Share your thoughts.

[Meredith Pizzi]

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

[Carolyn Keenan]

I equate too much stimulation with too much “in-your-face” energy, as well as louder volumes and the absence of quiet moments. It’s important to have a balance between action and calm. When you can vary between these levels and create the flow that was discussed in the video, you are providing an appropriate level of stimulation.

[Anonymous]

Hi Carolyn,

Thank you for your feedback and response. You may also want to consider how the space and the children also aide to this stimulation. In early childhood work there is a combination of energies from the families and the music that creates a constant flow of stimulation level changes. It might also be helpful to think about how stimulation manifests it self between the different ages in early childhood.

[Kimberly Rodgers-Melnick]

I would agree with what was said above, I think that you want to provide enough energy that the children and parents are engaged but not so much that we are startling anyone. I think it might have been mentioned in a previous video that there is a way to provide a quiet type of energy, by using articulation and facial expressions to draw everyone in while not being ‘in your face’ as Carolyn put it. 🙂

[Claudia Eliaza]

Too much of anything can be over stimulating. As stated by Kimberly and Carolyn, I too believe it’s about a balance in energy, timbre, volume, tempo and song selections and presence. The goal is to be able to assess what is happening in the classrooms and be able toady as necessary. It’s also about understanding the developmental stages of the group you’re working with and using your voice and body in a way to support them.

[Elana Dietz-Weinstein]

I agree with everyone’s posts. It’s about balance, and assessing the energy in the room to know if there needs to be a calming song, or an uplifting song, or something in between, framed within a hello and a grounding goodbye song. All energetic, uplifting music is over stimulating and will probably lead to chaos, and all calming music will be too sedate and probably not match the energy level of the little ones, who need to move around.

[Mabel Ortiz]

I think it’s about assessing the group, and how much stimulation they can receive. I think it is important to simulate how the children and parents are feeling and acting, and match it accordingly. You can definitely see on someone’s affect and body gestures if they are feeling uncomfortable or are receiving too much stimulation from you.

[Laura Pruett]

It’s easier to tell when there is too much stimulation – the kids become overwhelmed, fussy, startled, they start to cry or disengage for long periods of time. To adjust, the music and energy levels need to come down, the instruments may need to be put away if they are out, and they kids may need to come back to their caregiver’s lap. There is enough stimulation when the majority of the kids are engaged and following along. If the majority of the kids are off exploring things outside of the defined session space, there probably isn’t enough stimulation to keep their attention and interest. If that happens, then it’s easy to adjust – change the song, bring the energy level up, perhaps pull out the instruments if they’re not already out. If the energy is already kind of high, then change something else. Some examples of this were mentioned above, like changing your timbre, facial expressions, volume, etc.

[Jen Hinton]

All great posts. It is often easy to tell when something is not quite right. When you look at your group and it’s not the developmentally appropriate exploring but is more a domino effect of behaviors causing other behaviors or notice caregivers looking stressed. I think that as MT-BCs we have the insight to assess is this because of too much stimulation/too many new things/too loud?
If a particular experience becomes really loud or out of control, then helping to bring things way down and reset could help. We need to react and change our plan to support individuals and the group as needed. I think that reassuring caregivers and adjusting to your group is crucial.

I appreciated the insight into the MT-BC presenting with authenticity and reading cues re: timbre, approach. Trying to pretend energy or enthusiasm isn’t the way to approach our role. Sometimes as a Mom or even as an MT-BC I feel like I’ve lost my energy or ability to be playful. But, so often I find it by connecting with my kids or my clients/groups. I think that for me that’s the key to showing up authentically.

I appreciated the insight into energy – that energy can mean your commitment to changing levels (ie. floor, standing up, jumping) and can also be channeled into a quiet, directed whisper/sing. We need to balance the energy that we see from our group and provide them with an adequate amount of simulation or they will create their own!

One more aspect that I think can play into stimulation/overstimulation is surprise/spontaneity. We need to balance our playful surprises so that they are anticipated. I think we can incorporate more spontaneity and changes into the group once they are established in what to expect and have a trust and confidence.

All easier said then done, I’m sure. ????

[Alison Barrington]

Wow – I really appreciate all the comments above and there’s very little to add. I do agree that as music therapists we have the ability to be sensitive to the needs of the clients. It’s always difficult to hold groups together when there may be different levels of energy going on at the same time. But, as has been noted, it’s best to offer a balance so that each session can offer some appeal to everyone.
I guess if there is one person who consistently has a different reaction to stimulation than the rest of the group that might warrant a conversation with the carers.

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