Share Your Strategies

I have had many different situations happen so far in regards to making sure the child is successful and that the group as a whole is successful. It goes even further to making sure the parents can be successful as well. I have acknowledged many times that a child is “out of the circle”, but is still engaged and have pointed this out to parents. They have given feedback over the last few weeks that simply acknowledging that and bringing it to the attention of the parent really reassures them that it is ok.

I have also had children who have not been engaged and aren’t being harmful. In these situations, I try to involve them by incorporating their movements into a song that is being utilized. I have also involved some of the older kids by having them lead songs that are familiar to them and model movements for younger children.

Right now, I also have one child who is working on behavioral goals and will often throw instruments. His caregiver is very passive and so I have modeled intervening during the sessions and talked with the caregiver after the session to explain what I did and why I did it. Sometimes I can tell when he is about to become aggressive and in those cases I remove all instruments or objects that could harm another child or group member and either don’t allow him to play instruments for a couple minutes or change the plan and move to a scarf intervention.

My strategies for success include:

Accepting minimal response and reinforcing small steps

Celebrating novel ideas and including them in the musical response

Having the adult sit in front of the child to encourage joint attention and reciprocity

Giving plenty of time to process the model or direction before repeating or prompting

Tons of praise

Use of movement props such as hoops, stretchy bands etc. that define the group or diad but do not require physical touch (for the sensory defensive child)

1 – 2 minutes of quiet music in the beginning and end to transition children to and from the music environment

Allowing children to sit away from the circle with an adult partner if needed and join at their own pace

I think that as I pursue my sprouting melodies experiences, I’ll rely heavily on the idea of unconditional positive regard – it’s okay for kids to be out of the circle, and maintain a huge sense of positivity and joy in the spontaneity of the experience. Unconditional positive regard was huge for me when I was practicing with older adults, and it helped to create a safe space where growth and healing could occur. I hope for similar results with children and families.

I have had a few different situations where I had a child choose to remove themselves from the circle for a number of reasons. In one of the instances, my co therapist and I engaged her by asking her for a suggestion during an animal song. We also provided an opportunity for (sung) “if you’re sitting and you know it, strum the guitar” (we knew that guitar was a very high preference instrument for her and she came back, in order to participate.)
Another kiddo chose to remove himself from the circle (his 1:1 had reported he was having a hard time) and I approached him during a pre-recorded scarf song and found a way to engage him (he didn’t get the color scarf he wanted and we used the opportunity to practice peer interaction and ask if a peer wanted to trade.)
In other groups, I had a client toss an instrument (she had a pre diagnosed TBI and we engaged in a discussion with her caregivers about further strategies for the next sessions in order to reduce this behavior.)

Although I do not think that we can ensure total success for every child, every parent, every group (something I know I have to remind myself), there are definitely strategies that we can implement to increase success. Overall, I think the key to fostering successful experiences for the entire group is the creation of a supportive environment that can hold and support each member. As the creator of this environment, the leader must be able to demonstrate flexibility, spontaneity and empathy. Alice, I think that your sentiment about unconditional positive regard is spot on.
In addition, I am big on providing non-verbal praise and specific, labeled praise for both the child and the caregiver; whether it is a “great job listening to directions and stopping your body when the music stopped!” or and extra smile. I believe strongly in the effect of this type of praise in particular on self-esteem and intrinsic motivation. I have found that parents benefit from modeling and coaching to implement this praise with their child.

I love Alice’s response to engage all children with unconditional positive regard–I think that is a huge principle in the psych setting I currently work in and especially important to remember in working with children. There are always adaptations to include children who are outside of the circle. There are always objects around the room that can be used as a drum or drum stick. There will, from time to time, be the crying child who just needs reassurance that it’s okay to be overwhelmed or sick or tired. Unconditional positive regard is “I love how you strum the guitar!” but also looks like “I noticed you were paying a lot of attention to that guitar! Should we try it next time?” Allowing the child to move at his or her own pace and get out of the group what he or she desire to get out of the group is key, in my opinion. There will be plenty of time for “right” and “wrong” later in life.

Forgot which wonderful how to be a good parent book I read- (always a struggle with being a patient positive parent)– but I remember some free advice that whatever you put your focus on, you get more of with children.. I guess that has been mostly true with past experience teaching and parenting. Focusing on the specific and general positive behaviors is key to kids following that behavior and really helps manage a lot of behaviors. Of course there might be throwing instruments, hitting, and other problems that go along with grumpy hungry, teething kids, but it’s not always something that needs to be focused on for a long time.. sometimes they might need a break outside the circle for a bit. Redirecting with music activity or even tempo might be all that’s needed. When I taught music long time ago, it was a matter of just continuing teaching while subtly taking away an instrument or using positive language to change behavior like let’s use our walking feet and keep arms length away from other kids. Better yet, kids might need their own carpet square to know their own space and not bump into other kids. I think the pace and interest of a session has a lot of benefits to helping with managing behaviors as well. Also educating parents about consistent behavior consequences, specific praise, and redirection, and some sign language can also help these new parents outside of music session.

Having every child in my groups successful depends on how the term “successful” is defined. A child with special needs might be successful when they can do something that another child can do easily. During my groups, I strive for consistency in music, flow, and expectations. I also work to reinforce positive behavior. Watching body language can be indicative in what a child is needing. When I try to give a child what they are needing (movement, quiet, etc.), I find that my group energy flows better. This may mean that I have to invent ways within the structure of the group to make this happen for the individual, while maintaining the integrity of the group. In other words, I try (if possible) to meet individuals where they are functioning.

Like many have mentioned everyones idea of successful can be a little different. I think one thing that I always try to do is to be consistent in what I think is a “good” or “bad” behavior for a child if I tell a child one time to do something I would want to be consistent in my expectations. I also think that being flexible is a huge element in having successful experiences.

RaeAnna it may be helpful to remove “good and bad” when thinking about behavior and thinking more about the why. Why is this behavior presenting itself? What is the behavior telling me the child needs? Society has a mainstream judgment of labeling behaviors good and bad, but they really are a tool for communicating a need. I think if you use the “why” or “what is the behavior communicating” you may find it is easier to help the individual and meet their needs more effectively. I also believe you will see that more appropriate behaviors will emerge. I think consistency is good in some ways, but you will also need to be flexible, and keep in mind that what works at one time may not be effective another time.

I love that some of you talked about carpet squares or objects to create a space or boundary for the group. I was fortunate to have Beth come and observe some of my Sprouting Melodies classes and she had recommended the carpet squares for my little one’s who struggled to stay with the group and engaged. I went to a local carpet store in my area and they donated 24 squares. They were game changer and really helped the group.

Thank you all for your insights!

I think there are several strategies that can be utilized to give each child the best opportunity to benefit as much as possible from groups.
Appropriately framing expectations of “success” for ourselves and for parents is vital. For example, success may mean staying in the room for group even if a child is not yet able to engage.
Providing a group environment that is flexible and supportive, in which children and their caregivers can explore and make mistakes, and providing consistent, specific positive reinforcement also contributes to opportunity for success. I’ve also found that narrating a child’s and caregiver’s actions and interactions offers many opportunities for learning, consolidating gains, supporting group members, and modeling.

I agree with what some of the others have said. Positivity, positivity, positivity! This is something I think is unique to music therapists. We are taught to look at the positives, not the negatives. See the ability rather than the disability. Success looks different on everybody and I think the best measure of success is engagement. For some children, engagement is running around the room while looking back at where music is coming from, while for others engagement is sitting and exploring instruments. I really look to make sure every child is engaged and just continuing to reassure and educate families/caregivers.

The best strategy that I use during group music is to make sure I am reading monitoring the groups energy and matching it. If I feel I am starting to look children attention with a song, I will finish it and move on to another song/experience. This strategy or constantly assessing the group helps to prevent satiety and helps to keep the group engaged.

I think as others said, the children in the group will be successful if you as the provider creates an environment that is set up for success. Such an environment would include a safe and contained space, unconditional acceptance of each child, flexibility, and appropriate song choices and activities for each developmental level. If a child leaves the circle the provider should be accepting and flexible and either let the child stay out of the circle or try to re-engage using the music. The provider must definitely intervene if a child is demonstrating harmful behavior.