Music Therapy Resources – Songs to Inspire & Motivate Children with Special Needs

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A while back I read a post by Music Therapist and blogger John Mews, of Mewsic Moves about his top 10 songs or tunes he uses when working with children. John’s blog has got loads of great advice and resources and is well worth following.. After 10 years in the biz, he finds himself coming back to a few tunes that always deliver – old favourites and classics of the classroom.

Using Skoog in Music Therapy

Skoog is a great tool for use in music therapy as it is a truly inclusive instrument. For many people with disabilities one of the greatest barriers to making music is the dexterity required to play a more traditional musical instrument. Skoog removes that barrier. It’s the Music Therapist’s equivalent of a swiss-army knife and can help address the developmental needs of children and adults with a wide range of impairments and/or complex needs. Find out more about the use of Skoog in education & music therapy here.

So, we’ve ‘Skoogified’ John’s top 10 tunes for use with children in music therapy and they are now ready for action. John’s top 10 is listed below, and you can read his post about top tunes for use in music therapy here.

For each tune we have created a backing track, which is labelled with the track name, and the key (e.g. RowRowRowYourBoat_Melody_CMaj) so you can pick the right pentatonic and get your clients jamming away to this kit bag of classics, or use the Skoog note files for melody and associated PDF Skores to play the tune. To access our Education Resources, login or sign up for a Skoog account here (you’ll need your product serial number).

If you have any ‘back pocket’ tunes or songs you simply must get your Skoog on to then email us at support@localhost and we will see what we can do.  We update our ‘Pop Tunes’ page on a regular basis so don’t forget to keep an eye of what’s new.

Of course you can play along to these tunes however you fancy, so enjoy, be happy, let the sun shine, the stars twinkle and get your head, shoulders, knees and toes in the boat ready to do as I am doing, and shake your sillies out over London bridge with a Hey diddley dum and a little rock and roll.

John’s Top 10 Tunes for Engaging Children in Music Therapy

  1. You are My Sunshine
  2. If You’re Happy and You Know it
  3. Shake Your Sillies Out
  4. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
  5. Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes
  6. Row, Row, Row Your Boat
  7. Do as I’m Doing
  8. Alphabet Song
  9. We’re Gonna Rock Around The Clock Tonight
  10. London Bridges
  11. Hey Dum Diddley Dum

And yes, John did throw an extra one in for good measure!

Skoog 2.0
Skoog 2.0

Don’t forget to check out the use of Skoog in music therapy and education.

How can I have a go?