How Kodi Lee continues to teach us…
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How music works in different languages
Many people in the world speak tonal languages – where pitch contributes to the meaning of a word. Tone in these languages are phenomic, meaning that a change in pitch or pitch contour of a word can drastically change the meaning of a word. For example, in Cantonese, altering the tone of “mother” (maa1) will result in you calling her “grandma” (maa4) or “horse” (maa5).
Since pitch is also a main component of music, many people wonder what happens when the two intertwine.
For some tonal languages, such as Mandarin Chinese, the melody usually takes over and the 4 tones in the spoken language are ignored. Mandarin speakers should still be able to discern the meaning of the song by the pronunciation of the word without the tonal information. However, some words may still be confusing on rare occasions.
The power of music in therapy…
I’m almost positive you had heard of this Hans Christian Andersen quote at least once in your life. Maybe on a bumper sticker or as an inspirational desktop background picture. But these words, along with many other quotes, stories, and anecdotes about the power and impact that music has in our lives, are at the backbone of why music therapists are music therapists.
I recently attended the 45th Annual CAMT Conference in May. The Canadian Association of Music Therapists (CAMT) is the national professional association, “dedicated to fostering the practice of music therapy in clinical, educational, and community settings throughout Canada.”
The last time I had attended the annual conference was a couple of years back in 2016, while I was near graduating from my master’s degree. The difference of three years of work between being a student attendee back then to having worked as a professional music therapist today was evident, almost amusingly so.
What our students and clients say about our recitals and what we reply…
Written by Gabriella Serruya
“Do I have to?”
I get asked this question often by students about our End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals and lessons/sessions over the summer.
The simple answer is no. I can hear the cheering from students as I write this! BUT, and that’s a BIG but, the answer is more complicated than that.
Our End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals give students the opportunity to show off their new skills.
A lot happens in a year – in and out of music class! We all learn, grow and, mature in terms of our music skills, as well as everything else.
At the End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals, we all get to celebrate that together!
Music is meant to be experienced in groups! We can cheer each other on, appreciate each others’ new skills, and conquer our nerves. We get to celebrate music! We get to be a part of making music and listening to music. What a thrill!
Using technology to our advantage…
Today, technology gets a bad rap.
By technology, we mean smartphones, tablets, and any gadgets of the sort. Often when we go out to a restaurant, or out in public with friends, we see tons of people, adults and children, staring at their gadgets. We have even seen entire families sitting together and not talking with one another!
In this day in age, technology is everywhere. We are practically glued to our smartphones and other devices; watching shows, videos, listening to music, and just about anything else you can think of.
Yes, we should put our devices down from time to time, as it is very important to take a break from our technology. However, we now have the opportunity to use our smartphones and iPads to our advantage.
A reflection of 2018…and looking forward to 2019.
With the new year just around the corner, this season is often coupled with a LOT of different feelings, ranging from happy holiday-loving cheer to anxiety-provoking planning of getting together with family and/or friends, or maybe you’re not the biggest fan of this season or you absolutely love snow!
Wherever you are on the feeling range, it goes without saying that we all know that soon, we will be saying goodbye to 2018 and hello to 2019! What a year it has been!
Looking back on 2018, I would love to share a few of what I would call some incredible wins at TPSMTS!
Tamara shares her journey as a special needs parent…
Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet
As a music therapist, I always knew I wanted to work with children.
During my education, my practicum supervisor saw immediately how my own energy, enthusiasm, and passion affected my paediatric clients and that I had a natural ability to connect with them. For my remaining placements, I worked with children in various school and clinical settings. I completed my internship at a therapeutic day school for children and adolescents with special needs, which inspired me to establish my private practice specializing in working with children and adolescents with neurological disorders and developmental delays.
When I got married, I knew I wanted to be a mom. I have always loved children and came from a big family, constantly caring for and truly enjoying my time (for the most part!) with my little brothers and cousins.
Never did I imagine that these two roles would collide.
Aside from being owner and director of TPSMTS, I am also a mom to a beautiful, energetic, and vivacious 5 1/2 year old boy who has special needs.
Four songs to get you pumped for the summer…
What Time Is It?! SUMMERTIME!
Just kidding – it’s not exactly summertime just yet, but with the warm bouts of weather that we’ve gotten, I know that I am itching for summer to get started.
In the meantime, we do know that another important time of the year is coming…End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals! Can you believe that June is upon us again so quickly?
In preparation for our End-of-the-Year Party and Recitals and for summertime, I’ve put together two lists for us this month on the blog.
Music activities you can do right at home…
Written by Gabriella Serruya
There are so many ways we can expose our children (and ourselves) to music in our daily lives.
With younger kids, singing nursery rhymes is great. Believe us — our kids don’t judge the quality of our voices! They just want and need to sing with us! Sing everyday. Turn any song into something appropriate for any occasion.
Why attention is so important in lessons and sessions
In both music therapy and music education, attention is at the forefront.
No music therapy goals could be attained if attention isn’t held. Similarly in music education, no musical elements would be learned without attention as the foundation. However small these moments of focus may be, without them, no progress would be made.
“Without attention, it would not be possible to think, learn, remember, communicate, or problem solve.”
(Thaut & Hoemberg, 257).
