If I ruled the World

With the election looming, I had wondered how to incorporate the topic into group appropriately without stating my political point of view, but allowing the residents at the facility to state theirs if they wanted. I had read some ideas on a list I'm on, but then I had a flash of genius: If I Ruled the World...This is a song that Joe Pinson used to sing to the residents at Denton State School and I loved this song. So, I can sing this song to the residents as it is...and then have them tell me what they would do if they ruled the world which could equal being president...anyway, it sounds like it might be fun. I'll see what happens.

Stump the Therapist

I just bought a book called The Ultimate Fake Book. It has 1200 songs in it. Theoretically it should have every song I want to sing with the residents. I already know that it doesn't because I looked through it when I got it, but I thought it would be fun to play a game of Stump the Therapist. I figured I would get them to give me songs and we'd look it up in the book to see if it's there. IF it's not, I'll make a list of those songs to look for them in other books. If it is there we'll sing it. I'm bringing my keyboard so I can play songs I don't know. I don't know if it's going to work or not, but it seemed like a fun thing to do.

Songs about Food

here is a list I found about food songs

http://www.mixedup.com/foodsongs.htm

Social Wellness group for Healthy Aging Month

Today I had the residents list 5 things that they do to keep themselves Socially Well. I asked them things that they do to be social.

They gave me these five things:
1) Playing bingo/Cards
2) Going out to Eat
3) Going to Daily Devotional
4) Going Shopping
5) Going on a Date

I tried to come up with songs to fit each category.

So far this is what I have:
1) the song Bingo for Bingo (weak, but I need to think on this a bit
2) The Song Jambalaya for the going out to eat...will find more songs for tomorrow's group
3) All number of reglious songs for the Daily Devotional (their favorite category)
4) the songs Five Foot Two and Sweet Little Alice Blue Gown for clothes shopping and fashion. Other song ideas for this one include Easter parade, Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini; All God's Children Got Shoes; Second Hand Rose
5) Hey good Lookin'; Daisy Daisy

Pictionary with song

Watching the residents play Pictionary today I thought of a great music therapy group for an Intellectual wellness week. I will draw pictures and have residents draw pictures to illustrate a song. I don't know if it's an original idea. but I like it!

Olympic week songs

I have been thinking about my olympic songs and here is a vague idea of what I'm coming up with...

I'm thinking of finding sports and then songs related to the sports. The may not be Olympic sports, just any song that could be in competitions.

For example: Bicycle Built for Two (bicycle racing)

I need to figure out the rest of the sports though...I always think about them whenever I'm not where I can write down my ideas.

I need equestrian songs, basketball, swimming, gymnastics (maybe the man on the flying trapeze?) Honestly I still need to research the sports to figure out what goes with it.

The other idea I have had is to mimic the motion of the songs by playing instruments or moving to music to simulate the olympics. I also thought about playing some sort of active moving game using instruments or music.

New Song Suggestions

So that I will later remember to come back and find these songs:

Georgia on My Mind
Sweet Georgia Brown
Somebody to Love me (not the queen song)

This afternoon we threw the ball around with song suggestions. This was a good activity for physical and intellectual wellness as we had to think of songs and kick and toss the ball. I think it well. Everyone seemed to have fun. Time went quickly.

I just found one of them. It's not Somebody to Love me but I wish I had someone to love me.

I WISH I HAD SOMEONE TO LOVE ME

First verse & Chorus:

I wish I had someone to love me,
Someone to call me his own,Someone to sleep with me nightly,
I weary of sleeping alone.

Meet me tonight in the moonlight,
Meet me tonight all alone,
I have a sad story to tell you
I'm telling it under the moon.

Tonight is our last night together,
Nearest and dearest must part,
The love that has bound us together
Is shredded and torn apart.

I wish I had ships on the ocean
Lined with silver and gold
Follow the ship that he sails in
A lad of 19 years-old.

I wish I had wings of a swallow,
Fly out over the sea
Fly to the arms of my true love
And bring him home safely to me.

Commentary copied from lyricstime.com

Apparently before this song went through the folk process, it was one of Vernon Dahlhart's country hits of the late 30's. It went under the title of "The Prisoner's Song" and a snatch of itis used at the end of the Bogart movie, Deadend. Sally Rogers learned this version from Lisa Null, who heard Irish singer Joe Heaney perform it..

Tomorrow I will be doing a country music day in the morning with old country favorites.