Share Your Strategies

[Meredith Pizzi]

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

[Emily Baroody]

Some strategies I am currently using to help each child be successful in the group, is adapting each experience as I go to make sure all the children are able to participate and are engaged in the music.

I also will give parents some verbal directions.

Some tips I got from this weeks content were to give the children that leave the group verbal redirection or choices such as are you all done with the maracas? I have always struggled with how to handle children leaving the group, 45 minutes is a long time and I think sometimes the children just need a break and I want to attend to the whole group without just focusing on one child, but I think I could be doing more to assure the parents and to help bring more engagement to that child

[Brianna McCulloch]

Emily, yes! Giving parents verbal directions is soooo important in my groups. And just reassuring them that their child’s apparent inattention is not in fact inattention. I loved the suggestion to point out SPECIFIC ways I know their child is still engaged (starting/stopping movement, looking, etc.). I also find that reading the group and being flexible and not being stuck to my “plan” is so important for engaging the children in my group and ensuring successful participation. Altering tempo, dynamics, instruments offered, etc. allows children to participate fully and engage at their developmental/comfort level.

[Cynthia Cross]

I like to start with myself when a child is not engaging as expected: am I supplying developmentally appropriate material, am I providing enough variety or too much variety, what am I presenting to the child/parent as far as my energy level, enthusiasm, facial expressions. I also like the reminder to communicate with the parents (or in my current job with classroom staff). I have a tendency to think they should just know what I expect after all these years and I could definitely improve my explanations and instructions to the adults in the room. Also important to keep in mind are the differences between children and reassuring that unexpected behaviors are a part of that difference.
I also would want to take into consideration the caregivers style of redirecting the child. I can see how this could get tricky between families so it would be important to be proactive as the provider and create realistic boundaries and expectations for the groups.
With a child that remains disengaged I think it will be important to have a more in depth discussion with the caregiver. This is an area I might have to develop in myself!

[Mary Kerrigan]

I think the biggest strategy that I need to adapt is exactly the same too, that I need to not be afraid to communicate more with the parents or other staff in the room that may be helping with the music group and know it’s okay to give those verbal directions or prompts for the parents and staff. I think being more aware of those children that may wander or not be as participatory but not overly doting on them to the point where the other children in the group aren’t paying attention or are struggling then to participate is important. There needs to be a balance and I like what Cynthia was talking about and in that moment maybe first check in with yourself to make sure you are providing what they need. I think having a structure as we have been doing each week with the levels of Sprouting Melodies, but having various handfulls of songs to pull out when we need them quickly is great for the felxibility part and I think being flexible is really the most important quality of a music therapist and strategy we can use in making sure that each and every child in our group is successful.

[Mary Carter]

I can agree with what everyone has said so far, I try to assure each child succeeds by having a plan, then a back up plan, then another backup plan and being flexible and attentive to the needs of the children in the moment. I also try to make sure that I am in the moment, that I myself am well prepared and practiced in the material I plan to use, that am well rested and that I am not distracted by things that may be affecting me outside of the session. I think that if I am present and confident it helps create a space where the children and the parents can be present and confident as well.

Some strategies I have used when leading sessions with the kids I worked with in the classroom setting was to give a quick (and I do mean quick!) rundown at the start of the session to let the adults know what I would be doing in the session and what was expected of them. This made the session predictable for the adults (and come on, adults like predictability as much as kids) and they knew what I was expecting of them. I think it gave them confidence and helped them understand what I wanted them to do to model and support for the kids as opposed to doing it for them. This in turn helped the kids be supported and led to more successes.

[Corie Barkey]

I think everybody is on the same track. But then again we all are music therapists :-). I like to make sure each child in the group is successful by constantly evaluating the effectiveness of each intervention. With experience I have gotten better with asserting myself when there is a child who is not safe or is disrupting the progress and experience of the rest of the group. My favorite tool is a calm hand to the shoulder to remind the child of my presence. Working with families will be a new challenge for me as I strive to communicate more with the parents.

[Laura Silvestain]

I believe flexibility is key. Being aware of how children are responding and what is causing them to respond in that way allows the music therapist to adapt to whatever happens in a session. I agree with what everyone has said previously, and I think I will use some of those strategies when working with children in the future.

[Mary Jane Dibble]

Some strategies I use are to say out loud when I notice a child doing something successful or point out to the parents what the child did well after the session. I will also verbally direct children through eye contact, using the music, and by saying “it’s ok to run around to this song” or will specify “now let’s all come sit down in our circle” when I want kids to come back to the group. I want to be better at using the tips given here in Sprouting Melodies to verbally then physically redirect children when needed. I want to also be better at giving parents tips for how to help their child as well as using the music timbre, tempo, etc. to help redirect the children in the group.

[Molly Moses]

I think being flexible and being able to adapt your plan can be highly effective when working with this age group. Specifically, when working on minor behaviors, I find some of the older children (age 3 and beyond) respond better when I positively address a good behavior by a neighbor rather than a negative. For example, if someone isn’t watching, saying “good job watching, Jane!” to the child next to him rather than, “you’re not watching, Joe”, etc. I think also speaking with the parents to help them continue what is done in the group at home.

[Melaine Pohlman]

I agree that flexibility and our assertiveness in giving parents verbal reinforcement is key to helping everyone to be successful. But how you deliver the messages of redirection to a parent is just as important as what the message is. The positive spin (unless it is a safety issue) can make a greater impact rather than the negative spin. In the past I’ve always tried to point out the positive that is going on, even when a child might not be attending or participating fully or as a parent would expect. Flexibility and a willingness to adjust our dials (volume, tempo, timber, etc.) or even our session plan can make a difference. As always, we have to use our clinical skills to see what our clients need on that given day.

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