Counting the 2011 Blessings…

By on December 27, 2011 in Kat's Musings

…before counting down to 2012!

What a year. I have so many blessings to count and so many people to thank who have been here along my journey in 2011. Last year, I set the intention for ease and kindness in 2011, and boy did that manifest into some wonderfully rich experiences this year…

Personal Kindness

New Year Music Therapy

My Mom, Dad, and boyfriend have been uber supportive of all my endeavors. My mom keeps track of me on Facebook, giving me “likes” and comments. My dad and I call almost every Sunday. He gives me his valuable business perspective.

And my boyfriend – he is the most amazing, generous, kindest guy I’ve ever known. I’m biased, but there’s a reason I prefer his company over other guys, right? ;) He is the best. AND his signature phrase he says in the slowest, calmest, deepest bass “Everyone needs to calm down around here.” That phrase is an automatic anxiety-reducer for me.

Thanks Mom and Dad and my man =)

Tribal Kindness

I’m throwing heaps of gratitude to the creative genius Emelie Rota. She designed the Online Zennn graphics, new RFG header, and there will be much more to come in 2012. She totally gets me, understands my mission (better than me even?!), and lays out the branding brilliance! Rhythm For Good version 2012 is going to be outstanding because of her art.

My girl Karen Christensen rocked out a photo shoot with me this year. Her photos will be a killer addon to 2012. You can see her site, writeup, and photo teaser of me here. Thank you Karen for helping me feel good about being myself and looking good! =)

I was so honored to have gotten a call a couple months ago from the mastermind behind Chocolate For Breakfast. Sue Ann Gleason is a woman of transparency, authenticity, and powerful intentions. Anything she touches turns to chocolate – no lie. Just read a bit of her journey at her blog or better yet, take her Seamless, Stress-Free & Savvy Teleconferences course. I did, and it was $47 well worth it! I would’ve paid $247 for her wisdom. Thank you, Sue Ann for opening your heart online: a beautiful scene that you’ve created.

Thank you so much to Kathleen Prophet, Self Creationist (and pianist!) who has opened the door for me to feel pain and suffering as thoroughly as I feel joy and bliss in my human experience. Sounds dark, and it is! In the most impassioned, catastrophic way. I’ve come to feel more meaningful connections with my clients as well as my Self by honing in on Kathleen’s work. Joy, sadness, and everything in between is all part of the human experience.

Thank you Beth Nicholls for running such a cool site about doing what you love and publishing my story.

Natalie Mullis has been so generous in helping me trouble-shoot, brainstorm, and vent throughout this entire year. She is a fellow music therapist who has also seen incredible success this year with her business. Thanks Nat for being my online buddy! =) She also writes for the No-Nonsense Professional aka No-No. Lots of personality over there! Check it.

Business Kindness

Much thanks go to Marie and Laura of B-school. Without this course I would have never launched Online Zennn, I would never have met the ladies above, I would never have known how to give a web-based Intro to Toning class, I would never have understood how to make an online business work, and I would have allowed Sound Health Music to stagnate. I signed up for their course, and then they dropped this video. (You have to know Lady Gaga to get it.) All of my boomwhacker dreams would come true if I could find a seamstress to dress my boomies like *that*! If you’re up for the challenge, let’s talk. For real.

In addition, from this course and the ladies who have inspired me, I have learned that business – online and offline – does not have to be stuffy and boring. Business can be fun. Business is all what you make of it, and as long as I continue to be authentic and transparent, my team and I will attract clients who are a perfect fit. Big lesson learned.

Here are some more incredible ladies I’ve met in person and online through the course: Susan Plucknett (women’s wellness), Christina Rasmussen (grief counseling), Denise Duffield-Thomas, just to name a few.

Thank you West Music for giving me a gong to give away for the holidays. I don’t know about you guys, but I had a blast giving that thing away! What a treat. What a gift. Thank you.

Music Therapy Kindness

Thank you to all the Zennn Masters for giving the first-ever, only-one-of-its-kind online CMTE course a shot. Online Zennn was a smashing success because of you Masters! You did amazing work. Watch out for the new January course. It’s coming atcha in a few weeks.

Thank you Intro to Toning participants for signing up already. Prepare for some wild vocal exploration. There’s still time to sign up!

Thank you, Wall Street Journal, for quoting me and writing about music therapy and dementia. Here’s my blog post about it.

Thank you Petra Kern for working so hard and doing such great work with Imagine, the online magazine dedicated to early childhood music therapy. Here’s a video I produced for the magazine on self-care. There are 8 music therapists featured. It’s very cool. Watch it!

Thank you Judith Pinkerton for interviewing me at Music 4 Life. You can download our 50-minute adventure mp3 or listen to the June 10, 2011 episode in iTunes. Thank you Janice Harris for interviewing me on the Music Therapy Show. Listen to our podcast here. Also, thanks to Kimberly Sena Moore for publishing my guest post about The Day My Business Died, and thank you Michelle Erfurt for publishing my guest post on What Does Marketing Feel Like To You?

Crazy, mad, big thanks to all of my amazing clients who my team and I serve day-in and day-out. We are the privileged witnesses to older adults, corporate employees, children affected by cancer, as their life journey unfolds. We are blessed to offer the experience of music as the vehicle for change. Thank you for being you and teaching us beyond our understanding, our dear clients.

Finally, thanks Elise for calling me “a beast” right here =) I’m honored to blog about in my beastly ways!

2012 Intention and Final Thanks

I mentioned last year that I don’t do goals or resolutions. I set intentions as I hang out at both the giving and receiving ends. My intention for 2012 is clarity. Not clarity in knowing everything (that’s no fun!), but clarity in doing the work, creating the art, playing the music, dropping new videos, creating the programs, and putting my unique talents out there into the world. Clarity in being involved in the process of creation in-the-moment. Creative clarity with little-to-no expectations.

Now I’d like to give a HUGE thanks to YOU for reading Rhythm For Good. Your comments, your participation, your enthusiasm for the rhythm is deeply appreciated here. I leave you and 2011 with this quote from Wayne Dyer:

When you don’t trust yourself, you are not trusting in the wisdom that created you. That’s an insult to your Creator.

What’s in store for you in 2012? Trust your gut. Throw it down in a comment below! Cheers =)

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[Drum roll, please] Your winners are….

By on December 20, 2011 in Music & Wellness

Holy cannoli. It was killing me to have to pick ONE winner for the gong. Killing me. You are all simply amazing.

I believe in all of you. I believe in the power of your dreams, wishes, and prayers. You are fully supported by me and the entire rest of the world. Fully supported.

By going through the exercise of targeting your biggest challenges, dreaming of the gong, and sweeping through the New Year on your victory chariot, I assure you that INCREDIBLE things are coming at you in 2012. Prepare yourself for prosperity and abundance.

Let’s give a HUGE thankful shout-out to West Music for making this all possible. Can you believe the generosity?

Comments like these just go to show the bright light that 2012 has in store for you:

Hey, if I don’t win, this is inspiring as all get up and I’ve absolutely loved filling this in!!!

I have many instruments and I have never even given much thought to acquiring a gong………how awesome to have this come into my awareness.

Even if I don’t win the gong I feel like I have found a new area of interest that I would like to explore further!

A non-entry occupational therapist even emailed me (used with permission):

I am a pediatric occupational therapist and work with severe and profound MR kids as well as autistic kids in the public school system. Had facilitation training with Arthur Hull and Remo health rhythms and studied djembe for two years with a teacher from Senegal… Your video online inspired me to purchase a gong! Hope to work it in with the bag of tricks to make things fun.

Take the inspiration and run.

By the way, how awesome is our community? Music therapists, expressive artists, drum circle facilitators, rhythm lovers. My hope is that the #GongLove creates an even greater wave of community awareness and support for each other on Facebook, Twitter, offline… I hope you get to know each other by writing notes of encouragement when you feel inspired. And now for the big moment…

The Grand Prize winner of the gong is…

Kellee Coviak – This is a woman of clarity. She knows precisely what her challenges are, and she knows exactly how to overcome. (All in less than 100 words, too!) She is deeply deserving of a brand new, shiny gong for the New Year.

Congratulations Kellee! Woo hoo!

So, here’s the deal. Many of your responses were so amazing that I couldn’t just pick one winner. My new Intro to Toning class goes perfectly with our theme of strike-the-gong-for-wellness, and I think you’re gonna dig it! These contestants win a free spot in my new class.

Additional winners are…

Deborah Masterson – Beautiful, eloquent response. No doubt this beautiful Hawaiian understands rhythm-based wellness in and out.

Gabby Banzon – I’ve never met a student with so much self-awareness. Blew me away.

Michelle Lasco – Spoken from a caring, uber-loving heart.

Erin Bullard – This mom has got some clarity and balance comin’ her way! I’m a huge supporter of yoga-drum.

Sue Ann Gleason – I’m joining her in sending light and love to over-worked, under-paid staff people in assisted living.

Lisa Barnett – I can just tell… she is creative!

Please give the winners some love in the comments below! =)

Thanks for all of your incredible support in 2011. And I’ll keep bringing you creative, fun ways to interact, shake things up, and get inspired into 2012. The best way to stay connected is by signing up for the newsletter. Then you’ll never miss a beat from me!

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VIDEO: My Holiday Gift For YOU!

By on December 12, 2011 in Music & Wellness

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I want you to be well, feel good, and make music.

The Gong

My gift to YOU.

In addition, I would like for you to be insanely successful and happy in life. So, while you go about roaming the earth spreading the good word of making music and feeling so so goooooooood…

I want to give you something that will help you, your community, your loved ones, and your clients ring in the 2012 New Year with some excellent music-makin’ ju-ju. Watch the video here for some details on the gong.


I have partnered up with West Music in bringing a GONG to you! One lucky winner will receive a gong for the holidays. You must be careful to complete the THREE steps below to be eligible…

1. Enter your name and email here. I’ll need to have a good way to reach you if you win:


Now hit ‘Enter.’

2. Leave your response in a comment below.
The comment must be 100 words or less and include the following:

  • What do you do, and where do you do it?
  • What’s the biggest challenge you are facing right now?
  • How can the gong help you achieve some success? Tell us what you’ll create with the gong—in your work, and in the world—when you ring in 2012 through your big challenge.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA EXTRA JUICE: Do you really really really wanna win? Boost up your chances by spreading #GongLove all over Facebook and Twitter!

**For Facebook, you must tag Sound Health Music. Like it so you can tag it. =)
**For Twitter, you must use the hashtag #GongLove.
(That way we can track your points!)

Copy and paste these to get the Gong train movin, groovin and rockin around the online Christmas tree!

Tweet this now:
I’m determined to win this brand new shiny gong from @KatFulton and @WestMusic! http://bit.ly/GongLove #GongLove

Tweet this now:
I’m ready to ring in the New Year with some #GongLove from @KatFulton and @WestMusic! http://bit.ly/GongLove

Tweet this now:
All I want for Christmas is some #GongLove from @KatFulton and @WestMusic http://bit.ly/GongLove

Share it all over Facebook and Twitter to earn extra points in the contest. Three shares on each Facebook and Twitter PER DAY are the max for extra points.

The deadline is Friday night at MIDNIGHT (12/16). We’ll announce the winner the following Tuesday, Dec 20.

The Official contest rules follow:

  • Follow the three steps above to be eligible to win.
  • Share the contest all over Facebook and Twitter to up your chances. For tracking purposes, you must tag Sound Health Music for Facebook shares, and you must use the #GongLove hashtag on Twitter.
  • No purchase is necessary to win.
  • The deadline is Friday night at midnight. That’s December 16, 2011. Entries posted after the deadline are not eligible.
  • I’m the subjective judge of the contest. My decision is final. But you know I love ALL of yous!

By the way… West Music is so awesome that they are offering free ground shipping on orders before December 17th and free upgraded shipping (ground to expedited) on orders before December 21st. Click here to read details. Can you say “West is the Best?!” AND, if you happen to be a music therapist, you’d be interested in West’s music therapy instruments. Fo sho!

Now leave a comment below to win the Gong!

Comments { 45 }

7 music strategies for people living with late-stage dementia

By on December 6, 2011 in Older Adults

Last year for the holidays, I wrote about 4 Rhythma-tastic Holiday Goodies for Facilitating. Check the bottom of that post for additional holiday tips from other music therapists!

Those tips are awesome to use with all sorts and types of clients. But when I wrote it, I had residents in independent living in mind. You can certainly adapt and modify the tips according to the needs of your own clients.

Activities for seniors

Today however, I would like to address spending the holidays with people who are in mid-late stages Alzheimers/dementia. The topic of engaging with those in late stage dementia came up a lot at the American Music Therapy Association conference. (By the way, did you know that you can win a free membership in AMTA by Dec 20?)

I’m listing 7 awesome strategies to make music with those in late stage dementia. Of course completing a proper assessment and treatment plan are a must! Also, make sure to consult with a board-certified music therapist in your area. You can find them all listed here.

And these are great tools, but most importantly, speak, interact, touch, dance, and sing with your clients in late stage dementia regularly. That’s what matters…. the relationship and environment that YOU help to create.

Don’t forget to include the family in the assessment. They will have some great insight for you as you design the treatment plan.

I also adopt the philosophy of “Less talking, More experiencing” when working with people who have Alzheimer’s. Words may get in the way. However, I use words to speak clearly in preparing my client for what’s to come. For instance “Betty, these are bells. May I have your hand?”

These strategies have a very quick learning curve, so dig in!

1. Hand-over-hand drum sliding. Animal skin feels so nice if you have an authentic drum. But also rubbing someone’s hand over a synthetic drum head creates a calming ocean-rain sound. Perfect song: Silent Night

2. Hand-over-hand drum-tum-tumming. You must be gentle to avoid bruising. Even just guiding the fingers tips in tapping the drum. Perfect song: Winter Wonderland

3. Hand-over-hand drumming with a mallet. Sometimes drumming becomes easier when mallets are used. Watch my review of the adaptive mallet cuff. If your client needs assistance with grasp, then the mallet cuff is right up your alley. Perfect song: 12 Days Of Christmas (with 12 drummers drumming) or Little Drummer Boy

4. Velcro-strap jingle bells. Another type of assistive instrument. I especially like these because they have a nice round sound, and they are the perfect weight. You can velcro these to wrists and ankles, then do some hand-over-hand Rockin Around the Christmas Tree!

5. Ocean drum. This drum provides a great tactile experience. You can place it in a lap, or share it so there are four hands holding it. Sway it back and forth. Swirl it round and round. Perfect song: Do You Hear What I Hear (Change the lyrics according to the in-the-moment experience.)

6. Cabasa. Tactile, tactile, tactile. Roll it to the beat. Roll it for ambient sound. Make sure to prepare your client by saying “I’m going to roll this cabasa up and down your arm.” Start with a gentle touch. Perfect song: Festival of Lights for Hanukkah

7. Hand-over-hand tambourines. Roll the hand over the jingles, rub the hand on the drum head. Perfect song: We Three Kings

I use chimes, triangles, and toning bowls cautiously for this population, unless I’m absolutely sure that it’s a good fit for the individual. With the proper preparation and demonstration, these tools would be perfect. But avoid any instrument that might startle your client.

And remember: The brain is active. The brain is receptive. Introduce yourself. Allow the opportunities for the individual to vocalize back and forth in conversation.

My friend Natalie Mullis wrote recently about Alzheimer’s and Divorce. Also, my friend Rachelle Norman wrote about using an ocean drum with her clients living with late stage. Both are great reads!

Off to the Jingle Jungle for me! 3 holiday sessions back-to-back this morning. Did I ever mention this is the best job EVER?

What do you do for your clients living with mid-late stage dementia?

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5 Bold Statements I Bring To You From Atlanta

By on November 30, 2011 in Kat's Musings

Now that I’m coming up for a little air from the AMTA conference in Atlanta, I’d like to share with you a few bold statements:

1. Twitter is more powerful than your rolled eyes can handle. The only reason Ben Folds learned about music therapy and attended our conference is because of Twitter. The gate-keepers have come down, people. The ivory towers are burning down to the ground, at the same time that you are reading this post right now.

That crazy Ben, giving me the bunny ears again.

If you would like to reach out to a famous person, or the CEO of a large corporation, or big-time decision makers, or a big grant-funder then Twitter is one of your answers. If that high profiler is not on Twitter, then you probably don’t need to waste your time getting in touch anyway, because they are not as hip and progressive-minded as you.

Instead of 3-page long fan mail, high profilers can skim through extremely short fan blurbs from massive amounts of people. When they see something that strikes their fancy, they respond and take action.

Ben saw “#musictherapy” tweeted by Meryl Brown and Rachel See Smith, and was intrigued.

I would add that Twitter is not just for fun, goofy, time-sucking social time. Twitter is for serious business exchange. Try following @CNNHeroes to find a local healthcare professional with clout who just might love music therapy. Follow the hashtag #SLPeeps to find a rich, incredible community of speech therapists all coming together to swap info and collaborate with music therapists. But that’s only the beginning.

Music Therapy Ben Folds

"Music Therapy Ben Folds Fans"@CIMResearch @RachelSeeSmith @KatFulton @DevelopMelodies @KeyChangesMT

Participate in live, online chats with older adult care providers with this hashtag #ElderCareChat every other Wednesday. The list goes on.

I get all my news from Twitter. Twitter allows for you to CHOOSE what you follow and what you don’t. Say goodbye to the old days of fighting to get a spot on big networks, paying big bucks to get your ad on TV, and getting interrupted by obnoxious commercials.

I’ve also been tweeting with Mickey Hart, in anticipation of his San Diego concert.

Ok, I’m coming down from my Twitter soapbox. Join us =) Here’s my list of music therapists on Twitter. Come see what we’re all talking about over there. Once you spend a little time exploring and getting past the learning curve, I promise you can do Twitter in 5-15 per day with ease and efficiency. It enhances your life, relationships, AND business. Ok, now I’m off the soapbox.

2. The producers are getting ahead while the non-producers are left behind. This brings me to my last post about producing as much as you consume, online and offline. I noticed that everyone in our social media panel at the conference contributes VALUE to the world. Watch my video about it.

3. Music therapists have brilliant minds and ideas, far more than are realized. A student sitting in a 200+ audience presentation at the conference had an iPad out and open. I would assume this student was probably googling terms she didn’t understand, taking notes, tweeting about the presentation content, etc. Everyone else had pens and pads out, taking notes, so why not use the iPad and spare a few sheets of paper. An older music therapist came by to whisper “Are you getting anything at all out of this presentation?” and looked down at her iPad suspiciously.

Let’s get real, the scolding music therapist is part of the ivory towers that are crumbling to the ground. I think everyone should have iPads open in every presentation, taking notes, Googling unknown terms, marking events on the calendar, and interacting with other presentation attendees on Twitter – BRILLIANT!

In fact, if you come to any of my presentations, I invite you to please turn on the flame app and wave it around like you’re at a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert.

I guarantee you that the scolding music therapist is not on Twitter…

Seriously though, some people will never “approve of” or “understand” the technological explosion going on around them. The power of Twitter, blogging, webinars, sharing, taking notes on your iPad, etc. That’s ok. We’ll keep on keepin on, sharing our brilliant ideas online. ;)

Some day soon, we will have Twitter streams displayed on the big screen at our music therapy conferences. The ivory towers will be very afraid, but we will demand it, and it will happen.

And some day soon, the keynote speaker will invite the crowd to tweet #AMTA12 for #CHICAGO so we can make the conference TREND on Twitter! Ah yes. That’s a fun dream. Let’s make it happen next year.

4. Music therapists who come from different therapeutic approaches can get along. We can offer an eclectic approach in our practice. Thank you, Ken Bruscia.

5. Membership in AMTA rocks, and I invite you to be a member every year. You know all that press music therapy has gotten recently? The best-selling authors’ books, the award-winning films, the ABC, CNN, and CBS coverage? How about the legislature that has passed in N Dakota and Nevada, ensuring access to our services? AMTA has been involved in all of these projects, making sure our field is represented accurately the whole way through. They need us as much as we need them. Make sure to renew your AMTA dues here, then we’ll bug them about the live Twitter feeds for next year’s conference!

And finally, a note from the Ben Folds catalyst, Rachel See Smith:

 

Thanks for checking out this post, and stay tuned for some older adults + drumming posts soon!

By the way, are you on Twitter? Did I include you in my list?

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