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8 Strategies For Quality Sleep

8 Strategies For Quality Sleep

by | Aug 14, 2020

Getting less than the required amount of sleep can affect your health, your mood, and your brain’s ability to function.  This is true for children and adults. The longer you go without the sleep you need, the more the harmful effects compound.  The recommended hours of sleep fall between 7-8 hours.  So, it pays to make sleep a priority every night of the week, even if you need to cut back on some of your current evening activities. 

If this is hard for you or your family, you are not alone.  We know that more than one-third of adults are sleep deprived.  https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html

10% of children in the United States have a sleep issue. The percentage rises to 50% to 75% in children with mental health and neurologic/developmental disorders.  In addition, children need even more sleep than adults. Children ages 5 to 10 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep; those ages 10 to 17 require 8.5 to 9.25 hours. Children are getting enough rest if they can fall asleep within 15 to 30 minutes after going to bed, wake up easily at the correct time, and are awake and alert all day without napping.

 

What happens when you sleep?

Blood pressure drops

Breathing becomes slower

Muscles are relaxed

Blood supply to muscles increases

Tissue growth and repair occurs

Energy is restored

Immune system is strengthened

Hormones are released, such as: Growth hormone, essential for growth and development, including muscle development

For these reasons and more we want to be sure to make sleep a priority. Sleep’s most obvious benefit is energy. With a good night’s sleep, your mind is alert, and your body is responsive and resilient. You can learn more quickly and better remember what you learned. Your judgment is more likely to be on target, and your reaction time optimized. On the other hand, lack of sleep can negatively affect your mood and your ability to think and function. Your productivity and your creativity are likely to be compromised as a result.

Over time, lack of sleep can have consequences on your physical health. Heart disease, high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, depression, and anxiety are among the many conditions that have been linked to insufficient sleep.

8 Strategies for Sound & Sustained Sleep

  1. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
  2. Dim the lights after dusk.
  3. Get blackout curtains if very sensitive to the light.
  4. Put electronic devices away 60 minutes prior to laying down.
  5. Get thirty minutes of exercise each day.
  6. Watch what you eat in the evening including, avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol & hard to digest food.
  7. Set the temperature in the room around 65 degrees.
  8. Practice relaxation such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and music listening.

 

We suggest the following music for relaxation and sleep.  Each one is unique in its composition.  Try all of them to determine if one is more helpful than another.  

Health Benefits of Drumming

Health Benefits of Drumming

by | Jul 24, 2020

For years we have seen the research that music, singing, playing an instrument, and even listening to specific music can increase the capabilities of the brain. These activities result in the brain being stimulated on both sides an occurrence called hemispheric synchronization.   It is astounding to see brain imaging of a person in the presence of music compared with when they are not.   Look at the image below.  The brain’s reaction to music shows the dramatic increase in areas that are stimulated, accessed, and can be altered by the musical sound & rhythm.

From the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical, our attention is focused away from a negative stimulus to something pleasant and engaging. Music has a huge impact on the brain and our emotions.  Music can alter our breathing and heart rate as well as improve our state of mind.  This helps keep things like depression and anxiety at bay.  Music can reduce the perception of pain and even alter patterns of pain, depression, and disability.  Music occupies the mind with something familiar and soothing.  This creates an environment of comfort and a sense of safety.

As we explore the specific health benefits of drumming, you might be surprised at the vast areas within the brain that drumming can impact.  It has been determined that drumming synchronizes the right and left hemispheres. We have learned that when the logical left hemisphere and the intuitive right hemisphere of your brain begin to pulsate together, your inner guidance system, or intuition, becomes stronger.

Drumming also appears to synchronize the lower areas of the brain (non-verbal) with the frontal cortex (language and reasoning). This integration produces feelings of insight and certainty.  For these reasons, therapeutic drumming may be a powerful tool in helping retrain the brains of people who have some level of damage or impairment.  Those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), have suffered a stroke, or have a neurological disease such as Parkinson’s are appropriate candidates for therapeutic drumming.

Finally, music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves.  Slow beats create the slow brain waves that are associated with hypnotic or meditative states.  Faster beats may increase more alert and concentrated thinking.  When Beta waves used for concentration change to Alpha waves your body and mind will begin to calm and feel more relaxed.  This may be helpful to individuals suffering from depression and anxiety.

Professional drummer Alex Rüdinger has faced and battled depression. Drumming has been an integral part of his recovery.  His story is quite powerful and worth the read. https://audient.com/2019/04/02/rudi_drums/

What about those who are not professional drummers? Can drumming be helpful to untrained musicians?  There have been some comprehensive studies done with individuals suffering from anxiety and depression who have no musical training that has shown very nice results.

The study, Effects of Group Drumming Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Social Resilience and Inflammatory Immune Response (2016), explored whether a music-making intervention, specifically group drumming, could improve mental health over several weeks. Additionally, in order to ascertain the physiological effects of drumming, the study explored whether psychological responses were found in parallel with a reduction in pro-inflammatory response.

Their hypothesis was that across ten-weeks of group drumming there would be a decrease in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and improvements in social resilience and mental wellbeing.  It was determined that ten weeks or more of group drumming for 90 minutes each session did decrease anxiety and depression as opposed to the control group who did not receive group drumming.  In addition, they were thrilled to document that these participants also maintained decreased levels of anxiety and depression at the 3-month follow-up.

Considering the many health benefits of drumming it is an excellent option for those experiencing mental health challenges.  Are you interested in getting involved in a group this Fall? Send us a message by using our Contact Us link.  We would love to speak with you more.

Works Cited

Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L. A., Steptoe, A., & Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PloS one, 11(3), e0151136.

Book: Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea

Book: Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea

by | Jul 10, 2020

 

Blog post written by Kayla Davitt, MT-BC

Song performed and recorded by Jamie Swieringa, MT-BC

 

A sea turtle. A dolphin. A great white shark. These are just some of the creatures you may think of when picturing yourself swimming in the ocean. With this summer heat, everybody wants to be swimming, whether that be in a pool, a lake, the ocean, or even the bathtub! In Jan Peck’s storybook Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea, young children will encounter numerous sea creatures while journeying through the ocean with the main character who is on a quest for pirate treasure!

 

Jamie Swieringa, a fellow music therapist and employee at UMTC, wrote a very creative and catchy melody to sing while reading this book with your child. Feel free to sing along with the recording or create your own melody!

 

 

At UMTC, our therapists strive to develop creative ways to incorporate music into everyday activities. Using this book during storytime with younger children is a great way to entice them into learning through music! This wonderfully illustrated storybook is mostly geared towards younger children. While reading this book with your child, you can address a multitude of skills such as animal identification, color identification, opposites (big/little, up/down, etc.), and appropriate social greetings using “hello” and “goodbye” in song. Here are a few suggestions to follow when reading this book with your child:

 

Animal and Color Identification

Most young children may be familiar with the more commonly pictured sea creatures such as turtles, dolphins, fish, or sharks. This storybook, however, features some creatures that may be less familiar to a young child: a hermit crab, starfish, sea horse, and swordfish! Encourage your child to become more familiar with these sea creatures by describing them in detail! A hermit crab will grow out of its shell and explore his surroundings to find a new shell. A starfish can grow new legs if it is hurt. A male seahorse carries the baby seahorses instead of a female. A swordfish has a sword-like bill to use to swipe through schools of smaller fish when hunting. While identifying the creatures, you can also encourage your child to describe the colors he/she sees when looking at the different sea creatures.

 

Opposite Identification

The illustrator of this storybook, Valeria Petrone, created scenes in which the main character is larger than some of the animals. As the storybook progress, you will notice that the main character becomes smaller while the animals become larger in reference to what a human would look like next to a given animal. Ask your child to identify who is bigger and who is smaller as you read through the book. Don’t be afraid to challenge your child by asking him/her where in the ocean the animal is swimming: up towards the sky or down at the bottom of the sea. This will encourage your child to use his/her inference skills!

 

Appropriate Social Greetings

As you may notice while listening to Jamie’s song, there is a constant part that includes “hello” and “goodbye.” This is a great opportunity for younger children to practice singing “hello” and “goodbye.” You can also pair a hand motion (wave, fist bump, high five, etc.) when singing “hello” and “goodbye.” Don’t be afraid to take the greetings out of context when the song has become familiar and sing them to your child throughout the day: “Hello, mom! Goodbye, dad!”

 

We hope you enjoy using this book in your homeschooling adventures! For more resources and activities to use with your children, please visit our “Resources” tab located at the top of the page.

 

If you are interested in purchasing Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea, click here.

 

Happy reading!

Let’s Go Outside and Hear Some Music!

Let’s Go Outside and Hear Some Music!

by | Jul 2, 2020

The lazy, hazy days of summer are officially upon us. This summer presents a few unique challenges for entertaining our children as many public places, camps, and activities remain closed due to the pandemic. After an entire spring of homeschooling and continued social distancing, it’s safe to say that we all need a little relaxation in our lives. Going outside and hearing the music of nature is a great way to find some peace of mind during these chaotic times.

Notice the sounds

The first step to finding music in nature is to simply hear the sounds. Go outside and listen. This is an ideal opportunity to be mindful. Take a minute to drown out the noise of your inner thoughts, and focus entirely on the sounds of the moment.

Do you hear wind in the trees? How about birds chirping? Maybe you hear some human-made sounds, like the hum of an air conditioner or cars. If you listen closely enough, the sounds of nature will prevail.

Notice the rhythms

A biophony is the collection of sounds that animals make in an environment. Biophonies are the result of not just one animal voice, but all animal voices in a single ecosystem. For example, the calls of birds and croaks of frogs. In the healthiest of ecosystems, all sounds and calls of animals can be heard amongst each other.

A biophony is a natural and authentic orchestra. In our modern world, it is tough to find a healthy ecosystem, and therefore biophony. As such, it is ultra-rewarding to notice those rhythms that stand out over our human-made sounds.

To make a successful biophony, animals make their calls, and sing their songs in different rhythms, so that all might be heard. In an ideal ecosystem, not one voice goes unheard. If the concept of a biophony interests you, check out this audio book by Bernie Krause called: The Great Animal Orchestra: Finding the Origins of Music in the World’s Wild Places.

Look around and play!

If you are a parent or caring for children this summer, turning nature into an instrument can be a great activity.

When you look around, do you see any objects of nature that could be used as instruments? Perhaps start with finding some sticks. Tap them on different places. Do they sound different when you tap them on rocks versus the bark of a tree?

 If you are near water or have a bucket you can fill, try grabbing a handful of pebbles and drop them in one-by-one. Plunk, plunk, plunk into the water.

If you live near a sidewalk, take some different materials and see what they sound like when you scratch them on that concrete. How do rocks sound different from sticks?

Need some more inspiration? Check out the music video below made entirely from sounds in nature! We hope you find some music and relaxation in the nature near your home!

 

Blog submitted by Katie Pistilli

5 Tips For Your First Year as a Music Therapist

5 Tips For Your First Year as a Music Therapist

by | Jun 26, 2020

Written by Joanna Vella

Entering your first year as a music therapist, everything is exciting, and you are ready to dive in. As you progress through the year, you will face challenges you may not have anticipated. Whether it’s a quick schedule change, keeping up with paperwork, or working on different IEP goals, the first year can be a whirlwind! I faced challenges I could have never imagined such as a global pandemic and standing up for my students’ rights. In each scenario, there were certain skills I learned that helped make my year more successful.

 

  1. Be Flexible – As you move through the school year you are going to build a strong rapport with each of your students. However, you also are going to hit bumps in the road. A student of mine came in one day highly distracted and demonstrating sensory-seeking behaviors. After altering the music and interventions, I knew working on his communication goal that day was not benefiting him and his current needs. Once we switched to sensory-stimulating activities, his behaviors changed in both his music therapy session as well as the other academic settings that followed. Be flexible. Sometimes you won’t address the student’s specific goal because they need something else in the session, and that is perfectly fine. 
  1. Make Connections – As a traveling therapist, this is key to success. Being in five different schools and a daycare center, all of my responsibilities were different in each setting. Talking to your teachers, CSE’s, directors, principals, front desk clerks, and nurses gives you more connections within each school. Once COVID-19 school closures hit in our area, I was able to contact teachers, CSE’s, and parents to see how I could help. These connections I made early on in the year helped make this simpler when decisions were being made or meetings were being held. 
  1. Take Time for You – There were nights where I would be working and would become overwhelmed as my original “to-do list” doubled in size. When prioritizing what needs to get done, it is important to schedule time for yourself. You are working hard, and we all want the best for our students, but you need time to unplug and take your music therapist “hat” off. A friend once told me, “you cannot pour from an empty glass.” So, practice some self-care – you absolutely deserve it!
  1. Trust Your Clinician Gut – Being a new therapist, you’re automatically the “new kid” on the block. You will likely hear about your students’ backgrounds in various settings from the connections you’ve made at each school. Although these are relevant points to take into consideration, don’t take them as final law. We have the highly motivating tool of music in our practice, so don’t be scared to test the waters and see what your students can do in the music therapy setting. You are fresh eyes to the team so do not be afraid to try something new. If it works, share it! Not only is this great advocacy for our field, but it is even better advocacy for your students and will help them thrive in other settings outside of music therapy.
  1. If at First You Don’t Succeed, Change the Music – You are going to have amazing sessions, but you are also going to have sessions that are not so great. Through these good and bad days, it is important to remember that you are doing your best. When you hit a bump in the road just remember to be creative, think outside the box, and as always, change the music!

 

Going through your first school year can be tough. However, you will learn more than you ever dreamed, especially from the students you work with.

A Whole New World: Music Teletherapy

A Whole New World: Music Teletherapy

by | May 29, 2020

Prior to COVID-19, the word “teletherapy” meant very little to our team of music therapists. To even consider not driving to school, homes, or daycares was not a thought in our minds. How could it be? Yet, in a matter of days teletherapy became a new reality. All the hours spent fine-tuning our craft for in-person services had to be adjusted overnight. Looking back now, it is amazing how much our team has learned in a few short months.

A New Approach

After school closures, it quickly became apparent that the social-emotional benefits of music were taking center stage. This is a confusing time we are all in. For many families, the presence of music therapy in their homes is a welcome break to the stress they are under. At UTMC, we truly want to embrace this facet of music and ensure we are continually bringing not only music but joy into homes. Below is a photo of Sarah Ramey, an employee at UMTC accomplishing this mission during a teletherapy session! 

Supporting the Whole Family

As our team adjusted to doing therapy through a computer screen, it became apparent that we were able to help families in a unique way. By bringing music into the home, we can provide our students with a dose of familiarity in a confusing situation.

It is no secret that music has a way of lifting spirits. Our staff noticed siblings, grandparents, and parents joining sessions with a smile on their faces. Many stated they were looking forward to music all day. This is the kind of positive energy we want to bring to our families.

New Intervention Strategies

Parents and teachers aren’t the only ones learning about new technologies! Our music therapy team has been knee-deep in picking up new online learning strategies. If you are interested in pursuing online services, you will experience some of these new strategies for yourself.

1) Zoom

For the most part, our therapists use Zoom as a video chatting platform with students. Zoom comes with some great interactive features such as screen and audio sharing. While using these, the therapist is able to provide visuals and quality audio with the student on the other end.

2) PowerPoint

Many of our therapists use PowerPoint slide shows to present students with books or choice boards. It’s difficult to use visuals in hand because they may be blurry or off-angle. Using a PowerPoint via screen sharing solves that problem and provides clear visuals. 

3) Share controls

Zoom also allows for the students to have control over the screen. With this feature, the therapist is able to ask questions, have students type answers on their own, or drag and drop images to complete visual activities.

4) Props

Now more than ever it is important for therapists to grab our student’s attention. It can be so difficult to stay seated for 30-minutes, especially in front of a computer screen! Our therapists do their best to engage students with props such as hats, stuffed animals, scarves, or other colorful visuals.

New Services at Upstate Music Therapy Center

Upstate Music Therapy Center believes that music services should be accessible despite school closures. In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, we have adjusted by offering a variety of online music activities such as Music Enrichment, online Music Therapy, and FREE Online Music for Preschoolers (available on our Facebook page through the end of June). Additionally, online Counseling services are available. If you would like to learn more about these new online services, click here.

It is a shocking, confusing, and strange time we are all in. At UMTC, we hope that our services for students and the community can bring a ray of light into the homes and lives of families we work with. Don’t forget to find humor where you can in this whole new world we live in! 

 

This blog was submitted by Katie Hall.