Heartbeat Song

Written by a Music Therapist, this song aims to empower anyone who is doing hard things or going through hard times through lyrics reflecting positive affirmations and accompaniment echoing the reassuring beat of one's own heart. Musically, this is in a key that is hopefully not too hard to play or to sing, but feel free to make a copy and adjust the key through Flat.io's transposition function. The eighth rests in the vocal part are where it's suggested to breathe, and are numerous to account for those who may be challenged by sustained singing. Feel free, again, to adjust as needed. Lastly, the tempo is 80 bpm, an average resting heart rate. In my practice, I like to use a pulse oximeter to measure my client's resting heart rate and then change the tempo to whatever that is, so it's very personal to them. Having the client tap out the heart beat (repeated throughout the piece in the bass clef) while they sing may help with the timing of words. If your client is non-verbal, you may have them play percussion along with the heartbeat, or the rhythm of the vocal melody. You might also work with the client to rewrite the lyrics into something more personal to them. If you'd like to learn more about Music Therapy or my practice, visit my website at musicwithmallory.com!