What was your most valuable takeaway from this weeks’ content?

I found the information from Elizabeth’s presentation and book to be a great refresher. In my work as an early intervention specialist in Illinois, I often work with kiddos who are quite delayed, and I tend to overlook what is “typical.” I found the review to be helpful in remembering that while there is a general progression, it is true that things happen at different times for different kids. As well, I was reminded of the unique set of skills that we bring to the table as Music Therapists (and as parents) in our role as Early Intervention/Childhood providers. We are really able to see the whole picture of development, from both a personal and clinical viewpoint and able to connect the domains providing ongoing guidance and support for the families we work with.

This overview of typical development from birth through the age of five was helpful for me as a music therapist working with children both typically and atypically developing, but who does not yet have any children of her own. For me this information is a needed review so that I can incorporate appropriate goals and interventions into my current sessions and keep this information in mind when planning new sessions. Seeing children for only an hour or less a week it sometimes hard to really see the overview of development. I can see progress from week to week and month to month, but its not at the same rate as a parent might on a daily basis. I feel reacquainted with what is typical and have a clearer picture what to expect next logically in development. As I went through the chapters in the book as well as followed along with the slides at each stage of development I thought of babies and children I have worked with or who I know from my personal life. Now that I have worked and spent time with more children than I had in college, when I was first introduced to childhood development, the information took on different meaning because I have seen some of those things in real examples. I have a feeling that I will be coming back to the chapters again and again as I structure more early childhood programs in my community.

As already mentioned this was a great refresher on the developmental stages, I don’t think about them often enough or specifically enough. I work with students with often severe delays but interestingly they are often expected to behave in a classroom setting as if there is not a delay! I think going through this course will help me have more confidence to address expectations with my coworkers that are unrealistic for students.

A couple of items that stood out for me from this session: I love the concept of development THROUGH music! I am a little bit fascinated about the idea of music therapy in the wellness arena and can see how our expertise as music therapists can be of great value to children and families in wellness. I also like the phrase “developmentally appropriate practice.” It is always helpful to have a way to explain what I do more clearly. I feel this phrase will be useful when communicating some of the changes I plan to implement in my current job.

The other thing that was interesting for me was the lay on your back exercise. I’d never really thought about the child’s perspective in that way. I was amazed at how limited my world was when lying on my back…I often think about how I tower over my little preschoolers when we are standing and dancing so this was just another way to put myself in the client’s shoes and appreciate how their perspective might be different.

The overview of development, separated into appropriate age groups, was very helpful. I also really liked the few activities in which we got into the mindset of a child, particularly the one with “bend your knees, touch your toes, count to three, and jump!” I think it’s really beneficial when working with children to get on their level, and this was a good exercise to get into that mindset.

This week was a great review of development. In the integrated preschool I have the privilege of working with typical development as well as delays. It is often in this setting when a parent enrolls their child as a typical peer in preschool and the educational team and I will identify the need for further evaluation. This information allows for more educated discussion with the parents as to why we are suggesting some testing. Often in music therapy groups I see the gap between ability and disability narrow as the music supports the strengths of each child however I will use the information in sessions to make sure I remind my colleagues of developmental milestones when they begin comparing the 2 year old with the 4 year old in the group. I am eager to get into the music portion of the course to support each level of the developmental process.

I enjoyed reading how each one of you found the development overview helpful. The wonderful thing about Beth’s book is that she created it to be a resource that you use on a regular basis. I had the pleasure of meeting with Beth this year and she explained how it is extremely difficult for anyone to remember every detail about development on each level. So, as she wrote her book, she wanted to be something people can refer to regularly to inform their practice. Sprouting Melodies providers also have the advantage of having continued access to this training material so they can review the videos whenever they need a refresher.

Although I am a parent, I can confidently say, music therapists that are not parents are fully qualified to provide services to children. You have the training and skill to help children from a developmentally informed philosophy. Kristina is a wonderful resource to share in this perspective. She has been providing excellent music therapy services and Sprouting Melodies classes and she is not a parent.

Yes, thank you Erika. I have been running several SM groups at our center in Melrose, and parents and caregivers look to me as an educated resource for questions they have on development, red flags, or even parenting advice! Because we have the tools and tricks to help alleviate some of the stress of daily life with music, we have valuable information to share. And they want to hear it! Don’t be afraid to give advice even if you are not a parent yourself.

As stated in previous comments, I also liked the exercises in which there was an inside look on the child’s perspective. While it seemed silly to jump alone in my bedroom, it’s a good exercise to keep in mind when connecting with children.

I also liked the way in which the developmental stages were presented. There is much to keep in mind about what should occur at each stage, and I think they highlighted the most important aspects of development in each stage. The book outlines this well, and I know I will use it as needed.

I did enjoy this weeks refresher on the developmental levels. I had taken this in college but after college have been working as a music therapist with severely developmentally delayed children and as stated in my previous post, I think I developed a skewed sense of what typical developmental levels were. I am not a parent yet but a first time aunt to a beautiful 11 month old girl who I had assumed was the most brilliant, advanced baby in the whole wide world and as I was reading through the book and this weeks videos I saw, wow, Nora is right on track! (I won’t tell my sister…)

I think the greatest takeaways for me from this week was the reinforcement that children need to experience defiance and control as a part of growth and to help parents accept that their child is not doing something “bad” but to positively redirect the experience. I liked the idea to “trade” instruments as opposed to “share” the instrument as it’s not a concept that the child can quite understand.

I think a challenge for my courses will be to get the parents to allow themselves to be childlike with their children. I gave up my self-consciousness years ago and love jumping and playing, making ridiculous noises and getting in touch with my inner child when working with babies and little ones but when I see adults in my area interacting with children they often speak to them as little adults and are very proper. I think it will be difficult for some to let go of their professional adult manner and jump and make funny noises. I’m hoping I can find a way to make them comfortable playing with their children on the children’s level and I think that by being able to explain the real developmental importance of imaginative play and exploration of movement and sound that they will be more willing to let go of their inhibitions.

This was a great and very needed refresher for me in early childhood development because 1. as a few others said as well I do not have children yet, so I have not personally experienced these developmental stages and 2. it has been a while since college when I had originally taken lifespan development and 3. I unfortunately don’t have many opportunities, working primarily with adults, to work and see in real life these progressions from birth to 48 months. Honestly all of the information for me this week was a valuable takeaway. I was thinking about my premie cousin though as I watched the video and read through the chapters in the book because he is slightly delayed in some areas in accordance with his actual age rather than his “supposed” age.

I agree as well with others who have commented about getting parents to open up and become comfortable interacting in a playful, fun, child-like way with their children. It was hard for me even in college to become comfortable with myself to act silly in some cases during practicum experiences or even experiential in the classroom, but now it’s such a natural response to act silly and playful with children I work with because they really will respond to that interaction. I mean it’s fun so who wouldn’t! I am lucky I get to play and act that way and have that be my work! It was great this week using our imaginations by using the scarf as our child and taking part in being silly and jumping and acting like a kid again. I think that is an important part as the provider of sprouting melodies to encourage this with the parents and allow them to have as much fun as their children within the experience.

This week it was very valuable for me to be reminded of many specific behaviors and developmental milestones you can expect from typical children in each age group. This allows me to better plan interventions because I know at which age I can expect them to respond to certain things such as identifying colors or standing on one leg, etc and I can know to be aware if they are not responding to those things. I also like that some red flags were mentioned as things to look out for. I feel like this content is helping me better see things from a child’s perspective so that I can understand where they are at and where they need to be.

Some of you mentioned the importance of getting the parents to engage in child-like play and to have as much fun as the kids, which is something I say to every class before starting. One of the parents in my Family Sprouts group that I currently run tells everyone for me now, “play an instrument and have fun!” She has so much energy and is very invested in the classes, which helps the other parents relax and have fun too! When you educate parents, they see the value of Sprouting Melodies, and they share their experience with other parents who then come in and try the classes!

Sorry for my delayed response! We took my 9-month-old on his first plane flight from CA to MI to meet his 90-yr-old great grandparents who were celebrating 70 years of marriage! It was a great trip but I’m a bit behind!

As someone else mentioned, it was really great for me to review typical development, as all of my music therapy work is with children with various developmental exceptionalities. When I have the opportunity to teach a typical child a piano lesson at the music conservatory where I run my MT practice, I always walk away feeling like the child is so gifted or clever, when really, they are just developmentally appropriate! As I mentioned, my son is 9 months old, so I especially enjoyed the 0-12 months, as we have recently walked that road, or are just starting to see glimpses of what the next few months will bring. 🙂

I also really appreciated that in each section, you mentioned “red flags” to watch for. I think it’s important when working with what we believe are typically-developing children to keep an eye out for those things that a first-time (or even a seasoned) parent might not be aware their child should be doing. At the same time, I have had parents in a few mommy and me style groups really scared that their child wasn’t developing at the EXACT same pace as a friend’s child, and have had many opportunities to reassure parents that children develop at different rates. A book I love for development and developmental milestones is “The Wonder Weeks”–it takes a really interesting approach to development, and explaining how/when developmental leaps happen.

Also, I loved the idea of saying “let’s trade” instead of “let’s share”–what a great idea! I always have kids exchange one thing for another, but still have used the word share. Trading is more accurate!!