Share your thoughts.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Share your thoughts with the board on how much stimulation is enough? How much stimulation is too much?

[Jessica Bogacik]

I’m inclined to think that there is no set recommendation here. I would think that the appropriate level of stimulation is going to vary from group to group, and from child to child. Going back to what we bring to these groups as music therapists, we have the skills to be aware of the children’s responses and to adapt our behaviors/timbre/energy level according to what seems most appropriate, and what is needed by the specific group. I would also think that the comfort level would change within a 30-45 minute period, as well as from week to week as the children become more comfortable and confident with the group, and with the music therapist.

[Natalie Condon]

I agree with Jessica, each group and child is different, but I think there is definitely a line between what could over stimulate and scare this age group and what can capture attention. For example, a recent discussion I had about the ocean drum was that holding it low where the children can see what the beads are doing can be capturing, but if the drum was to be held above there heads, that might be overwhelmingly loud and too much stimulation for this age group. On the other hand if the age was older, that technique would work much better. This age appears to work best when the energy meets them where they are and then elevates them steadily in a contained manner. The elements of surprise are built into the music and don’t startle, but rather excite. This amount of stimulation seems to be a good balance.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

I agree with Jessica and Natalie. One thought that came to mind, since I do think it can vary a lot from child to child, is if you have a child that is startling a lot throughout, that is probably one sign of too much stimulation. My thought is too you don’t want to music super loud but at a comfortable level.

[Kayla Hamilton]

I agree with Jessica, Natalie, and Leigh. In the beginning of development, each child is so unique so it is hard to make a measure for how much is too much. I think that our therapeutic instincts and flexibility help to maintain an environment that can be stimuli friendly for everyone. It is so important for us to be continually watching the group member’s facial expressions and body language to help avoid sensory overload. I personally feel that it is better to start with softer music and crescendo so that you can clearly see where the shift from enough to too much is.

[Mikhala Majeau]

I also agree with those above me! Like Kayla said, it would be best to begin with lower stimulation then build and observe each child’s reaction to the stimulating aspects.
Ideally, the music therapist would want to provide enough stimulation for each child to be engaged in the experience and to challenge their development, but not so much stimulation to frighten the child. As Elizabeth mentioned in the video, by the MT being authentic, it would be easier to stimulate without over stimulating. It is imperative that the MT be in tune with the group and observe the children. Over the course of the session and group, the MT can adjust the level of stimulation as he or she sees fit. With the MT’s flexibility it would be easy to add different elements of musical surprise and stimulation, and back off quickly if the MT notices that the children are becoming over stimulated.

[Michelle Nettle]

Like the previous comments from the group, I think it definitely depends on the group, so it will be important to use our “music therapy” skills to assess each individual groups needs at each session. That said, I think at this stage there are some general guidelines to keep in mind which are as follows: it is important to make sure you provide is a “variety” of varying amounts of stimulation from slow songs to fast and upbeat songs to keep the child’s interest and to prevent disengagement if under-stimulated and prevent feeling out of control from over-stimulation. And as was pointed out in the video, it’s important as music therapists that we continue to assess “throughout” each session to see how the children are responding and choose our song interventions accordingly by being flexible to the needs of the group.

[Amanda Goff]

As Meredith and Elizabeth mentioned during the powerpoint, it is extremely important to be able to read your group. As mentioned in the comments above, every child is different and over stimulation and not enough stimulation will vary from group to group and as a Sprouting Melodies teacher and Music Therapist you will learn what works and what does not work with your groups. If you find your group is distracted by other items in the room and are less engaged , then change it up and move on to the next musical activity. If the group is becoming out of hand then maybe it is time to come back to the circle with a cool down musical activity and if the group energy is low and less engaged then it is time for some movement. Again, I think it comes down to knowing your groups and reading their body language throughout the session.

[Kristina Rio]

It’s so great that we have the skill set to be able to regulate a room full of children. Be sure if you are running a Sprouting Melodies group and you observe over stimulation, tell the adults what you noticed and why you responded the way you did musically. Otherwise they may not know!

[Melissa Hentges]

When there is too much stimulation or not enough stimulation you begin to see the activities breakdown. Children will disengage from the group and will engage themselves in other activities – like Meredith’s example of a student banging into the wall. It can be a fine line between enough stimulation and over-stimulation and as others have said, it will vary based on your group. I think it is worth pointing out that not only can over stimulation come from us, it can also come from other students. I have seen students begin to disengage during an instrument activity and something as simple as saying to the group, “let’s try to play really quiet now” or changing my dynamics so that the students imitate my dynamic level can bring the over-stimulated student back into the activity.

[Lauren Servos]

I agree, the answer to this question will vary from group to group, and child to child. Good thing we all have assessment skills and the ability to adapt our plans in the moment! If the group gets overstimulated during the instrument song it might be time to go back to a bonding song, or just listen to the MT play a familiar lullaby on guitar while everyone rocks back and forth. And I agree with Kristina – let’s remember to tell the parents why we made the choices we made!

[Steven Clarke]

I feel that the amount of stimulation that is appropriate is dependent on the individual. Some may require higher therapist/group energy, increased expression/communication of affect and/or more exaggeration of musical elements. Others may respond and remain engaged throughout the session with contrary forms of stimulation. As mentioned in the video, surprises and high energy can also be scary to young children, and so stimulation in such a case would need to be balanced according to individual comfort levels.

[Linda Madler]

It’s hard to give a general answer because every group is different, and every group is different on different days. I agree with the earlier responses. Use enough stimulation to engage the children but not so much that they withdraw or become fearful. Don’t vary too much with the younger ones—have a clear structure then add surprise when they are ready. Start small, observe, and add more variety as needed. Return to the familiar.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I have to echo everyone’s thoughts and say that it does very much depend upon the individual makeup of the group. I would think this would be particularly salient if the group is primarily made up of children on the lower or upper age limits of Sprouting Melodies 2. I think a good place to start would be to begin with less stimulation and increasing it as the weeks go on, always assessing the group’s response. It also depends upon what kind of stimulation, i.e. surprises in the music, varieties of timbre, instrument options, and volume in general, to name some examples. That said, there should never be anything that scares the children and is too unexpected in a way that feels unsafe or unpredictable.

I also think the it is advisable to have some flexibility built into the music that the parents can adjust for their child’s needs, in terms of how they hold their child (facing out or facing in) and their individual vocal volume.

[Jamie Sacca]

Great answers everyone! I also reiterate that each group is different and each child has a different threshold of stimulation. I think a few things are important here: we have the clinical skills to assess affect and change our interventions to match our client (thinking isoprinciple here) as well as the musical skills to vary and contain our musical output. We also pace our sessions. Meredith and Beth mentioned several times in the videos why they structure the order of the songs, the timbre and tempo of the songs, and the keys/melodic changes- if we are always aware of this arc of a session or class, I think we will be able to find the appropriate amount of stimulation for our students, and also begin to push that and help them grow over time.

[Kathy Odenkirk]

When planning activities/classes it is important to keep in mind both the child’s age and developmental level when determining how stimulating the activities should be. It is also important to be aware of the individual differences among children. Being the same age does not necessarily mean that the group would enjoy/tolerate the same activities. Children that appear over excited or overly anxious might be experiencing too much stimulation. I think that it is important to keep the lines of communication open with the parents. This will help to make sure that the activities provide the appropriate level of stimulation for the children.

[Amanda Barnett]

I tend to agree with the fact that each and every group is different in so many ways. I believe that too much stimulation would be inclined to think that both beginning and ending the session at or near the top of the energy level could cause some problems with babies being this young but you also don’t want to start with a lullaby tone as they may not get into it as much. You want your voice, instrument choices, songs and overall persona to be able to maintain a moderate amount of energy both to begin and end the class. If the babies do not react well to the songs at hand you must take into mind how you are utilizing the activities and make a call if you feel there is too much going on or not enough. Maybe the movement song has set off a few babies from there being too much commotion. You can easily calm the tempo and the activity level of the activity to match the needs of the group. You just have to keep an open mind, open ears & open eyes so you can make judgement calls on every activity to maintain the appropriate amount of stimulation for the overall well being of the group in order to maintain a successful outcome.

[Author]

Posts