How have you used these four music experiences in your practice? Have you made any changes in these areas since beginning this course? Post your remarks to the board.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Siobhan Rooney]

I try to incorporate all four of these musical experiences in every group session that I have. Generally, I start with singing, typically with a familiar greeting song that the children know and are able to sing. Then I usually present some sort of instrument and demonstrate some different ways it can be played. I will either give each child their own or invite them to come up and play for the group (depending on the instrument) and encourage them to explore different ways of playing. This is where we really have an opportunity to listen to each other and make music together. By this time we are probably about 15 or 20 minutes into the session and it is time to move! Whether it is a short finger play or a longer song I always like to give them some time to be on the floor or marching or jumping, etc. Working in a preschool this is important because many children that I work with are not able to sit for long periods of time. Some of my sessions are entirely on the floor and sometimes we use chairs depending on the needs of the children. I am thrilled to be taking this course because it really validates some of the work that I am doing and I was definitely feeling the need to sharpen my skills a little bit. It’s been a long time since I was in school, but I still feel that there is always more to learn.

[Keeley St Clair]

I almost always start out with singing sometimes with instruments to greet the group and establish intention. Many times my greeting songs include small sections of prompted movement as well.
Often I move directly into movement after greeting the group – sometimes with prompted actions and sometimes with free dance either to live or recorded music.
Generally after movement I move into instrument play with various foci – synchrony, playing with texture/timbre, start and stop, dynamics etc depending on the age of the group.
I’m inspired to explore using more listening experiences with young children than I’ve facilitated in the past.

[Coleen Shanagher]

I think that in the past I’ve always included these elements, but now that I know how they develop I can use them in a more intentional sequence. I typically start with singing and use that to address goals of language and then move toward different instrument experiences for different domains. I particularly liked the reference to “head, shoulders, knees and toes” since I may be guilty of using it inappropriately too!

[Jennifer Sokira]

I have used all of these experiences in my practice, overall and with young children.

I will say that using movement is never in isolation, but on reflection, I use it much more than I would have initially given myself credit for. Similarly, I think many of the musical experiences I use have listening opportunities built in, however it is an area I’d like to develop more.

I do a good deal of singing with my clients to provide structure sessions, to improvise and to meet children “where they are”.

I’d say that the instrumental experiences I tend to incorporate have been for children from control on, so one area I can grow is developing more instrumental experiences for children prior to the control phase.

[Stacy Reno]

I incorporate instrument playing, listening, singing and moving into all my sessions. I have a general pattern of the session: greeting, moving, singing/listening, playing, moving, singing. The order changes according to who will be attending and what their needs are to meet the goals. In relationship to the musical development sequence of listening, last spring our entire school (infants-26) had a field trip to the farm. In preparation for this we played “I hear….”. I would play a farm sound (animal, tractor…) some students were working on finishing the sentence “I hear a _____” while others were working on sound awareness. The cow sound was the most loved!

My awareness of the responses I am seeing are the biggest changes. With so many kids coming through my room it can be overwheling to notice all responses. I also am talking with colleagues more in terms of the developmental sequence language.

[Lauren Stoner]

I try to incorporate all four experiences in my clinical work, because it provides for a better sensory experience and more possibilities for growth. I have come to recognize these more as I apply them to my work. I also look to see how each experience supports the other. For example, in looking at movement- this can aid with spatial awareness and engagement which is helpful in awareness of others, which in turn offers opportunity to increase listening skills. I agree it is difficult at times to recognize all the responses, like Stacy stated, but I also think this is because it might be something not easily detectable, while still maintaining focus of the group.

[Toni]

Like everyone here, I too, implement singing, moving, playing and listening experiences within sessions. The general structure I use is similar to Stacy’s… greeting, moving, listening, singing, playing, moving, singing and closure/good-bye.
During sessions, I have observed children and assessed skill based on general developmental milestones. I like the Musical Developmental Sequence presented in this course, and will begin to look for stages of awareness, trust, independence, control. and responsibility when I begin new classes, hopefully in January.

[Sarah Tree]

I also try to integrate all four of these experiences within each session. I do not, however, always follow the same sequence of these events, unless I feel that it is necessary to do so. When possible, I tried to use the same music within different musical experiences (one week we will use the song to target movement, another week we may use that music while playing instruments), though until now I had not been working with children so young. Though I am not currently running sessions, I think that my previous practices may change in order to meet the needs of my clients (consistency in type of musical experience partnered with song, predictable sequence of musical events).

[Kathryn Opher]

I do use all four of these experiences in all sessions. I always start with singing hello but add instruments and movement at times. We then move and then get instruments out and I end with scarves and listening to me sing a song as we cool down to end the session.
Having a container is important but also having fluidity to change based on what one observes in the group is important.

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

As music therapists, we know how to change and be flexible in the moment to meet the needs of our kids and families. That is why music therapists are the best people to provide early childhood music groups!

[Shannon Kiley]

Though I typically use all four experiences in every session, not every session has a defined “first A, then B, then C” structure. (Although I’m starting to think that maybe I should lean more that way!) Most of my PreK sessions now go something like:

Hello – Greeting/Social Song – Movement – Singing – Instruments – Cool Down/Lullaby – Goodbye

Since the start of the course, the main change that I have made structurally is incorporating a bit of silence between activities, since I now know about the importance of silence for processing! I’ve also made some changes in how I run activities; with my increased awareness of stages of development, I am better able to spot which responses are developmentally appropriate explorations versus deliberate boundary-testing, which is always an element of PreK groups!

[Erin Spring]

I tend to use all those elements as well, even with adults. I often try to work towards increasing their “levels” of participation. I often start with simple listening; if they engage well this way, we add singing and/or instrument playing; then adding movement, eventually song writing or improvisation.

[Petra Paukova]

I am only working with adults right now, but I am using some of the “tricks” we are learning here. I agree with Erin on increasing levels of participation. I would add using as many senses as possible. Even severely handicapped people enjoy body play and scarves movement. Even if they can not do it on their own, I noticed they will track visually all what is going around and smile in response to it.

[Kehlen Bushatz]

I also use all 4 elements in my sessions too. I don’t necessarily have an order except for the greeting and the closing. I often let my kids pick what we do next when given a choice of 2-3. I find that engages them more. If I don’t give them choices or they are too low to choice I alternate between the 4 to give variety and to encourage better attending/participating. I think since doing the course I’m more aware of how to break down these elements into easier and harder tasks.

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