Movies are for everyone! Young and old, from all walks of life, movies have a story to tell, and have the power to connect people and communities. Under the direction of music therapist Emily Minkow, Hillside Elementary invited family and friends to spend a “A Day at the Movies” on March 8th for their Exceptional Children’s Week performance. The audience was taken on a journey through each movie, watching a class musical number and learning a little bit about what each movie can teach us. Yes I Can awards were also embedded throughout the performances. The numbers included dancing, singing, playing various instruments, car racing, and signing ASL.
On Monday under the direction of music therapist Jessica Brodley-Lopez, the amazingly exceptional students of Vickery Mill Elementary performed in their second annual Exceptional Children’s Week show, “Dancing through the Decades.” Each class highlighted a song and dance style from a specific decade over the last 60 years and came together to dance in their finale to a song on the charts today! They were so pleased to be able to perform in front of some of their peers as well as parents and school staff. The students truly were exceptional!
Music therapy made Forbes list falling in at number three as "The Most Meaningful College Majors" in 2017. A website entitled PayScale surveyed over 800,000 users by asking them if their job makes the world a better place. The responses were ranked and music therapy was selected as one of the top seven meaningful college majors, only beaten out for the top two slots by pastoral ministry and medical laboratory science.
You can read the article here. The students at Hopewell Middle School participated in Exceptional Children's Week under the direction of music therapist Stephanie Guest. They played "Keep Your Head Up" by Andy Grammer on the rhythm sticks to work on motor skills such as imitation and crossing midline.
We are kicking off Exceptional Children's Week (ECW) here in Fulton County Schools! ECW is an annual event to celebrate children and youth with exceptionalities. The first celebration comes from Riverwood High School in the video above showing some of our students and how amazing they truly are.
We are all celebrating World Music Therapy Day today on March 1st. Share your story about the power of music with us over on our Twitter page and use the hashtag #WorldMusicTherapyDay!
Under instruction of music therapist Marsha Lane, the students at Hapeville Elementary had lots of fun exploring some African-style instruments in music therapy as part of a celebration of Black History Month! As a collaborative effect with adaptive art under the direction of Jason Grant, the students created “shaker drums”. They then had an opportunity to play their instruments in the group, while taking turns playing African instruments like the djembe, agogo bells, split drum, thumb piano, and shekere. What a great cultural exploration, as they practiced turn-taking, following directions, and working in a group.
Under instruction of therapist Stephanie Guest, students at Findley Oaks Elementary School practiced their motor skills in the style of 10 Apples Up on Top. They did this in honor of Dr. Seuss Read Across America Day - coming up this Friday March 2nd.
Ms. Keandra, one of our music therapy interns, taught students at Haynes Bridge Middle School the importance of Black History Month through music. Students learned about the drinking gourd and its significance to the Underground Railroad. With Ms. Keandra's guidance, the students rewrote the words to the song to give directions to a destination within the school as well as what to do once you arrive.
Students at Medlock Bridge Elementary celebrated the Olympics last week during music therapy. The students did rhythm warm-ups to work on their reading skills, a boomwhacker torch pass for socialization and happy emotion practice, and finally - music games for practice with turn taking.
Yesterday, all the music therapists gathered together for the second round of intern auditions for the 2018-2019 school year. Our last round of auditions will be on March 14th. During our break, we had a surprise break luncheon planned for Rachel Coon-Arnott to celebrate her winning Teacher of the Year at Lake Windward Elementary.
On Wednesday Feb 14th, Roy Joyner had the opportunity to present on “Music Therapy as a Career” to over thirty undergraduate music majors at Clayton State College and University. Many students were interested in this topic and wanted information on graduate programs with music therapy. Other topics addressed were:
Roy said the highlight of the day was getting to spend time with one of his mentors, Dr. Richard Bell. He was Roy's first String Bass instructor and was instrumental in introducing Roy to the field of music therapy. While visiting, Roy was able to sit on some of Dr. Bell's education classes while he was helping students with writing objectives. Roy felt honored to be introduced as one Dr. Bell's former students. Dr. Bell has had a long and distinguish career and continues to influence the lives of his former and present students. You can check out Roy's presentation here. To prepare for Valentine’s Day, the music therapists (Kirby Carruth and Emily Minkow) from Holcomb Bridge Middle School and Centennial High School hosted their 2nd annual Valentine’s Social! With the support of the teachers and staff, the students spent the day making friendship bracelets and valentines, playing Love Song BINGO, having a blast in the photo booth, and more! The event ended with a quick snack break and an awesome dance party! This event continues to be a wonderful awesome opportunity for socialization, and something the students (and teachers!) look forward to every year.
Therapist Stephanie Guest had her students join in on the Mardi Gras fun at Esther Jackson Elementary School.
Therapist Missy Worden and her students had a great Mardi Gras day in music therapy at Spalding and Woodland Elementary! The students enjoyed learning about the music, parades, and fun of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans. They wore masks and sang songs that incorporated social/communication skills ("throw me something, mister!") and gross motor practice (throwing beads to friends!) Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!
In collaboration with Autism Speaks, the Georgia Symphony Orchestra will present the third annual Sensory Friendly Concert on Saturday afternoon March 3rd. A favorite part of GSO's educational and outreach program, this concert will give a broad overview of the great expanse of classical music. Sensory sensitive listeners and family members will delight in the discovery of an orchestral experience that invites and welcomes those with autism into the world of classical music.
View or download a social story here about attending the performance. The GSO Sensory Friendly concert is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts. A HUGE congratulations is due to our own Rachel Coon Arnott, the Teacher of the Year at Lake Windward Elementary. We love you, Rachel, and are so proud of you in this accomplishment!
Our interns have been with us since the Friday after labor day and are in their final stretch of internship. Starting today, there are only 7 more weeks left. We can't wait to see how our interns serve the students in the remaining month and a half.
On March 1st, Music Therapists around the world will be celebrating World Music Therapy Day. Music Therapists have the opportunity to participate in a meme creation contest. If you are interested in entering the contest, more information can be found in the document below.
Meet Lucas Warren from Dalton, Georgia. Lucas was just announced as the 2018 Gerber Baby. For the first time in it's contest, Gerber chose a baby with Down Syndrome. Lucas is already winning hearts through his infectious smiles and will be an inspiration for many to come. To see more about the contest, check out the Washington Post's article.
The Music Therapy Association of Georgia is inviting all music therapists in the state to a networking event, "MTs connect in the ATL". MTAG's hope for this event is that all music therapists in Georgia are able to come together as a state and exchange ideas as well as opportunities to students and new members.
For more information about the event, you can visit MTAG's event page on their website. Students in music therapy at Love Nolan Elementary learn about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through music activities. Pictured is intern Reece Jennings under instruction of music therapist Joe Bailey, Jr.
On January 5th, as part of a professional development day instituted by Fulton County Schools, the music therapists convened at Centennial High School to brush up on their guitar skills. The class was taught by our own music therapist, Harry Lester, who performs professionally on guitar and teaches lessons on the side.
Music therapy students at Medlock Bridge Elementary participated in their now annual performance around the holidays. This year, the students were pitching movie ideas to Santa for movie night. Students played bucket drums, danced, and sang throughout the performance all while working on skills to help them through everyday life. It is such a great way to send off the students before winter break.
The students at Sweet Apple Elementary participated in the annual Holiday Program entitled “Kindness Everywhere”. The students were visited by the Queen of Kindness as they went on a journey to find 10 acts of kindness during the holiday season. From playing ukuleles to xylophones to singing and signing, the students did an amazing job with excellent success.
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