meet lauren

Hello! My name is Lauren Booke, and I am coming to Therabeat from Belmont University. I have worked with a variety of populations in my schooling, but have always enjoyed working with kids the most. Being able to go to the In Harmony clinic and see the smiling faces every day has been such a warm welcome to the Therabeat community.

These first two weeks have been filled with introductions. Getting to meet all the staff at In Harmony and not only observe the Music Therapists, but Speech, Physical and Occupational therapists as well has been so much fun. Having the opportunity to learn from all of these disciplines is incredible as I establish my clinical skills. All of the therapists are so welcoming and explain what they are working on with each patient so I can transfer that knowledge to my patients.

Meeting all of the patients I will be working with for the next six months is so exciting. Each and every one of them is so unique and I can’t wait to see the growth that they will accomplish during my time with them. There have of course been some moments where some time is needed to adjust to the new person in the room, but I know that will come soon enough. It is amazing how much growth I have already seen in just two weeks. These kids are capable of so much and we are so blessed to get to work with them every week and help them accomplish their therapeutic goals.

I feel like I have already learned so much in such a short amount of time from everyone at Therabeat. All of my supervising music therapists are so patient and kind and I appreciate everything they do for the new interns. Like our patients, they are each unique and it is incredible to watch them all treat patients in their own way. I know that these six months will be challenging at times, but more rewarding than I ever could have imagined.

Looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you!

Until next time,

Lauren 

Meet dana

My name is Dana LaValley. I studied Music Therapy at Georgia College and State University for the past four years. I am from Springfield, Georgia about forty-five minutes away from Savannah. I am engaged to a wonderful man named Dale Usry. We will be getting married on December 8th, 2017. I have always had a passion for music and helping people; now with Music Therapy I can do both.

In my time at Georgia College I worked with several different populations: children with disabilities, adults with disabilities, hospital patients, and adults in memory care. I emerged myself in research on Music Therapy’s effect on children with Angelman Syndrome. I presented at our regional conference where I was awarded the undergraduate research award. I plan to continue my research throughout my masters and my doctorate.

My first week at Therabeat Inc. was absolutely amazing! The music therapists are so helpful and truly want you to succeed. In my first week I saw a range of populations, from tiny tots to adults in memory care. I have a rounded atmosphere to achieve my goals for my internship. I am beyond amazed by the talent the clients have. They are pushing me to be a better musician. From scales to rockstar drumming it amazes me how able they are. I love to focus on ability and not disability; I feel it is a very important aspect of music therapy.

I was able to observe all of the other therapies as well. I have already learned so much about what they do and how we can incorporate some of their aspects into what we do as music therapists. I cannot wait for the next few months so that I can grow more in my journey of becoming a music therapist. 

The Structure of a Music Therapy Session

           During music therapy awareness month, we want to share some of the reasons why we believe music therapy is so successful. One of my favorite things about being a music therapist is the structure of each session. As music therapists, our goal is to create a session full of structure and familiarity with our clients that is also easily adaptable. As a Type A individual and lover of schedules and organization, this is obviously one of my favorite things!

            I also love that we often give our clients choices when creating their schedule. They are an active part in creating their own schedule and they feel a sense of gratification and improved self-esteem when they are asked to help and make their own choices. With many of my clients, I draw a box next to each activity and allow them to draw a smiley face in the box if they completed the task while following instructions. This is a great motivator for them as many of them take pride in something as simple as drawing a smiley-face! If they get all of their smiley-faces, at the end of the session they receive their “reward” which varies depending on the client.

A typical music therapy session looks like this:

·      Hello Song-We sing the same hello song in every session to provide structure and familiarity for our clients. Our hello songs work on appropriate greetings, eye contact, recall, and expressive language and they are typically sung to the tune of a familiar song.

·      Movement-We like to begin each session by getting oxygen to the brain so that our session will be more efficient.

·      Instrument Play-During instrument play we work on fine motor skills (isolation of fingers on piano and bells or grasping a mallet), gross motor skills (reaching up, crossing midline, playing the drum bilaterally), directional skills (up high, down low) and dynamics (play soft, loud, slow, fast).

·      Therapeutic Singing-Singing is an incredible way to disconnect from pain, disappointments and negative thoughts and release stored muscle tension that is built up in many of our clients for various reasons. It decreases the levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) in the blood stream and is a natural way to uplift our clients and make them feel happy.

·      Songwriting-Songwriting allows our clients to express themselves in a creative way. They will often open up to us if we are giving them musical support while providing a listening ear. Many times, songwriting helps children who have difficulty understanding emotions explore and discuss those emotions and talk about problem solving.

·      Goodbye-As with the hello song, we sing the same goodbye song to end with familiarity. This intervention also focuses on appropriate greetings, eye contact, recall and expressive language.

                                                                                   -Hayley Echols, LPMT, MT-BC

Music Therapy Awareness Month

It’s almost here!

March is Music Therapy Awareness month, and the Therabeat team couldn’t be more excited to spread music therapy advocacy and awareness with our community and beyond! We are so passionate about what we do, and we love MT awareness month because we get to set aside intentional time to share more about the field.

During the month of March we will be sharing music therapy research, information on what is going on at Therabeat, and some other fun surprises (stay tuned!). We will continue to share music therapy moments from our sessions so that you can see the growth and successes of our awesome kiddos!

What can you do to be a part of MT awareness?

Our goal is to share and spread correct and helpful information about music therapy with the general public. The more advocacy is spread, the more people know, receive, and benefit from music therapy. If you or a loved one has benefited from music therapy--help us share by:

●      Re-sharing research articles

●      Write a Facebook and Google review (write a google review by googling “Therabeat” or wherever you have received MT and give a review on the sidebar) and share how music therapy has benefited you or a family member

●      Refer those in need of MT in your community. We work hard to search for grants and waivers so that all patients referred can have an opportunity for treatment!

What is Music Therapy?

This is the big question! There are many misconceptions about what music therapy is and what it isn’t. Check out this link from the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) to help answer this question. As always, we are available and LOVE to answer questions about MT as well!

http://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/

Thank you all for helping to spread MT awareness--we are excited for the month of March!!

-Perry Wright LPMT, MT-BC

Final Internship Blog

As my internship comes to an end, I am reminded of how thankful and blessed I am to be a part of such an awesome team. I am thankful for my short time at Therabeat and my how time flies! It is bittersweet as I think of the lives I have grown to be a part of and families I have gotten to know and love, but in a couple short weeks I will be board certified music therapist. What an accomplishment! I want to especially thank the whole In Harmony team. Each one of those wonderful ladies are incredible to work with. They are full of knowledge and encouraging words daily that got me where I am now. I had the privilege of observing and even co-treating with occupational, physical, and speech therapy, which helped me to better meet the needs of children as a music therapist. I am also thankful for my loving and supportive family and fiancée. It hasn’t been the easiest being six hours away, but they never stopped encouraging me. All in all, I cannot be more excited to be able to spread the joy of music therapy in my hometown of Mobile, Alabama. All thanks to my awesome internship!