Post to the board a personal reflection of what you personally will bring to early childhood music therapy based programs and how this information will support your work as a music therapist.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Kerry Cornelius]

I’m not yet a parent myself and I haven’t fully experienced first-hand the joy of watching my own child grow from infant to toddler and beyond. But this course has been reminding me of the importance of learning and understanding the paths child development may take (that are still fresh from my music therapy equivalency work!) so that I can best serve my families. Each week, I see some clients individually in an early childhood intervention center and have already had the opportunity to begin to watch them grow and explore the world within our music therapy sessions.

Throughout Elizabeth’s review of child development scales, I found myself thinking about each of my families and exciting moments from our sessions. I thought of the time a four year old, whose speech usually consists of babbling, loudly declared, “Drum, drum, drum!” His mother began to tear up and began to sing “Drum, drum, drum” while rocking her child. I also thought of another little boy who sat in his mother’s lap and pretended to “sleep” during a relaxation exercise. This same child was earlier described as “always running away from me, not to me” by his mother, who had the biggest smile on her face as she held him.

We as therapists often spend so much time focusing solely on our clients, but I love the emphasis made in the course material about also sharing this love and focus with the parents and caregivers who are so often present in our sessions. My hope is that the energy and excitement I have as a new therapist will be a bright light of comfort and a renewing energy for the children and families I serve. I know that many of my families describe their music therapy sessions as an “oasis” in the chaos of their daily lives, and I want them to continue view me as someone not only there to nurture their children, but their whole family. I’m so looking forward to learning more about creating an environment of community, support and encouragement in my early childhood sessions from this point on.

[Katie Bagley]

This week’s material brought forth the importance of educating and assuring parents of typical, healthy behaviors in their child’s development. As Beth stated in the video lesson, most parents are looking for information or validation that their child is on the right path toward healthy developmental growth. This is an area in which I personally look forward to bringing to my practice with families of early childhood clients. Learning of these typical development markers per age group is very helpful for me to base my understanding of typical development, versus possible early signs and indications of developmental concerns or abnormalities. I hope and intend to bring a developmentally appropriate practice to each of my clients and families, grounded in research and educational effectiveness. As an early childhood music therapist, I will bring and promote optimal learning for my clients, with rich experiences enhancing their physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and motor and sensory development.

[Shonda Malik]

The information from this week was a wonderful review for me about developmental age levels which I will use to best design music therapy interventions for the clients I serve who have developmental ages which are lower than their chronological ages. For example if my client has a developmental age of 3 I should select a counting song that goes as high as number four and not expect that they count to eight.

My experience in working with children with developmental disabilities will enable me to recognize in typical early childhood groups potential developmental concerns. The same experience will help me address those concerns with music therapy interventions to support development.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

What I hope to bring to early childhood music therapy-based programs and how this information will support my work as a music therapist is a more detailed understanding of early childhood development and how I can continue to develop appropriate interventions that match each child’s level of development. Most of the younger children I’ve worked with have either been on the spectrum or have physical disabilities together with intellectual disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy plus mental retardation). Even though there are many discernible behaviors that commonly manifest in children (as well as adults) presenting with these conditions, every individual manifests them in unique ways. So it is with the ways in which individuals experience music listening, music making, and movement to music. I also plan to emphasize to parents and other caregivers the importance of their taking part in the music-based activities together with their children.

[Katie Romano]

I really enjoyed this weeks information. As I am studying to become a Child Life Specialists, it was great to hear all the developmental milestones condensed and discussed in new ways. It was great to hear was to reassure parents as they watch their children grow and pass though different milestones. Even though I am not yet a parents, I was able to relate the information to clients and patients I have worked with and understanding where they are developmentally to better serve them.

I am really excited to uncover developmentally appropriate ways to use music to help children navigate their development. I think focusing on different interventions and styles of practice for specific age groups will help me, help patients reach appropriate developmental milestones in the hospital setting- where regression is very easy. Im excited to move forward and learn new techniques!

[Katherine Sestrick]

I think that the biggest thing that I will bring to my classes is my experience as a parent. I have been doing early intervention for 9 years, and one of the first things most families ask me is, “Do you have kids?” They want to know that you understand and can relate to their daily struggles with actual experience. This does not diminish the work of professionals who do not have kids, but I can honestly say, from experience, that my practice changed so much after I had my son, which happened after I was in the field of EI for 6 1/2 years. I feel that parents listen to me more and are more willing to try suggested strategies if I can relate them to something I have tried personally with my son. I have to admit that for every milestone mentioned in this section, I compared it to when my son achieved it. I think this will further enhance my work, because he hit some of them a little late, and I can honestly say to parents that I understand how anxious they are for their child to _______ (walk, talk, potty, etc.), but that published milestones really are a range and most children will develop at their own pace. I also appreciate the reminders about “red flags” and the fact that it is our responsibility, as early childhood professionals, to gently make parents aware of these, if they are not already.

[Jonni Fogerty]

In my current position, I provide supervision to music therapists who primarily work with children and adults with developmental disabilities, but I do not directly provide services at this time. This information has been a great review of child development for me and will assist me as I support and guide the therapists within my agency as they work with their clients and as we further develop our early childhood program. As I reviewed the material this week, I was often jotting down notes about important things to remind the therapists I work with to keep in mind in their work with young children.

[Nicole Sanabria]

After viewing this weeks material regarding the phases of childhood development, it allowed me to understand more thoroughly the child’s experience within the world around him/her. More over, on a personal level, the musical experiences that I’m offering as a music therapist and the expectations for progress. Many of the developmental milestones I felt happen naturally. Yet, its the impact that the caregivers and other service providers have that essentially shape and influence the childs world and overall experience from day to day to thrive in their environment. By doing my part as a music therapist and providing services for these youngsters, I’m allowing for a positive, fullfilling, nurturing, and understanding atmosphere to assist these children to climb the developmental ladder. How exciting is it that I get to be part of something so beautiful and unique? By undertanding what is happening developmentally, rather then by chronicogical age, it will help assist me in creating various musical interventions better suited for the individual differences the child may have. By providing appropriate musical interventions as a music therapist, I will be able to observe true progress, and set real expectations on the child, while providing the necessary support sought from the childs caregivers. If I am able to understand where the child is developmentally, I will be able to communicate more thoroughly with the families and speak from a place of knowledge and experience, rather then “Well, this is what most music therapist’s do for this issue your child is having.” It allows us as music therapists to be accurate and authentic in how we will achieve such a goal musically. This weeks information also reminded me to have fun! I feel as though so much focus is on how we will help the child reach a goal, that we lose sight of the process, and pay so much attention to the end product. Progress takes time, so if time is what we have, we need to enjoy it as much as possible! Thank you Beth and Meredith 🙂

[Anonymous]

I truly enjoyed reading all of your thoughtful and insightful contributions this week! As a newer Sprouting Melodies Provider and a new mom (to a 9 month old) I have seen how much parents need encouragement and support. It is so helpful for them when you point out what a great job they are doing with their child!

[Kristina Rio]

Wonderful responses from everyone! When I first started leading SM groups two years ago, I was nervous about not having the experience of being a parent. As I became more comfortable, I found that parents really listened and found my advice and observations to be credible. As you make your way through this course, I encourage you to print and keep your answers on the forum in a binder to go back and look at. It’s a great refresher and can help with boosting your confidence in your knowledge of early childhood development and music!

[Kasey Sollenberger]

Working within the early childhood setting, I hope to provide a supportive and encouraging role within the MT group or community. I have not experienced motherhood (yet), but I grew up working with children at our family business… having two teachers as parents also helped! Building rapport with my families is a top priority for me, and I’d like to think it comes naturally. Having an understanding and kind demeanor is second nature. I find all of these traits beneficial to creating the most therapeutic environment possible. It is so important to me that music therapy services are available to everyone who seeks them in my community. Making that a possibility greatly supports my work as an MT.

[Christina Wensveen]

This week’s material really helped put me into a child’s ‘shoes’ by making me think about their perspective of the world. I am not yet a mother either, so I especially enjoyed the way the presenter spoke about babies/toddlers as their own person finding their own place in the world. What this will allow me to do in my work is to remember to have fun with the kids and to let them explore. So far this course has really reminded me create opportunities for children to discover their environment at their own pace. I think this will assist me in developing a positive relationship and environment with each of the little ones I work with. This is such an important part of our work- as it’s when a child feels comfortable they are able to take risks, learn and grow.

[Kathryn Costanza]

I was so glad to read that some of the other therapists in this forum are not parents either. As a professional working with children, it can be difficult to be taken seriously if you don’t already have children (and it clearly gives professional parents the advantage of more experience and understanding!). However, I believe in educating myself to provide the best therapy services possible and currently work in a clinic where client-centered care and evidence-based practice are strongly emphasized. The material for this week really focused my attention on using developmental knowledge for two different, yet equally important tasks:

1. To further develop an environment of unconditional positive regard through understanding of where the child is (i.e. biting at a developmental age of 9-12 months is not necessarily behavioral or aggressive, but sensory)

2. To incorporate evidence and track data more efficiently in my sessions by using the template of appropriate development. (i.e. If I’m working with a 3 year old who can follow 1 step directions but not more, an appropriate objective may be the completion of 2 step directions, before progressing to the developmentally typical 3 step direction.) Being able to track progress through appropriate stages of development are an excellent indicator of progress in therapy, if such things are being addressed through specific objectives and are taking place on an atypical developmental timeline (as is often the case with our clients).

Plus, the reminder to see the world through the eyes of a child and to experience things from the client’s perspective is always helpful and makes for more effective therapy.

[Anonymous]

Kathryn, I am so glad you and other participants can see how valuable you all are for parents! Although becoming a parent has helped me in many ways, I have personally found that my music therapy training, and especially the Sprouting Melodies training, has been extraordinarily helpful for me in my parenting.

[Author]

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