Ready for Spring
While I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, in northeast Ohio there are signs that Springtime will be here before we know it, and I can’t wait. With every transition into a new season, I think it is common for most to anticipate feelings of change, renewal, and growth. Personally, I feel this especially during the transition from Winter to Spring. Winter melts away and we open up our windows to let the sunlight in, we hear more birds outside, and we can visually experience new growth in nature. It’s one of my favorite times of the year! Professionally, the changing of Winter to Spring also impacts our work. Music therapy sessions can take place outdoors weather permitting, and session planning begins to incorporate new themes and experiences. To get the creative ideas flowing for Spring, I wanted to share a new song I discovered recently and some resources I made to go along with it that you can incorporate into your music therapy sessions right away with no prep.
Song share: “r.i.p.” by Claire DeSantis
I would consider the genre of this song to be very pop-punk with a sound similar to Paramore, but more on the pop side. The main theme of this song is that we can bury our “dead thoughts” and over time they will grow into a garden that we can tend to and appreciate. I absolutely LOVE how the lyrics paint an accessible mental image of actually getting rid of negative thoughts and how that can help better and more positive thoughts grow. It’s also a great reminder that we get to decide how we think about things, and what we tell ourselves is directly related to what we think about ourselves. Check it out!
For music therapy sessions
There are tons of ways that this song could be implemented into music therapy sessions, but here are a few to spark some ideas:
- lyric analysis
- music and art
- cognitive reframing
- emotion exploration
- music and movement
- instrument playing – could pay special attention to tempo and dynamics.
- pairing the song with positive mantras or self-affirmations
Resources
Personally, I love low-prep activities so I wanted to share some on the blog this month! Below you’ll find free resources to download that I’ve made to pair with this song. I hope you find these resources helpful and that you and your clients enjoy this song as much as I do!
This blog was written and shared by Abby Petrey, MT-BC. Abby provides 1:1 and group music therapy support services in people’s homes, the community, Cleveland schools, and via telehealth. Abby is also our social media coordinator. Abby’s passions outside of music include reading, cuddling her cat, and spending time with friends. All images in this post were created by Abby.