Explore emotions through the metaphor of summer weather and sunshine energy, using familiar, upbeat songs and creative expression.

Instructions:

1. Welcome
   • Song suggestion:
     • Walking on Sunshine
     • Experience:
       • Use a well known sunshine song as a welcome
       • Incorporate stretching: i.e. stretch arms “like the sun rising”, etc
       • Prompt: What kind of summer day are you having today?
2. Emotional Check-in
   • Use the printable visual with the following emotions:
     • Sunny = Happy, energized
     • Partly cloudy = mixed feelings
     • Rainy = Sad, low energy
     • Stormy = angry, overwhelmed
     • Rainbow = Hopeful
   • Each client chooses the weather that reflects their feelings that day
   • Have clients choose an instrument that they feel reflects their “weather” of the day:
     • i.e. chimes or a bell for sunshine, rainstick for rain, drums for a storm, etc.
   • Improvise all together
3. Movement
   • Suggested song:
     • “Saturday Sun”
   • Phrase examples to encourage movement
     • “Walk like you’re on sunshine”
     • “Freeze when the clouds come in” (pause music for a freeze game style)
     • “Reach up like the sun is rising”
     • “Move like you just stepped outside on the first warm day of summer”
     • “Move like clouds are slowly drifting by”
     • “Stomp like a summer thunder storm”
     • “Show me gentle rain with your fingers”
   • Use movement props such as scarves or ribbons
   • Make it a call and response type expeirence instead:
     • Caller says “Forecast… sunny!”
       • Clients move how think sunny would look
       • Change to different forecasts to elicit different types of movements
       • Allow clients turns to be the “weathercaster”
4. Lyric Rewrite
   • Suggested song: Here Comes the Sun
     • “Here comes the (blank) doo doo doo doo”
     • “Here comes the (blank), and I say it’s a (blank) day”
   • Additional Verses you can add to this tune:
     • When I feel ______
       I can ______My sunshine comes from ______
       And that helps me feel ______Even when it rains sometimes
       I can ______Here comes the sun, doo doo doo doo
       Here comes the sun, and I say
       I feel ______ today
5. Conclusion
   • Conclude the session with a cool-down experience simulating a sunset to end your sunny day
   • Using slow, instrumental guitar improvisation you can invite clients to:
     • “Take slow breaths”
     • “Stretch arms outward and then down like the sun setting in the evening”
     • Move scarves slowly like a summer breeze”