The Sneezing Song

     For my Methods and Materials class for Music Therapy, we have little assignments to better acquaint us with the field and to give us a better expectation of what we are to do out in the “real world”. This week, we had to use Garageband to create a two minute composition with clinical purpose. Because of my experience with autism and the struggle to teach and transfer social skills, I decided to write a song about sneezing, and the proper hygiene rituals that should follow after sneezing. The lyrics are as follows:

When you think you have to sneeze

Here’s some rules so listen please

When a cold is spreading through

Here’s some things you outta do

You don’t want germs to spread around

And you need to muffle the sound

So use a tissue please

When you have to sneeze

                    

When you’ve finished sneezing, dear

Find a trashcan that’s near

Put your tissue deep inside

And put your hands down at your side

Walk over to the sink, plop your hands in

Scrub them with some soap and warm water to begin

Then when they’re clean, dry them with a towel

(Practice Washing Hands during Instrumental Break)

Now that you know what to do

Don’t forget this when we’re through

When you feel you need to sneeze

Don’t forget the tissue please

Make sure your trash goes in the can

Then don’t forget to wash your hands

Now you’re good to go

I’ll catch you later-o!

The clinical uses of this could be very effective in teaching the proper hygiene skills to clients.

What are your thoughts? Do you have songs that you use to teach good hygiene to children struggling with this? What experience have you had in transferring these skills from song to real life use?

Thanks for reading!