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]

[Jessica Bogacik]

I think that what I will personally bring to early childhood music therapy based programs is a true love of entering the child’s frame of mind, being child-like, and PLAYING! I think it is a unique opportunity that we have to exit the adult world that we are “supposed” to be in, and be child-like, as part of our profession! Playing and having fun with children is the best way for them to learn, and it brings me joy as a human to be a part of that type of learning! The information I received this week is helpful because it will aid me in being sure I am bringing developmentally appropriate interventions to the children that I am working with so that the play that we engage in WILL indeed help them learn!

[Amanda Goff]

Personally, what I will bring to early childhood Music Therapy is my love for music and determination to learn musical methods that work well for the early childhood age group. I want to show young children the importance of music and how much fun music can be and that it’s okay to have fun. I also fully support how important it is for parents and families to embrace music and to understand how music can be fun along with their children.

[Melissa Hentges]

To my early childhood music music therapy based classes, I bring an excitement for the development that is happening almost right before our eyes in children of this age. I think working with this age group is a blessing – we get to be silly and have fun, but at the same time we are there to witness those “ah-ha!” moments as they grasp a new concept or experience something for the very first time. We get to see the pure joy that music can bring in someone who is utterly honest in their responses. To be a guiding role in a child’s life while they are first exploring and learning about the world around them is humbling and I hope to use the information I learn from this course to push myself to present activities/interventions that are truly meaningful to that development.

[Lauren Servos]

I bring my joy, acceptance, and encouragement to early childhood groups. So often children are told what to do and what not to do, and although these groups are structured, I love having the ability to adapt interventions to celebrate the spontaneous contributions of children in a developmentally appropriate way. It is very meaningful to me to support the emotional development of children as well, and to model positive interactions for families.

[Kathy Odenkirk]

What I think that personally I will bring to early childhood music therapy based programs is my 24 years of experience working with young children (both typically developing and early intervention). I believe one of my strongest assets is my ability to work with and relate to children. I am not afraid to meet them at their level but at the same time continue to be the “adult” in the relationship. The information that was discussed in the modules will support my work by helping me set appropriate attainable goals for the children I work with. It will also help remind me to plan developmentally appropriate activities and sessions. With my current contract I do not see the parents on a regular basis (school site) so I think that this information will also be helpful to me when it comes to supporting parents and families.

[Mikhala Majeau]

I will personally bring my love of children and passion about their development to early childhood music therapy based programs. I am a strong believer in bringing caregivers and their children together and helping them interact and grow. I have worked with children since I was a teenager, and I truly am passionate about helping guide children on their best path. I also have music education training, and this has helped me in classroom management, especially with the 3-5 year old range. I hope that my joy and love for the children and families will encourage them to interact more and forge healthy relationships.
As I also would like to cater specifically to military families, I believe that my knowledge and passion will be able to provide a strong support system for military spouses and their families who may be far from their own extended families. I hope that my knowledge and training combined with my love of music and children will be able to be a comfort for those who may be missing their extended families or spouses.

[Kristina Rio]

Such wonderful answers so far! We truly can bring such a unique set of skills to the groups we work with. I like how Melissa talked about the “ah-hah” moments and how they are a blessing to us in our work. It is also our job to share those moments with the families in the moment, because they don’t necessarily see or experience those moments the same way we do. Remember to point out those beautiful moments!

[Michelle Nettle]

A personal reflection that really “stuck” with me after this weeks videos, was to remember to ALWAYS do my best to be where my client is, no matter who they are and what age. Specifically with early childhood, it reminded me of the importance of “thinking like a child” and where they are in their current development rather than the tendency to slip back into “adult thinking.” Being cognizant of what the “experience” of the music therapy session is like from the “perspective of the child” based on their current developmental level, will help me design music therapy sessions that are developmentally appropriate and also will guide my writing of “realistic” goals and expectations. And of course, it reminded me that with children, it is ALWAYS important to have FUN!

[Anonymous]

I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s answers, so far. I think Lauren’s observation that children are frequently in environments where they are being told what they can and cannot do and that we have a unique opportunity to demonstrate how to follow the child while still providing a structured environment.

[Jamie Sacca]

I have always said that I am just a big kid in an adult body. I love to play. And when I am running groups, I am always mindful of play, in particular musical play styles, and how my clients react to and ‘play’ within the music. I think a particular skill of mine is to be able to see the small changes, the ways of playing within music that others often miss or may interpret as off-task behavior, inappropriate behavior, or a-typical responses to musical stimuli. I think we have a unique ability as music therapists to see those kinds of play styles that children may not exhibit in other areas of their life!

[Amanda Barnett]

I believe that this weeks video has helped me to better understand the time frames of development in young children. I have an 11 month old daughter and was able to nod & identify everything said up until 12-24 months. The mixture of better understanding the typical developmental stages in addition to first hand experience by watching my daughter & my friends kiddos that are her same age grow and learn to interact with one another and the world around them will definitely help me in the field of music therapy by not setting my expectations too high and to make sure to keep a more “child like” mind about things, touching my toes & jumping up high!

[Steven Clarke]

When working in early childhood music therapy based programs, I would like to be able to embrace being “like a child” as the material suggested this week. Embracing such a mindset would provide children opportunities to feel safe and have fun, and allow myself as the therapist to meet them were they are at in the moment through the music. The ability to utilize fun and engaging music activities/interventions that are “child like” to best meet the needs of each individual is something I hope to continue to develop within my repertoire and skill sets as this course progresses. My personal integration of the information covered this week will support my work as a music therapist as I further embrace opportunities through music appropriate to the development of each child at the stage that they’re at.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

I think I bring to my early-childhood music therapy, after 20+ years or work, a love for music, a joy in what I do, and a compassion for the parents struggling through this journey, especially when their children are not meeting milestones. This information will support me and improve my practice by giving me more specific guidelines of what to expect at each step along the way.

[Natalie Condon]

I think it’s very important to have goals and structure, but I think it’s even more important to be able to meet a child where they are at and interact with them in a flexible way that fosters their natural creativity and curiosity. When learning about how children under four may not really understand the full concept of “sorry”, I could see how they are often equally unapologetic in music, and it’s a wonderful thing. Having that freedom of expression without the adult-like consciousness, (questioning ourselves, how we appear to others, whether or not we are doing things “right”), is a frame-of-mind I feel I could bring to an early childhood music therapy group, but with the wherewithal to use this information and our music therapy skill set in support of the children and their families.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

In addition to skills developed in my training as a music therapist, I will bring knowledge gained from past studies and personal experience as a parent. I have a Masters of Education in music ed., and part of my degree requirements were courses on music and young children. I was also a Music Together teacher, which enabled me to observe and interact with young children in a musical setting, which was illuminating in terms of just how much they love music! It was also interesting to be an outside observer of caregiver-child dynamics at different stages of development (rather than a parent in the mix of the class). Finally, I have 2 sons, ages 6 and 10, and I remember those feelings of “is this normal?” and “am I giving them what they need to thrive?” (okay, so those feelings never go away!). I would love to provide that support and reassurance to families, or to gently guide them towards possible intervention if their child seems to be behind in an area of development. In my experience, it was scary to be a first-time parent! Providing parents a sense of “being in this together” will be a definite focus for my program.

In terms of my work as a music therapist, the information learned and developed as a provider of an early childhood music therapy-based program will contribute to my ability to better assess clients who are young children. I will be able to more effectively design treatment plans that address overall areas of developmental needs/functioning because I will have a greater sense of the range of typical behavior for given age ranges, as well as developmental sequences for particular behaviors and skills.

[Kayla Hamilton]

I think that can bring flexibility and appropriate energy levels to the early childhood music program. I feel that it is very important to meet the child at their currently level of development. In a group setting, it gives us a unique opportunity to facilitate group members encourage each other and learn from each other. I also feel that it is important to address caregiver questions and concerns ,as well as point out achievements and the possibility of musical aptitude.

[Linda Madler]

I somehow missed this question. My professional work as a music therapist was primarily in physical rehab, particularly teens and young adults with traumatic brain injury as well as strokes, brain tumors, MS, etc. I obtained a master’s in special education because I wanted to work with a younger population and because I felt very isolated with very few music therapists in my region. Now, returning to the profession, I bring 10+ years of experience teaching early childhood music, 20 years of motherhood, and a lot of energy and flexibility. I enjoy being with children at their level, reflecting their amazement of their world and what they can do.

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