Who’s More Stressed?

Who’s More Stressed? The screaming toddler being strapped into their car seat? Or the parent trying to strap the toddler in?

I say, both. At this time of year which is supposed to be so magical, it sure seems as if there is a lot of stress out there.

What can I, a music therapist, do about it? A lot!

In my decades of running early childhood music groups, I was always amazed at the transformation from the beginning to the end – usually stress to smiles. In developmentally focused music making, we can help parents to better understand their child and give them both a safe and supportive space just to ‘be.’

This is one reason we started the Sprouting Melodies Training. The course makes use of your expertise as a music therapist, and gives you the knowledge, experiences, and music you need to serve the children and families of your community.

What’s unique about the Sprouting Melodies Training? We focus on both the child and the parent as people. Me and Me…Meaningful expectations. Music for engagement.

The Sprouting Melodies® program offers music therapists a chance to use your education, skills and experience to bring the best possible early childhood music experience to families in your community.

raising-harmony-sprouting-melodies-training

23 CMTEs available for you to complete in your own space, in your own time.

Registration is now open for January 2023!

What exactly do you get in the course?

  • 10 week course where you take your early childhood skills and knowledge to the NEXT LEVEL
  • Interactive learning forums where you participate in discussions with the instructors and other music therapists
  • A copy of Elizabeth Schwartz’s book, Music, Therapy and Early Childhood: A Developmental Approach.

Ready to register for the Sprouting Melodies Training?

We can wait to see you inside the Sprouting Melodies training!

~ Elizabeth & Meredith

What More Can You Do?

When Meredith and I started Raising Harmony, we were determined to provide solid, effective information on music, young children, and families. After hearing from the 100s of music therapists who have taken the Sprouting Melodies Training, we’ve learned that the training provides so much more.  Through taking the training, people have:

  • Created new career opportunities in their communities

  • Grew their practice by partnering with neighborhood services

  • Used the Sprouting Melodies concepts and framework to expand and deepen practice for people of all ages

  • Learned how to talk to clients, families, administrators and others about the power of music

  • Discovered new and creative music experiences

What more can you do? Come join us for the next Sprouting Melodies Training and find out.

Click the link below to register for our next course beginning March 30, 2022.

https://raisingharmony.com/training/sprouting-melodies-training-info/

Hope to see you!

Elizabeth

Not ready for this round of training? Visit www.RaisingHarmony.com  to download 5 free songs composed specifically for music therapists to learn and use.

Getting a Two-Year-Old to Tune In?

Wow! What a year this has been. I have been thinking that 2021 is a little bit like the two-year-old’s I know – tantrums, tears, testing limits; but also times of incredible tenderness and tremendous growth.

Understanding development of little children is so helpful in understanding people in general. Want to know more? We’ve got a great course that gives you comprehensive information on development as well as music development. How to get that two-year-old to tune in? Covered. Getting parents, staff, and administrators to tune in? Covered.  All this covered in our 23 CMTE credit, totally virtual Sprouting Melodies training course. Here is the link to register for our January 2022 course.

https://raisingharmony.com/training/sprouting-melodies-training-info/

Bonus! As part of the course, Meredith Pizzi, Erika Svolos, and I will meet with you virtually to answer questions or to brainstorm ideas and solutions. This would be a great time to learn more about successful ways to run Virtual Early Childhood groups. Yes, it can be done. And yes, you can get a two-year-old (and their grownups) to tune in!

Hope you will join us. Register by January 1st and receive an early-bird discount. Contact me directly with any questions Elizabeth@RaisingHarmony.com.

Here’s to 2022!

Elizabeth Schwartz

No Gimmicks

It seems certain that 2020 and 2021 will go down in history as years of challenge on many levels. How has it been for you? And more importantly – how can we help? While the difficulties loom large, Meredith and I have been so moved by the resilience and flexibility of music therapists and of you as part of the Raising Harmony community. We are determined to work harder than ever to provide support, resources, and maybe motivation for you. That is what community is all about.
Our most recent Sprouting Melodies Training really highlighted the hope that music therapists bring to their work. When we met through Zoom last week, the mood was one of excitement for the possibilities of the future. Can you use that kind of atmosphere right now? Below is a list of opportunities we have scheduled for this fall and into next year, and we would love to have you join us.
On a personal note, I am THRILLED to share that the year of COVID motivated me to finally finish my second book of songs. ‘Together with the Beat: Songs for Me, and You, and Us’ will be available in a few weeks! We are hoping to have a celebratory launch, so look for more information coming soon. If you have used ‘You and Me Makes…We: A Growing Together Songbook’ you are going to love this new book.
Whether its new music, coaching, fresh ideas, support or motivation – how can we help you?

Beth


Additional Fall Opportunities

Fall Sprouting Melodies Training
We’ve all seen it. Images of an expecting mother with headphones over her belly, playing classical music through the speakers to soothe and calm her baby. Now more than ever, parents are looking for ways to support their children through their developmental journey. Join us for the fall session of the Sprouting Melodies Training while we explore songs, developmental stages and music interventions for early childhood. This training will begin on September 8th and end on November 17th. The registration link can be found here. We hope to see you!

Music Therapy Job Opportunities
Many of you are familiar with Sprouting Melodies & Raising Harmony, but you may not be familiar with Raising Harmony’s sister company, Roman Music Therapy Services. Raising Harmony’s Co-Founder and Roman Music Therapy Services Executive Director, Meredith Pizzi, MPA, MT-BC invites you to explore the potential for your next career opportunity with Roman Music Therapy Services. We are hiring qualified, people-driven professionals to join a small, dynamic team that provides music therapy to communities across eastern Massachusetts. Open positions include Board Certified Music Therapists as well as a Customer Service Coordinator. Click here for the job postings, or reach out to jobs@romanmusictherapy.com with any questions.


Graduate Education Opportunity

Are you looking for an opportunity to expand your knowledge and learn from an experienced Music Therapy Business Owner? Meredith Pizzi, Raising Harmony’s Co-Founder, will be teaching Music Therapy Business Development at Alverno College this fall. Enrollment is open until the end of August. Classes begin this week, so reach out today! See the flyer for more information or click here to register now.

It’s Not a Secret

Have you ever wondered how music begins? How does a tiny infant learn music that helps them grow into a Grammy Award winner, or a basement band fan, or a music therapist? It’s not a secret. We know how music develops and how it becomes woven into a person’s identity. But we also know that many college programs don’t spend much time on music development. It’s only when you get out in the field that you realize that it would be something good to know.

In our Sprouting Melodies Training course, we lay it all out for you in a clear and practical framework. Each small music detail leads into the music making and then leads into a persuasive understanding of music in overall development. Right from the very start. In every session we give you new songs, music, and strategies that can be used in your work the very next day.

It’s not a secret. We’ve had well over 200 music therapists take the training, and we hear all the time how helpful the information is, no matter where you work.

Our Spring 2021 course begins on March 31. Visit our web page at https://raisingharmony.com/training/sprouting-melodies-training-info/.

It’s not a secret that this is really great training. Come and join us.

Beth and Meredith

Connect. Collaborate. Stay Current.

Now more than ever, we need meaningful opportunities to be connected to others.

We search for ways to collaborate in creating innovative, creative programs.

And we seek flexible solutions to the challenges of staying current in a fast changing health-care environment.

Meredith, Erica, and I would like to welcome you to just such an environment through the Sprouting Melodies Training. Our newly updated and refreshed course begins Wednesday, April 1, 2020. The course provides you with:

 

  • Completely on-line training – done in your own space, in your own time
  • 23 continuing education credits
  • A vibrant interactive community of music therapists who gather and share in the course on-line forum
  • New ways of thinking about music therapy and about using your skills as a music therapist
  • Tons of new songs and intervention ideas
  • A comprehensive guide to musical development and early childhood development
  • Realistic and useful strategies for planning and practice

Register here

https://raisingharmony.com/training/sprouting-melodies-training-info/

Come join us! Beth

What’s the Deal with Dorian?

Well, I’ve done it again! There is something about the Dorian mode during the winter season that really draws me in. And what I’ve noticed again and again is that it also draws young children into the music in a way that is unique.

I think that it is the ambiguity which the Dorian mode creates that fits so well with my style of music therapy. I want children to explore and express and examine. I don’t always want to box children in to a certain harmonic structure that will lead them to a foregone conclusion. The Dorian starts out with the flatted third that tricks the ear into thinking it has a specific path. But then, along comes the raised sixth. It surprises me every time. It no longer feels minor, but it doesn’t feel major either. That is another reason that Dorian is perfect for young children as they explore all types of pitched and melodic sounds. Anything they contribute musically seems to have a place in Dorian.

I also like to add the Dorian mix into the pot during the holidays. By the time December is nearing its end, many of us are ready for a break. We sometimes get stuck in the stress of season and keep our jingle bells on constant loop. Dorian digs me out.

Maybe this song in Dorian will help you find a little bit of novelty and newness in these last few days before the New Year. Give it a try this week. “Look and See” invites you and your children to take a break from the normal and find some creative play time. Let me know if you, like me, find a big deal in Dorian.

Enjoy the Music!
Beth

Look and See!
E. K. Schwartz 2017

1, 2, 3. Look and see!
1, 2, 3. Look at me.
1, 2, 3. Look and see!
We can play together. We can play together.

Come and play with me.
Come and play with me.
Come with me and you’ll see, we can play together.

Need a Summer Boost? Try Mixing Meters!

I always looked forward to the change of seasons.  Fall to winter. Winter to spring.  Especially spring to summer when school let out and everything seemed more relaxed and care-free. But as a music therapist, I have learned that the children and families that I work with do not get a break from the challenges that they face. The preschool program in which I work runs year round so that the children will have the consistent support that they require.

Even though I know that this is often best for the children, I get sad when the children or families tell me that they don’t have the time or energy for normal fun. Fun, like going to the beach to swim.  So if the children can’t get to the beach, how about bringing the beach to them? We don’t need actual sand and water, we just need music that gives the feeling of the waves and surf.

Here is a new song you can use this summer. It relies on mixing the meters of 2 and 3 to give the sense of momentum and flow that we feel in the cool water. Give it a try with instruments or lovely flowing scarves. I use one that I picked up on a vacation a long time ago.

 

Come With Me and Swim…E.K. Schwartz 2017

Come with me and swim. Come hold hands and jump right in.

Come with me and swim. Come hold hands and jump right in.

The water is cool, the weather is fine. So take a deep breath, it’s almost time.

Bend your knees. Curl your toes. Take a breath. Hold your nose.

Ready. Set. Go! OH!!

Enjoy!

Beth

Finally! A Brand New Raising Harmony Course

Are you working this summer? So are we! We’ve got two brand new Raising Harmony courses for you. Only $49 with 3 CMTE credits, lots of new songs, and tons of great ideas for early childhood music therapists. Open the video to get a taste of how to create effective preschool groups, then head over to www.RaisingHarmony.com/training to sign up.

Hey, Siri. You’re Wrong.

I took a long road trip several weekends ago to spend time with very dear friends. As you can imagine, there was talk, walks, laughter, and tears along with a little bit of whine and a little bit of wine. It was a great time of introspection and much needed rejuvenation.

IMG_0057

Then came the trip home. Yuck! More for company than anything else, I turned on the GPS and listened as the female voice guided my route. I should have turned it off when I was back in familiar territory, but for some perverse reason I didn’t. So for fifty miles I listened to her shouting at me to follow her commands (or so it seemed).  Of course she had all the latest satellite information on distance and traffic. On the surface, her way should have been the right way. But since this was my home turf, I knew that the way she was directing me would have lots of lights. And with my luck, they would be all red. She also didn’t recognize that her way took me by a large shopping mall. It was a Sunday and of course everyone would be out shopping. She didn’t care.  It would be much more relaxing for me to stay on the highway with no lights and no traffic even if it meant a few extra miles. She kept insisting on taking me the way that fit with her programmed plans.

All this annoyance got me thinking about my work in music therapy and the continuing conversations about Evidence Based Practice (EBP).  What’s the connection there, you might ask? Well Siri, or that disembodied voice in the machine, is a little bit like one part of EBP – the best available research.  She has empirical data to back up her choices. Our best available research has empirical data to back up recommended clinical choices.

But there are two other critical components of EBP – clinical expertise and individual differences.  In my drive home, I had the expert knowledge of the local roads with information that the data would not know or measure such as a blow-out sale at the mall. In our clinical work, we have local information from our sessions that make rigid following of research protocols ineffective.  One instance comes to my mind – the use of minor keys or modes for very young children with autism. Some research I have read seems to indicate that simple melodies in diatonic keys are best. Well that might have been accurate for the limited confines of the research protocol, but every week in my sessions when I sing those songs in minor I see and hear young children with autism turn their faces toward mine and begin to vocalize in a way that I had not heard before.  The clinical outcomes support the validity of my clinical expertise.

Siri also could not observe or measure my individual needs on that long, long trip home. I really just wanted to keep my foot on the gas rather than the brake pedal. For me, that would make for a better quality trip than shaving seven minutes off my drive time. That’s an individual difference. There is a considerable amount of written evidence used to select a treatment plan for young children with autism (ABA, Floortime, TEEACH). I know this one little boy in particular who does not and will not respond to any demanded outcome, external reward or not. But come and watch him in a music therapy session. Given some freedom in musical expression, he not only says but sings words. And furthermore he sings them with understanding and intent. His individual differences, especially his unique response to music, are just as important as that large research study that says that kids like him should have better outcomes with an M & M or other external reward system.

IMG_0063

So just like ignoring or talking back to Siri, we need to value our own experiences and respect the differences of our young clients and be confident in our choices as clinicians.  This means knowing and understanding our best research, but also knowing and understanding our clinical effectiveness and our client’s unique strengths.

Here at Raising Harmony, we try and bring you quality research in both music therapy and early childhood. But we also appreciate your clinical skills and your intimate knowledge of your clients, your families and your communities.

Now, back to re-programming that machine!

Beth

 

Skip to content