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]

[Amanda Braden]

One thing that I believe that I can personally bring to early childhood music therapy programs is my love for play and interaction with young children. My husband and I do not yet have our own children, but it isn’t uncommon to find me on the floor playing a game with my young nieces at family functions. Also, I have some experience in leading young children in singing worship songs at my church, and I thoroughly enjoy jumping and spinning around while singing with the children almost as much as they do. So, I think my interest and enjoyment in interacting with children and playing with them at their level will help me make children feel welcomed and have fun while participating in group sessions. Also, I hope it will help parents see the fun and joy in playing with their children as well as in watching them grow into healthy human beings. One other important thing I bring is my experience in working with individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For parents of children with disabilities, I can help point them to programs, other therapies, support groups, etc. that are available for them and their children in the community and assure these parents that there’s so much support available to them and their child, even as their child grows into adulthood. I’ve seen the difference in my own clients (between those who received early intervention programs and those that did not) and see the importance in encouraging families to take steps as soon as they can to take advantage of the programs available to them and their children. So, I hope to provide support and encouragement to parents of children with disabilities as well as those with typically developing children.

[Michelle Russell]

I hope that I am able to provide a creative and supportive environment for both children and parents. Some of the programming I offer is for parents and child together, while some of the preschool age groups are in educational settings. While being supportive of the parents, I also hope to create an environment where the parents can become supportive of each other. With our background as Music Therapists we bring experience and understanding of group dynamics. I think that this skill can only enhance the quality of the programs that we will provide.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

I hope (and cannot wait) to receive more knowledge from the music therapy perspective. As I already said I don t have much experience as a music therapist in early childhood practice except that I am now working with new moms and their new born babies (from 0 to pre-crawling phase) especially targeting more on a bonding process using musical activities. I am very happy that I am part of this training, making next, logical, step and continuing my education as a music therapist for early childhood period. In the future I want more to focus on parent/children dyads as well as group working through music interventions. So yes, I am sure that I am on a right place ;)!

[Jacquelyn Blankinship]

I don’t have very much direct experience working with children of this age other than personal experience (my nephew, my cousin’s children, years babysitting when I was younger, etc.), but I know that I LOVE working with kids. I take pride in the fact that I am a bit of a child at heart and still love to be silly as much as possible. I think that I’ll bring an enthusiasm to this work that will be motivating for the children AND the parents. After reading Michelle’s comment above, I want to spend more time thinking about providing a supportive environment for the family as well as the children, and what that might look like. THe information from this week’s module will, undoubtedly, give me a more solid understanding of the children but also the parents: what they worry about, the types of behaviors they’re expecting to see from their children and when, etc. I also really took the experiential part of the presentation to heart and agree with Beth about the importance of putting yourself in the child’s position and trying to experience the world through their eyes.

[Katie Whipple]

I feel that I will be able to bring a lot of support to the parents. Just as a few others already mentioned, the parents really are the other half of the equation. And as a mommy of a 2 year old and 5 month old I know how it is to have all these questions about development… is this normal… should he be rolling over yet, etc. Fortunately from this week’s training I am more aware of these things and feel more comfortable sharing them with parents. I love in each training module how Elizabeth throws out there “it would be a good idea to mention to this parents…”. I feel that if I can help support and educate the parents about was is typical behavior or part of a child’s natural development as well as provide ideas and songs that they can do at home… then the effects of music on a child’s development won’t stop with just me once or twice a week! Children will then have the opportunity to experience these things at home on a regular basis and that is what is so great about the Sprouting Melodies approach.

[Megan Dewing]

I was excited to watch this weeks videos, as it has been a while since I first learned early childhood development. I hope to bring creativity and fun to early childhood groups. While children are growing they are learning things so quickly and have lots of new experiences. I hope to be able to bring music experiences that parents and children can do together that are fun and creative to aid this development. Not having many young children that I interact with every day, and most of my experience being with school aged children, this module was very helpful in working with some of my current clients, as well. I am excited to share this information with parents, and continue to learn more about the Sprouting Melodies approach.

[Darcy Lipscomb]

I often tell families and administrators that we (music therapists) don’t own music. I believe that I bring the vision of wanting to educate and empower families to feel comfortable interacting with their child through music. This will support growth not only during the early childhood music program but also in between the sessions – at home and in the community. This information will support my work as music therapist by enabling me to create more development-based interventions, communicate with parents and early childhood professionals more effectively, and have a base of knowledge from which to draw when leading community workshops, in-services, and presentations.

[Anonymous]

I really love how much you all have taken in that parents need support and need to hear that support from us. As many of you have shared, parents (and particularly new parents) are very focused on making sure their children reach every milestone. Many of these parents also worry if their child does not hit a milestone at a specific time or if they are doing enough for their child. It is so important for us, to tell them “you are doing a great job” and to point out all the great things their child is doing. Darcy I really loved what you shared about empowering and supporting parents to bring the music and experiences home. This is something that makes us, music therapists, and Sprouting Melodies unique and valuable for families.

[Christine Czuhajewski]

<p>I think I will personally take this knowledge to develop new interventions and songs to support children as they reinforce skills and begin to learn new skills. I look forward to creating and using music that will help children stay engaged and naturally develop their skills. All the information about early child hood music therapy will also support my work by allowing me to effectively help a new age group and provide a different kind of music therapy service for the community. The information we learned about specific developmental responses will further support my work in music therapy when I work with older students who are developmentally still at an early childhood stage. This will help me understand the appropriate order of skill development so I can work towards the most effective goals and objectives for my students. I also think this information will help me as I work with other professionals and families so that they can implement the knowledge and apply different skill development techniques throughout their daily lives. In the school I work in, I work closely with SLPs, OTs and other service providers, and as we work together to share techniques to support our students throughout the school setting, I have received feedback that some people are afraid to sing because they are self conscious. Having music and information to help show other treatment team providers how music can also support their developmental goals and domain areas would create another layer or support for clients.

[Kayla Lyles]

I absolutely loved all the information from this week! I believe I could bring my creativity and love of play to early childhood music therapy. I hadn’t touched on childhood development to this extent in a few years, so to have this overview was incredibly helpful. Being so young and without a child, I also felt reassured that I can use this information and confidently talk to parents about developmental stages and phases.

[Anonymous]

Kayla I am so glad that you see that your training and background as a music therapist give you the expertise to work with children and their families. You will find that parents will value your training and expertise, even if you do not have children of your own.

[Jaycie Voorhees]

I feel that I have a unique connection with young children that has evolved over the years into a strength. I honestly never saw myself working with children, and even in college the idea was quite intimidating to me–I mean, what do you DO with those little ones? However my first 5 years as an MT were at a school, and I developed not only a deep love for the children themselves, but also learned that my interactions with these kids, especially through music, brings out quite a lot in them. In order to maximize this potential, I continuously seek to learn how to best meet their needs, help them grow, and utilize music as a driving force in the process.

I have also developed a new perspective in the past few years as I have been a parent and seen things from a totally different angle than I had before. I totally get that parents want their children to reach each milestone, and have felt that sense of worry in delayed progression as well as a sense of pride when my child is “ahead of the game”. I believe this helps me be more supportive to parents, especially because i totally get that things just get crazy at home sometimes, and it’s not always easy or realistic to apply things that others suggest. I always tell parents, “just keep doing your very best, know that others love and believe in your child, and they will keep growing!” I had one parent tell me once “I like talking to you because you have hope for my child”–when apparently everyone else was quite negative. There is something powerful about simply loving the children you work with and communicating that love to their parents.

[Mary Withington]

I think I bring enthusiasm, spontaneity, a willingness to enter the child’s world and get down on the floor and play with them. Although I don’t have children, I have always enjoyed being with and working with all ages from new borns to very older adults. I Babysat from age 12 to after I was married at age 38, and was always the most fun and requested baby sitter, and have been “the fun aunt” to my nieces and nephews. As a music therapist for over 30 years, I’ve developed an ability to be in the moment with people, to enter their worlds, and be aware, empathetic, and responsive to their needs. I am flexible and can change a plan or activity instantly in response to a need or mood or behavior. Although I went into music therapy specifically to work with geriatrics( now termed older adults), I’ve found that I love working with the younger children and babies equally as much. They and their parents usually like me and the fact that I can slither, waddle like a duck, and be silly and comfortable
with them very spontaneously. A parent brought a friend’s 3 month old to her daughters’ piano lesson at my house this morning. Instantly I had that baby smiling, sticking her young out at me and cooing, just by making tongue and mouth sounds, smiling and vocalizing, and tracking a little maraca. The waiting sibling then played with the baby as I had done, during her sister’s lesson. Just a little example from today.

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