves resource holiday tradition and help you find that perfect musical toy(s) that provides exponential value.
This year we wanted to make our list not only beneficial but educational as well. So this year we are providing a short video that showcases one of our of amazing Neurologic Music Therapists, Zach, giving you a musical example of how we use the instrument as well as sharing some of the therapeutic value in each instrument. We know you will find much value in this years musical therapeutic toy list!
1. Cabasa
The cabasa is a versatile and unique instrument used in latin music that many children are drawn to as many have never seen one or used one before. It has bright shiny chains of beads that surround it and make a sound similar to a maraca as you roll the beads around the instrument. The cabasa ranges from large or smaller sizes as well as plastic or wood. We prefer the larger wooden cabasas as they provide better weight for proprioceptive input and pressure.
Cabasa can support:
Sensory processing & integration
Regulation
Body awareness
Speech and communication
Palmer grap control
For more details or to buy click here
2. Xylophone
The xylophone is one of our most used instruments as its transportable, easy to carry, and mimics the tonality and notes of a piano. The xylophone that we are adding to our list this year is one of our favorites as it can fold in half and some come with a carrying case. You can use one side as the major scale (similar to
white notes on piano), and the other side (the black notes) can be used to improvise songs together on a pentatonic scale which is fun to use as there are “no wrong notes”. We also love to add colored stickers to our xylophones and play music together through colors versus actual notes. It makes playing easier, fun and much more successful.
Xylophone can support:
Sustained attention
Joint attention
Communication skills (completing circles of communication)
Cognitive and impulse control skills (stop and go)
Turn taking
Eye-hand coordination
Gross motor skills
For more details or to buy click here
3. Ocean Drum
The ocean drum comes in many sizes and we prefer smaller size that can fit in a younger child’s hands. The ocean makes a beautiful and peaceful sound of the ocean as you tilt it back and forth. It can also create loud crashing wave sounds if you play and tilt it faster. The ocean drum we have chosen this year provides a visual appeal with under water display of fish and has a transparent top so you can see the beads rolling which often is a visual anchor and sensory support for many of our clients.
Ocean Drum can support:
Regulation
Sensory processing and integration
Turn taking
Cognitive control
Motor control and modulation
Sustained attention
Mindfulness and meditation
For more details or to buy click here
4. Hand/Desk Bells
Our younger clients love these bells! They are colorful and you can play them by pressing the handle or lifting them and striking them like a traditional bell. These bells also have a color sequence that aligns with the Cmajor scale that we use to work on color matching, sequencing, early music education and much more!
Hand Bells can support:
Working memory
Sequencing
Turn taking
Communication
Cognitive skills - colors and counting
Early music education
Early reading skill development
For more details or to buy click here
5. Gathering Drum
The gathering drum is a fun communal drum that sits on the floor and is perfect for circle time or gathering around with friends or family to join and play together. We prefer the larger gathering drum as it holds much space for friends to join around and it also provides a large deep base sound that fills the room as well as deep into your body. The gathering drum is one of our favorite drums to use as it can also help support impulse control as it has a large range in sounds from big and vibrational to more subtle and soft.
Gathering drum can support:
Cognitive control
Joint attention
Sustained attention
Modulating emotions
Self regulation
Co-regulation
Provides proprioceptive feedback
Speech & communication
Social goals
Bonding
For more details or to buy click here
I hope you find value in this list as well as the educational videos that we have provided to help give you some guidelines on how to use these instruments in a therapeutic way. We are always excited to share our resources with you to use with your family at home or with your clients in your office or schools. Music is truly motivational and transformational and we love to share the gifts of music with you. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about the appropriateness of any instruments with your child or clients.
All of us at Mewsic Moves wish you and your family a musical holiday!
Gift the gift of music this holiday season.
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Music Therapy Addressing Back to School Needs
September and October can be very challenging months for both parents and children transitioning back to school from a relaxing and non-structured summer. Going back onto a routine can be tough for both parents and their children.
Once school starts, most teachers will be very attuned to each child's needs in their classroom. Perhaps you've gotten a call to have your child taken from class because of your child's performance, behaviors or even social isolation? If this happens, it can make the transition even more stressful for both the parent and the child.
Parents then might try to find services that will support their child and address the concerns of their teachers. What kinds of therapy might help? occupational therapy? speech and language therapy? physical therapy?
What about music therapy? Maybe you've never even considered it. This form of therapy has been around for almost 80 years, yet surprisingly people are still unaware of its effectiveness, particularly for helping children with special needs.
The fascinating aspect of music therapy is that you can be working on multiple goals simultaneously, such as speech/communication, fine/gross motor, social skills, emotional regulation, and others. For example, when playing a drum, a child can work on their gross motor skills, and at the same time be learning to regulate by maintaining a steady rhythm. If you add in vocalizations, it can help them with communication. Very few forms of therapy can compare to the versatility and efficacy of music therapy.
Here are a few examples of why music therapy can be an effective therapy for your child to help with any of the goals and concerns that may arise during this hectic transition starting back to school.
1- Music can increase social skills
2- Music can help regulate your child
3- Music can increase your child's attention span/focus
4- Music strengthens your child's auditory skills
5- Music helps with memory and sequencing skills
6- Music is fun, engaging and rewarding
7- Music can help increase communication skills and language development
8- Music can help with understanding and processing children's feelings
9- Music can help with social-emotional development
10- Music can help with fine and gross motor skills
If you would like to learn more about music therapy please contact me: john@mewsicmoves.com
Let's Stay in Touch!
For FREE songs, videos and tips on how to support children with special needs through music click here.
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