Music Therapy Connections NI

10/11/2025

🎁 Give the Gift of Communication this Christmas! 🎁

Looking for a unique and meaningful Christmas present?

Why not gift someone (or yourself!) the chance to learn Makaton — a language programme that uses signs, symbols, and speech to help people communicate. 💬💙

✨ Upcoming Online Training via Zoom:
🟦 Level 1 – 12th & 13th January (5:30–9:30pm)
➡️ You must attend both dates
🟩 Level 2 – 28th February (9:30am–5pm)
💷 £85 per level

Perfect for parents, carers, educators, and anyone who wants to make communication more inclusive. 🌟

📩 Book your spot (or gift a place!) here 👉 https://bookwhen.com/makatonmondays

07/11/2025

Working with teens in Music Therapy.
Following on from our emotional wellbeing sessions the teen group created their own “Musical toolkits” playlists of songs for when they need to 'level up' or 'level down' their energy, in partnership with materials.

By explicitly teaching and naming emotions, we can help young people build self-awareness, emotional vocabulary, and confidence in managing how they feel. These skills don’t always come naturally, especially in a busy school environment therefore it is important to create time to explicitly teach and explore our emotions.

Music gives our emotions a voice when words are hard to find.

Whats your go to playlist??

28/10/2025

15/10/2025

It’s hard to find the right words for someone who made such a lasting impact. He had a laugh that stayed with you, and a mischievous spark that made every day brighter. I’m grateful for the time we shared and for all he taught me on the beginning of my music therapy journey. The reminder to leave some space and time to really listen to what I am communicating and the joy that can come from the simplest of things!! Mr A you will forever make me smile when I think of that laugh of yours x

10/10/2025

When a local secondary mainstream school invests in the mental health of their pupils through music therapy 2days per week!!

06/10/2025

When our child is dysregulated, logic and listening go offline — their brain is in survival mode, not learning mode. 💥
Our job in those moments isn’t to teach or correct, it’s to help them feel safe and calm first.
Only then can they truly hear us. 💛

✨ More practical tools like this in my book Guidance from the Therapist Parent — available on www.thetherapistparent.com and Amazon.

02/10/2025

02/10/2025

01/09/2025

What a guy...so sad to read this today.

Hello everyone,

We are devastated to announce that Richard Hirstwood passed away peacefully surrounded by family on 21 August, after a long battle with cancer.

He will be lovingly remembered by everyone for his dedication to everything sensory & education impacting teachers, parents and students all over the world over the past 30+ years.

Hirstwood Training will continue to grow, providing training with the same passionate enthusiasm and energy that Richard would want and love with Josh, Lois and all of our fantastic tutors.

Josh, Lois and the team

21/08/2025

Did you know?
Most music therapy sessions begin with a “hello song” where appropriate. It’s not just a simple greeting, it helps establish routine, provides a clear and predictable starting point, and creates a sense of safety and belonging. Watch how B instantly engages with his familiar hello song. 💙💛

15/08/2025

🎹💛 Imagine my delight…

In our last session, F walked over to the piano and joined me for the goodbye song. I’ve been tentative about using the piano with him, as both the sound and singing can sometimes trigger a stress response.

But this moment, him choosing to come over, to join in is a reminder of the beauty of child-led therapy. When we truly slow down, observe, and listen to the voice of the child, trust builds. And in that trust, new opportunities emerge sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

08/08/2025

Child-led, connection-first therapy in action🤩
In this session, F, a gestalt language processor was engaged in repetitive solo play lining up boomwackers and knocking them down. This kind of play is comforting and familiar to F.

By joining his play and gently adding a familiar song Humpty Dumpty I offered a way to expand both his play and communication. As I sang and introduced movement, he began to join in with the song turning a solo, scripted routine into a shared, interactive experience.

This is what child-led therapy looks like: meeting the child where they are, following their lead, and building on their strengths. 💛🎶