Imagine a whole collection of music right at your fingertips.

No, I’m not talking about karaoke where you have to know the words; nor am I talking about sheet music where one would have to read the words along with the music.

This is about singing songs and a digital coach actually prompting you aurally – not visually –with the words!

Now, just imagine that music can be played spontaneously with and for seniors in nursing home facilities or assisted living settings. Seniors in these settings would be completely engaged and  immersed in  singing  their favorite songs from their childhood and coming-of-age years.  Research has shown that individuals and especially seniors respond most favorably to sing-alongs of music that is retrieved from the time that they were in their adolescent and young adult years.

How wonderful for that music to be available for those who want to engage seniors in worthwhile interactive activities, bringing them socialization and good cheer.

For seniors and others with special needs:

Now imagine this particular collection of songs being available for people of various populations such as those with autism, Alzheimer’s, speech disorders, impaired vision and other special needs.

Enter SingFit,  a unique “app”  for the Ipad, Iphone or Ipod Touch that has features such as a digitized word cuing track.

The cuing track is essentially a lyric “coach” in the form of a computerized singing voice that prompts the lyrics of the song right before the singer has to sing. This allows participants to actively engage in the singing process without needing to use a lyric book.

And…the songs are available with background music  on the system for downloading.

Rather than simply dig up old music from our attics, or download music from the Internet, all one has to do is access the music from this SingFit app.

Created by Team of Board Certified Music Therapists:

As a music therapist who works with seniors and  is passionate about disseminating information about the power of music to heal, I am often browsing around for creative innovations for harnessing music’s power.

So when  I found the program “SingFit,”  that has been created by a team of board certified music therapists which uses music and technology to help individuals with various challenges, I was intrigued.

Here is how “SingFit” works:

SingFit’s unique Lyric Coach system digitizes Lyric Cuing, a tool used by music and speech therapists that enables participants to sing the words of a song accurately without needing to read or see the lyrics.

This music harnesses mobile technology and the “Playlist” of songs  is compiled by experts and deemed appropriate for varied audiences.  It is  available for individuals and organizations to purchase and download for their own purposes.

“SingFit”  in a nutshell,  is an “app” or application for the Apple hardware devices such as the Iphone, Ipad or Ipod touch.

From a music therapist’s professional perspective and from a music lover’s point of view, I can say that this seems to be something that will revolutionize the singing world. No longer will people have to sift through old records (remember those?), tapes (yeah, those you kind of remember, right?) and CD’s to find songs that are appropriate for whichever audience one is working with.

Whether you are a family member, friend or professional who knows people who love music and have challenges in life (and don’t we all meet those criteria?), SingFit is the answer to your dilemma of how to choose music.

Catalog of Popular Oldies and Favorites:

SingFit is a device that when applied in one’s Apple device, has a whole catalog of songs on it for people to sing along. Favorites such as “Amazing Grace,” “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “House of the Rising Sun” are in the free catalog and Singfit’s paid catalog includes over 100 hits including “Lean On Me,” “My Way,” “Something to Talk About” and “I Believe I can Fly.”

For more about SingFit, and to access the free download and other information, see their website.

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