Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1. Write 5 sentences you can use when speaking with parents about musical responses of children in SM1. Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Sprouting Melodies 1 session.

[Laura Myers]

I guess I’ll be the first one to jump in on this question, although I feel I have no idea if my answers will be correct:)
My 5 words would be: quiet, calm, engaging, bonding/supportive, and gentle.

5 sentences when speaking to parents. (I’m really not sure what you are looking for. This is what I have learned through this training about how baby will react to musical experiences at this age)
1. The music will help your baby develop their awareness.
2. Your baby will begin to learn and feel trust though the musical experiences.
3. The bond between baby and parent will be strengthened through the music.
4. Your baby will respond differently to various types of music.
5. Any rhythmic movements by the baby will be from instinct.

Okay…this question has been stressing me all week. As someone who does not work with kids, I feel I’m not quite ready to develop a plan with songs and activities. My rep of songs and activities with this age group is limited to what has been presented to us. If you want a session developed for older adults, I can do that! I look forward to further developing my rep soon. So, I guess I will go with what I know. That’s a good place to start!
Begin with music playing as the participants arrive. This will help set the atmosphere of the room and get people thinking about music, and not what they’ve felt with so far that day or will have to deal with later. I will great everyone as they enter.
Then we will move into the hello song once the group is settled. I would choose one that is calming.
Next I would plan a song that will get baby and parent closer with interaction. I loved the example of the Row row row your boat/ row it faster.
The next song would be a song about me. I think it would be fun to do a song about fingers and toes. As a mom, I love it when my baby’s feet can breathe. Maybe a song playing off of the tune of 10 little Indians? I’d have to write that.
The instrument song for this session would be a tapping song with the drums. (Thanks for discussing what size drums are good for lap sitters/ older babies) I would have never thought of it that way.
As the group is nearing the goodbye song, I would probably do a softer movement song, maybe moving the feet that are connected to the toes we sang about earlier.
Finally, we sing good bye

This session is just off the top of my head, with the knowledge I have just learned.

[Laura Myers]

One follow up question…
Do sessions need to be theme based? Working with older adults I do mostly theme based sessions.
Thanks!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Thanks for all your answers, everyone. I think as you read more posts and work through these exercises in the coming weeks, the purpose of the assignment will become more clear. Many of the prior course participants found these plans to be very helpful when starting to work with real groups.
Laura asked about the idea of planning your sessions around ‘themes’. I don’t focus on themes, although I do try and present experiences that reflect the children’s environment. A perfect example is the Halloween frenzy that happens this time of year here in the United States. I don’t plan on singing songs about Halloween, but I do think about how the experience of Halloween can be explored and expanded in music. So today I wrote a new song about costumes and identity. Here are the words, and I will be sure to record it and put it up as a Sing at Home.
“I know your face. I know your smile.
But then one day for a little while.
You put on a costume from head to toe.
Oh, No! Oh, NO! Oh, NO!!
Where did you go?”

[BJ Waelz]

Immediately the words that come to mind are interesting, engaging, soothing, fun, educational. The high quality of music and the presentation style offer outstanding opportunities for infants and parents of all backgrounds to benefit. I think it is important to note, if the parents aren’t reached at this level, they are not going to be engaged and they are not going to take these skills home to use with their babies. The music presented is easy to follow and repetitive enough for parents to reproduce again on their own. Not only are we working to engage the babies, we can’t forget that the parent is the one the child will be taking most of their cues from.
5 things to tell parents at this age:
1. Your voice is the most important one for your baby to hear, that is the one they are really going to pay attention to.
2. Watch your baby for their comfort level when engaging in movement activities, they will grow to accept larger more challenging movements, but stay in their comfort zone until they are ready.
3. All babies develop at their own pace, what your are experiencing is normal for their age range.
4. Your young baby (2 mos old) is in the awareness stage right now, they are absorbing the world around them, although their responses may be minimal at the moment it is important to continue to engage, sing , play and let them absorb their surroundings. As they move on to a trust level you will start to see more responses.
5. Babies like repetition continue to use the songs and activities at home, remember using the pauses or quiet spaces in the music is just as important as sung parts. Try some stop and start activities during your play time.

[Ian Crawford]

5 words to describe the songs: Calm, swaying, friendly, engaging, comforting.

5 sentences for parents (there are technically 7 sentences here. woops!)
1) Your baby hears your voice above all others and will gain more from you singing these songs than from us singing them.
2) Babies are aware of vocal timbre and respond to subtle changes in the timbre of our voices, so it is important to always be aware of how we are using our voices around them.
3) Babies love repetition and absorb new information best when it is repeated again and again and again. And again.
4) Although we may not always notice it, babies use pitch in their vocalizations. When you hear this, use your voice in a reflective way to support those pitched vocalizations.
5) Listening to instruments is the first step towards playing instruments. Allow your child the opportunity to simply listen if they choose not to play.

[Anonymous]

To create a plan you will want to follow the structure that was shared in your video and slides this week. For SM 1 the structure recommended is as follows: Gathering/Greeting Song, Bonding Song, Instrument, Movement, Cool Down, and Good-Bye. You are free to use any of the music that Meredith and Beth have shared in the videos you have watched these past 6 weeks and if you have already have Beth’s book “You and Me Makes We,” you will find tons of great song selections as well. You are also free to use any music you may know or have created yourself. If you have created your own music, we would love to hear it as well!

Laura- Let me know if what I wrote above is helpful for you. Sessions do not need to be themed based. I have, personally, included songs here and there that reflect on the season or holiday. In my current session I am using one of Beth’s songs about the fall and a few families have asked for Halloween songs the next few weeks.

I will also be forwarding your questions on to Meredith, Beth and Kristina so they can also offer some helpful pointers with this question.

[Ericha Rupp]

Five Words: Comforting, inviting, includes “snuggles”, warm, and gentle.

Five Sentences:
1. Your infant may attend more to music that is similar to a lullaby.
2. Higher pitched voices and instruments may have a calming effect on your infant.
3. Infants respond to music with repetitive movements.
4. Your voice is preferred by your infant over any other voice.
5. Infants can make involuntary/reflexive response to music.

Plan for songs and music experiences:
Be aware of the baby’s needs (feeding, diaper changes, clothing, temperature of room, sleep depravation etc.) while also taking the parent’s needs or the teachers needs into consideration.
Plan for songs would be tempos, dynamics, type of movements associated with the song, and timbre.

[Kristina Rio]

For your session plan, use specific song titles. Like Erika said, you can use songs suggested in the modules, but in Sprouting Melodies, the structure is flexible. The suggested format is just that, a suggestion. Feel free to suggest your own songs!

Laura, your answers were great! You did a nice job pulling from the information your learned in the training. It is OK to use songs you have learned in the training as your session plan, that’s a great place to start!

[Lysa Wright]

Calm, bonding, engaging, interactive, educational.

1. A parent’s voice is preferred over another person. 2. Babies love repetition and are able to recognize familiar melodies. 3. Higher pitches or voices are calming to your baby. 4. Babies use different pitches in their vocalizations, we can imitate these pitches to encourage more sounds and interactions. 5. Babies can be startled easily by loud or abrupt songs, they prefer more calming, soothing melodies and rhythms.

Begin the group with a gathering/hello song, something to include each baby’s name. Bonding songs like Row It Faster work well for interaction. Songs about me- Just Like Me song for interaction, body part identification. Instrument song- calm, quiet instruments like a soft-sounding shaker. In My Little Hand is good for small movements/visual tracking of the instrument. Babies can also grasp or reach out to instruments. Movement songs- small movements, making sure to be aware of baby’s tolerance for movement. Last is the goodbye song!

[Shonda Malik]

5 words= soothing, gentle, comforting, soft, safe

5 sentences= 1. The baby loves your voice the most. 2. The baby sees you best when you hold her 12-18 inches from your face. 3. (when they arrive late) I’m so glad you made it, join us. 4. Sway with the baby gently and slowly. 5. (baby asleep) Their sleep is important, you can learn the song and share it with your baby at home.

Session Plan; Instrument exploration with recorded music; Greeting song-“Hello”-Nordoff-Robbins, sing names; Gathering song- “Gather Round Babies” (MRP) body percussion; Bonding song- “Row it faster” (EKS) baby held in bended legs; Instrument play with “in my little hand” (EKS); movement song- “as big as can be” (EKS); cool down-‘Just like me” (EKS); goodbye-Meredith’s goodbye song

[Adrienne Salmon]

5 words to describe the music experiences in SM1: Warm, Safe, Predictable, Bonding, Playful

5 sentences to use with parents about musical responses in SM1: 1). Even if you don’t believe in the sound of your singing voice, your baby loves the sound of your voice the most, and will use it when creating a bond with you. Don’t be afraid to sing out!
2). Your baby’s reflex will be to grasp something in the palm of their hand. Put the maraca handle there and see if they grasp! If not, you can help them by tickling their palm. 3). When playing with scarves or instruments, your baby will see and process the item best if it is held 12-18 inches away from their face. 4). I’m glad you made it to the session! Please come join us. 5). Swaying, rocking, and moving to the beat of the song helps your baby internalize rhythm, which in turn makes rhythm more natural for him/her!

Mock session plan: Gathering song, Hello Song, Bonding song (such as Wiggly Jiggly Car possibly followed by Row It Faster), Instrumental Song (such as In My Little Hands), Songs About Me (such as Just Like Me and/or Where Is My Face), Movement song (such as As Big As Can Be and/or Hold On Tight), Goodbye Song

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