What are the needs of the families you work with?

[Meredith Pizzi]

What are the needs of the families you work with? What are the needs of your community? Share with the board how your families and communities might be unique.

[Lauren Roberts]

The community in which I am looking to begin a Sprouting Melodies program/open a clinic space is one I am not too familiar with yet. My boyfriend, his family, and another close friend are all extremely familiar with the area though, having grown up there, and have been a valuable resource. I do already know that it is an area in which families tend to have a higher than average income, and therefore more disposable income that could be spent on programs for their children, such as Sprouting Melodies (Estimated median household income of $81,509 in 2011 while the state median was $46,007).

Going hand-in-hand with this disposable income is families’ ability to hire a full time nanny or au pair. Although I do not have any official data on this, from my personal experience already teaching piano lessons in the area, I can say that two of the four families I know have hired full time help. I can’t help but think that in these and similar families, it would be more likely that the nanny would be the one bringing the children to a Sprouting Melodies class than the parent. I am wondering then, and so perhaps others can speak to this as well, would the parent education aspect of Sprouting Melodies then be any different? Seeing how the nanny may be the primary provider of childcare, I am inclined to say it would not; I feel it would be important for her to be treated just like one would treat the parents, or any other family member who were to attend (grandparents, aunt, uncle, etc). At the same time, however, I feel like the parent attending Sprouting Melodies rather than the nanny would be a great opportunity for time with the child they probably don’t often get. Therefore, I view parent/child bonding as a potential need in the community.

The families in the area are somewhat unique in comparison to other areas around Atlanta, in that they are very well educated (of individuals age 25 or over, 96% have completed high school or higher, 51% hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and 18.9% have a graduate or professional degree). Assuming then that most families would place a great importance on education, I believe one need in the area is more programming that will give children the biggest advantage(s) in school: helping them succeed and even exceed expectations. My boyfriend basically stated this himself in regards to his 18 month old son. He would be more likely to have him participate in a Sprouting Melodies program if I were to provide research/information on how it can help his brain, make him smarter, increase the likelihood that he’ll do well in school, etc. I know this will be very important when determining my program marketing strategy.

[Kristina Rio]

Lauren, I have had several nanny’s, or grandparents, or aunts bring a child to Sprouting Melodies. You would still educate them as you would if they were the parent. They are looking for tips and tricks to soothe, entertain, and connect with the kids they are taking care of as well. You can also mention the bonding aspects of some songs to the nanny, and educate the nanny on how it could be beneficial to teach these songs to the parent so the parent can sing the songs at home as well.

[Kristen Crouch]

My community has many needs. There is a large population of Spanish, Haitian, and low income families who I suspect spend a great deal of time at home with their children. Some naturally are involved with their children, others seems to need encouragement and education on how to be involved with their child, to play, to encourage development, to get to know their children (and why its important). There are also those families where parents are both working full time and have limited time with their children. Many of these parents are looking for how they can make the little time they have with their children the most valuable. I think the type of program that SM offers would really meet the needs of both populations, teaching, encouraging, modeling, and offering a richly packed 1 hour session with their child. I’m curious what other SM providers have found as far as group times. Many moms are home during the week and looking for morning activities. Many moms are working and need Saturday or evening groups. What is the best way to go about finding out the needs of the parents in our area?

[Lauren Roberts]

Thanks Kristina, that is what I figured. I still just find myself wishing it was the parent too!

Kristen, I have had similar thoughts/questions about group times. I am looking to use Sprouting Melodies to help fill some of my morning time, since I can’t teach piano lessons then (during the school year at least!). Of course, if there isn’t interest in morning groups that wouldn’t be very helpful though, so it would be great to know how to find out this information.

[Barb Blackburn]

I’m not certain how unique the needs of our families would be to anywhere else. To be honest I don’t really know much about the community needs. I don’t live in the same city/community that I work in. I do know that Colorado Springs has a lot of military families due to the city having multiple military bases and academies. I can really only speak to the needs of the individual families that come to music therapy at our facility. I do see Sprouting Melodies as a need in our little community. While all of my clients that I am currently seeing are school age or (much) older, almost all of them have a younger sibling or two. We have one family that believes that their youngest child may have some delays similar to big brother. They were thrilled when we mentioned Sprouting Melodies to them. Many of the families are looking for a group setting for their child that will fit their needs. Sprouting Melodies, as well as music therapy, is a safe, fun, non-judgmental place for children to interact with their peers and learn as well!

[Bernadette Skodack]

Ann Arbor is a huge, diverse arts town, so to offer something from the music therapy perspective is unique. Other programs are offered in the area, but I’m not aware of any Sprouting Melodies classes offered in the area. Within my company, I would love to use Sprouting Melodies with our returning military and their families. It offers the bonding experiences with children of all ages; many servicemen don’t meet their babies until they return from service! I can see Sprouting Melodies as the offering that helps bond the entire family together.

[Lauren Caso]

I would guess that many families in this area either have 2 working parents, are single parents, and/or have a caretaker or have their child attend Day Care in the morning. Many families consisting of school aged sibling tend to seek out morning or weekend sessions, while others look for afternoon activities for both siblings. Most families in this area are somewhere above middle class financially, and there is a somewhat high interest in the arts and sports among children. I think that groups here would be most successful if offered in the morning, afternoon (“after school”), and weekend mornings.
When I was running Music and Movement groups aged 0-3 at The Boston’s Children Museum, I found that many children came with their Nanny’s to the museum almost every day, as a ritual, and observed how they formed a small community of support, friendship and peers, for both the children and their accompanying adults alike!

[Sarah Gagnon]

I believe that everywhere parents and their children need support on multiple levels that can vary and change over time. The parents with children who have developmental/physical disabilities seem to do well as music via music therapy can be a gateway to connect and learn about their children and their abilities.

I think that it’s hard for families to afford extra music and/or MUTX classes because of all the different financial needs regardless, at times, of income. Since the beginning of the recession IMHO parents, caregivers and companies have been trying to find ways to cut costs.

Families need to provide: shelter, food, education social and leisure opportunities for themselves and their children.

If the kids do have delays for any reasons, the parents first and foremost are tired and need support and flexibility in finding and attending classes.

In my community, for typical families, I think there would be a great deal of interest and need as there seem to be a lot of resources. I already know that the local library and ymca may have space and time. I’m wicked excited about finishing this program.

[Brandy Jenkins]

I am not as familiar with my community yet because I just moved to this state three months ago. Oklahoma tends to be more low income in general, and I do know nearby communities have the extremes: very rich and very poor. With that said, I can see the need may be for a general bonding experience and general exposure to a music making experience. I am about to begin work with a private school for those with autism and I can see this being a great program with the care givers.

[Kristina Rio]

Meredith could speak better to suggested times and days to run Sprouting Melodies groups around naps for each age grouping. I will forward her your questions.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all of your thoughts! About scheduling days and times, Sprouting Melodies fit my needs as a private practice music therapist when I started 5 years ago, and it fit the need that many of your spoke to, something to do with those morning hours! It also provided income, paid up front, not after providing services, and it was year round, which was a big concern of mine working mostly in the schools.
About families’ needs, I have found that variations in income do matter, as do interest in education and enriching early childhood activities. Sprouting Melodies is unique and definitely attracts parents and caregivers looking for depth and developmental learning and growth. Our most popular classes are between 9am and 12 noon. If you choose to become a Sprouting Melodies Provider at the end of this course, I will go through all of the specifics with you about class days and times. We do have 2 afternoon classes running, but it seems to be harder for parents to maintain an ongoing commitment to afternoon times, especially if they are working during the day. There are just so many things to fit in! We also find Saturday mornings to be very popular. Often times a parents who is working primarily during the week will bring the little one, or we have a number of families that all come together as a family to Sprouting Melodies. We’ve even had grandparents drive 45 minutes each way to join the children and grandchildren for Sprouting Melodies. Talk about intergenerational music making!
The other question Lauren asked was about nannies and caregivers. First I’ll answer as a parent, and then I’ll give you my Sprouting Melodies Provider answer. 🙂

As a parent of 3 young kids, ages 9, 7, and almost 4, I’ve relied on sitters and caregivers in family daycare and small nursery school/daycare settings to care for my children when my husband and I are both at work. One of my family’s dearest sitters was an older woman who had the flexibility to care for our kids when my schedule was sometimes out of the ordinary. Having had 1:1 and center based care for my children, I will tell you that I always wanted my children to bond with their caregivers, and I wanted the caregivers to bond with our kids. I know how important those bonds are for development, learning to trust, and act independently, a young child must feel a sense of safety and connection with their caregiver. When working with young children and caregivers, you actually want to encourage bonding between the caregiver or nanny and child because the child will benefit from that bond. It doesn’t replace the parent-child bond, but you do want a healthy bonded relationship for the child to flourish!

Now, as a Sprouting Melodies Provider! 🙂 When working with caregivers, I always encourage them to share what they are learning with the parents and if it is possible, invite the parents to come to the regularly scheduled class or a do a makeup on the weekend so that they can experience the music class also! You will still give them the same information and keep feeding them as caregivers. you want to give them new things to learn, notice and look for as they interact with the child throughout the day. And your Sprouting Melodies Sayings will be great for the caregiver to be able to share with the parents after class. Give gentle reminders like, “When you see mom and dad tonight, be sure to tell them about how Susie demonstrated her new found independence today during the instrument play when she selected an instrument from the bucket for the first time all by herself!” The caregivers appreciate sharing what they did, and the parents want to hear about the experiences the little ones have!
I hope this helps! Send any more questions along!

[Caitlin Kauffman]

I have been pondering what to say here, as I am not currently working at this time. I lost my job back in January due to budget cuts, and now we are preparing to relocate. I am working on potential job opportunities, and this training will hopefully be a good starting point. I will be assisting a colleague with marketing meetings to set up contracts for her business so my hope is that I will know more before too long.

Meredith, so glad to read your answer above! That was a question I had been meaning to ask but had not written it down. Great information!

[Ann Dardis]

Some of the mom’s I work with have expressed that they value music class because it provides a family outing for them. Also, many of them feel that they are not from “musical families” and that class is filling a gap for them. Music is something they want their children to learn & love, even if they as parents don’t sing or play an instrument at home. Class gives them tools to use at home – songs, rhymes, dances. It provides family bonding & lot’s of fun.

[Amy Dunlap]

Like Caitlin, I am not quite sure how to answer this question. I will be relocating to a small town 1.5 hours from Columbus in August to go back to school and there is already one SM provider living there at this time! My plan is to come back to Columbus after I finish my master’s degree in two years, so I will have time while in school to begin to market to my target neighborhoods. Columbus is a big city with a lot of suburbs, some of which are much more advanced financially, educationally, etc., than others. While I will not be living in those suburbs myself, I plan to reach out to those small communities when the time comes to build a SM program. I have two suburbs in mind, both of which sound like the neighborhoods Lauren described above. I used to be a barista at the Starbucks on the main street in one of the neighborhoods and made a lot of connections with both moms and business persons while working there. I also have family members in in the other neighborhood whose children have done a lot of babysitting there, so I could potentially use that as another way into the community. Luckily, Columbus isn’t so large that either suburb is difficult to get to (only about a 20 minute drive from the city center). I anticipate the needs of those communities to be very similar to many that have been discussed above. </p>
<p>Another potential target SM community may be found at Columbus’ children’s hospital, with whom my company already contracts outpatient music therapy services. During our one-to-one phone conversation yesterday, Meredith and I discussed the needs of families whose children are in and out of the hospital due to developmental disabilities or chronic illness. Certainly bonding and a sense of “normalcy” for 30-45 minutes would be a great gift for these families. Additionally, my credentials (i.e. training, skills, experience, etc.) enable me to provide appropriate services for children with special needs.

[Kasey Sollenberger]

I currently work at a sensory gym for children. Many of the families that visit the gym are looking for different opportunities that meet their child’s sensory needs. Children of all ages attend the gym, from little babies all the way up to teenagers. It is an environment that provides opportunities beneficial to typically developing children along with children who have sensory and developmental challenges. Many of the families I come into contact with at the gym want their children to be involved in an inclusive activity with their peers. Some of the children receive music therapy services individually but their parents have been searching for an MT group for them as well.

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