Music can be fun, engaging, and a great source for entertainment. But, did you know that music can also provide opportunities for learning and address goals, such as those related to speech?

Alyssa Stone, MT-BC of Dynamic Lynks shares how communication skills can be addressed and developed through music on this episode of the Music For Kiddos Podcast.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How music can access communication, speech and language
• Tools and instruments we can use to support breathing, sound productions & articulation
• Strategies to promote and elicit communication

Today’s resource:

Mini Guide: 5 Tips and Strategies to Support Speech & Language Development in Early Childhood and Across the Lifespan

Download this communication skills guide HERE.

*and if you would like to receive the chords + lyrics + mp3 of original songs every month, subscribe to the Song-Of-The-Month Newsletter to get everything right in your inbox.

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

Is there anything more pleasing and enjoyable than a good book? Especially music books with engaging visuals, an interesting melody, and that have a really clear song form. There's nothing that will quite hold a child's attention.

 In this episode:

• I share my top 3 singable books to use in my music classes & therapy sessions
• You’ll hear their melodies and a little bit about how I implement them in the classroom

Today’s resource:

🎵Download the lyrics + chords of these books here: www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast7

*and if you would like to receive the chords + lyrics + mp3 of original songs every month, subscribe to the Song-Of-The-Month Newsletter to get everything right in your inbox.

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

The summer of 2020 was a stressful time to say the least. Music educators and music therapists were preparing to go online to provide services and lessons over somewhat unfamiliar virtual platforms.

Amazingly, our colleague Kerry Devlin, MMT, MT-BC stepped up to the plate and shared a wealth of information on our Lights, Camera, Telehealth course and today, she's sharing a Telehealth update on the podcast.

• A Telehealth update: What’s working? What’s not working?
• Thoughts on inclusion, accessibility, & anti-racism in the virtual classroom.
• Telehealth tools like Jamboard, and some ideas for implementation.
• Focusing on interactive experiences through Telehealth and how to do more with less.

“Zoom Gives Me The Zoomies”

This is a movement song that gives kids the ability to move around and shake their sillies out via Telehealth. You can find the PDF of the resource at www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast6 

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

The way that we present music to kids is really important because we want to help them to be as successful as possible. Fewer words, more music is all about communicating with music and is not necessarily communicating without words. It means that we are increasing our communication in music so that we can best support kids.

 In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• How to communicate more with music, and less with words in a child-centered manner.
• Using musical tools such as a melody, chord progressions, and cadences to stack your communication with kids.
• Ways to include verbal instructions during a song and how to incorporate them musically.
• The song: Wandering Song

Today’s song:

“Wandering Song”

This is a song that I use to validate children while they're (you guessed it) wandering and gently & kindly provide them with some structure and instructions within the music. You can find the PDF of the resource at https://www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast5

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

Kate Shannon, LPC, LCAT, MT-BC of Creative Therapy Umbrella is a fellow music therapist, creative arts therapist and a licensed professional counselor. 

On the fourth episode of the Music For Kiddos Podcast, Kate joins Stephanie to share tangible, child-centered resources that you can immediately implement in your practice. She also talks about her new course on Music For Kiddos called Out of the Music Box.

 In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• Kate Shannon, her childhood and how some of her experiences as a child have directly impacted her personal approach & the way she practices as a clinician today.
• Supporting children’s mental health by letting them lead and explore.
• Being and what this means in the therapeutic context.
• Ways to infuse creativity in the work that we do with kids with creative resources and approaches.
• The new course: Out Of The Music Box.

Today’s resource:

“Roll-a-story” Printable!

This resource will provide children with fun opportunities to create stories with different characters, settings, and challenges during sessions! You can find the PDF of the resource at www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast4

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

On the third episode of the Music For Kiddos Podcast, Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC shares her best tips about teaching the ukulele.

The ukulele is a favorite instrument of many music therapists, music educators and parents, because it is very accessible to kids. If kids are excited about playing the ukulele, if they are motivated, they can learn a song very, very quickly.

• Stephanie's best tips about teaching the ukulele to young kids
• Some things to consider when purchasing an instrument
• How to support kids to enjoy and love the ukulele
• What music to use to motivate kids learn quickly and eagerly
• The song: It’s A Good Day

You'll also hear "It's A Good Day", this podcast's opening song and one of Stephanie's original songs. You can find the PDF of the song at https://www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast3

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

Do you facilitate music groups? In today's podcast, Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC talks about how she approaches music groups.

She also shares about the system she developed to organize and facilitate early childhood music groups, how she started writing hundreds of songs and consequently, how Music For Kiddos was started.

• Stephanie's personal story and learning process facilitating early childhood music groups
• How Music For Kiddos began
• The system Stephanie uses to organize & facilitate early childhood music groups
• Some tips & tricks to ensure the success of her groups
• Just Dance: a movement song and probably the very top favorite movement songs of her students

You can find the PDF of the song with the chords & lyrics at www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast2

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com

Have you ever had an idea of something you’ve been wanting to do for a long time, and when it happens you can’t almost believe it? That’s how I feel about the Music for Kiddos podcast.

In the inaugural episode of the Music For Kiddos podcast, Stephanie Leavell, MT-BC, shares about her philosophy and inclination as a music therapist and as a music educator towards a sensory-based approach.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

• What you can expect from the Music for Kiddos podcast
• Stephanie's philosophy as a music therapist and as a music educator
• Her experience and training as a music therapist and the “why” behind what she does
• What it means to take a sensory-based approach
• The important role that empathy plays when supporting kids to self-regulate

You'll also hear "Breathe", one of Stephanie's original songs for self-regulation. You can find the PDF of the song at https://www.musicforkiddos.com/podcast1

We have partnered with West Music. Check out their incredible instruments and their incredible offerings at WestMusic.com or you can place your order at their customer service hotline at (800) 397-9378. Use code KIDDOS25 for free shipping on orders over $59.95.

Let's stay connected!

Music For Kiddos INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/music_for_kiddos

Music For Kiddos FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/musicforkiddos

Music For Kiddos WEBSITE: www.musicforkiddos.com