Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Emily Seymour]

I focused on learning how to play In My Little Hand, I Like This Song, and the Summer Song presented in the video.  I was under the impression from previous education that it was best to use consonant music in only major keys when working with children.  When Beth said that she has seen children vocalize more often with minor keys or the phrygian mode I was shocked!

Learning these songs helped me realize that I have been limiting myself when it comes to song choice and accompaniment for this population.  I especially enjoyed the friendly, more jazz-like accompaniments that Beth used when demonstrating songs.  I have been sticking to the bland I, IV, V in my professional work and I have too much music training to let myself settle for that.  I am now thinking about different modes and chords I can use when songwriting for this population.

[Megan Goddu]

I particularly liked the bonding and transition songs shared in this week’s material. I had the opportunity to use the “Wiggly Jiggly Car” song in my internship last year with a 4 year old child. I remember the child really enjoying the song (myself included) especially the part where we would lean from side to side. He would hold on to my arms (his seatbelt) while laughing so hard. For the “Good Morning to You”, when I was learning how to sing it I immediately got an idea to use it with one of my students tomorrow, thinking that he would really enjoy hearing the opening octave. It’s something I think would really get his attention (and I hope to try it out tomorrow to see if it does.)

[Vanessa Talbott]

I really enjoyed Elizabeth’s presentation of the different types of songs. I just loved the idea of the bonding songs with the play song embedded in the song. Brilliant! I have not learned any of the songs yet but I did buy the songbook and look forward to trying them!
I think the transition songs will be particularly of interest in my weekly daycare. :>)

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed learning about all the different categories and they helped to organize a lot of the work that I have done in the past and look forward to doing in the future. I was remembering back to groups I use to run when I worked in early childhood. I thought of several children in particular that all of the categories, but especially the bonding songs would have been great for. I am pregnant and will be with my new baby in October and I was also thinking about how great it will be to use this music with her. In fact, next week I will be 18 weeks pregnant, when the fetus can begin to hear, and I’ve been thinking for a while about doing music just for the baby. So this is perfect timing to learn and practice these songs.

Another category that I really enjoyed were the transition songs. In my previous job I used transition songs all the time, especially since many of the children on the spectrum had such a difficult time transitioning. I liked how Elizabeth pointed out that transition songs can also be about asking the question, not just stating what is going to happen. So many of my students on the spectrum needed experiences where they got to have ownership about where the music was going!

[Kristen Macleod]

I really enjoyed learning some of these songs this week and today I managed to try using some of them in sessions. I tried out the songs “Are you ready for music?” , “Sit down with me” and “wiggly Jiggly Car”.  I found that “Are you Ready for Music?” was not only a hit with two 5 year old boys but also with an elderly group today where there were a few smiles and great engagement.  The 4 yr old boys both enjoyed waiting to clap their hands and we also worked on choice making with other movements, e.g jump/stamp feet/dance. This really gave them a sense of control within the song.  Today I also sang the song “Sit down with me” with a girl on the spectrum where I am currently working with speech therapy to encourage sustaining sounds and open vowel sounds. She loved the long sustained ‘la’ note at the end of the song making great eye contact while matching my singing and then signing to me ‘again’!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

So glad that you are already putting the songs to good use. We would love the hear some of the songs that you have written. Would any of you be willing to share some with the group?

[Lisa Klostermann]

I really enjoyed the concept of categorization of songs.  I’ve always had songs categorized in my head I guess, but it’s nice to really think of songs in this way.  (I can see how it would make planing oh so much easier as well.)   I tried Hold on Tight in my group today and it was a big hit.   I always do ‘bounces’ or ‘pony rides’ in my groups, but the addition of the slower, more cuddly section is wonderful!  My almost 5 year old son also could not get enough!

I wrote several songs during my internship, oh so many years ago!  Let’s Make a Circle is one. I’ll have to see if I can find the notation. 🙂

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Thanks, Lisa.

[Carla Carnegie]

I really enjoyed “Sit Down With Me”, because the tune was familiar, but the words were great for gathering.  I can’t wait to use this for my next Drumming for Wellness and Joy! workshop where I have children present.  The other song I worked on learning was “How Do You Know It’s Summer Time?”   It evokes so many pictures in my own head singing it! And, I love the use of the minor keys.  I often compose music in minor keys, but not tunes necessarily with words.  I liked the reminder that melody supports the words of the song, and learned that children begin to vocalize in the tonality much quicker in the minor keys or modes than diatonic.  REally good to know! I wrote 1 song for a preschool class during practicum the children loved.  It has greater leaps than is probably recommended, but I’ll share it later anyway, and you all can make your own judgements.  I wrote the music to an anonymous poem for kids about planting seeds, and made some movements to go with it.  The music seems to support the movement of it, upon reflection.  The last thing I wanted to mention I learned was about supporting and encouraging parents to use their bodies within the music in a free way—modeling for the children!  I remember doing this with my own kids in our home.  Music was very much a daily thing, and because I was a musician, it was just a part of our lives.  When I had a day care in my home, the daycare kids got all of that as well as freedom to explore music on instruments.

 

[Meredith Pizzi]

It’s great to see how everyone is putting these song categories into your toolboxes! And I really enjoy the conversation about bonding songs. At an event I did for seniors last week, we were talking about music for bonding and how many new parents don’t know any lap rides. As music therapists, it comes naturally for us, but not everyone!  It’s a basic that really does need to be taught.

I have to throw in here that my own kids are obviously kids who have grown up with Sprouting Melodies. Our oldest helped me write some of the songs and learn a great deal about child development, our second child participated in Sprouting Melodies with my husband on Saturdays from 2-4 years of age, and our youngest has been going to classes weekly since he was born. He will be 3 in June. What amazes me is that our kids bring home these bonding songs and sing them together and with each other, often without any prompting! There are times when we are all getting ready in the morning and they will be on each other’s laps singing Row Your Boat, Wiggly Jiggly Car or Little Red Wagon. It’s a wonderful opportunity for sibling bonding as well!

Keep the great comments coming!

[Carla Carnegie]

I love reading your stories, Meredith! Just made me smile, thinking about when my kids were little, and singing these sweet little songs.  I love the idea with talking about music for bonding with the seniors—-great idea!

[Michelle Muth]

I used the Good Morning to You song and are your Ready for Music.  One day a week I spend at a school for children ages 3-21 with developmental disabilities.  Most of my classes the students do not have expressive language. I used the “Good morning” song in 3 of the classrooms – two were preschool age (both physically and developmentally) and one was elementary aged but developmentally toddlers.  I sang the song without the guitar and included some hand motions inviting them to let me hold their hands and move with each student.  I noticed the students responded directly to me with the openness of the octave, gave me their hands and we did movement together.  For some of the children this was quite remarkable.  The response was different then with my previous opening song which was modification of a hello song by Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer.  I liked not using the guitar as the children focused more on my voice then trying to play the guitar.  It felt more like a greeting then previously.

[Mary Kerrigan]

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I really liked how you categorized the music into the meaningful experiences behind them.  Currently working with only older adults with developmental disabilities right now, I did try to incorporate the transition and gathering songs into my groups and there was a great response to the music.  They particularly enjoyed “Are you ready for music?” and a few began to sing along with me at one point.  The other favorite was “Sit Down With Me,” especially because it was such a familiar tune for some of the participants and I usually try to incorporate syllables such as the “Tra-la-la” into most of my songs so as those who have a difficulty with some speech but enjoy singing can sing along more accurately at points in the song and they really enjoyed that!  I hope to soon have a children’s group to try out more of the music!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Glad the songs are working for you, Mary.

[Trish Jonason]

There’s something very refreshing about “freshening up” my own repertoire!  It’s like breathing life into my work again.  There are quite a few songs that grabbed my attention, such as Sit Down With Me, Do You Want to Be My Friend, All Of This Is Me, In My Little Hand (I love this), and the “lap ride” songs, like WIggly Jiggly Car.  I’ve got a lot of learning to do, but as I integrate the songs a few at a time, I’ll feel really good about using new material.  I’ve also been thinking about the songs I already use, and how what I’ve learned about language and the use of modes can give them new life as well.

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