Share some of your experiences with children of this age and level.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Laetitia Brundage]

I have had the experience of being able to teach some “babies” classes (0-8 months) and I LOVE them. We are able to create such a different atmosphere in this type of setting; one that is calm and supportive as well as fun. The low-key and almost spacious class gives way to a very different type of early childhood music class. For example, while I still make a personal connection with each child in the room, I find that these classes end up being more focused on the adults and assisting them in developing their relationship with their baby or babies through the music. I also tend to let the silence linger longer in these classes, really giving these babies the opportunity to answer back and initiate play.

On another note, these little ones change SO FAST during this time! I swear they look and act different every week!! I know with my son, it felt like a blink of an eye and he was 1! I love being involved in this time period and helping parents through these quick changes of development. From rolling over to crawling, from cooing to babbling and singing, these little ones have a lot to share, you might just have to listen and observe a little closer.

[Ann Marie Raddell]

I have had music groups with children in this age level. One of the most common responses from parents is, “I didn’t know my baby could do so many things!” Especially when a very young infant attends a group. Parents often seem surprised by the music responses that they observe. I have found that I have an important role in educating parents that there child is not “too young” to participate in a music group.

I really enjoyed my own children during this stage. My baby had a bone marrow transplant at 9 months old. I never appreciated my education as a music therapist more than I did during that time. Providing music experiences for my little girl during that long hospital stay was extremely helpful to her and to me. And I am positive that our music time shared gave us an even stronger bond. Hospital staff often commented how our hospital room was the most peaceful room. We always had music playing (I was very selective with music type to provide the calmest experience for my baby) to help drown out some of the machines beeping and other disturbing hospital sounds during the times when I wasn’t singing to her.

[Noelle Larson]

I think I have had fewer experiences with infants 0 to 9 months old than with any of the other age groups and I am looking forward to that changing in a few weeks with the birth of my daughter. Most of my experiences so far have been one-to-one. With very young infants I enjoy looking in their eyes, speaking in a sing-song manner, and perhaps making different faces to try to elicit a smile or laugh. Touch is really important, as well, whether holding the child or positioned near by. I really enjoy watching older infants start to gain an understanding of what they want/where they want to be, and to start pursuing those things. Like Meredith mentioned in the video, it’s a lot of fun to place a desirable object, like the bells, a little bit out-of-reach to help encourage the child to reach, crawl, and explore.

[Ashley Carroll]

I have had one on one experience with this age group clinically in the NICU with preemies providing Multi Model Stimulation. It was amazing to see the changes day to day with those babies, which mostly was being able to tolerate external stimulation. They also began to make eye contact, and even smile. We also taught the parents the technique to create a bonding experience for the parents. A NICU stay can make it difficult for parents to bond with their baby due to the fragility of the situation. The only other experience I have with this age group is my daughter who will be 9 months on Friday. So much has changed. I remember singing to her and her just looking at me an smiling and snuggling. Moving onto the glissando, and attending to music, and calming to familiar songs. If my child were in Sprouting Melodies she definitely would have been one of those early transitions into Sprouting Melodies 2! Now she drops whatever she is doing to attend to music, whether recorded or me singing, and does the “baby bop”. I’m excited to have more experiences with this age group and others in the (hopefully near) future!

[Kelsy Gati]

Most of my experience with children 0-9 months is in a one to one setting. I have not yet experienced this age range in a group setting!

Clinically I work with children with severe visual impairment 0-9 months. Typically in these sessions the main caregiver is present and they typically will offer to hold their child in session. This is greatly encouraged as a child’s expression and comfort level is completely different when they are sitting with their caregiver versus when they are sitting in a chair or sitting with me. Having their mom or dad to support them, sing to them or assist the child in whatever way is needed increases the child’s comfort, which, in turn creates more opportunities for connected music experiences. In my opinion, the most beautiful thing, particularly with this age range, is witnessing the way a child responds to their main caregivers voice. There is always such clear recognition and connection there. The child knows their parents voice best and therefore responds to it in a way that they will not respond to any other voice.

Beyond that it has been a joy to watch my niece who is now 2 years old grow. I remember so clearly her from birth to 9 months and it is such a broad range! So much changes in that 9 month time! It felt like every day she was learning a new amazing skill, for example, one day she didn’t know how to reach for and grab a rattle and the next day she could purposefully reach for it and pick it up! Then the next day she could shake that rattle. Each day is exciting because so much is being learned so rapidly! I still feel that way way, she is still constantly learning and growing her vocabulary and becoming accustomed to the world around her. It is something I love so much about early childhood, everything is exciting because everything is so new to them!

[Belinda Adams]

I am so thankful to have found this course… it has shown me so much! I just led my making music class tonight. I do have to say that I arranged for this session before beginning this class and so my age range for kids is much larger than I’d like. Which I assumed after the first few weeks of content but I witnessed it first hand tonight. However, I did work with smaller/younger children when I taught my first music class in the community a little over a year ago. I found that the hardest part for me was being comfortable with the fact that from the outsiders perception it looked like we weren’t doing much. For example, I think that some families felt that their infant wasn’t ‘playing’ correctly when really much more emphasis from me should have been put on the exploration of the child and the singing/interaction of the caregiver.

[Sarah Szymanowski]

I don’t have group or music therapy experience yet with this age group outside of mostly observational experiences 8 years ago. And the group I started with my son was when he and his peers were 9 months and older. However, my own son has been my personal music experiment. Starting with singing and lullabies, I began to notice reactions and preferences to different songs. I enjoyed observing his increasing attention as I practiced cello with him in his bouncer. And when he first was interested in playing a jingle bell, I couldn’t have been more proud of this small development. Music played a key part of him knowing his world, and I look forward to sharing this with other families.

[Tracy Wanamaker]

Honestly, I don’t have any music making experience with children this age outside of my own daughter (almost 19 years ago!) and occasionally the children of a few friends, so I’m feeling very rusty! When singing with my own daughter, I found that she preferred quieter songs at this age with simple melodies. While she liked some movement, she had to work up to it so I’d start slower and then work her into more active play (just as you describe in the video). She also liked very simple songs with visuals (such as a toy or puppet)and towards the end of this stage she would hand these toys to you and wait for the song. My husband and I still occasionally sing the silly songs that we made up to go along with her favorite toys to her when she needs cheering up (they still make her laugh!). I was also surprised by the recorded music that she liked at this stage. She was very drawn to world music that had a good beat but was relatively simple and she really didn’t like the traditional kids songs (like Wheels on the Bus) until she was older. We quickly learned that bath time went much smoother if we played music that she liked which was helpful for everyone! Now that I’m thinking about working with little ones again, I can’t wait to see these types of interactions between the children and parents that I’m working with!

[Anonymous]

It’s great to read each of your experiences with your own children and your clients. And for those who have not had experiences, you will find this training materials to be extraordinarily useful. I know I did! Ann Marie how wonderful that you found a way to make your child’s stay in the hospital more comfortable with music. Thank you for sharing!

[Kristina Rowles]

I do not have any experience with 0-9 months while working clinically. I have interacted with a few children of friends at this age. I currently sing in an a cappella group and one of our members brings her son each week to rehearsal and he is currently 4 months old. It has been a great experience watching him grow from week and week. After beginning this course I have started the pay attention to developmental characteristics and what is new each week. I look forward to the opportunity to working with this age group in the future.

[Kristina Rio]

Thank you for sharing such amazing stories that are both personal and professional. I know when I first started my Sprouting Melodies groups, I felt like I may not be viewed as knowledgeable because I do not have kids of my own, but this training really does prepare you for answering questions and providing information that parents want to hear. I figured out quickly that parents do really value my knowledge of early childhood development and music!

[Katy Hutchings]

I’ve gotten to work with a few babies in this age group and I love the opportunity for eye contact. The babies stare so intently at me when I start to sing and are fascinated by sounds and facial movements. One of my favorite babies at work right now immediately turns to me and gives me this big smile as soon as I sing his name. It’s such a wonderful moment to connect. I also have seen how much lap songs are so valuable. I do a version of Row Your Boat as well and the first time you can feel the babies are not quite sure what is going on as you rock back and forth. But then after a few repetitions, you can feel their muscles relax and then engage as they learn to trust the movement and trust you.

[Kristen McSorley]

As others have said, the biggest thing I’ve noticed with this age group is how quickly they develop! I love this age group and caregivers are always SO joyful and supportive of one another! Everyone is so in love with their child and that flows into the playful environment. Small reactions are so important in this age and a smile/eye contact feels like a huge milestone. I notice a huge difference with the babies when the caregiver is/isn’t singing. Babies seem a little more confused whenever I’m the only one singing and absolutely are more engaged when the caregiver begins singing.

[Stephanie Harris]

I also have not had clinical experience with this age range. But have two young children under five, so it’s not been so long. I really can’t wait to have a group of these little ones together. I feel like my challenge would be making sure to address all the differences in their development and being able to confidently communicate with the new parents.

[Jennifer Whitlow]

I have no clinical experience with this age range. However my daughter is just slightly older than this ages. I cannot wait to provide services to this age range and their families. As a new parent, I feel like I just needed people to validate my feelings. I want to provide support to families that I felt like I lacked. I also feel like I am more aware of the developmental needs to this age. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to work with this population.

[Tiffany Lee]

Having a 1 year old and a 2 year old, I feel a whole new level of experience in this population than ever before! I have had experience working with young children while nannying and teaching in a 2 year old day care class. Clinically, I have had the most experience working with young children with special needs. In my undergraduate research study, I was fascinated with the mother child bond and I did a case study with personal bonding sessions through music therapy interventions between a mother and her newborn. Currently have MT groups in a public school setting with mixed ages Pre-K to 3rd grade. I love this population and would prefer to work in an early childhood setting!

[Vanessa Quirarte]

I do not have clinical experience with babies 0-9 months. The most experience that I’ve had with this age group is with family and friends’ children. I also do not have my own children, but when I do, I will certainly have a foundation in their development. I look forward to learning more about this age range and create an opportunity to provide services.

[Author]

Posts