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Michelle Tobias Tag

Toby, intern at the Music Therapy Center of California, is pursuing her degree in Music Therapy with a concentration in Vocal Performance from Radford University. Toby’s primary instrument is voice, but she has been playing guitar and piano since her early teens. She also enjoys writing and recording original songs and playing with other musicians as well.

Toby first decided to study music therapy in 2007 when she was interning at Invisible Children, a San Diego based non-profit raising awareness and funds for ex-child soldiers in east Africa. While working with youth and other volunteers from around the United States, Toby learned about what it means to pursue your passions and started contemplating what it was she wanted pursue and if it could help others. After watching a short documentary about music therapy and rehabilitation overseas, she decided pursuing music therapy as a career was a way for her to both follow her love for music and to serve people in her community.

“I can’t imagine a life without music. Listening to and playing music has always been a way for me to express my thoughts and feelings and make connections with others. I love that music therapy is so multifaceted; the scientific research is fascinating, but it doesn’t get in the way of music being fun and engaging for groups and individuals. I love sharing special moments with people through music and I’m excited to be working in a field where I am able to bring positive change to their lives by creating music together!”

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Hello!

This is my first post as an intern at MTCCA and I’m excited to share with others the amazing things I’m learning about music therapy and the work that we do!

Today we were talking about speech and language development through music. Music is an amazing tool to help develop and enhance language skills of kids and adults of all backgrounds. Because of the inherent structural qualities in music, like tempo & rhythm, melody, and repetitions of sections or verses, our brains and bodies can quickly connect with what we are hearing, oftentimes without even thinking about it! One of the reasons the brain work so well in the context of music is because once we connect with a rhythm and structure of a song we can anticipate what is coming next and we want there to be a resolution to our anticipation.

Here is a cool example of anticipation in music lead by the multi-talented speaker and musician, Bobby McFerrin. Watch for what happens at the 38 second mark!

http://worldsciencefestival.com/videos/the_power_of_the_pentatonic_scale

Now, this example does not have to do specifically with speech and language, but it is a good example of how we respond to music when we are anticipating what should be next. Because music is fun and engaging for so many individuals, they are motivated to work to keep the music or the singing going. So for a child who is engaged in music making, but has difficulties with speech or language, we will often sing a line or phrase they know well except for the last word and pause the music until they verbalize that target word, then the music continues. For example, “Up above the world so_____, like a diamond in the _____,” and so on. This prompt is very basic, but it can work as a foundation for children who are learning how and when to give appropriate responses, producing accurate articulation, making eye contact and watching for cues, and so much more!

That’s my realization of the day! Stay tuned for more interesting thoughts and information about music therapy in our next post!

-Michelle “Toby” Tobias