Music Therapy Services of Simcoe County
80 Bradford St L4N 3A8 Barrie, ON, Canada

Please enjoy our first attempt at virtual group music making. Special thanks to Charlie for learning the program to put all our tracks together. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all! From Heidi, Kimberly, April, Kimi, Jody, Josh, Patricia & Charlie.

Camp Songs with April

It's time once again for Sing Your Words! The word of the month is "Fall." How many songs can you name with the word "Fall" or "Falling" in the lyrics? List your songs in the comments below and happy singing!

On this month's Therapist Corner, we reflect on intimate, but powerful moments with clients: "Music can be a vessel for so many wonderful experiences. I was honoured to facilitate an intimate and powerful moment in a recent session. It was during an online session with a couple who had been married for over 50 years. Both were in their 90s. The husband usually preferred to listen to the music while his wife sang along with familiar songs. However, in this particular session,... both of them sang You Are My Sunshine aloud while looking into each other’s eyes. I eventually let my voice fade away so they could enjoy this moment between themselves. I felt honoured that I was able to give them this moment and privileged to share this moment with them. The husband passed away a few weeks after, and I was told that the wife sang this song at his funeral."

Sweet Dreams Music with Patricia

On this month's Therapist Corner, we talk about online sessions. Since March, the music therapists at our clinic have transitioned from in-person to online sessions for many clients. You may be wondering some ways that we are still able to connect with individuals through the challenges of technology and being separated by a computer screen. Here are some of the techniques and strategies we find most helpful: - Providing clients with information on how to find things around... their home to make their own instruments. For example, they can make shakers with rice or beads in a plastic container or use a box of pasta - Using visuals (such as through screen sharing or an additional camera over the piano) to allow for multi-sensory engagement - Encouraging clients to personalize a familiar song with their own lyrics, or helping them to write an entirely new song! Dealing with physical barriers or obstacles during this time can sometimes allow for the most creative and imaginative solutions, and we can do a lot more than just singing songs!

Active Kids Music with Jody

We would like to wish a Happy Diwali to everyone celebrating. Diawli is the festival of lights that symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. You can find more information about Diwali here:... https://diwalifest.ca/about-diwali-fest/ See more

This month's "What We Are Reading" features an article about how Music Therapy can reduce and manage stress. "Music isn’t the solution to all our problems. But in those times when the drudgery or disappointments of life seem overwhelming, music like all art can help many of us reconnect with a sense of wonder and beauty." - Abbey Dvorak, Assistant Professor of Music Therapy, University of Iowa... Read more about it here! https://elemental.medium.com/music-can-get-us-through-this-