Spectrum Press

"I Am Love: A Book of Compassion" is such a sweet book with a beautiful message that is perfect for Valentine's Day, but can really be shared anytime during the year!

Today on the blog, music therapist Shannon Ogden shares an original song she created to go along with the book, as well as some discussion prompts. Check it out, and snag the free lead sheet on our website:

I Am Love As we approach Valentine's Day every year, I try to think of unique ways to discuss love with my clients. I saw the book, "I Am Love: A Book of Compassion," by Susan Verde with art by Peter H. Reynolds, while doing some shopping at Target a

✨ PANCAKE-spiration ✨

Happy Friday!!! Noa here. 👋 When working with a student this week, she was super excited about the pancakes 🥞 she ate earlier. (Are there any fellow pancake enthusiasts out there?!)

So, she decided she wanted to incorporate pancakes into our movement and breathing exercises together.

While reading through some books she chose, we explored ways to move our bodies that reminded of us pancakes, sharing in some giggles and shared food-related excitement.

I hope your students can relish (😂) in some pancake-adjacent FUNspiration in their sessions too!

Last year, we shared an article written by Juliana Joyce, one of our school-based music therapists, that shared some tips for fostering more inclusive environments, specifically around the holiday season.

Today, we're re-sharing this article, but with some additional content by Juliana reflecting some of the ways her own thought process has evolved throughout the year. Here's a quote from the article:

"in the last year, I have increased my knowledge in anti-oppressive practice and anti-racism through research, attending workshops, and self-reflection. As the late, great, Dr. Maya Angelou said: “When you know better, you do better.” I am revisiting last year’s blog to set the precedent that we can learn and grow as music therapists and as humans, and reflect this growth within our practice." (Juliana Joyce)

In the article, Juliana shares some really wonderful tips for how we as therapists and educators can do a better job of honoring more diverse holiday traditions in our clinical practice, along with a transparent look at how certain ideas have evolved for her over time.

Honoring Diverse Holiday Traditions As a Music Therapist Happy holidays, everyone! Last year, I wrote this blog post about cultivating an inclusive environment in your music therapy practice, specifically focusing on the school based setting. However, I wanted to revisit portions of it based on knowledge I have gained in the last year. I am