Share Your Strategies

[Meredith Pizzi]

Share some strategies you have used to assure every child in your groups is successful.

[Victoria Fansler]

With my clients, I find two main reasons children disengage from the music: either 1) they are distracted by other things they want to do, or 2) they have some big feelings that prevent them from feeling safe in socially engaging. To address the first issue, I have structured my room so that there is plenty of open space to explore and anything that isn’t supposed to be played with is out of sight. In the second area, we do a lot of work for emotional regulation by laying a solid foundation of safety, explicitly teaching techniques for emotional regulation and relaxation, and building emotional vocabulary for children developing language. When a child becomes sad or angry and refuses to engage, I narrate what they’re doing and label how they might be feeling. I make sure they and their peers know it is okay to take a break and that they are welcome to re-join at any time. In a group with parents or aids I have someone step away from the group to just work with this child and see what they need and how they feel safe participating, but often I am the only adult in my sessions.

[Tori Clark]

I think being organized and prepared is key. Of course, we always want to be organized and prepared, but multi-age groupings require that you not have any hesitations or rough transitions, or it is easy to loose the flow of the group. Part of that preparation is not only being able to differentiate instructions for a variety of developmental levels, but also to tailor instructions to families who have one child vs families with 2 or more children. In other words, you have not only the variable of different developmental levels, but also the variable of parent-to-child ratio within each family which will determine their response and participation. So I think the way to prepare for that is to anticipate ahead of time how each family in that group might respond, and to make suggestions accordingly.
Behaviors could be another challenge. In my own experience with taking a 1yo and a 4yo to a class, the 1yo was clingy and 4yo wanted to run around most of the time, and it was difficult to support both children. It was helpful when the facilitator directed my older child. I think Meredith has been right to point out that parents expect us to be the leader and to redirect when necessary. I could see that being of high necessity for this group in particular. Also, affirming the strengths of each child, by name, is such a powerful motivator for children. It is powerful for parents to hear other adults affirming their children as well.

[Tori Clark]

Oops! I copied and pasted that response in the wrong place, although it’s a fairly applicable response here as well! Here’s what I meant to post:
This is where our observational skills as music therapists are so helpful. We can carefully observe children and affirm their strengths while supporting what is challenging for them. Being able to create flexibility within structure is helpful, too. Children need structure and need to know what is expected of them, but they also need the freedom to create, explore, and sometimes make mistakes, all while feeling safe and supported by us.

[Joanne Van Eycke]

Tori, I agree your first post was applicable here as well. I too feel that being the leader helps to assure success for the groups. The strategies we learned for supporting the parents were most helpful for me as this will be the first time I will have parents in a group. Leading by example, intervening when appropriate and communicating clearly are all very important when facilitating the group. The previous assignments of constructing sentences to parents were good examples of what to say and will be very useful in practice. The more the parent feel supported, the better they can support their child and ensure their success.

[Courtney Kjaldgaard]

Assuring every child is successful in my groups starts with the type of room I use for my groups and how I set everything up. I’m not sure how many of you will be renting out a room, such as a room in church or community centre, but this is what I do for my early childhood groups (since I do not have a studio space of my own yet). It’s difficult sometimes to find the right type of room for these groups, with the right size, lighting, and shape. The room that I rent for my baby groups is smaller and is attached to a daycare/play area that is full of toys. I set up safe barriers and hide things out of sight so that there are minimal distractions during the class. I close the door to the room, hide things like garbage cans (I’ve had a child who was extremely interested in what was inside the garbage can), make sure nothing is left on the floor for them to step on. For the group circle, I provide couch cushions for parents to sit on and children have the option of sitting with their parents or standing (if they are of an age in which they can stand). If the child wishes to move around the room, the space is big enough for this to happen but small enough so that they are still close enough to the group to hear what is going on.
During the class, I rely heavily on my training as a music therapist to increase the chances of success for each child. Providing space and silence within the music, so that each child has time to respond and engage at their own pace, is something I do often. I find that continuous music decreases a child’s attention span and if there are breaks and pauses in the music, they tend to look in my direction and listen more. In the first (and sometimes second) class of my programs, I like to observe how each parent responds to their child in the class and what kind of actions they take to ensure their child is participating. Once I have observed this, then I will address some things in the next class that need to be adjusted, ie: providing feedback on things they could do (or maybe not do) to help their child and what the factors are behind their child’s behaviour and responses.

[Peggy Grace]

Initially, I find successful strategies are pragmatic. In other words, planning a structured plan, making sure you have enough and the right kind of instruments, setting up the room are basic building blocks for a successful group. In my work, I find it is crucial to know the health needs and background from the parents and have them describe their family dynamics. You may find that as the child participates in the group that the description the parent offers is slightly different, but having he basic information is helpful in the long run.

I think it is important to make eye contact or acknowledge to the child that you notice them. I think it helps them to feel that they are important. On the other hand, if a child is attention seeking then that needs to be addressed as well. Having a room that limits distractions is helpful. And using a variety of songs as backups are helpful too because certain songs may be more engaging to a certain group. Being able to demonstrate to the parents that you have the expertise to handle situations and reassure them of normal responses to music is also important to have a successful group

[Anonymous]

I enjoyed reading each of your insightful answers. Make sure to take time to read each others responses. You may find some further insights that will inform your work.

[Janet Buchanan]

I can definitely see how having the right expectations helps everyone to be successful. Giving everyone a task that they are capable of accomplishing allows for success right away and prevents frustration at not being able to participate. My supervisors have talked a lot about how it helps to start off with something very basic to get the group together and then build from there.

When children get distracted, knowing their individual personalities, likes, and dislikes can provide that way to pull the child back in with a favorite song or activity. I’ve found that the more you get to know children, the easier it is to see what they might do next. When we have someone who habitually throws things, providing them with a drum that sits on the ground still gives them a chance to play an instrument without having it in their hands. On the other hand, someone who uses their hands to hit may be kept occupied if they have their hands full of an instrument they like or a scarf to wave. Mostly, I think being proactive and stopping problems before they start is the preferred strategy here.

[Debrah Evans]

I think that making a group successful involves being very prepared and having your “music therapy toolbox” well stocked. If so, you can change to a song that will still benefit the whole group, but can engage the child who is not participating by bringing in something that they like as well. I think incorporating sign language and working with smooth transitions helps to make children more successful. Additionally, if you find that a child isn’t engaging (and it isn’t for a developmental reason), I think a little extra 1:1 time in the group can be very beneficial. As a group leader, we can try to engage the child by giving them a little extra attention by having them help model. Additionally, it helps to find more about the child and what their preferences are so that they can be more engaged, and also employing strategies that work for them in other settings.

[Megan Neil]

In both of my groups I am currently running I have one kiddo that I have a tough time knowing how to make group successful for them. Some of the strategies I have used are listed above- especially what Janet said about how important and helpful it is to know the child’s interests. I found out quickly that my one kid really likes the maracas, it’s an instrument he engages with. So when I pull out instruments I pull out a variety but always include maracas in the mix. I also know that he has a tough time sitting for a long time so I try to break up the sitting with movement. When we do a stretch band experience with Row Row Your Boat he really likes to be in the middle of the circle. At first I think some parents were uncomfortable with this but I mentioned that this is okay and he is participating in his own way! Some other kids even began exploring the middle of the stretch band. I think in future weeks I will try to explore this more!

After going through the training I remember Beth & Meredith mentioning that they would talk about how to set up the room or the session space? I’m not sure if this happened or not, I may have missed it. I was wondering some other tricks & tips for room set up? And how to make that successful as many people above mentioned how important this is!

[Anonymous]

Hi Megan,

I checked in with Meredith and Beth regarding the location of setting up the space. Due to the end of the training being tomorrow and the Thanksgiving holiday Thursday I am not sure if they will have a chance to answer this question in time.

I would recommend looking at making sure the safe is space for little ones. Outlets are covered, there is nothing at their level that would be dangerous or distracting. Limiting the amount of materials in the room and on the walls to reduce stimulation. Having buckets for instruments and materials to go in for clean up. Keeping materials in containers, until they are used, to reduce distractions and over stimulation. You will also want to make sure there is enough space for the children and adults to move around when you do movement and possibly using carpet squares to mark the space which helps with structure. Finally for my classes, I made sure there was a handicap accessible entrance, space for coats, bags, carseats and strollers, the floor was clean for babies to crawl on, and chairs for adults who may have physical issues with sitting on the floor. How the space is set up can play assist with structure and assist with success of the group.

[Author]

Posts