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.

[Johanna Horn]

I think music therapists bring a ton of value to families of young children. We are Board Certified, which could provide comfort to the families in knowing that we are skilled and competent at what we do. There are several early child music programs that do not require any certification in music, just a general love and interest and I think the credential MT-BC means a lot. Additionally, we are not ‘teaching’, but providing more than just basic music foundations and learning. We can observe the whole child across several different domains (Social/Emotional/Communication/Fine and Gross Motor/Cognition) and use what we observe to guide the overall music experience. I believe that there is comfort in knowing that music class will be safe and appropriate with considerations for all abilities.

[Noelle Larson]

We as music therapists have such an incredible value to offer children and families, really in a class apart from the programs and offerings of other professionals and community members who provide programming that make look similar. I think that many of these differences are foundational: the guiding principal of music therapy is to use music as a vehicle to help clients meet non-musical goals, in ways that generalize in their lives outside the music setting. Another tremendous value is that we as music therapists are client-centered and value the changing needs and abilities of our clients far more than maintaining a pre-determined structure or routine. We adapt the music and ourselves to meet the needs of the client, in the moment, and chose musical interventions to support specific needs and encourage appropriate growth and development. We have a rich educational background in human development, psychology, and exceptionality, and have thousands of hours of experience working with clients of a wide range of ethnic, spiritual, mental health, medical, socioeconomic, and developmental needs and abilities. We understand that the child is a whole person and that music offers a unique and powerful avenue to support him in self-discovery, the exploration of his world, in building meaningful relationships with peers, adults, and caregivers, in communicating and experiencing emotions and ideas, and so much more.

I believe that other music professionals and community members who provide early childhood music programs may be doing an incredible job to provide high quality, developmentally appropriate services, but only a music therapist will bring the above training and skill set to their clients and families. I believe that this uniquely positions us as music therapists to provide services and resources that our communities desperately need, in a way that best serves the long-term well being of the children and their families.

[Ann Marie Raddell]

Music therapists have so much to offer to families with young children. Music therapists have the knowledge to provide information to families in regards to the development of children, while also creating and facilitating music experiences to encourage bonding, stimulate the senses, promote learning and provide opportunities for socialization. And music therapists are not only providing meaningful services to the children, but supporting and empowering the parents and caregivers as well.

[Kristina Rio]

It is so exciting to hear how all of you recognize your value as music therapists. It is so important to be able to understand this and communicate it to others. We really do have so much to offer!

[Kristina Rowles]

We as music therapists are able to provide a safe environment for children to develop and learn.We can offer a place where both the child and parent can learn and play together. As music therapists we have knowledge of how to use music effectively with people. We are able to educate parents about what works so they can take it home to use. I think it’s important to really know that we are all doing great work! I am always very critical of myself and looking at what I may have done wrong or could have done better. I need to remember that I am a great music therapist just like everyone here! We are all doing great work and this is just another way we can use our skills to help enrich the lives of others.

[Kristen McSorley]

This is a great question. I have often wondered how I, as a music therapist, am different from other healthcare and/or music-based disciplines and I feel like this training is really helping me ground my identity as a music therapist. Most importantly, we have musical intuition; we can adapt the music in the moment to meet client needs. We can create songs spontaneously with clinical (or developmental) intent that is more personalized to the child/group than other music programs.

I also think our understanding of what constitutes music is very important. In society, it needs to be on pitch, in tempo, and of a pleasant quality to qualify as “music.” The core foundation of music therapy is that everyone has the capacity to make music. In that way, I believe we may understand a child’s musical output differently than a non-music therapist. We can help parents and children to gain a greater understanding of what it means to musically create.

[Anonymous]

I echo what Kristina shared. It is wonderful to hear how you each see the value music therapists bring and how you are a value to your community.

[Sarah Szymanowski]

I’m in the middle of the video, and I wrote this from a “self-centered” perspective (good presentation — I really feel like Meredith is talking directly to me!). However I think the same things can be said of all music therapists, and the latter part of all music therapists who happen to be parents.

I have a genuine interest in music and children, and especially the combination of the two. I am a trained musician, and building up to do what I do has been a long and constant process. This development does not stop, and I will continue to strive for my own betterment (for example, taking this continuing education course). When caregivers invest in a music class, they should have a trained and creative musician working with and responding to their children. A music therapist fits the bill. When looking for a class for my own son, that’s one reason why I opted for the “DIY” approach with friends and neighbors: I did not want a music class in a can. While it is not a requirement to do good work, I now have the perspective of a mother and can relate to caregivers in an empathetic manner. And what I want as a positive and enriching musical experience for my own son is what I want for their children as well.

[Tiffany Lee]

This is something that I have struggled with personally! As a music therapist, what value do I bring to my community? Being one of the only MT-BC’s in the area, I often feel overwhelmed by the massive needs of my community and think “what can I do to make a lasting impact.” Every step forward feels so small in the light of constant demanding and growing needs. But I have found that the greatest impact is often made by one step at a time, one client at a time, one family at a time. I think music therapists change the world! Our skill, talent, and time might seem small to us, but can literally mean everything to someone else. As a music therapist, I have found my role being unique in a lot of the facilities we have contracts with. Many of the professionals I work a long side are so overwhelmed and overworked that I have become a comfort even to them, not just my clients, and I work like “bridge” in the gap of communication and help facilitate an interdisciplinary model to better meet the needs of the clients we all work with. I think whatever your individual passions and strengths are will influence your practice and contribute to the impact you make. The small things feel small, but they all add up to a big impact!

[Katy Hutchings]

I feel like I am faced with this question every day! At my job, my official title is Music Therapist but most of the parents of the children I work with see me as a preschool teacher and don’t necessarily know the extent of my training. Every day I am reminding myself that being a music therapist makes me a unique preschool teacher because of my clinical experience and educational training. I am proud of my music therapy skills and how I have been able to implement them throughout the day at the preschool, from circle time to transitions, to nap time.

I am really looking forward to starting my own Sprouting Melodies groups outside of my current job because I love the unique model and support system. This is the only early childhood community music program that is run by a music therapist. As a music therapist, I have the training and the education to support young children at all developmental levels. Plus I have the music skills and training to support parents and children as they create music together. I love creating relationships and building community wherever I am. My group would provide a chance to come together to make music with other parents and caregivers in a creative fun way, not just another play date. I know that I have the skills (and personality!) to create environment that families would appreciate.

[Tracy Wanamaker]

I agree with many of the above posts – as a music therapist we bring knowledge to the table! Not only knowledge of music, but also knowledge of child development and musical development that we can share with our families and incorporate into our planning. While many preschool programs encourage the “teacher” to make music “at” the children, we are trained to interact with children and plan music making activities that they can actively participate in, in a meaningful way. As trained musicians we can tailor the music that we make with the class for that group. Since we are making the music (again – instead of playing a recording as I’ve seen many preschool music teachers do), we have control over the tempo, timbre, volume, etc. and can match them to the group that we are working with. I feel that this is one of our greatest strengths as music therapists – we are flexible and adaptable and many other programs are not. For parents, we can reassure them that their children are on track and offer them useful suggestions for things that they can do at home to encourage real musical growth. We don’t just give them a CD to play in the car – we teach them how to make music with their children and really encourage them to do this.

[Kelsy Gati]

I so loved reading everything that was written! Its true, there is so much we have to offer and we do so in such a unique way.

I think that we are able to encourage and facilitate the development of so many crucial skills in ways that no other discipline can. We are able to access those skills in a way that does not feel like work to the child but rather feels like play. We create opportunities for a child to express themselves freely while creating opportunities to work towards goals in a safe and open space. We are able to connect with the child through music and then use that music as a vehicle for growth.

[Laetitia Brundage]

“Not a music class in a can!” HA! I LOVE that! Yes, we as MT-BCs have so many skills to share beyond the foundations of music. Even within the foundations of music, our unique knowledge enables us to modify, expand and educate way beyond a typical music program. Our clinical experience gives us flexibility and makes us more accessible to children and their caregivers. We can reassure through education when they look nervous or embarrassed when their kid wanders around the room for much of the class. We can give them the tools so they can use the music in their daily lives in ways beyond just singing the songs. The possibilities are potentially endless when it comes to helping families grow within and around our music class settings.

[Belinda Adams]

I love the idea of these training’s and the Sprouting Melodies model! It is hard for me to sort of ‘toot my horn’ so to speak; that’s not who I am; however I do feel confident in saying I have a lot more experience, excitement and energy to provide music therapy experiences to families and young children. I find that something I really pride myself on, and one of the reasons I love being a music therapist, is the ability to change the song/instrument/timbre/etc. on a dime. Because children are so responsive to music there are so much flexibility that the modality offers. In addition, I believe that music theapists bring reassurance, support and connections to families!

[Stephanie Harris]

I think the most value we bring is our comfort level with knowing how children develop and being able to adapt and change in the moment to the needs of the group.

In my area music therapists have a positive reputation, but we are isolated due to available funding sources and many feel benefitting from a music therapist’s services are unattainable.

Personally, I have years of working with clients with behavioral needs and educating families and teams of how music therapy supports the individual. I believe I could bring that experience to this younger age group.

[Ashley Carroll]

I agree with everything that has been written above. I full-heartedly believe that music therapists can bring something unique to families of young children from preemies and beyond. We have the knowledge and experience to wield music in a way to create bonding, learning and growth, for children and their families; while also providing compassion, support, and education about development. We are able to observe and assess needs quickly, providing individualized service, creating an environment of success for all levels within our group. Showing parents what their child CAN do, especially children that have delays or other significant needs, when other healthcare providers may focus on what the child CANNOT do. We as a community are very passionate about our work and the benefits of music therapy for all people. As a music therapist and a new mother, I yearn for this in my community. I’m very much in the “if you build it they will come” mindset of starting groups in my area!

[Jennifer Whitlow]

As music therapists we bring more to the table in terms of our training. Other providers do not have the therapeutic and/or the musical training that we do. I think this makes our services stand out because we can provide additional support to the families, caregivers, and children. For me personally, one of my biggest weaknesses is lack of confidence As I plan to start early childhood classes, I want to continue building on this weakness. I know I have the ability to provide fun, exciting, and therapeutic opportunities to these families. I trust my instincts to be flexible within the sessions and provide positive opportunities to each family each session. I feel like I can create a non-judgemental environment where families will feel confident in their interaction with peers and other families. Music therapists bring a lot of compassion into our groups and really help build a community and not just early childhood classes.

[Vanessa Quirarte]

I believe that music therapist have so much to offer to families. We can provide developmental support with flexibility to meet indivuadal needs and as a center for resources. Through our credentials and clinical experiences, we can offer parents and caregivers the safety of knowing that we are educated in not only music, but also in child development. This means, like many have said, we are not making music “at” the child. We are offering a well rounded musical experience that will allow for generalization in their lives. We also have the ability to clearly communicate with parents about their childs development and progress and/or possible needs.

Most of the parents of individuals I work with do not receive much support until they reach school age or receive Medicaid Waiver Services ( our funding source). Music therapy is not well known to families outside of the waiver program. Providing an early childhood program in our area would increase the visibility of music therapy and reach more individuals. The most important part of all of this is offering early intervention and making it accessible to our families.

[Author]

Posts