Reviewing what you heard today, describe a moment in your practice when you saw a child in one of the developmental stages. Post your story to the board.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Emily Seymour]

    I was working with young children in a group setting when I interacted with a child who was in the control stage of development.  This child responded very positively to music and would move her body whenever the guitar played.  Although her language was just emerging she made her desires known by seeking out the instruments she was interested in playing for herself.  She also liked to take charge and show her classroom peers how to properly perform tasks (ex. how play instruments).  She could identify body parts and was familiar with the routine of the therapy sessions and anticipated which interventions would come next.

Question:  For typically developing children, what are the general age ranges for awareness, trust, independence and control?

[Channing Shippen]

I am currently working with a 4 year old child who has severe separation anxiety. I believe that she had previously passed the developmental levels to the point of control, however has gone backwards, and needs to re-establish trust, and independence. In the beginning of our sessions working together she would not let me play music of my own choosing without a resulting tantrum. It took several sessions to establish a sense of trust enough where she would let me sing. Over the course of our sessions we have begun exchanging songs, as well as writing several together. She is making wonderful progress!

[Lauren Bevilacqua]

I do an integrated early childhood group every week. I see a variety of developmental levels in this one session. What is most vivid from this week, after taking the information from this module, was thinking about a movement experience that we did this week. I was improvising the music in a bright key, with syncopated, rhythmic guitar. We did more organized movements like stomping, clapping, spinning/twirling, jumping (each supported with different musical elements)- basically encouraging the kids to move and get engaged with the music in some way.
I had a variety of kids moving around the room- which probably looked more chaotic than it was- but what caught my eye was a very young boy. He just started in our group and at the school in the last few weeks. In previous sessions, he seemed tentative and barely tolerating the sensory environment. This day, he came right up to me, reached out for the guitar I was holding, touched the strings and then started bouncing up and down. To me, he made the choice to turn his attention towards the music, even reach out and then move. It seems like he is starting to explore the trust level – with short periods of response and showing an authentic curiosity in the source of sound, exploring with hands and/or mouth and then turning away towards his caregiver when he seemed to reach his sensory threshold.

[Megan Goddu]

I am currently running a group that has 4 six year old children as part of an 8 week class. We have one more session before it is done. Three out of the four children are in the responsibility level. There are a couple of songs that we do where all three children are able to sing them independently with little support from me. Between the three of them, they are able to sing, move/dance, play and encourage each other in the music. One student in particular will try to convince the fourth member of the group to join in the music.
To be honest, I have had a hard time trying to convince him to join in the music. He currently is undiagnosed, however I believe he presents on the autism spectrum. Usually his mother has to carry him into the room. If sitting with the group (usually on Mom’s lap) and asked a question or present with an instrument choice, he will usually answer with a crying, defiant sound. This past week, he took to running around the circle. In support of this, I changed to a song called Play a little which used the handdrum, an instrument he has shown interest in. While he was running, I would hold the drum out in his “running path” where he had the choice to either hit the drum or run around the drum. Sometimes he was run by, or stop and hit the drum with either his head or hand. I would say that this child represents at the trust level of development.

[Vanessa Talbott]

I see children in each of the developmental stages. I especially see the stages playing out at the daycare I go to once a week. I see 5 different classrooms starting with little babies and going all the way up to five year olds. I love seeing how the children grow in these stages and how music grows with them. I love the contrast of being in the stage of awareness as a baby makes eye contact and vocalizes to a song all the way to the stage of responsibility as I experience vibrant independent singing with the five year olds.

Each developmental stage is a gift and a joy to watch unfold each week!

[Anonymous]

When I worked with young children I saw children at each of these developmental levels. As I was watching the videos I was thinking how helpful this information would have been back there and how glad I am learning now before I go back to work with this age group. As I was reflecting on my past work, I seemed to think a lot about the pre-school disabled classes that I saw. There were typically 12 students in a class and they would range from the awareness level to the control, and occasionally responsibility. It was quite the challenge to meet everyone’s needs in a 30 minute session once a week!

I particularly remember several 3 year old students who would join the class towards the end of the school year because they had just turned 3. Many of them had such severe disabilities that they were still in the awareness stage. They had the ability to sit up on their own, but they were just starting to be aware of the world around them. The teachers would always comment how music therapy was so helpful for these students. Many times the teachers were not really sure what to do with these students and were relieved when they had my group. We all noticed how these students would calm and show more responsiveness.

I am really excited to see these stages with my own child and to return to work with this age group! I think seeing the stages in action will help me to solidify this information.

[Kristen Macleod]

I have found learning about these musical developmental levels so useful this week. They have helped me look at some of my clients in a new way giving me a better understanding of them and I can definitely see how they will come in useful when I expand my practice into working with early childhood groups.

When I was watching the videos I kept thinking about a 5 year old boy I am currently working with who has bi-lateral cochlear implants along with other sensory processing  issues. I have found working with him challenging but I am now seeing how his development in music is lining up with these stages which is fascinating. Currently he seems to be entering the independent level. Recently he has begun to explore the instruments with more purpose and to move to the music by clapping or jumping.  In our last session the boy who often wanders around the room kept turning around to face the sound source when I would play guitar and sing.   During one familiar song he began to clap his hands rhythmically in response to the song and then walked towards me . He waited until the song ended, reached out and purposefully ran his fingers down the strings in a slow swipe to strum my guitar and smiled.

I think that having an understanding of where he may be in terms of these musical stages may help shape further goals in my work with him.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Thank you all for such wonderful details of your work in relationship to the levels. It really is just a framework in which to think about children in terms of what they do musically. I purposefully did not link the musical levels to chronological age, but some of that work can be found in the earlier chapters in “Music, Therapy and Early Childhood” and the work of Briggs/Bruscia.  Dr. Briggs did tie her earlier stages to chronological age.

Sometimes the ‘Control’ level can be a bit confusing. Sometimes children look as if they in control (such as not letting the therapists sing her own song) but it really is the disability that is controlling the child (rigidity, difficulty with sensory tolerance, etc.)

If you are interested in some case studies using the levels, you might want to read the chapter I wrote in the Developments in Musi Therapy Practice:  Case Study Perspectives edited by Dr. Tony Meadows that came out in 2011.

 

[Courtney Fanello]

I loved learning about these stages, especially awareness and trust. I feel like I missed these musical stages of my daughter because I didn’t know what to look for. ( Sorry I talk about her so much, but I love that everything I am learning can be applied directly to her). She is definitely currently in the stage of Independence as she loves to open my instrument cabinet and get out all of the maracas, egg shakers, and tambourines. She will shake them, get excited, and start dancing whenever I sing to her or when she hears any music or beat. She will either bounce her legs, clap her hands, or my personal favorite, shake her shoulders while she is sitting in her high chair. She definitely has favorite songs and gets very excited when I sing ” slippery fish” or five little monkeys.  I also get to observe a music group at church where I play the piano and the whole group is more in the control stage. It is very interesting to note their responses to the music are completely different from my daughter’s. I have to admit, my mind is sort of spinning considering that we have so many things to be watching for, especially in a mixed group.

[Lisa Klostermann]

Courtney, I agree, it is very interesting to apply the musical stages to our own children! 😉  My twins are just entering the Responsibility stage.  Just this week my daughter has started really singing whole songs with mostly correct pitch and rhythm.  She came out of preschool singing the our phone number in the song I wrote to help them remember it.

[Meredith Pizzi]

It is so fun to hear about your own children and how you notice their young musicing more!

[Jillian Brown]

I work with a little boy who just turned one years old a month or so ago. I recognize him as being in the awareness stage. He looks a lot to his mom and dad and older brother during the music and has most recently become very engaged with me and the music. I noticed him making good eye contact, looking at the ukulele/guitar, looking at my mouth and moving his mouth a little. He does a lot of the musical babbling and reaching toward the music. Reflecting back on this after learning more about this stage has made me see that he really is responding a lot! It feels good to know that even though I haven’t been completely aware of what he has been able to do musically at this stage until now that he has been responding well and maybe I’ve been doing some things right.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Great work, everyone!! So glad these ideas are coming together for everyone!

[Carla Carnegie]

so fun to read all your comments.  I can only reminiscence with my own children’s development, and the daycare kids I looked after in my home daycare.  Boy, that was a long long time ago!  Today at my well-elders music therapy time, a little girl, age 3, was spending time with her great grandma, and I enjoyed watching her responses to all the music experiences the group was doing.  She had her dolly with her, and the dolly participated in music with movement! She had her dolly doing the “gotta stomp, when the spirit says stomp”, but she herself wasn’t ready to do it! It was a joy having her present.I am looking forward to more interaction with young kids, as I build my private practice.  Right now, it’s heavy on the “older” side of life, and working with folks affected with Parkinson’s and Dementia.

[Carla Carnegie]

so fun to read all your comments.  I can only reminiscence with my own children’s development, and the daycare kids I looked after in my home daycare.  Boy, that was a long long time ago!  Today at my well-elders music therapy time, a little girl, age 3, was spending time with her great grandma, and I enjoyed watching her responses to all the music experiences the group was doing.  She had her dolly with her, and the dolly participated in music with movement! She had her dolly doing the “gotta stomp, when the spirit says stomp”, but she herself wasn’t ready to do it! It was a joy having her present.I am looking forward to more interaction with young kids, as I build my private practice.  Right now, it’s heavy on the “older” side of life, and working with folks affected with Parkinson’s and Dementia.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Great story, Carla. I might have already mentioned this but do you know the intergenerational music therapy work of Joan Shaw?

 

[Michelle Muth]

I’m going to come at this question a bit differently.  I have new client who is 4-years old with Autism.  I began working with him in March.  He is very responsive to music.  The past couple of weeks he is showing some of the those “terrible twos/threes” behavior as that is where he is developmentally.  I used the “terrible” term for a reason.  When I left the session this week I was frustrated and at my wits end to figure out how to move forward.  One of those…do I know what I’m doing? etc. etc  I was also very tired.  As I got in my car and drove to my next commitment (which was accompanying a middle/high school choral concert – a very busy week) the Music Development and child development levels of Sprouting Melodies came into my head.  This client is venturing into the independent stage.  He has been showing development into the control stage since I began and now independence is showing in which he is trying to control and run the session.  I’ve taken some time to think about this and will be modifying our session next week to peak his interest, have a bit more variety and opportunities where we will share the responsibility for a song.  I still need to think about how to re-shape the session but am grateful that I have a guide to help.

[Mary Kerrigan]

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The last children’s group I had worked with ranged from ages 5 years old to 10 with integrated typical and developmentally disabled children.  In this group I would say the majority of the members were in the control stage of development.  Many of them were very active and enjoyed much movement, loud instrument playing (particularly the drums) and singing.  Many would shout out or start to sing familiar songs without prompting in between some activities.

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