Share your thoughts.

[Meredith Pizzi]

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

[Kerry Cornelius]

I think this question–how much stimulation is enough or too much– depends fully on each child’s individual sensory profile. As we’ve been discussing in the forum and coursework, music therapists are uniquely able to tailor every experience to each child’s needs at that point in time. This also includes the array of sensory experiences (instruments, scarves, touch, movement, loud/soft dynamics, etc) that can be utilized in every music therapy experience. I think that it is important to make available a number of sensory experiences to babies and their families in group sessions by structuring each class in a way that allows children to explore (or, to choose not to explore) different sensations and experiences. By using some of the song areas suggested, such as bonding songs, songs about me, instrument songs and movement songs, we are exposing our clients to a range of stimulation ranging from touch (both touching a parent and touching instruments) and visual stimulation to movement. As we observe how each child responds to the sensory experiences presented to them, we can work with parents to adapt the experience to best suit their child’s needs.

[Katie Bagley]

I also feel that level of stimulation is very unique to each individual. It is our job, using our knowledge and training, to identify when stimulation has become to much and results in an overload of sensory experiences. For Sprouting Melodies classes, we are exposing participants to many varying sensory experiences to enhance development and exploration of their world. While it is a group experience, we need to be sensitive and observant of individual stimulation levels, and how to respond with what is best for everyone.

[Kasey Sollenberger]

Meredith and Beth mentioned balance a few times this week. With this age group a therapist needs to pay extra attention to the balance of energetic and calming tactics used personally and musically. I think an MT should always be observing the group to assess the level of stimulation that is needed. One way we can detect if there is too much stimulation is if the children startle (as mentioned earlier) or display a negative affect. We can notice when a group needs more stimulation when members of the group are easily distracted or losing focus easily and often. Beth talked about the element of (expected) surprise that can be used in this situation to draw in the groups attention. The use of instruments should also be considered when thinking about over/under stimulating. Sometimes I find that using guitar and singing at the same time can be overstimulating for young groups. It’s important for us to recognize these factors and have the ability to modify our sessions on the spot.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Usually a child has had enough stimulation when she is either losing interest in the activity, starting to get cranky, or becomes overly stimulated by displaying hyperactive behaviors such as engaging in repetitive movements or becoming inattentive. As the Sprouting Melodies ladies state, it is OK for the children to wander in and out of the activity within a 45-minute session. Caregivers should not expect their little ones to be completely engaged for an entire session since they will need little “breaks” from the activity, followed by their re-engaging in the activity. To expect a perfect attention span is to invite over-stimulation. But everyone is different.

[Katie Romano]

Stimulation is an interesting discussion. A lot of it depends on the development of their sensory systems, their tolerance thresholds and their ability to self regulate. Some signs that they are overstimulated could be tears, wondering, streaming etc. Similarly for under-stimulation could be wondering, pounding, staring etc. The key with stimulation is constant assessment and to quickly adapt to the needs of the children in the moment. We have such a unique tool with music and have the flexibility to modify it in an instant.

[Katherine Sestrick]

This is a hard question to answer as it depends on the needs of the group and the individuals, which vary with each session. Typically, I like to try to balance my sessions by alternating active and calming songs. After the Hello Song, I typically do one or two active or movement songs to get the children stimulated and involved. I then try to bring the group back together with seated songs such as lap rides or tickles. I bring the group back up with instrument songs and I try to put these towards the end as I know the instruments are very motivating to the children and usually will get them involved and interested. Finally, I like to bring the energy back down with a focus activity such as a calm movement song with scarves or a book. I find this flow works really well and kids are ready for the focus activity at the end to help indicate imminent closure of the session and to help the children regulate and find their internal calm state again.

[Christina Wensveen]

I believe stimulation depends on the group. For some children just going to a new environment and seeing new faces can be lots of for them to handle. I would play it safe for the first few sessions until you know the group and the children. I think children also have to build trust in you and in the music class before big surprises are incorporated. We are providing stimulation with the kinaesthetic, visual and auditory senses with the activities we have learned so far. When the group is more comfortable with each other then I would bring in more vocal play elements etc..

[Kathryn Costanza]

I like to refer to my personal opinion on appropriate stimulation as the Individual Goldilocks Theory of Stimulation. Given that the child is engaging in the task at hand (and it’s normal and fine if they aren’t engaging 100% of the time) there has to be enough stimulation to capture attention and engage, but not so much that the brain can’t process all of the information coming its way. As music therapists, we all know that our medium is naturally stimulating and have had to be aware of when to raise the volume to grab attention, when to create surprise moments (silence, fermata, etc.) to facilitate a specific action, when to change the timbre of the instrument or voice being used, etc. However, every individual has their version of “just right” (Goldilocks) between being stimulated enough to engage and being overstimulated. When it comes to a group setting, it’s much easier to engage group attention using musical cues that create automatic responses such as changes in rhythm, volume, and sudden silence. As always, it is up to the music therapist to be flexible and respond to the group’s needs, or create a musical line of best fit for the average of the group needs.

[Nicole Sanabria]

It all depends on the child’s individual differences and needs for sensory input. Working with a child 1:1 can be a different experience for the child and for the MT as oppose to being in a group. It will take much longer to understand the groups needs as a whole. That being said, a good balance of calming songs and more rhythmic driven songs might work best. Perhaps by spacing the session in such a way where a burst of energy can be let out in order to then self-regulate and find ones center. Perhaps this will help target all needs of the children more evenly.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Structuring a group session to provide the right amount of stimulation for the participant is often the foundation of the session structure/plan. As many of the forum members have suggested, the right amount of stimulation is often individualized. Music therapists are adept at assessing the situation and allowing for flexibility to meet the individual needs within the group. However, once you are familiar and comfortable with an age group and especially a specific class, it is much easier to intuitively have a pretty good idea of what the group in general will be able to handle. There is enough stimulation when the group is engaged and too much when participants are distressed or overly hyperactive.

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