About the Episode
Episode 5 of the Sing to Speech series focuses on oral motor planning for s-blend and k/g sounds. The song used is an original composition that promotes repetition of the targeted consonant sounds within various words. These sounds can be challenging for some students, and singing or even speaking words with these sounds might feel discouraging. However, the song is super silly and fun to sing, thus providing a motivating factor to address this speech goal despite the difficulties of the targeted sounds.
Ways to Continue Practicing
This intervention can be expanded by prompting students to create new verses with additional s-blend and k/g sounds. How many words can you think of that contain those targeted sounds? Additionally, this song can be adapted for various targeted sounds. For instance, if a student’s goal is to practice m/b bilabial sounds, the verse could be altered to say, “This is a song about Mary the bumblebee.” The ways to add on to this song are limitless, and creating new verses provides a sense of control and creativity for the student in what might be an otherwise challenging activity.
Katie is a board-certified music therapist at Spectrum Creative Arts. She works primarily with students age K-5 in the school and clinic settings. Katie utilizes her clinical experience to write songs and create individualized interventions, and she has played piano for over 15 years.