If you are about to start internship or are looking for new apps to use for sessions, here is a list of apps I highly recommend!
Google Drive
This app is great for organizing and keeping everything in one place. You can make folders in the drive to help find everything easier which is helpful if you need to find visuals, slide shows, or songs quickly during sessions.
Google Maps
In my experience, this app is useful on my drives through the St. Petersburg community. I use this app constantly on days where my sessions are out in the community. I have found that Google Maps gives me routes that save time and gas compared to using the standard iPhone maps app (Apple Maps).
OnSong and Ultimate Guitar Tab
Personally, I like to use OnSong for keeping all of my chord sheets in one place. The app is completely free for the first thirty-five songs that you upload to the app. Another great aspect is that you can edit the songs in the app if needed and change the key that you uploaded in with a press of a button. Many people also choose to use the Ultimate Guitar Tab app in collaboration with OnSong for finding chords for new songs. However, this app may not always be correct on capo placement. Another note should be that you are unable to transpose the key in the app unless you pay a monthly/yearly fee.
Genius Scan
This app is great to use if you like having lead sheets on your Onsong. All you have to do is scan your document, and the Genius Scan will upload the image to other apps with no issues. This app is completely free, and you can scan as many pages into one document as you need. I personally have tried other apps such as iScanner and Scanner but this one is what I will recommend to Music therapy interns.
ChatterBoards
This is personally one of my favorite apps to use in sessions. It provides wonderful communication board templates to use with clients that are easily customizable. I have used the custom boards to provide alternative communication opportunities that promote decision making in sessions; from who we are saying hello to during the hello song to what instruments the client wants to play, and so much more! My favorite way to use this app is during lyric rewrites so that clients are able to create fun songs.
My favorite song I have done this with is “What is the Leprechaun Doing Today” (to the tune of “What do You do with a Drunken Sailor”).
LaunchPad - Beat Music Maker
This app is a fantastic way to add another layer to rhythm interventions. I have personally used this app during a “cup rhythm” intervention to help keep tempo in a fun and new way. There are so many sound packs to choose from some of my favorites are House, Hip Hop, and Drum & Bass. Each of these packs are free but there are others available that can be used if paid for through in-app purchases.
GuitarTuna
Not only can this app help with guitar tuning, it also has tuners specific to the ukulele, the violin, and so many more instruments! The app also has a metronome if you need one for practicing. A fun feature I discovered is a custom chord game in the app to help learn and or practice chords. The best part is that you can choose what chords are in the game instead of random chords popping up. The chord library is expansive, and provides a great visual that shows all chords on the guitar including minor, 7ths, 9ths, etc.
Garage Band
This app is great for creating backtracks for clients. Another great feature about the app is that clients can play chords for different instruments by just touching the screen. This app is available on all Apple devices for free. Garage band has automatic strumming/ accompaniment patterns for guitar, bass, and piano, which is helpful for clients who have minimal gross upper extremity motor skills. Other great features include the smart drums, pattern beatmaker, and drumset. A unique feature is that instruments from around the world can also be played on this app including the Pipa, Erhu, Koto, Guzheng, etc.
I have seen this app used during room visits with older adults where the automatic playing feature provided opportunities for accessible piano play to preferred music selections.
SoundTrap Studio
In my experience this app is wonderful for when you are working with clients on songwriting. There are a ton of free loops for clients to choose from, and clients can choose to create their own drumbeat using the pattern beatmaker. A great feature about this app is that you can share the song project with clients, so they have the option to work on songwriting outside of the session. Another way to use this app in sessions is by having clients guess the instrument sounds being played.
You can include instrument visuals or have clients decide between two instruments based on their auditory discrimination capacity.
TunyStones
Personally, I like to use this app to engage younger clients to play the piano in sessions and help in teaching sound discrimination for high versus low notes following the visuals in the app. There is a second version of the app that is for guitar.
Piano
In internship, new songs have to be learned all the time, but you may not always have a piano nearby. Having the piano app means I have a piano on me at all times, which is helpful for pitch accuracy with starting pitches and new melodies.
Daily Decisions
This is personally my favorite spinning wheel app. I have used this app with interventions that require a decision to be made. This app has a few features that make it especially fun. Some of these features include changing the color of the wheels, and choosing which emojis will show up once the wheel decides. Other helpful features include saving multiple wheels, changing the speed of the wheel, and changing the spin duration.
I have used this app for hidden instrument bingo! The client has to press the button on the iPad and then find the instrument that the wheel landed on that has been hidden somewhere in the room.
Spotify
This app is my go-to for recorded music. This app also creates playlists that can help interns learn new music that they have never heard of. I find the playlist for children’s music, pop, jazz and country most helpful.
This is Sand
In my experience, this app is great to use for sensory breaks. Clients are able to choose what color the sand is. Many clients find this app relaxing due to the visual sensory input from the sand falling and the art it creates. All clients have to do is touch the screen to get the sand to start falling. Clients can click the top right hand corner to change the color of the sand.
Another interesting feature of the app is that there is a color shifter option where random colors are chosen, however, this option does have to be paid for.
I hope that this information helps music therapy interns and professionals alike with finding apps that are beneficial for the work day!