What value do music therapists bring to families of young children?

[Meredith Pizzi]

What value do music therapists bring to families of young children? Post your thoughts and comments to the board. Reply to the contributions of the group.

[Amanda Braden]

As music therapists, we are trained to work with such a wide range of people with all kinds of needs. I think that is one thing that really sets us apart as providers and can be a real asset to families that have young children. As we’ve discussed before, parents want to be assured that their child is developing in a typical and healthy way, and when their child is not, they want the support of professionals like ourselves that have the knowledge and experience to help their child progress and grow despite developmental delays, etc. that they may have. When they know that we have the background and experience in working with a variety of people with a variety of needs, they can feel more confident and assured that we can give them and their children the quality support that they need, whether they have a typically developing child or not. So, as music therapists, the support that we can provide for families of young children as they develop is truly unique and valuable. Also, as music therapists, our primary focus is on the child and seeing them grow in all domains of their life –socially, emotionally, cognitively, physically, and in their communication skills. A music educator providing music groups for young children and families may be more concerned about how the child is growing musically. While we want children to enjoy the music we’re making, and it is wonderful to see them label and identify instruments and playing simple rhythms, etc., we want them to grow as human beings as well. That being said, as music therapists, I think our ultimate goal for the children might be more in line with that of their parents and family members. As we saw in the parent testimonial video, the mother was so glad that her daughter was growing developmentally, and that’s exactly what we aim for as music therapists. So, I believe that as music therapists, what we’re providing and how and why we’re providing it is exactly what parents want for their children.

[Christine Czuhajewski]

One of the many values of music therapy for families is that they can have a positive shared experience with their children. Some families may not necessarily be musical and this might be the open door for them to begin engaging with their children through music and musical play. As young children move through the musical development stages, parents have an opportunity to discover what songs and interactions their children enjoy so that they can take the songs home and further share experiences at home using the songs that their children are becoming familiar with. Another benefit of these music therapy experiences for families with young children is the knowledge of developmental stages. Throughout the course so far, we’ve heard examples about how some parents might react to child reactions at different developmental stages. It is important for families to learn that when a child isn’t following along in exact timing or imitation of the group leader, they may still be developing and reacting appropriately. Overall, I think that it is important to continue showing families and the professional community what the value is in using an early childhood service provided by a music therapists rather than other programs. The additional knowledge that a music therapist can bring to this kind of experience is an extra level of expertise and understanding that many parents would quickly learn to value.

[Michelle Russell]

Music therapists bring a skill set that helps to create a program in which both children and parents have a positive experience. The creation of a supportive program for the overall development of the child is enhanced by the failure free environment we can create. Working with a variety of “types” of children, we are able to structure a group in ways to meet the needs of each child. We can provide individualized attention within a group setting. Our understanding of child development can be shared with families and support them as their children develop. On a personal note, I believe that I am an approachable person with whom people feel comfortable rather quickly. I am also a mother who has “been there: before. I can understand the trepidation a family would have about “seeing a therapist” in music class. I currently provide a community music class through a creative arts studio in my town. The name of my business is Musical Moments Music Therapy Services. When I started to advertise that I was going to offer class there I had second thoughts about putting the name of my business out there. It is possible that people have not signed up because “therapy” is prominent in my business name. I actually thought about leaving off the tail end of it. I’m glad that I didn’t. I need to continue to work on sharing the value that I provide as a music therapist to the community at large. It should be seen as a bonus to get to work with a music therapist!

[Katie Whipple]

There are many valuable skills that we bring as music therapists and the one that sticks out to me the most is that we know how to motivate. I teach private guitar lessons and at one of my student’s recitals her aunt came up to me and was amazed at how well her niece did and wanted to know if I recommended any teachers in her area of the state that had my approach. I immediately told her I was a music therapist and that I would recommend finding an MT. The reason is because I feel that we are so well equipped to motivate and encourage is such positive ways that don’t require a lot strict “rules”. We know how to work with kiddos with short attention spans or how to make music experiences become fun even if hard work is being required! I know that our training allows us to work with a “kiddo” or “family” oriented approach rather than about the music development or skills.

[Anonymous]

Thank you all for your thoughtful submissions. I have enjoyed reading how you each see your value!

[Jacquelyn Blankinship]

I wholeheartedly agree with some of the comments above concerning how music therapists are focused on the development of the child, rather than just the musical development and that music therapists are trained to be able to work and adapt interventions for children with special needs. Some of the other values I think that music therapists bring are a focus on the whole child – being able to synthesize development of a child across multiple domains (cognitive, communication, physical, etc.). Also, the ability of the music therapist to adapt in the moment according to the aforementioned knowledge and the reactions of the children. And, finally, the focus on generalization is something that seems unique for music therapists as compared to music educators, etc. This was really emphasized for me during this module with the functional language and concepts and the comments of the parent in the video.

One of the other things that I thought about during the module – and that really struck me during the parent interview – was the feeling of empowerment that we as music therapists are able to provide for the parents. I think this comes from our enthusiasm about the use of music toward overall development, the emphasis on education for parents and explaining why we’re doing what we’re doing, and really advocating for the power of community music therapy – whether that community is as small as a family unit or as large as the various families that come together to share music during groups.

[Jaycie Voorhees]

As MT-BC’s, we are not boxed into a music curriculum, but are able to adapt groups to the unique needs of the participants instead of sticking to an outlined regimen. We have mad skills to adapt and meet individual needs! We also have the ability to meet the needs of those with special needs and delays and use techniques in behavior modification, reinforcement, etc. I also love the idea of introducing sign language and other communication techniques to help parents learn more ways to interact with and understand their children from a young age.

[Kayla Lyles]

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you all have been saying thus far! The value that we bring with our skill sets, our knowledge, our flexibility… We are able to use music, not just as a teaching tool, but as a way to connect children and their parents and caregivers – that can be used for all developmental levels and adapted to suit those wherever they may be with regards to possible delays. I was recently asked almost this exact question, but by a friend of mine who is preparing to take her NCLEX exam, and now she’s been asking me every week about how Sprouting Melodies training is going and more about music therapy. We are so important!

[Darcy Lipscomb]

The further along in my career that I get, the more and more I believe that our skills as a music therapist also make us perfectly suited for so many other related opportunities – early childhood music classes being a perfect example!
Adaptable – We are able to adapt our plan, a song, the environment, the purpose of an experience, all in the moment.
Knowledgable – We have the education and additional training to be able to knowledgeably answer parents questions and validate their concerns. We know approximately what to expect when in child development and design our sessions and conversations to best support that process.
Resource – We are often connected with other agencies within the community and can guide parents to other providers and services that may be of value to their child and family.
There are many other ways that music therapists bring value to families of young children, but these three stand out for me right now.

[Megan Dewing]

I have loved reading what everyone has said, and I totally agree with everything! We have such a unique skill set that we can bring to music, and the parents recognize that. We are not only able to adapt in the moment and work on functional skills, but we are able to give the parents something that THEY can do with their children. They don’t need to be the best singer and they don’t need to know how to play a guitar or piano. I think this is one of the biggest things that we bring to this age group. The music is not only accessible to the kids, but the parents are able to take what we are giving them in the class and “take it to the streets.” They can use the songs at home, share the knowledge with other caregivers, and continue to use the music to aid in development, even when they are not at music class.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Music therapy in Serbia is pretty much a new discipline and profession as well. Also there are just few of us who has official licence to work. As I already mention we don t have music therapy in hospitals, social institutions, schools….We ARE in public and we presenting lectures to promote music therapy still, but from time to time, also work in private practice. As a music therapist I can see that we need more promotion and practice in reality so one of the reason that I have took this training is to try to bring and offer our profession and services to families and young children because I think that our goals can be very beneficial for them.
As I m working with brand new parents and their babies, more often now, I think that music therapy approach can be very beneficial for them for ex. in situation when we want to make it stronger process of bonding or to help in situation when this process is interrupted for some reasons.
Working with the group or individually we can see or better to say recognize if there are any problems behind the dyad mother/child, and therefore great thing about music therapy is that music therapy is non invasive method and can make “safe space for change” and approach to intervene. Also the other reason why music therapy is valuable is that we can help and offer parents opportunity to meet their children, developmentally, and to help parents to understand their child better, and to find the way to be their assistant in development more than before, using music intervention.

[Kristina Rio]

Kayla, I loved your statement, “We are so important!” It’s imperative we know and understand this to be true so we have the confidence and language to communicate our value to families and other professionals.

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

It is so exciting for me to see and hear how all of you are standing loud and proud as music therapists. Our sense of value is then shared with our families, and they share it with their children.
Some of you might have seen this from our latest “Raising Harmony” newsletter, but I it fits right in with all of your responses.

“Who are you? As a supporter of Raising Harmony you are in the forefront of new thinking in music therapy! How do I know? Well, over the past six weeks I’ve been traveling hundreds of miles to four big music therapy conferences in as many different states. What I learned was that music therapy is growing fast in diverse and varied ways. Again and again I heard about a new respect for client empowerment and a focus on client strengths. Health and wellness was as much mentioned as disability. The whole scope of music therapy seems to be expanding as more and more as people learn about the value that music and music therapy can bring to their lives. All of these big thoughts certainly challenge old views of ourselves as music therapists and of the practice of music therapy.”

[Amanda Maestro-Scherer]

It’s so nice to read all these comments– yeah, we are pretty cool as music therapists! I echo what everyone else has said– our thought process, the purpose behind the music– HOW we play it, WHEN we play it, and WHY we play it are all considerations that we have with each music therapy session. This makes our approach effective and encompassing of the whole child through the music. As Jaycie mentioned, our flexibility to adapt to whatever needs might be presenting, our musical skills, and our interpersonal skills are all things that make us unique, qualified, and engaging, not just for children, but for any population we may be working with.

[Mary Withington]

MT-BC’s bring a knowledge of and experience in group process, developmental levels of children, how to be flexible and spontaneous to meet the need and goals of the group or individual, how to incorporate special needs children with neurotypical children so that all experience success. MT-BC ‘ scan observe and evaluate while leading and make changes on the spot to insure success or to change behaviors, energy levels. They are very adaptive and creative, and have a broad knowledge of music and music interventions.

[Mary Withington]

MT-BC’s bring a knowledge of and experience in group process, developmental levels of children, how to be flexible and spontaneous to meet the need and goals of the group or individual, how to incorporate special needs children with neurotypical children so that all experience success. MT-BC ‘ scan observe and evaluate while leading and make changes on the spot to insure success or to change behaviors, energy levels. They are very adaptive and creative, and have a broad knowledge of music and music interventions. I have had several parents tell me that they enjoy my class so much more than a prior one they took with a non music therapist, and that their child did more, was happier, and that the class was more relaxed and fun. We are trained to focus on individual goals within a group, instead of just following a lesson plan. And I have to think that my experience in psych and nursing homes helps me with the little ones!

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