Welcome to Tuneful Teaching! I am a Board Certified Music Therapist and a mom of three. I am a lifelong learner with a pile of books waiting to be read in almost every room. Through the powerful medium of music, I target non-musical goals such as communication, motor, social, and cognitive skills. I enjoy working with people of all ages including the elderly and children and adults with developmental disabilities. In recent years, I have developed a specialty area of math and literacy tutoring through music. Reading is a passion of mine and in the process of developing strategies to help kids with autism learn to read, I became interested in researching phonological awareness. I am in the final editing stages of a book on this topic titled Alphabet Stew and Chocolate Too: Songs for Developing Phonological Awareness, Literacy, and Communication Skills.
The focus of my blog is primarily on teaching literacy skills and other academic concepts through music. Resources found in this website will also help typically developing three to six year olds learn to read. In addition, the songs are age appropriate for older students who are still struggling. My passion is helping all individuals learn the life altering skill of learning to read. By teaching the foundational skills of phonological awareness, children develop the building blocks needed for literacy and communication.
Following the theme of making connections for Music Therapy Advocacy Month, a wonderful discovery for me occurred when I started working with a six year old girl on the autism spectrum named Emily. As part of the assessment process, her primary goal areas were identified as communication skills, perceptual-motor integration, and literacy.
In honor of Social Media Advocacy Month for music therapy, the Tuneful Teaching Blog is officially taking flight. This has been in the works for about a year. I have been enjoying all the great music therapy blogs out there, all the while learning and planning for my own launch.
