October 17, 2019December 15, 2021 by TPSMTS Team

Sharing the joy of music

How our music teachers and music therapists experience music with their students and clients

I love my job!

Not everyone can say that, but I still can – even after 30 years! I consider all of my students as my “kids.” They and their families become a part of my extended family.

Every day, I have the privilege of seeing students of all ages and abilities experience music. It’s still a wonder after all this time. When that lightbulb of understanding comes on in a student, I know it’s a great day for both of us.

There are so many things that go into a great lesson. Sometimes it’s the lightbulb, but that doesn’t happen every week. Sometimes it’s the laugh we share, the hard work at the lesson, or the home practicing. I always enjoy the time we get to spend together making music.

September 10, 2019June 26, 2020 by TPSMTS Team

Real Lessons from Reality TV

How Kodi Lee continues to teach us…

Written by Yu Kwei Chan

Over the summer, you may have come across Kodi Lee and his achievement on America’s Got Talent (AGT) shared across the media. Kodi’s appearance on AGT highlights various lessons that we can all learn, especially in regards to how music helps and affects individuals with special needs.

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August 13, 2019January 24, 2024 by TPSMTS Team

Music in Tonal Languages

How music works in different languages

Written by Jane Hong

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.

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May 15, 2019October 22, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

Do I have to?

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!

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November 13, 2018October 24, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

The Power of Music

How music can change your mood or bring back a memory.

Written by Gabriella Serruya

Music is powerful.

Think of a time you were listening to music and a song affected you. Can you remember a certain moment? Maybe an old boyfriend/girlfriend? Do you have specific music you listen to at certain times? I have a cleaning the house playlist, a running playlist, car songs, even a wake up playlist to help us get up in the morning and a get-to-sleep playlist. Music can give us energy or calm us down.

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October 15, 2018October 24, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

The Dual Role of Music Therapist and Parent

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.

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May 11, 2018October 24, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

Five Simple Ways You Can Bring Music into Your Home

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.

in Gabriella / Music Lessons / Music Therapy 0 comments

April 24, 2018October 29, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

Exciting TPSMTS News!

Spring Update from Tamara

With the ground finally starting to thaw, thoughts of the wonderful spring weather and upcoming summer are now on the horizon…

With that in mind, I wanted to take this opportunity to update everyone on what we have been up to here at TPSMTS and the excitement ahead!

As of July 3, RYAN HUI will be assuming the role of FULL-TIME ASSISTANT DIRECTOR!

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December 12, 2017November 1, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

Presuming Competence

Why we always presume competence at TPSMTS

Written by Tamara Leszner-Rovet

Back when I was a Music Therapy intern, I received some of the best advice that has heavily influenced and shaped me as Music Therapist, Music Teacher, mother, and human, defined my career path and private practice, and made TPSMTS what it is today.

This advice was to always presume competence.

This term was originally coined as “the least dangerous assumption” by Anne Donnellan in 1984. To presume competence is “to assume that a child has intellectual ability, provide opportunities to be exposed to learning, assume the child wants to learn and assert him or herself in the world” according to Douglas Biklen (an award winning educator known for his work of promoting quality education for individuals with intellectual disabilities). Biklen says “to not presume competence is to assume that some individuals cannot learn, develop, or participate in the world.”

In other words, one should never underestimate any individual based on how they may initially present or on their abilities.

At TPSMTS, presuming competence is one of our most important values.

We strongly believe that every individual has the ability to understand, learn, and has the right to access high quality Music Therapy and Music Education, whether that be through using Music Therapy to help achieve non-musical goals, or through music lessons to learn how to play an instrument and receive a musical education.

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November 22, 2017November 1, 2019 by TPSMTS Team

Using Popular Music to Encourage Practicing

Why popular music is so great to learn…

Written by Gabriella Serruya

With students of all ages, it helps to play songs we know! We get a lot of joy from playing a song that we recognize. Often, it’s easier to learn a familiar song because we can hear what it’s going to sound like when it’s finished much quicker!

For many students, it’s an opportunity to use both of our super powers. Using our eyes to read the notes, but also our ears to anticipate the next ones. We usually depend on one more than the other. Playing a song we know allows us to combine these 2 great skills. Most of us are stronger in one than the other and playing familiar songs can give us a chance to use all our skills together in a way that we can’t do when it’s an unfamiliar tune.

in Gabriella / Music Lessons 1 comments