Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Emily Baroody]

The traditional children’s songs culturally important in my community consist of nursery rhymes and and american folk songs, such as you are my sunshine or the ABC’s. Manchester NH was at one point an industrial mill town. The mills brought in a lot of immigration during the industrial revolution so there are lots of people who can trace their ancestry back to Irish, Greek, French Canadian, Lebanese, and German roots. Over the years the distinction and tradition of all of the separate cultures has blended into one culture heavily influenced by the media so the majority of our culture is “American” in nature. The songs I am most requested to sing are ABC’s, Wheels on the Bus, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Row Row Row your boat, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Down by the Station, and Old MacDonald.

[Cynthia Cross]

I think my area has pretty traditional children’s songs although I have noticed, working in the schools, that many students don’t know some of the children’s songs I grew up with especially the American folk songs. We do have a large hispanic population and I’m always looking to add music from that culture but again students don’t always seem to have an awareness of the traditional music. I think a lot of students grow up with Country music or Pop/Hip Hop. This is what is played in their homes and they are most influenced by it. Fun story: I did an informal assessment on a little girl in another county who has Williams Syndrome. She was enamored of “that Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.” What a blast to work with a little one who loved Mozart!

[Melaine Pohlman]

The area I live in has pretty typical children’s repertoire tastes as well. Many traditional repertoire and folk songs are used as well as some of the newer music from current kids’ entertainers. We don’t have a strong amount of diversity, that calls for music from different cultures, but I agree that the children seem to be more influenced by the the Country and Pop music of our day than when I first started in the field. In my own work, I would like to expand my knowledge of multi-cultural music in children’s repertoire. Not having had a huge need to incorporate them into my work, I’ve made less effort to expand my repertoire in this area. I see this is as a great area for potential growth in my own practice.

[Molly Moses]

I believe my area also has traditional children’s music, though pop music is incorporated as well. There is also a fairly large hispanic community and I’ve been working to learn more songs in spanish, particularly lullabies. I enjoyed some of the songs from this week because they were in a minor key, which isn’t as typical in children’s songs, but I’ve found is more prevalent in certain cultures.

[Corie Barkey]

Again I posted most of this in the other section but here it is again with some more thought additions.
Sometimes I struggle to incorporate cultural music into every session, but I am aware of its importance and I strive to broaden my options for the community. I am from a very small rural town where music options are country or country. I do love my country music but as a music therapist I recognize where the therapeutic potential begins and also ends. I have purchased more instruments to add other sounds and I like the idea of modes again to give diversity to music. Most of my clinical work is in the city where my cultural music roots have little place. I feel like with the age of technology and internet resources children’s music repertoire in early education is expanding to include newer material like “I am a pizza” and “slippery fish”: ) Newly composed music always brings a fresh face to my sessions though.

[Laura Silvestain]

My area currently (Colorado) is influenced by traditional children’s music, with more pop music with early elementary-aged children. Frozen, of course, is always a big hit. At school in Indiana, it is the same, with the addition of country music. I know that growing up, many of the songs I knew were Girl Scout songs, and I believe they could have their place in a music therapy session, even if they aren’t as well known.

[Kristina Rio]

It was great reading all about the different music you are all using in your home communities!

[Anonymous]

This is a great exercise to help you to think about the culture’s in your community and the music that is in your area. It will,also, be a great way to help you connect with your community and find where your services can be beneficial.

[Mary Carter]

The area that I live in in New Jersey is very diverse but I think the most popular “kids” songs seem to be the good ‘ol reliable Twinkle Twinkle, The ABC song, The Wheels on the Bus and Old MacDonald. I was shocked when I moved here when I would ask parents of young clients what their favorite songs were at home and what they would sing along to in the car thinking I’d get Raffi songs, The Wiggles, Dan Zanes etc. but they would say they love to listen to artists like Pharell, Beyonce, Meghan Trainor and other Billboard artists. At the school I worked at I met very, very few parents who actually played children’s music or traditional music for their children. I think it will require a bit of education to get parents around here to sing age appropriate songs as opposed to just turning on the radio and letting that do the work.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I have found that many of the children I have worked with in the past tend to enjoy the traditional, typical children’s songs and folk songs. I immediately could recognize “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain” in the video because that is usually a very popular one and I tag on movements and and sound effects like throwing a lasso and singing “Yehaw” or waving and saying “hi there” for each verse. I then with that song even ask them well “she” is visiting so what are some of your favorite activities that you can do with her and we try to come up with a silly sound and movement that they have fun with. Usually we will end the song with going to bed and yawning or snoring which the kids usually think is very funny. I have also had a lot of requests of Laurie Berkner songs and pop songs as others have mentioned from Taylor Swift especially but also Meghan Trainor and One Direction etc.

[Mary Jane Dibble]

The community I work in, for the most part, tends to be family and religious oriented. The traditional children’s songs are well known such as Wheels on the Bus, ABCs, etc. There is one song that is well known in my community that everyone loves to sing along to. It was written by a lady in the 1950s who is local to Utah and it’s called “Popcorn Popping On the Apricot Tree,” written about the blossoms in springtime. Many children love to follow the actions to this song.

[Anonymous]

Mary I am also in New Jersey. I have also come across many families playing their radio favorites for their children. But, I have been pleasantly surprised, hearing back from my Sprouting Melodies families, that the SM classes have empowered them to use the music with their children outside of the class. They have reported that the SM songs have saved car rides, getting into the car seat, improving diaper changes, getting out of the bath, and helping at bed time. Most of my families felt intimidated by singing and intentionally engaging in music with their children. Your background and talents will truly help and inspire the families you work with!

[Mary Carter]

Thank you Erika! That is most heartening to hear!

[Brianna McCulloch]

I have a practice in my hometown in northern California, and like many of you, our musical culture is centered around traditional children’s music. However, I was a music therapy student in Miami FL, and the musical culture there was heavily influenced by our spanish-speaking, hispanic community. One of my favorite memories in practicum was singing Down on Grandpa’s Farm in my 3 yr old group of children with ASD, and the (mostly ESL) paras (who always participated wholeheartedly) sang that the bird says “peep peep” instead of “cheep cheep.” It was a small (but significant) difference, and the kids noticed 🙂 I have a 10 month old son and I read to him in Italian and in English, and according to his farm book, the duck doesn’t say “quack” he says “quah.” It’s fun to think about how our culture and our native language sounds influence our perception of the world.

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