How did you first learn music? Lessons… self-taught… a little bit of both? Did you replicate existing music or create your own? Were you, like many, taught scales and exercises before you ever learned a song? Were you playing your preferred music, or something you wouldn’t have selected?

Reflect on that time: how would you have thrived as a new music learner? What if, during your first lesson, you came home having learned a cool-sounding bass line? What if, by a few weeks in, you could use your new music knowledge to confidently improvise a new melody?

Creative Music Spaces is a course that encourages you to explore your own creativity while considering how you might facilitate similar music experiences with kids. 

We’re reframing how we approach learning keyboard and guitar by incorporating preferred music, improvisation and songwriting alongside scales, technique and theory. 

We’re building creativity-infused music spaces where we prioritize connection and a life-long love of music.

Dr. Sarah Gulish, CEO of F-flat Books, guides you through a video course and PDF workbook that shares her 15 years of experience creating welcome, judgement-free spaces for musical exploration. It’s a “start with success” approach that prioritizes the joy of creating in a simple and systematic way that includes: warm-ups, technique builders, improvisational frameworks, songwriting starters, build-a-song techniques, alternate tunings, and more. 

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Prerequisites: None! This course is designed for music therapists and music educators.

Credits: 4 credits pre-approved by the Certification Board of Music Therapists. Music educators receive a certificate for 4 professional development credits.

Price: $74

Course Access: One year of video access. Music therapists pursuing continuing education credit (CMTE) credit must complete the course within 90 days of purchase. 

Instructor Qualifications: 

Sarah Gulish, PhD has spent her career empowering people to connect with their creativity and community. Her experience includes fifteen years of public school teaching, work as a researcher/published author, recording, and touring rock musician. She is passionate about music teaching and learning and finding ways to challenge norms in music education to create more equitable and inclusive spaces.

Course Format: This course is a pre-recorded video course that can be taken in your own time. If this course is taken within the first couple of months of the release, you’re invited to attend our Zoom Q&A Office Hour (more information below). If you’re unable to attend live, the video will be emailed out and the replay will also be included at the end of the course video playlist.

Course Outline

SECTION A: Creativity through Keyboarding

Module 1: Creative Technique

1. Before you begin: Building Blocks and common pitfalls (2:57) 

2. Warm-ups and technique builders for improved performance (5:37) 

3. Incorporating technique through creativity (8:21) 

   Module 2: Creativity Building Blocks 

1. Creativity and the welcome (7:26) 

2. Improvisation for connection (9:15)

3. Creative exercise development (8:37) 

   Module 3: Creative Connectors 

1. Song starters on keyboard (14:46)

2. Collaborative songwriting (two-hand challenges) (5:35) 

3. Self-directed exploration through reharmonization (4:30) 

   Module 4: Creative Extensions

1. Keyboard rhythms and routines (4:27) 

2. Extensions/further resources  

SECTION B: Creativity through Guitar

Module 5: Creative Technique 

1. Before you begin: Guitar success and common pitfalls (4:17) 

2. Warm-ups and technique builders for improved performance (9:13) 

3. Incorporating technique through creativity (7:21) 

   Module 6: Creative Building Blocks 

1. Approaching the Guitar (start with success) (3:25) 

2. Improvisation frameworks (8:38) 

3. Creative exercise development (7:27) 

   Module 7: Creative Connectors 

1. Song starters on guitar (9:32) 

2. Build-a-song techniques (6:55) 

3. Alternate tunings and creative writing (3:18) 

   Module 8: Creative Extensions 

1. Guitar rhythms and routines (2:36) 

2. Extensions/further resources 

Thank You (0:30)

SECTION C: Zoom Q&A Office Hour (75 minutes - Aug 17th, 2023 @ 8pm ET, recording will be available)

Total course time: 205 minutes

 Music therapists, this course is pre-approved by the Certification Board of Music Therapists (CBMT) for 4 continuing music therapy education (CMTE) credits! Upon completion of the course and course evaluation, a certificate will be delivered via email within an hour. We are not able to grant partial credit. Please find the evaluation and additional instructions in the course PDF received after purchase. This is a simple process and we’re happy to help!

Board Certification Domains (In compliance with 2020 Board Certification Domains)

Objective 1:  Participants will provide an example for creating a welcoming and engaging music space for a child. (CBMT Domain II. D. 8.) 

Objective 2: Participants will identify a improvisational technique that can be applied to music therapy clinical practice. (CBMT Domain III. A. 4. g.)

Objective 3: Participants will explore a creative concept from the course to expand their own music practice. (CBMT Domain V. A. 6.)

Materials Included: Video course, PDF with course worksheets and resources, one Zoom office hour, and access to private Facebook group for community support.

Refund Policy: 100% refund available within 30 days of purchase if you’re unsatisfied with the quality of the course and resources. No refunds are available after CMTE credits have been granted or after 30 days of purchase. Please email hello@musicforkiddos.com for more information.

Please visit musicforkiddos.com/courses for our grievance policy in participation with the Certification Board of Music Therapists. 

Music for Kiddos strongly encourages course participants to communicate any questions, concerns or grievances so we can help foster a supportive and pleasant continuing education experience. Please contact hello@musicforkiddos.com with any questions or concerns. Emails will be returned within 3 business days. In the event that a suitable resolution is not provided, the participant may contact the Continuing Education Committee of CBMT to report a grievance.