Music and Early Development

[Anonymous]

As a music therapist, you know how music making contributes to overall early development. This connection between music and development is a unique feature of this training. We also know that there are many community programs in which young children are taught music skills. How do you explain to parents the difference between what you do and what another music learning based program does?

Be sure to come back and respond to others as well.

[Aliza Llovet]

The value of a Sprouting Melodies is an engaging musical experience under a developmentally sound approach that has a therapeutic touch such as being able to assess and adapt intervention to the group needs.

[Anne Reed]

The advantage of Sprouting Melodies you will participate in the development process of your child. You will learn how to use music in your daily life to help engage, teach, even sooth your children. Sprouting Melodies is just not about the child it’s about creating that bond with your child.

[Amy Brownell]

Emphasizing the bond between parent and child is so important!

[Amy Brownell]

Music therapists are trained to manipulate music in a unique way in order to meet specific needs of an individual or a group. We can make those changes on the spot depending on our observations. Many other early childhood music programs come with a set ‘boxed’ curriculum and short training that anyone, regardless of musical background and training, can take and then use. We as music therapists can creatively incorporate new music and that addresses non-musical skills based on our expertise in order to benefit children and families as a whole.

[Jessica Gelineau]

Hi Amy, I love how you shed light on the education and level of experience we have as music therapists when we do early childhood music programs. Many other programs do not require a musical background to complete the training, nor do they require a vast amount of knowledge about early childhood development. Wonderful insight!

[Hannah Floyd]

Sprouting Melodies allows you, the music therapist, to actively participate in the development of a child in a safe, engaging manner. Through it we can find ways to reach goals and objects for not only the client, but the group as a whole. It allows children a way to move forward developmentally without being intimidating or overwhelming. We are trained to recognize the little moments along with the big milestones.

[Emily Fabian]

A program like Sprouting Melodies’ value comes from not only the certified professional music therapist, but the program utilizing the developmental stages in it’s approach. It is giving the children along with the family the tools in the interventions that they can implement in other environments of their life.

[Jessica Gelineau]

When explaining the difference between other early childhood music programs to Sprouting Melodies, I would tell families that Sprouting Melodies is based on the child, not the curriculum. While there is a structure to the session, music therapists leading the group can tailor the elements of the songs to meet the needs of the children in the group. It is about the child being in the music and experiencing the music in their own way, opposed to the child “learning” how to play music in the correct way.

[Amy Brownell]

Yes – they will get much more out of a program that is tailored just for them!

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