Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

CHOA!

Today, I participated in an observation of music therapy at this facility.  It was interesting and incredibly emotional.  I'm not going to sit here and fill you in on cool music therapy activities.  I really just need to unload emotionally about what took place today.

My co-intern and I observed the Rehab unit and the Cancer unit.  While at the cancer unit, all three of the patients we were going to observe were expected to pass away very soon.  At that point, I was incredibly emotional.  My co-intern and I were given the opportunity in watching the Make A Wish foundation present one of the patients with an electric guitar signed by Angus from ACDC.  The gift came with bags of other goodies and an amp.  At this point, I lost it.  This patients mom was crying and I couldn't take it.  This is why I do not want to work in the children's hospital.  I know that it comes with the job.  However, I'm not sure I'm ready to work in that area.  I would be crying and upset the entire time.

BRUSH YOUR TEETH

So, being around kids is incredible.  They teach me as much as I teach them.  At times, it seems they may teach me more.  Today in my regular ed pre-k class I learned something about teeth.  This blog is simply to share this information with you.  The song I used follows below.







After listening to this song, I asked the students to name some of the reasons why we brush our teeth.  Here are some of the answers I received:
1. To get the cereal out of my teeth
2. To make my teeth white
3. So I don't have cavities 


All of the students shared these answers in some way, but my favorite answer was:


4. To get the sugar bugs out of my teeth


haha!  Apparently, that's what dentists tell kids.  I'm pretty sure all I ever heard was, "I'm cleaning your teeth so they stay healthy."  


Happy singing and please get rid of your sugar bugs!

Groundhog Day

Just for a little info, there are not a lot of activities and songs that are Groundhog related.  So, it's important to be very creative.  A couple of things that I did today:

1) Shadow activity

Song Tune: Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone

Oh where oh where is my shadow

Oh where oh where can it be

I have lost it now

Can you help me please?

Oh where oh where can it be?

Activity: Print out some animal pictures.  Make shadows by cutting out around the animal pictures on black paper.  Glue them on to a poster board and laminate!!!

Sing the above song and have the students match the animal picture to the animal shadow.

2) It's always good to have some instrument playing in your session
You'll need:  resonator bars/tone chimes E, A
and mallets

Song: Ground Hog by Butch Baldassari - Appalachain Mandolin & Dulcimer

Activity:  I facilitated this activity by having the students play a sequence after me or allowing them to free style.  It was interesting to watch the students when I allowed them to freestyle. After 10 sec of playing they made the decision to attempt to play my sequence even when I never once requested it.  It's also a great social tool because they had to allow me to play on the same bar as they were using.


I thought I would never be able to plan around a groundhog theme, but low and behold I pulled it off.  I even wrote a cute song to use with a puppet.  If anyone is interested in the song you can contact me.

Happy singing and God bless!