Calling Heathermomster or another metronome guru

[Dmmetler]

Catching up:

 

boomwhackers are tuned plastic tubes that you play by banging on the floor (your hand, your shoe...and each other, which I do NOT encourage, but you can find some videos online which include it in choreography). which are color coded. Lots of gross motor, good for kids with special needs because they're light and easy, good for energetic kids because they get to pound things, almost unbreakable, and not too loud. There are three octaves available, plus chromatics. The base middle octave set is usually only around $25 or so. They sometimes appear in teaching stores and special needs catalogs af a MUCH higher price.

 

Handbells and desk bells (handbells you pick up and play, desk bells you play by hitting the button on top). Again, easy to use, can be more irritating to hear (I'm talking the ones that are $50 or so a set, not the iultra expensive, beautiful ones used in church choirs).

 

Unfortunately, these aren't color coded the same. Boomwhackers are C-Red, D-Orange, E-Yellow, F-Green, G-this weird teal color that looks like Perry the Platypus, "A-Purple, and B-Bright hot pink. In the bells I have, the same green that is F in the boomwhackers is G in the bells. That makes it hard to mix them.

 

Post-it tape flags are awesome for piano keys and orff instrument bars.

 

For special needs, or for any young kids, I strongly recommend a renassaince style recorder, like the Peripole one. The reason is that these require a more steady airstream and are next to impossible to overblow. It's harder to play high notes on one, but for the regular range taught first, this avoids almost all of the squawks and squeaks, and gets a better sound. Another recorder trick is to work one finger at a time, and cover the other holes needed for that note. So, for example, I work G-A-B first, and will cover all but one hole for the G, and work on just covering uncovering that finger, giving G and A, then move up, to working G-A-B until all three fingers are solid, and then uncover the back hole and work on it. I then move down and work D, E, F#, with the left hand in place and the right hand working at covering/uncovering holes. I don't do anything above C until the bottom octave is solid because that gets into overblowing, and for kids, that's hard to control. Better to get the control solid first on the easier side.

 

The nice thing about recorders is that they are fairly cheap, so you can start with the Renaissance one, get the lower octave and breath under control, and then move to the more standard Yamaha baroque one (which is easier to overblow and get higher notes on) and work on the upper octave.

[Dmmetler]

On music-recorder music is actually a good place to start on almost any instrument. The Plank Road Publishing people. Especially, have a lot of nice one, two, and three note songs with really awesome accompaniments that are a lot of fun. One of my favorites is the "Dexter Dragon" collection.

[mymommy1]

This is an old thread, but researching these ideas for use with an older child, I thought the drumming was interesting.  Then I came across this https://www.stronginstitute.com/resources/calming-anxiety-based-behaviors-in-autism-with-rei.html

and thought I'd leave it here for others since it relates.  It's rhythmic drumming cDs and such used as therapy for ADHD in adults and Autism in kids and such.

[Terabith]

I so wish my 11 year old didn't have a PTSD reaction to metronomes or the concept of them.

[PeterPan]

I so wish my 11 year old didn't have a PTSD reaction to metronomes or the concept of them.

 

Has she been checked for retained reflexes?

[Terabith]

Nope. At this point she is so resistant to anything therapy like, or even mom demanded, that I honestly wonder about line for abuse.

[nature girl]

My husband bought himself an electronic drum kit as a Christmas gift (Lord help me...) and my ADHD DD is incredibly interested in it. She seems to have a good sense of rhythm as well. Now I'm wondering how I can capitalize on that...Maybe set a metronome for 54bpm, and have her try to recreate patterns with hands and foot pedals? Does there need to be a set pattern, or would random drumming/pedaling to that rhythm be enough?

[Heathermomster]

When DS performed IM, he followed a set pattern.  Focusing on the pattern at 54 BPM for 20 minutes was the heart of the exercise.