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.

[Jessica Bogacik]

As I’ve said before, I am relatively new to my community, but I’ve learned a little in my time here, and I also did a little online research. Columbus, Ohio is the 15th largest city in the U.S., and the largest city in Ohio, with over 800,000 people. Franklin County (of which the City of Columbus is a part) has over 1.22 million people. There are SO many people here! All counties in Ohio have a program called Help Me Grow, which offers services to families prenatally through age three, to support the healthy growth and development of children. This program recognizes the importance of nurturing children in their early years, and aims to give families of all socioeconomic backgrounds the same opportunities through early intervention services. I know that some children in this area receive music therapy services through this program!
In the Columbus area, there is another music-based early childhood program, which has been around since the 1980s and has been very successful. The difference between this program and Sprouting Melodies is that the program here is not run by music therapists, and it uses a set lesson plan/methodology that each teacher must use for their classes, regardless of the unique needs of the individuals in the classes. Sprouting Melodies, as an Open Source Model, would promote the music therapist to meet the unique needs of the groups (planned, and in the moment), and the music therapist (through their training) would be able to accomplish that task.
Here in Columbus, there are a couple of large institutions that I believe strongly impact the culture of our community. Ohio State University is a massive institution here, which results in a large young adult population (in my mind, young adults = new families = young children). Additionally, OSU is a very well-known supporter of the arts. This culture would promote, in parents’ minds, the importance of the arts for their children, and hopefully encourage them to introduce their children to the arts. We also have Nationwide Children’s Hospital, which is obviously dedicated to helping children and their families. Again, this impacts the culture of this community in that it is familiar with the importance of supporting children, and accustomed to services that provide excellent and renowned services.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

Though I work with children right now, I do not get to work with the families. I do hope to bring this possibility up to my school to see if that option is there. Because I work with at risk kids the special spouts or the sprouting sibs might bring the most interest. I believe most of these parents are feeling overwhelmed due to the delays and their lack of knowledge, so I think the information I could bring them on developmental order and just the ability to see their kids interacting with siblings and the parents would be a huge benefit. I have not looked into the needs of my particular community to know much about that. Since my daughter is a teen, most of the people I know in the area where I live have older kids also.

[Mikhala Majeau]

The needs of the families I personally work with as a caregiver are very unique. Both families are military families. They deal with separations from their spouses for short and long periods of time. They juggle being a “married single parent” and integrating back into a full family unit. Both families are also a great distance away from their extended families. They move often, about every 2-3 years, so their support systems can be lacking. Military life can be very isolating. It can be very difficult to explain to others how it differs and how it’s similar to “civilian” life. The parents in my community are often looking for friendship, support, validation, and resources. Because the families move often, most of the parents lose friends and are looking for new friends. A SM group would be a great place to make new relationships, similar to the parent interview we saw today. As these families are often far away from their extended families, they may be seeking advice and resources from other parents and knowledgeable people such as a music therapist. The parents may also be looking for ways to cope with separation and reintegration. Most families also need a place close to home to have a group. If a group was offered on base, many families would be able to connect and build relationships with other parents and caregivers. This would be a great opportunity to foster family development as well as child development. It would also provide a structure for the child even during times when mom or dad is away during training. When the service member returns, the parent could learn the music from SM classes and have a great way to reconnect with his or her child.

[Anonymous]

I really enjoyed hearing what you all have researched and found for your particular settings and communities. Wow Jessica! Those are some big numbers! It sounds like there is a great opportunity and need for your area and you are already thinking like a Sprouting Melodies provider in showcasing how the program is unique and can support the development of the children and families. Leigh Ann I think your facility will greatly benefit from your ideas about working with the families and the siblings! Mikhala it sounds like you have a wonderful opportunity to support these families in so many ways.

[Amanda Goff]

Right now, I only work with a couple of families, but I have found with my families that keeping the communication open and honest is extremely important. I want my families to be comfortable enough to contact me if something is bothering them, if they have a concern. I want my families to feel comfortable enough with me to talk through anything that is going on in a session and in discussing anything pertaining to their loved one.
I hope to work with more families in the future and to gain more experience working with families and gain more knowledge when it comes to working with younger children and their families.

[Natalie Condon]

I haven’t started working in my community, but from what I know the area is highly diverse with various backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses. We have a well-used community center and library, but no programs that offer anything close to what Sprouting Melodies offers or really much in music-based programs. I think families in my area need close-by flexible programing that are understanding of the needs of the families while providing valuable content and a safe space to bond and grow with their children.

[Steven Clarke]

I lead a group with young children and their caregivers during which opportunities for communication, motor skill development, interpersonal skills, peer-to-peer interactions, sibling interactions, caregiver-child interactions and having fun are definite needs. The need for funding for this particular group, and other families/groups I have worked with has always been of great importance, especially in community-based programs. The communities also need opportunities to get together with other families with similar needs for support, shared growth and collective learning. I believe that all the families and/or communities that I/the rest of the therapists in this group work with are unique in their diverse backgrounds, life stories/experiences and collective/individual needs.

[Jamie Sacca]

I have done a little bit of community based work in a group setting, and what I have seen is that there are a LOT of programs out there and it is difficult to distinguish yourself. I live in Queens, and have worked with families in the area with children with developmental disabilities. On Long Island, where I also work, there is a huge need for a program like this, run by and created by music therapists and my hope is to break into that community. It does seem that established community based centers (JCC’s, day cares and after school programs) may have the most funding and openness to having programs like this. There is also a store front near me in queens that holds kids events and parties and also has a music together class- I may be interested in getting into that market as well. My neighborhood in queens has a lot of young families that I think could benefit. In my work at the preschool, I often reach out to parents of our students in written form- about ways to connect what they are learning academically through music at home, and how engage with their child with DD’s through musical play and recognizing their musical play style. I would love to also be involved in some of the parent training that happens on-site as well.

[Melissa Hentges]

As more information becomes available about the benefits of music, I see more and more parents seeking a way to use music in their homes. Because I work in preschools I only see the children during class time, not the parents. Often parents will ask me for the songs that I am teaching so that they can sing them at home – however this can be difficult if it is a song that I have composed. Creating groups for both parents and children would definitely fill the parent’s need to find music they can engage in with their children.

[Michelle Nettle]

I live in Phoenix AZ which is a very large metropolitan area that has sprawling suburbs where most families live. I personally service the North Area Suburbs of the phoenix area, which has grown immensely in the past 10 years. Phoenix has drawn a lot of new families to the area due to the nice Winter weather, decent home prices, and a solid job market. In our community, families are always looking for “extracurricular” activities for their children. We have numerous libraries, community centers, and planned communities with their own community centers that I think will be very interested in adding Sprouting Melodies classes to their array of program offerings. There are other early childhood music classes like Kindermusic and Music Together widely available in the area, but as we all know, these classes are not run by Board Certified Music Therapists. So as a Sprouting Melodies Provider I would definitely have competition in getting parents to “choose” Sprouting Melodies over other well-known early childhood music programs in the area; however, I would have the advantage of my unique skills as a music therapist to provide a well rounded, developmentally based music program that is unique among the other music programs offered in the area.

[Linda Madler]

Mikhala, I live in a military community and loved your thought about being on base and connecting with music when a service member returns. I had a child in one of my classes who really enjoyed having her father present after a long deployment, especially when we sang songs and participated in activities they had shared 18 mos. ago. 18 mos. was half of that child’s life. In our community, I would like to reach out to single mothers and children at risk. Parents need an opportunity to learn the songs/rhymes/games that once was a given. My preschool music class at school (no parents) has greatly improved since we have been able to get the music home to parents–connecting and continuing the education at home is so important. I have tried to schedule family music times once or twice a year, but unfortunately it is very difficult for parents’ schedules. I think that the families that I work with need a chance to share and connect, and music is the perfect way to do that.

[Mikhala Majeau]

Linda, I actually live in Hampton Roads, Norfolk. I would love to touch base with you one day in person. I totally agree with you about the single mothers and children at risk not knowing the songs/rhymes/etc that used to be a given. Many people no longer are familiar with nursery rhymes or other child-centered rhymes/songs. It would be great to team up and work together to start providing more of these services!

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

I love the idea of bringing Sprouting Melodies to military families. My husband is retired Air Force, and I still remember clearly how difficult deployment could be and how I would have loved a community of people who gathered together around music.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

The family of my only current early-childhood client has needs that I think are similar to other families, whether or not their child special needs: to support and enhance their child’s development through music; to gain knowledge and skills that they can use each day as they interact with their child; and to bring joy and fulfillment to their child, because why would they have chosen music therapy if their child did not respond to and enjoy music? The families of my older clients, who have developmental disabilities, have similar needs. In particular for adult clients, I see the need for them to have an opportunity to make choices and feel empowered by that. I think music therapy gives my clients a chance to shine and to experience success, which I know their families want for them, as well.

I live in Austin, TX, which isn’t at all lacking in the live music category, even in the area of children’s music, so that might not be something I need to focus my efforts on. It is a university city where there are also quite a few tech companies, which means that there are many highly educated parents. This could be very beneficial in terms of starting a Sprouting Melodies program, as these parents will want a provider who has significant training and expertise in the areas of music and child development. At the same time, there are many musicians and people who love music around here, which means that they want to not just expose their children to music by attending performances, but to have a way to share the act of making music with them.

[Kayla Hamilton]

As I have previously stated, I am fairly new to this community. From what I have seen so far, it seems that the families want a safe environment for their children to socialize in (with either chronological or developmental aged peers) and they want a sense of community. I have also seen a lot of families wanting to focus on motor/physical ability and functional, expressive language output.

[Kathy Odenkirk]

I currently have a contract with a Head Start program. I have tried to design my music therapy forms to be user/parent friendly. I have found that the parents/guardians appreciate knowing the current strengths of their child and how I will use those strengths to improve the need areas. I believe that my education and experience in child development, behavioral techniques, and of course music therapy are important to them. They value honesty. Most important I have found that the families need to know that they are being heard, listened to, and supported.

[Kathy Odenkirk]

Sorry…here’s the rest of my answer. I’ve been sick and am trying to catch up – guess I got in a hurry to post!
What are the needs of my community? My community does offer a lot of classes for young children but I don’t believe that most, if any of those classes include parents/guardians on a regular basis. There definitely needs to be more music therapy and other therapies for very young children. And what is offered needs to be made affordable and accessible to anyone who would like to participate.
At this point in time I am not sure if there is anything unique about my community.

[Amanda Barnett]

The needs of the families of my kiddos vary. Some families are very involved in therapy & sit in as we do sessions so they may integrate what we do into their every day life while others don’t even care to get copies of quarterly reports. It’s just the sad reality. I enjoy allowing siblings to take part in our sessions in order to bond with my clients in ways that aren’t readily available unless I’m there. These siblings also benefit from sessions as I help them to learn to take turns with their brother/sister who has special needs & to interact with them ourside of the typical sibling environment.
My home community (where I hope to begin introducing to music therapy & music for young children through private practice) is in small town USA, Cleveland, Tx with a population of approximately 7,800 people. Everyone knows everyone in some way, shape or form. I believe my community could benefit from a Sprouting Melodies type program as there aren’t many programs where family’s can participate with their young children. Having such an amazing bonding program available would be so beneficial and could open up opportunities for more programs to come to our small town. As of now there is FFA, sports & gymnastics for children 4+ but nothing for children under 4 years old. I believe the ruralness of our small community & lack of activities for young children makes it unique to this course.

[Lauren Servos]

I live in an area with many young families, and the only other provider of early childhood music classes in my county is a Kindermusik company that I used to work for. I know that there are many families who are not served by the Kindermusik classes, and many working parents whose children are in daycare during the class offerings. I hope to start some classes in daycares and some on the weekends to provide music class options for those families!

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