How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?

[Anonymous]

How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?

Have you made any changes in these areas since beginning this course?

[Erika Svolos]

The four music experiences: Singing, Moving, Playing Instruments, and Listening

For anyone who has not had an opportunity to go back to previous weeks. Consider reading other participants responses as this can deepen your experience with the training material.

[Celia Grove]

Singing- Since singing was my primary instrument in college and one I feel most comfortable with, I think singing is at the forefront of everything for me. I use it to have kiddos imitate pitches and sounds, to transition, and to build rapport and relationships. It’s interesting to me to hear when a client’s family comes back and tells me that they sang one of the songs we used in music for transitions at home, or before bedtime!
Moving- I think for this one, in addition to clapping, whole body movements, and stomping rhythmically, I think it’s important to note where kiddos are when it comes to just needing to move and not sit still during music experiences. Kiddos in the independence developmental phase are going to want to be standing and exploring the environment. I let my kiddos in this stage walk around more during sessions without the expectation of having them sit in a chair or on the floor.
Playing Instruments-For this one, I think most of my current kiddos are still in an exploration stage. They’re starting to make choices about what sounds they prefer, but still like to move from one instrument to another quickly. I use lots of stops and go as my clients explore.
Listening-This is one I don’t think I use as much on its own, but lately, since taking this course I’ve been trying to do more in this area, as well remembering about “If I’m tired of this song, I should sing it at least three more times”.

[Samantha M Lawrence]

I’ve really started observing “listening” more as my work is mostly virtual. I definitely didn’t think about those more subtle actions in response to hearing and listening to music nearly as much when I was only in person.

[Samantha M Lawrence]

Singing: A lot of the kiddos I work with are non-verbal or minimally verbal. For some, they are unable to produce sound due to trachs. For my clients who are able to make vocalizations, I often encourage them through the use of songs with repeated simple pitches and syllables. With my clients who are more verbal, I often use fill-in-the-blank song structure to encourage them to verbalize words at the end of phrases.

Playing: My instrument selection is limited to whatever instruments my clients have in their homes. A lot of my kiddos do have instruments. For my clients, instrument play is often an opportunity for choice-making and self-expression. It is also a way that we work on stamina and fine motor skills.

Moving: I have a few younger clients who love to just move freely to the music. With my younger preschool kiddos, I tend to allow them to get up and dance and let the teachers ask them to sit if they feel the need. I’m just getting to know these classrooms, and especially being virtual, I’m trying to respect teachers’ rules and ways of keeping order! However I try to structure my sessions in a way that they have a specific time to dance with both a song that prompts 1 step directions as well as a dance where my kids can move however they like in the space.

Listening: Listening has become so much more of a central part of my work. I often can only see the faces of my clients. So especially for my clients who are non-verbal, watching for small cues in the facial affect of pleasure/displeasure or a spark when they hear a familiar and favorite song has become so important.

Since starting this course, I have been trying to observe the little things that occur in the music to help me better locate the development levels so I can make more developmentally appropriate music experiences for them.

[Brenna Sheaffer]

I agree that listening is something that is so important to look at with non-verbal children, especially if PECs and an AAC are just not attainable at that time to communicate how they are responding to the experience. The small cues happen so fast as well!

I also use a lot of fill in the blank and general vocalizations in response to the music as well.

Great insights!

[Hally Batterman]

Singing – This music experiences appears to be the most vital when reflecting back on my work with my clients. After interning with Beth at Alternatives for Children, I really grew to appreciate the use of the voice even just in its own without any sort of accompaniment. So much can he communicated and conveyed with this incredible instrument that we all already possess in our bodies. I use my voice to help guide my clients in initiating, sustaining, and releasing their musical gestures. I also use singing in particular ways that help to highlight the structure that some clients so desperately need in order to feel regulated.

Playing – This is the music experience that really opens up a client’s world to creativity and self-expression. I tend to encourage my clients to independently choose their own instrument, or if they are home in a virtual session, we may use our bodies as instruments (patting, clapping, etc) which could also double as moving. Playing definitely provided my clients with an opportunity for leadership/ownership and an opportunity to make independent musical choices.

Moving – Moving is integral in my work. Whether it is smaller movements through body percussion, or moving/running/stomping/jumping around the room. Moving helps my clients learn where they are in space and where they are in relation to others. I also feel movement is key to regulation and attention, especially during a gathering song.

Listening – This is the one that tends to be the most challenging (and I’m sure many might agree). Sometimes we get so consumed in keeping the structure of the session or song or experience we are involved in, that we forget to really tune in to what our clients are doing. Sometimes this is when we can miss the most beautiful moments. I feel like I am finally learning to listen more deeply thanks to my masters program at Molloy. Many of my classes focus around improvisation and really listening in a new way. I definitely feel like I haven’t mastered this yet and I probably never will, but it feels good to know that I am working on this skill and constantly building upon it every day in my sessions. Sometimes my clients will contribute vocally or instrumentally or even through body language that may seem subtle and easy to miss. These are the moments that I’ve found can be extremely magical if I can catch them with my own ears and eyes.

[Celia Grove]

I agree with you about listening sometimes being the most challenging! It’s so easy to get caught up in what “the plan” is rather than what our clients are giving us.

[Leeann Mcmorrow]

I like what you wrote about singing. This course has challenged me that not every experience needs to be accompanied by a guitar or a keyboard!

[Erika Svolos]

Wonderful insights! I think this question is one that you can take and consider with each session that you facilitate. It’s great to help you consider how you create and engage in experiences with your clients.

[Grace Baer]

Singing – I think since voice was my primary instrument when working on my Bachelor’s, I’ve naturally relied on singing the most so far in my sessions. In a few specific examples, I use it to bring about cognitive stimulation with those in my elderly groups, to communicate directions in my Pre-K classes, and to encourage information retention with individual students while working on IEP goals.
Playing Instruments – I use a variety of instruments when leading Pre-K classes and with the individual students. I mainly use percussive instruments to encourage fine motor skills, direction-following, and self-expression just to name a few goal areas. Playing preferred instruments is also an essential part of my sessions with individual kids as they serve as a big motivator and reward for completing tasks.
Moving – I love using movement in group sessions to increase/decrease energy levels, to regulate emotions, to gather attention, or just to get some wiggles out. I think that for a lot of young kids, when movement is paired with a task, they are much more likely to pay attention, engage as a group, and follow directions.
Listening – I’m also still working on my own listening skills with my clients, but I do see it as a valuable tool when working with non-verbal clients. For instance, I’ve had several interactions with an adult, non-verbal client, and I’ve been able to provide his preferred music based on his facial cues communicating his liking/dislike for genres and song selections.

[Brenna Sheaffer]

Singing: I use singing a lot to establish structure, between transitions, and to display direction following/self-expression. With my Pre-K children, we may sing a structured call and response song just to settle in and be present/practice focus and attention; whereas with my students that are nonverbal, we are vocalizing back and forth on various pitches to communicate with one another within the music. Sometimes I change the timbre or meter of my vocalizations to see how they will respond.

Playing Instruments: There is one activity I’ve been enjoying doing lately with drums in the Pre-K classroom that just invites them to start by playing it however they want. Once that has been established, we then start to play with the timbre and the speed of the music. It’s so fun to see their creativity and how they would play softly, loudly, slow, or fast. Of course thunder/drum roll is the favorite! I also like to incorporate the start/stop, specifically by modeling an arms up to model to pause and wait.

Moving: In the social/emotional realm, I enjoying engaging children in songs about being at bunny speed, turtle speed, or having too much sugar. In these instances, they have the opportunity to adapt to the music and display how they would move if they were in one of those stages (bunny, turtle, too much sugar).

Listening: I have been watching for this listening portion more closely. In my students, I notice it when I bring in a new instrument, or play my guitar sedative vs. stimulative. In my Pre-K students, I notice how they stop and listen while others are engaging in instrument play to see how they are creating and responding to the music.

[Leeann Mcmorrow]

Singing
Working in pediatric palliative care, sometimes I would sing and play a guitar while the child was lying in bed resting and match the music to the child’s breathing, allowing space for music and relaxation.

Instruments
I used hand over hand or hand under hand assistance with pedi pal clients to provide space for them to make music with their family/siblings together.

Moving
When leading an opening group experience, I asked each child to come up with a movement that accompanied their name. We sang a song where we practiced everybody’s name and movement.

Listening
I did some basic songwriting with some of my pedi pal patients. I always made sure they had time to listen back to the music they helped create to validate their own words.

[Caitlyn Pawelek]

Singing: Singing has always been a big aspect of what I do in sessions. Improvisation about what the clients are doing, singing instructions, having clients fill in phrases and sing with me. I also use a lot of vocal improvisation to aid in communication and verbalizations with my clients.

Instruments: I use a wide variety of instruments in sessions. Using the drum and percussive instruments to work on a variety of skills as well as provide sensory input for the clients. The instruments are motivation to the kids that I work with the maintain engaged. I also use guitar and keyboard a lot throughout sessions, working on improvisation,learning songs, and motor skills.

Moving: Movement has aided in sensory regulation and engagement in clients that I work with. There are many times where all they seem to need is to be able to move aroung and get out energy/regulate to engage more in the other areas of the session.

Listening: I try to listen a lot in sessions! Song choices and why they may bring those into the session that day. Listening to verbalizations to be able to improvise and follow along with then. Listening and watching for how they are playing that day to see what their needs may be. I have also had many instances where clients will begin telling me about stressors and we focus on venting and me listening to them during sessions.

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