What’s In My Bag: Emily’s “Must-Haves”

Hello! I am Emily, one of the six music therapists here at Toneworks! I am so excited to be able to tell you all about what is in my bag this week! First of all, here is my bag!

I use a crafting bag to carry all of my instruments and visuals. This bag is super handy, with tons of different compartments to put mallets, markers, and instruments. I also love this bag because it is on wheels! This allows me to have all of my go-to’s with me at all times without weighing me down and killing my back!

For my individual clients and for the classrooms I see, I ALWAYS have shakers, scarves, and rhythm sticks. These are great to have for group movement and music making. Whether we are thinking of creative ways to shake our shakers, or moving with scarves to prepare our bodies for a day of learning, my bag always has what we need.

Next, another staple I have in my bag are some novelty instruments that can also serve as sensory input for many of my clients. The rainstick allows us to time our breath “in” and “out” as we turn the rainstick from side to side. The cabassa offers unique sensations to our hands, or sometimes arms and legs. And last, the clatterpillar acts as a visual puzzle, as whoever plays it can watch the pieces weave from side to side. I love having instruments like these in my back pocket, because, let’s face it, we all need sensory breaks sometimes. These instruments are also great to use for relaxation and music improvisation to end a session on a calm, peaceful note.

This week, my bag is STUFFED with items from the dollar section of Target. First, are the flash-cards/ puzzle games that work on a plethora of different academic skills! From singing the A-B-Cs and matching a picture that starts with a given letter to finding the correct beginning and ending to words, these have been a great way to start transitioning from a summer mind-set to a school mind-set. A few other items from Target include my dry erase boards, blank and traceable, lettered dice, which are great to jumble on a gather drum and then create words or identify letters, and my felt Pic Nic set! I love the felt sets from Target; they are fun visuals that won’t easily tear or break. I have utilized the Raffi song “Going on a Pic Nic” and prompted clients to match where the food is to be placed, identify foods, and also work on using adjectives to describe food!

This is what was in my bag this week! Thank you for reading, I hope you have a wonderful rest of the summer and beginning to the school year!

Emily Knezz, MT-BC