The Roman Music Therapy Services Leadership Team attended Associated Industries of Massachusetts’ 2023 Executive Forum, featuring the new Massachusetts’ Governor, Maura Healey. We’re so grateful to have the opportunity to network and gain more insight into the growth of Massachusetts businesses!
As clinicians, adding novelty to our repertoire is key to promoting a healthy and engaging therapeutic relationship with our clients. One way to do this, that may not always be thought of, is through using books! For clinicians, caregivers, and teachers alike, books that can be sung are a great way to practice reading, reinforce learning, and embed other goal areas into one story.
Head to Toe
by Eric Carle
This book doesn’t have a specific melody, but this is the perfect opportunity to flex your songwriting skills! “Head to Toe” is fantastic for animal identification, body awareness, and so easy to incorporate movement into. Did someone say it’s time to stomp like an elephant? Or slither like alligator?
It’s Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr
Parr’s books are classics in the world of early childhood literature. The bright color scheme and childlike illustrations are just some of the benefits of opening up a Todd Parr book. This is another book without a fixed melody, but again, gives you the opportunity to create a memorable melody with your client, child, or student! Within each page, you can embed different objectives or experiences. Let’s count how many teeth are in his mouth! What animal do you see on the page? What planet is this? Parr’s books are visually stimulating and inclusive to everyone.
The Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter
“The Animal Boogie” is a book with a pre-established melody (yay!). What’s cool about this book is that you can incorporate the movements of each animal into a little dance party on each page! With a pre-established melody, you can spend more time on reading fluency, since the structure is already created for you. Plus, it’s a blast to sing boogie oogie oogie during each chorus!
Good Vibrations: A Children’s Picture Book – The Beach Boys
Octopus’s Garden – Ringo Starr of The Beatles
Respect: A Children’s Picture Book – Otis Redding (Did you know he wrote the original song?)
Happy! – Pharrell Williams
Every Little Thing – Bob Marley
Sweet Child o’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses
Happy singing and reading!
With most events cancelled, and the ability to “go-out” to a concert, restaurant or movie suspended, it’s easy for our Friday nights to feel just like any other night of the week. After a week of working from home, homeschooling and being cooped up in your own space, it would be great to have something to look forward to at the end of the week. At Roman Music 
Therapy Services, we feel it too! That’s why we thought a Friday night karaoke would be the perfect way to let loose, socialize and celebrate making it through another week!
We have been hard at work in the past few weeks planning a way to open our “doors” virtually and create a gathering place for all those in our network who are missing community connections.
On Friday, May 29th, join us in a virtual “Care”-aoke night to foster connection, share in virtual music making, and shake up the monotonous routine. In order to make this night extra special, we are inviting participants to gather a few items to help them prepare for the festivities. Our virtual karaoke party will include three themed group songs:
In addition to a rocking good time, we hope to honor the caregivers whose hard work we have witnessed these past several months. The move from in-person to virtual sessions has not always been an easy one. It takes dedication, communication, and patience on the part of families, teachers, staff members, and stake holders in order to keep the music going. Beyond our sessions, caregivers across the globe are taking on roles they’ve never had before, sometimes working longer hours, sometimes learning new skills, sometimes continuing to work while staying at home and parenting 24/7. We see these efforts and it is only through this selflessness and care that many of our clients are able to create a semblance of normalcy. Care-aoke participants will be invited to make small contributions to a group song over the course of the evening, culminating in a live performance at the very end to thank the many caregivers for their hard work.
If you or anyone you know could use a night of music, appreciation and fun, please register to join us by filling out the form below, and follow our social media pages (Instagram – facebook) for promotions and updates about this and other events!
There are times when we meet people in the community who immediately understand the impact music therapy can make. They are the parents who advocate for music therapy services on their child’s IEP, program directors who advocate fight for music therapy for their residents, and caregivers that know music makes a difference in the life of their loved one. We rely on the support of stakeholders involved, from family members to direct service staff to administrators, to do our job well. Without the efforts of these key change makers, we wouldn’t be able to have the powerful musical moments we have. That is why we are so pleased to honor some of these folks each month!
Starting this May, our team will recognize these PALS (Partners, Advocates, Leaders, Supporters), highlighting the superstars that we work with in all sectors.
Ainsley Flynn is a Residential Manager at a Bridgewell home we work with, and our music therapist Kim Schlessinger nominated her. Says Kim, “Ainsley has been a phenomenal advocate for her members, from taking the time to set up virtual sessions with me to gathering instruments for the ladies to play during sessions. I’ve had the privilege of getting to know her better through numerous phone calls, and it is increasingly clear just how much she cares for her members, making Walmart trips to buy craft supplies, making sure to set up whatever virtual programming she can, all while balancing her home life.”
Kesner Pierre manages a Northeast Residential Services home and was nominated by Maureen Young. According to Maureen, Kesner “has gone above and beyond in previous music therapy sessions, singing and participating by playing with individuals in the group, and shows a wonderful rapport with all of the individuals. Kesner has been working hard to manage the home during the COVID crisis and is helping to make virtual music therapy services successful for the residents. I have so much appreciated him being a part of our music therapy sessions and providing a loving and positive environment for the residents to live in.”
The entire team at Roman Music Therapy Services would like to thank both Ainsley and Kesner, not only for their dedication to their residents, but for all that they do to support bringing music therapy to their residents, whether in person or virtually.
Open Mic Karaoke: October 18th , 7PM @ Onset School of Music
Take center stage or be part of the audience singing a variety of songs, performing and dancing to the beat. Our karaoke nights foster creative self-expression where everyone can enjoy rewarding group experiences with meaningful music-making. Whether you love to sing to Taylor Swift or you enjoy listening to friends croon to James Taylor, this inclusive community event is fun for the whole family!
If you haven’t participated in one of our Open Mic Karaoke night’s you have been missing out on a unique experience. Part of our Project Harmony menu of programs, Open Mic Karaoke is one of our most popular community music-making events. There is still time to register for the last one scheduled this year! RSVP’s are needed by calling Jen at the office, 781-224-3300. $5 suggested at the door. Staff accompanying residents enjoy complimentary admission.
by Jennifer Ray
On Friday, October 13th, Roman Music Therapy Services invited the community and the agencies that we serve to our first ever Family Karaoke and Open Mic night. The karaoke event was the kick off to a new menu of services we plan to offer, under the name of Project Harmony. When we first started planning the event, we hoped that people would be as excited as we were about it! It would be a fun night, bringing people from different backgrounds and with different abilities together for music making. When Meredith and I talked about it, we thought a turnout of thirty would mean we had a successful night.
Two weeks before the event and we realized we were offering something that the community was getting excited about! Social media started lighting up with groups and individuals tagging each other and referencing the karaoke post on Facebook. Registrations started pouring in online. Group homes started calling with residents RSVP’s. The week of the event we had ninety people registered for a room at Onset School of Music that could hold one hundred.
We had to close registration, a problem we could have never envisioned!
BJ Wass and his crew at Onset (a huge shout out and thank you for all of their assistance!) opened up two rooms for us, an impressive back room with stage, lighting and sound, and another great space where we could have a second sound system running. At many points in the evening, we had two karaoke singers performing at the same time!
I found myself throughout the evening in awe and deeply touched by what I was witnessing.
Seeing this broad representation of the community; families, kids, moms out with their friends, adults with special needs, kids with special needs, all these people having fun and cheering each other on, it was amazing. Thinking about it now, I still get chills. Everyone that night was so accepting, and so supportive of each other, it truly showed the power of music and the power of community.
When folks left that night, there was a smile on every face. We had all been a part of something special!
Special thanks goes to Onset Music School, for helping us with the logistics, as well as to The Optical House, The Bread Shop and Kelly’s Roast Beef, who all donated items for our raffle!
If you had fun at our karaoke event, or weren’t able to participate in this one, please call our office, 781-224-3300, to RSVP for our next Karaoke night at Onset on December 8th!
On M
ay 17th, Roman Music Therapy Services had the opportunity to host members of the Wakefield-Lynnfield Chamber of Commerce for an evening of networking and…drumming!
A free event for chamber members, the public was also invited for a nominal fee. We kicked off the afternoon at 5:30pm, giving attendees a chance to mingle, unwind and enjoy some great appetizers from Rooster Thai and Convenience, who supplied the catering. After everyone had arrived and felt ‘warmed up’, Kathy McCann, MT-BC, led the group into the music room where a variety of drums and other instruments awaited them.
The drum is one of the oldest known instruments and the act of drumming provides a number of health benefits! It has been proven that an hour lon
g drumming session can reduce stress significantly, is an aerobic exercise, and increases brain function, and that’s not all! Drumming also helps build community and creates a mind/body connectedness. While some of our Chamber participants seemed hesitant and self-conscious at first, it didn’t take long for everyone to loosen up and find their own beat!
Ancient peoples and societies knew the benefits of drumming, and now, as more research is done, so do we. Drumming can help Alzheimer’s patients access memories, children with special needs work on motor skills, and people suffering from depression or anxiety find an outlet for expression. It’s also a great team-builder for businesses or organizations.
If you would like more information about the benefits of drumming and drum circles, please contact us! If you’ve never seen a drum circle, Malden Access TV taped one of ours a number of years ago and you can view it here!
We are happily making music In Wakefield. Whether you followed our move from Melrose or have yet to see our new home, we are opening our doors on Saturday, April 8th to show off our new space! Pop in any time between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm on the 8th to tour our new reception area and studio. Our open house will also be a fantastic time to connect
with old friends or learn more about all the wonderful services we offer here at Roman Music Therapy!
While our formal ribbon cutting, which happened with representatives from the Chamber, took place on January 30th, this will be an opportunity to welcome the community to our accessible, great new location!
We hope you’ll join us for light refreshments, conversation and of course – music – on April 8th!
There is ample parking behind our building and the lot is off of Yale street. We are located on the first floor, through the glass door and down the hallway. Keep an eye out for the balloons!
Hope to see you all at our Open Hous
e on April 8th!
The Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN), located in Boston with a satellite office 
in Western Massachusetts, is recognized state and nationwide as a leader in child advocacy, especially for those children with special needs. Committed to listening to and learning from families, FCSN provides information, support and assistance to parents, their professional partners, and their communities.
Working in the areas of children’s health, parental involvement, early intervention, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and Elementary and Secondary Education, the Federation oversees over 15 programs statewide related to supporting families whose children have either special education or healthcare needs. These supports can include training, workshops on Individual Education Plan (IEP) development, assisting a child as he/she phases out of the school system, finding support groups, promoting family involvement in school, advocating for a child’s inclusion in a school setting and so much more. An invaluable source for families, the Federation also works to reach out to financially and culturally diverse families who are also in need of support and services.
On March 4th, Roman Music Therapy Services will again be participating in the Federation’s annual conference, entitled Visions of Community for 2017. An excellent resource for families of children with special needs and the professionals who serve them, people come from all over the state to convene at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston for a day of information gathering, sharing and work-shopping. Topics of discussion are to include Demystifying Dyslexia: Essential Information about Assessment, Intervention and Support at Home, Physical & Communication Access: Isn’t that the Law?, and Finding and Establishing an Independent Living Facility for your Child, to name only a few.
Keynotes will be delivered by Dr Paula Kluth, author, advocate and scholar working with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students w
ith disabilities, as well as creating a more responsive and engaging school experience for all learners; and Brennan Srisirikul, singer and actor diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth.
As music therapists who have worked with children of all abilities, including those with special needs, our staff will be on hand at the conference to speak to parents, professionals and government agencies about the application of music therapy in conjunction with other services.
Stop by our table for more information, or if you cannot make the conference but have questions about the whether music therapy is right for your child, contact our office!
Well, the Halloween candy is long gone, and so is our beautiful fall foliage!
Thanksgiving seems simultaneously as though it was long ago and just yesterday. Suddenly it is the first day of winter!
However you choose to celebrate, chances are your holiday is just within sight. During the frenzy of the holidays, we often forget to enjoy ourselves and those dear to us. This year, try to carve out time to make some music with your family and absorb the beauty and magic of the season.
We at Roman Music Therapy Services are so grateful to all of you and we wish you and your family the very best, today and always. Happy Holidays!
From Meredith, Nichole, Annette, Amadee, Alison, Jennifer, Kathy, Katie, Laetitia, Mary, Patty, and Steven!
As we find ourselves quickly approaching the holidays, take a moment to enjoy some down time with your family and loved ones. Life moves so fast … slow it down and take a respite with a favorite CD or playlist to enjoy each precious moment. Also take some time to record your family singing songs or telling stories. With cell phones and tablets, technology has made recording very simple. I’ve started this with my little ones and it is beyond precious to hear them singing their favorite carols. I can just imagine how dear those recordings will be as they grow. Treasure every moment!
During the holidays, remember to make some time for yourself and your loved ones. Step back from the frantic pace and do something that truly puts the spirit into your holiday season. And don’t forget the music!
If you are looking for last minute gifts, we have lots of great instruments for the musicians in your family. For the kids, a floor tom or maracas are always a great “go-to!” And for that favorite uncle or big-kid at heart Grandpa, a ukulele will be a huge hit (if they can pry it away from the little guys)!
We also have CDs that make great gifts.
Our suggestions for the perfect musical gift:
Stop by the office to purchase, call or send us an email. While there aren’t scheduled classes next week, we will be in the office Monday through Friday.
Have a little one in your life who you think would love Sprouting Melodies? We have gift certificates available.
Our Intergenerational Holiday Sing will be happening on Monday, December 19th at 6PM. This will be a special event in conjunction with Onset School of Music and will be taking place at their facility. Come and de-stress with some music making in the holiday tradition!
Have a wonderful holiday and Happy New Year!
Join us on December 19th at 6PM as we partner with Onset School of Music for a musical event for the whole family! The holiday sing is a great way for young and old to put their voices together and celebrate the season. Registration is required.
Share the joy and build community!
Sing and make music in the holiday spirit!
The event will take place at Onset School of Music, 4 Audubon Road, Wakefield, MA.
