"People have intrinsic value" - Ellisa sits down with Zoe Levine, LPMT, MT-BC to talk about her music therapy work in various school settings. Zoe uses foundational principles of Community Music Therapy and Critical Humanist approaches to inform their work and shares how to write goals that support the personhood of the student, first.

“We all need the same things” - Elizabeth sits down with Dr. Andrew Knight, PhD, MT-BC to discuss compliance based goals, goal writing and IEPs through the lens of music therapy. This conversation extends beyond the field of music therapy and gets at the building blocks of goal writing and attending to the root of our clients’ needs.

Ellisa shares a curated playlist with song (and intervention) inspiration for every kind of love!

When I think of Valentine's day there is one thing I think of every time…candy. More specifically, chocolate. I personally love chocolate and I bet many of you do too. If you have Valentine’s chocolate around, break off a piece and join me for this mindfulness experience using all of your senses.

As music therapists, we love a good themed session, don't’ we? The inspiration we find, the visual aids and props we get to use,  the playlists we start building in our head..It can be a lot of fun for us. But is it what our clients need? We’re going to share some clinical inspiration love and share not only ideas for Valentines theme interventions, but also ideas for covertly themed sessions and how to work around holidays.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that we probably have seen this play out in our own lives. Certain songs (or patterns of sound) elicit a full body response with sometimes an increased heart rate, feelings of elation, and even body chills. This is when we’ve experienced that “sweet spot” where the music is somehow better than our neurologic expectations.

With all of the new changes to MT&B, we thought it would be fun to introduce ourselves to all of our new listeners. As a special bonus, you can watch this episode on our new Youtube channel: Music Therapy and Beyond.

Today is going to be a fun episode honoring National Kazoo Day on January 28th! We’re going to talk about different uses for wind instruments in music therapy and share some fun song ideas that support a kazoo solo….

Welcome to Music Therapy & Beyond, a podcast by Giving Song!

When we practice slowed, deep breathing, we are slowing our heart rate- sending information to our vagus nerve and essentially communicating that we are safe. Those safety cues pump the brakes on our stress systems and the body is able to regulate via the ventral branch of the vagus nerve. The body needs these safety cues to function and access our social nervous system, so this breathing practice is one important tool for your nervous system.

Our work stresses, thoughts and worries need a container to live in so that when it's time, we can pick them up. Make a small routine of "setting it aside" as you transition home each and every day. It is as important as checking your email but a small and even non-time consuming ritual can create healthy boundaries for your work in your life that will prove deeply rewarding in time.

Music therapists are prone to several mental health risk factors: as a helping professional, we are prone to compassion fatigue and burnout while doubling as professional musicians puts us at an increased risk of depression, anxiety and high rates of stress. New years are new beginnings and perhaps this is the year that you prioritize your mental health.

Grab a seat on the couch with the whole Giving Song team as they share a song that was significant from 2021 and sing us into the new year.

You can still experience the reassurance of fire as its logs crackle and pop, the beauty of snow sparkling in the sun, and the filling warmth of hot chocolate on cold nights. The world is cold, the winter is dark, but you are not without joy. You are not without peace.

The truth is when we are in the thick of designing our sessions we often forget some of the basics. Unless you have consistent supervision we are often not aware we are overlooking these vital concepts. So, today I’ve pulled my top 5 concepts reminder, which are more like mental notes that I’ve observed can be stumbling blocks when designing music experiences.

The study sought to understand how music therapy altered mood for adolescents participating in group services as well as the effect that demographics had on mood alteration, or not. The study was conducted at a large pediatric psychiatric hospital and included over 350 participants aged 12-21 in 3 different units of the hospital.

Harry Beckett, MT-BC is a music therapist based out of Columbia Missouri and an accomplished musician and performer. Harry completed his music therapy training at Drury University and has a wealth of experience across populations. He is an associate of Giving Song, LLC and a valued member of the community. Ellisa and Harry sit down to discuss what role music therapists can play in the community and the mutual impact of music therapy and professional musicianship.

In today’s episode we explore and experience the benefits of being grateful.

It's November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Ellisa and Kristin sit down to talk about how a practice of gratitude impacts your body and how to introduce a practice into your sessions, your work, and your life.