Create a Sprouting Melodies 1 Framework

Five words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1 are followed:
1. Gentle
2. Slower-paced
3. Swaying
4. Bonding
5. Calm Affect
Five sentences I’d use when speaking to parents about the musical responses of children in SM1 are as followed:
1. If the child was watching the parent as they were singing a song, I’d tell the parent “Your child is able to recognize where the music was coming from and was focusing their attention to your singing”.
2. If the parent sings two different pitches, one of which makes the child cry and the other makes the child happy, I’d tell the parent “Your child is able to tell the difference between two pitches”.
3. If the child begins to vocalize using glides and shrieks, I’d tell the parent “Your child is playing with the range of their voice”.
4. If a parent asks me how they could use music to help calm their child down, I’d tell the parent “Try singing a lullaby because at this stage, you’re child might attend more to music that is sedative in nature.”
5. If a parent tells me that they want to sing a song to their child but don’t know what song to sing, I’d tell the parent “Try singing a song that uses descending intervals like ‘Three Blind Mice’ because your child might be able to recognize the simple and repetitive rhythm of the music.”

Plan for songs and music experiences to use in a session with SM1:
1. Hello/Gathering Songs
2. Lap Rides/Bonding songs
3. Body Percussion/Gross Motor Movement/Movement songs
4. Instrument Exploration/Instrument Play/Instrument Songs
5. Cool Down/Transition songs
6. Goodbye songs

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1.
Calm, bonding, repetitive, comforting, inviting

Write 5 sentences you can use when speaking with parents about musical responses of children in SM1.
Pay attention to sounds that your baby makes while you are singing to them. This could include vocalizations that sound similar in pitch to yours, make repeated sounds(eg.. “Ah, ah..”), make sounds of varying durations (eg…), vocalize variations of dynamics (eg. crying sound). Pay attention to how your baby responds to instruments, maybe they are turning their eyes towards the source of sound or track the sound with their eyes when you move the instrument while playing it. If you find that your baby is turning away from the music, grimaces or startles, turn down the intensity of the music as your baby is especially sensitive to overly loud sounds. Some other signs of overwhelm might include…

Session Format Suggestion Song Format Suggestion
Gathering Hello
Infant massage to music
Let’s vocalize song (no words just vowels and simple cvcv sounds modeled and repeated)
Instrument Explore Showcasing instrument of the week_listen, track, stop, start. “I have a little instrument i want to show you..it make a quiet sound like this…”
Lap Ride, Finger Play
Standing Movement Sway/Rocking Song
Instrument Play Activity
Let’s Sing a Song Together_Bonding Song-song insertion type of song, I love your…
Cool down_breathing sounds
Goodbye Transition Song

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies® 1.
Bonding
Awareness
Tactile
Connections (between baby/caregiver AND caregiver/caregiver)
Be present