Valentine’s Day Inspiration!
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, so it’s a great time to share some fun Valentine’s Day Interventions and exercises. I am so excited to get the chance to do some themed sessions for Valentine’s Day, it is such a fun holiday!
Songwriting: I Love the Mountains
Materials: Songwriting sheet (for lyrics), heart tree and hearts (made via google images-see image below), expo marker, visuals for non-verbal clients
Goal areas: emotional expression, decision-making/choices, social connection with peers
- Music therapist introduces and sings song “I Love the Mountains” with group and prompts group members to sing on “Boom-de-ada” portion or play along on instruments
- Music therapist shows group “Heart tree” to place hearts with what clients love
- Music therapist asks group what things they love, using visual of options to prompt answers, especially for non-verbal clients
- Music therapist writes down client response on a heart, and prompts them to place it on the tree
- Once all hearts have been filled and all clients have answered, music therapist puts these into song “I Love the Mountains”
- Music therapist sings song and acknowledges what each client said (if done in a one-on-one session
Social Skills Hearts:
Materials: social skills hearts (made via google images and text-boxes), tambourine or other container to pass, bluetooth speaker
Goal: social skills, social interaction, making choices/decisions
- MT puts hearts with social skills questions written on them inside of a tambourine
- MT plays the song “Count on Me” by Bruno Mars on bluetooth speaker
- MT prompts clients to pass tambourine around the circle.
- When the music stops, whoever has the tambourine draws a heart out of it and answers the question inside
- This continues until all clients have answered a question/drawn a heart
- Adaptations: : for non-verbal clients, create a visual with photo options for answers to each question, so that everyone can participate! You can also use a microphone to motivate verbal responses from individual clients, or have verbal clients ask the question to their friend to promote socialization. For individual sessions, clients can drum along or play an instrument with the song until it pauses, and then choose a question.
Heartbeat Instruments: Attention
Materials: instruments, colored hearts taped on instruments
Goals: Attention, color-matching, cognition
- MT passes out instruments to each client, with different colored hearts attached to each.
- MT prompts group to listen for their heart color for their chance to play/have a solo
- MT sings song to the tune of “She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain”
If you have a RED heart play your instrument
If you have a RED heart play your instrument
If you have a RED heart x2
If you have a RED heart play your instrument
- MT sings this song until all colors have been done
- Adaptations: Provide opportunity for clients to make a choice for what color is chosen next (visual for non-verbal clients)
I have also used the song “Side By Side” to work on lower body movement (PSE), because this song is great for prompting side steps! For upper body, a great song to use is “Can’t Help Falling in Love with You” because it is in ¾ time signature, making it great for smooth fluid movements! Below are some other song ideas to use for Valentine’s day.
Song ideas for Valentine’s Day:
- Can’t Help Falling in Love With You: Elvis Presley
- You’ve Got a Friend in Me: Toy Story
- With a Little Help From My Friends: The Beatles
- Can You Feel the Love Tonight: The Lion King
- All You need is love: The Beatles
- All I Have to Do is Dream: Everly Brothers
- My Funny Valentine: Babes in Arms
- Bicycle Built for Two (Daisy Bell)
- Love Me Tender: Elvis Presley
- Side by Side: Patsy Cline
- You are My Sunshine (Valentine)
I hope those ideas give you some inspiration!
-Audrey Cosgrove, MTI
