Share how you can explain to parents the difference between music for development and music for skill building.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Susan Gannon]

I looked back into my notes on the video and don’t see where this was directly discussed. I think, however, that it was indirectly referred to. I think music for development can be music that anyone can use, but a music therapist can use it more effectively. Music for development is music that is age appropriate and general. It covers many different abilities and shares many different musical elements. Music is processed in all areas of the brain, encourages the building of neural networks, and is motor priming so the use of music will foster development. Music for skill building is more specific and will probably be used by a music therapist, although a music educator may also develop skills. A skill which is determined to be in need of building will first be assessed as such. Then a thoughtful evaluation of a child’s musical development and how the child responds to music will be made. Creative musical experiences to motivate, prime, and develop skills will then be made and applied to the child. The experiences will be monitored to show if the musical experiences are working to build the skill. Music experiences will then be modified to address progress or lack of progress.

[Nicole Drozd]

When focusing on child development, music meets the child right where they are at. This means that the music is appropriate for their age and the interventions with the music and intended to engage the child in explore music as well as provide opportunities for the child to learn skills (some language, hand eye coordination, body identification, etc.) at their own pace. When focusing on skill building, music may be used to increase vocabulary, sequencing, sharing with others, etc.

[Julia Park]

Music for development is meeting where the person is. Music therapists have knowledge in human development and they create the music experience according to that. The focus is on the person’s developmental level instead of the music. Music for skill building can be interpreted in different ways but how I see it is that music for skill building focuses on enhancing the musical skill set. For an example, a child is taking a piano lesson in order to build their piano skill set. The focus on learning the skill, not on the person.

[Julia Park]

I agree with Susan, can Meredith or Elizabeth explain this more in detail. I don’t remember talking about this topic from the videos. Thank you

[Rebecca Woodruff]

Music for development is to help aid your children in proper development. The music therapist tailors sessions to meet the child where they are at developmentally and help them to continue to grow. This means that they will choose music and interventions that are developmentally appropriate. Music for skill building helps to build life skills (social, cognitive, educational etc.) or music skills. I believe that these two categories can overlap. For example, the skill of turn taking , will be developed and used in a music for development but is also building a specific skill.

[Daniel Henry]

Music for development is using music to meet the child where they are developmentally and providing them opportunities in the music to engage in a way that encourages their developmental growth in a variety of areas (language, cognition, motor, etc.). Music for skill building would be more focused on a child’s skill in a particular area through music. For example building vocabulary or learning the names of the states or alphabet through a song.

[Anonymous]

Hi Everyone, this question is looking at the difference of using music to support the overall development of a child, like we do in Sprouting Melodies, as opposed to using music to develop specific skills. An example of a specific skill, using music to develop impulse control or improve articulation. In Sprouting Melodies, we point out to parents how our classes support their child’s overall development as opposed to developing a specific skill whether it be a specific music skill or development skill.

[Marcie Hernandez, MT-BC]

It’s been helpful and interesting to look at everyone’s responses to this question. Also, Erika, thank you for clarifying what exactly this question is referring to in relation to specific skill building.

What I would say to a parent: Sprouting Melodies classes use music to promote and support your child’s overall development. Within our classes, the goals are never for children to learn how to play an instrument or how to become musicians. Rather, children are provided with a variety of opportunities that help build their overall physical, cognitive, emotional and social development. Some examples include: opportunities for positive social interactions with their peers and other adults, opportunities to practice fine and gross motor skills through movement and instrumental play, and opportunities to increase their sense of self through singing and listening to music that is age and developmentally appropriate.

[Alexis Ramagnano]

Music for skill building is very specific. A desired music skill is identified and the goal focuses on successfully attaining said skill. There is development but it is only addressing that one skill. In my opinion, music for development is always evolving since development is usually always progressing. We have learned about all the changes that a developing child experiences from month to month. These developmental changes actually influence how we provide music.

[Kristina Rio]

Great responses everyone! This can be a tricky question to think about.

[Charniqua Snell]

For sprouting melodies, (or most music therapy groups) the goals are to support the child’s overall development. Since, music therapists are trained in child development they can also gently challenge the group in meeting new developmental milestones as well. Using music for a specific goal can be done in a group especially if the goals or social in nature. But in my experience, it is easier to practice skill building in an individual setting.

[Kate Potrykus]

Music for skill building is very specific. It focuses on one skill and the music is designed to promote change in that one area. Like Charniqua said, it is often easier to use music for skill building within an individual setting. Music for development has broader effects and covers more areas than one specific skill. It lends itself very well for group settings since everyone develops at different rates. Music is adapted for different ages and developmental levels, but no specific outcome or change is expected necessarily. The music fosters growth in a natural way through the exploration of the sounds and instruments and through engaging with the music.

[Elizabeth Carras]

I think it is important to advocate to parents for music for development, and remind or educate them that humans are innately musical beings. We can talk about the stages of *musical* development that we learned in sprouting melodies, and share that through interacting with the music of others and making music themsleves, children begin to develop a sense of ‘self’, and what I can do, and a sense of ‘other’ that is different from myself.
Through these musical experiences, children will rehearse and develop specific skills such as sustained attention, listening, sharing, language concepts, and social skills. A lot of times we validate engaging in music by saying “It will help with x, y, and z,” and we do this with the best of intentions. As music therapists we are trained to use music to help our clients meet their non-musical goals. But there is something of value in engaging with music for music’s sake. Not for the skill building, not for emotional awareness, not for language concepts or social skills, but for experiencing something beautiful. That will help us – not just children, but anyone – develop.

[Shelly Peterson]

Share some thoughts about the challenges of providing multi-age groupings…it can be such a joy and challenge to see families with multiple children attend classes. It is a great way to engage families together in a shared experience that is joyful and interactive, but not all children are at the same place developmentally and it is important to note the differences in development with the difference in age as well as individuals throughout as parents can often expect their children to respond similarly. If one child is in the awareness stage (mostly contained and not physically moving around independently – so also needs constant support) and another is in the independent stage (moving all around and wanting to explore everything), there is a huge difference in what I would expect as a facilitator with these two children. There also may be more adults in the room and filling the space more than usual, a consideration to think about when the space is limited. How some children respond in a developmentally appropriate way (putting the instruments in their mouth when in the trust/independence stage) may not be appropriate for a much older child who may not understand there is a difference in expectation. I can see this being an issue with the parents more than the facilitators.

[Shelly Peterson]

Oops! I posted the wrong thing above.
Share how you can explain to parents the difference between music for development and music for skill building…Music for development is more of a guide for the children and encourages individual development of themselves as little people. It allows for much more of the process within the music and time for responding. Music for skill building I think of as more academic in nature. This may be more focused on the outcome.

[Christina Bass]

I really enjoyed reading everyone’s response! This is a tricky question and I can see where parents may seek clarification since the word “therapy” can be intimidating. I agree that music for development is meant to support and encourage exploration of the natural developmental stages of the child, it covers many different areas as opposed to targeting one specific area in music skill building. Music skill building will target a specific need for the client and the music will be used to support change.

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