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.

[Meredith Pizzi]

[Emily Seymour]

           Music therapists are valuable to families of young children because they help support development through musical experiences.  Music therapists look at a young child on a global level and take multiple domains of development into consideration.  This makes us a great source of knowledge to our families.  As music therapists, we have the opportunity to make a great impact on young children due to the fact that their brains have such neuroplasticity.  The more we can help a young child grow and develop, the more we help their families in turn.

[Jillian Brown]

Music therapists have the benefit of years of schooling, practicum and internship experience which has trained us to understand the functionality of music and its effect on people emotionally, physically, cognitively, and developmentally (to name a few). We understand how to use music in a way that will benefit the overall well-being and development of children taking into consideration their uniqueness and individuality. We know how to cater musical experiences to each individual child and parent to facilitate the best experience we possibly can and most importantly we care so much about creating musical experiences that will best benefit children and families.

[Anonymous]

I would second what both Emily and Jillian shared above. We have extensive training and experience as music therapists. We are well rounded in our understanding of child development, music development, and how music supports development. We understand how to assess and meet the need of each, individual, child and family that we work with. We have the ability to create and adjust the music, as needed, to meet the child where they are and help them achieve their goals or developmental skills. Music therapists also have extensive understanding of disabilities and illness and how this impacts the child and the family. Because of this knowledge we are capable of helping children and families cope and work through struggles or obstacles they may be experiencing. Our training, skills, knowledge, and musical/therapeutic training provide a valuable and effective service as compared to other early childhood music programs, where the group leaders have no formal training in music, child development, or understanding of disabilities/illness. Unlike the rigid structure of these groups, we as music therapists can provide a flexible and individualized program.

[Jennifer Schofield Gietzen]

Great responses so far…I completely agree that as music therapists we do have the ability to create and adjust the music based on what is needed by the group and individuals within the group.  Our flexibility is a huge asset, since we often work with so many people with varied abilities we can understand how to support the individual both musically and non-musically.  I think we also bring an understanding that the process is what’s important, not the product.  Encouraging participation of the parents to sing no matter how they sound as well as helping them understand it’s not about how beautiful your voice is but more about the engagement and the energy that ‘s brought to the music that will benefit their child is what’s important.  Sure, their children might be able to sing many songs but the focus is on what  happens when the songs are learned, sung, moved to, listened to….not how perfectly they can match the pitch.  Music therapists also bring the understanding that within each activity there are soooo many aspects of development that are being addressed.  Though there may be an overall goal in a particular activity there are so many little things that are being supported and stimulated as well…and the beauty of it is that it’s so much fun!

[Megan Goddu]

I was agree with all of the above responses. We music therapists bring a lot of skills to the table…and we KNOW how to use those skills. I also think that a huge benefit to families is that we are very aware of them and their needs. The families aren’t left in the dark. They can be (and are encouraged to be) an active member in the whole process of a music therapy session.
Being a music therapist, I feel that our work tends to become more personal to each therapist. We each develop a connection with our clients and families, but also the actual music we make. The music then holds more value to us (the music therapists) as well as the families, young children, whoever we work with.

[Vanessa Talbott]

I picked out some key words from everyone’s posts on our work as music therapists and what makes us unique; we are flexible, process oriented, have the expertise to foster a connection with the music we make and compose, and we are able to provide individualized music to meet a variety of needs. Everyone seems to have a strong sense of who they are as music therapists which is great to see!

[Kristen Macleod]

Music therapists benefit families of young children as we have a vast variety of skills and experiences we can bring to them along with a great deal of knowledge that could help and support them.  We have musical skills as well as an understanding of development and disabilities which other music group leaders may not have. As others have said we have an understanding of how music can have an effect on people and we know how to use this and to be flexible in meeting the needs of each parent and child making it individual and client centred process.  I think as music therapists we really enter this profession with a real passion to share music with a view to benefit others and this is reflected in the hard work, care, energy and enthusiasm we bring to our sessions.

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Thanks to all for your articulate answers. I have had the priviledge to train many music therapists, both in academic settings and in continueing education. I find that there is so much great work going on, but that we as a profession sometimes struggle with articulating how unique and beneficial we are to others outside the profession. I hope that this forum gives us all a chance to really condense and clarify our explanations of our skills and talents as music therapists. Keep up the good work, and keep learning from each other.

[Carla Carnegie]

I appreciate all the thoughts posted already.  I feel one of the greatest skills we have is: to understand how deeply the use of music elements  is imbedded in the domains of function: cognitive, social/psycho, spiritual, physical, emotional.  We are trained in awareness of the whole person, and being adaptable and flexible in the moment to meet the needs of each individual.  With our understanding of all the elements of music, we can create, improvise, etc. in the moment to enhance the songs, movements, choice of instruments used in a session—–in other words: we don’t just sing “kid” songs, and teach them to the children and parents robotic-ally, but with intention and understanding of what and why we use a song in the first place.  And, we aren’t simply providing music to entertain them for an hour a week, but again, using that holistic framework we are used to, we are using music to generalize into their everyday life, and enhance, and bring full potential of an individual to light, while we support the family unit of parent/child or caregiver/child that participates in our class musically and non-musically.

[Lauren Bevilacqua]

Music therapists are trained to use music for a specific purpose. We are trained in the clinical application of music and music experiences. We work across all domains. This, to me, sets us apart from any other music-based profession and I love that about our field. To me the value comes from our music education and study – always musicians first – and then the knowledge of development and how to apply music for a purpose. Music therapy can bring the opportunity for growth and discovery. It can transform ones perception of themselves and their abilities. It can change lives. I tell my potential clients/acquaintances/people in the elevator that music alone is lovely and helpful – necessary even, but when you have someone who knows how to facilitate growth through music, the possibilities are virtually limitless.

[Lisa Klostermann]

MT’s are uniquely qualified for many reasons.

Musicianship.  Many other programs are taught by moms who attended classes and may or many not have the skill to accurately reproduce rhythms and pitch intervals etc. etc.  They may or many not be able to play guitar or piano at all.
Our training and group experience also gives us the flexibility to change tempos, timbres, or activities to fit the needs of the group at that moment.  (I always have a lesson plan, but I rarely follow it exactly!)  Sometimes the group just needs to jump, even if a quiet activity is on the plan. 😉
Our knowledge of special populations allows us to be comfortable with children with special needs and more sensitive to all children.  I cannot help but watch for reactions in the children that I think might be missed by others.  Which leads back to  #2

I’m sure there are more, but this is what jumps to mind first.

[Lisa Klostermann]

Hmm, so do the formatting options not work?  There was a bulleted #2 in my response above.

[Channing Shippen]

I think this is a great question! I often get asked by parents what the difference is between a music therapist and playing music for their children. Like others have said in this thread, we are trained in the clinical application of music. Our music is goal oriented and promotes development beyond listening and singing along. Music therapy family sessions provide family bonding in a unique experience that provides the opportunity for families to understand each other in another way through music.

[Courtney Fanello]

Like others have mentioned, I think the two things that set us apart are our developmental approach and our flexibility within a session. The ability to observe, process, and change directions in a session and understand why we are doing it is key. Also, I think our ability to accept people and children where they are and meet them at their level is very important. Sometimes people call us “musical therapists” by mistake, and expect everything we do to be a beautifully orchestrated session. Sometimes there is chaos, most of the time not everyone will be playing on beat, but as music therapists, we can find the beauty and greatness in everyone exploring music in their own way. Like Meredith said in the video, its ok for a kid to be silent, or to go sit by themselves, or to be grabbing every single instrument they can. We can help parents to understand why it is ok to just let their kids be kids, and give them tools and experiences to help them meaningfully engage with their child.

[Elizabeth Schwartz]

Some beautiful answers!  I hope you are saving these words to read over and use when questioned for the umpteenth time about music therapy!

(Lisa, we are still working with the web company on some of the forum formatting issues. Thanks for bringing this to our attention.)

[Meredith Pizzi]

Lisa, I’m not sure why the bullets aren’t working. They should be… I’ll look into that.

And yes, we are uniquely trained and skilled!  Take some time to print out your own answer, or the answers of others in this thread and memorize your Music Therapist Pitch so that it rolls off your tongue whenever it comes up in coversation!

Great work everyone!

[Michelle Muth]

Before adding my response below I read through others and it was refreshing to read we are all, on the same track in understanding the value we bring as music therapists.  I simply created bullet points and will certainly cut and paste the others response as they are quite eloquent.

We bring insight and understanding about aspects of music and how to use it to work with people
Client-centered, even in a group situation, focussing on how best to facilitate the group to success.
Desire to work collaborative with parents.
Insights and understanding about child development; how music does and can affect individuals physically, cognitively and emotionally
Diverse musical taste and open to new music – we are not stuck only using the same old same old. 

[Author]

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