What value do music therapists provide to young families?

[Julie Palmieri]

What value do music therapists provide to young families?

[Kimberly Werner]

Music Therapists provide value to young families in many ways, including potentially combatting possible isolation through bringing families together in community, offering new parents a different type of bonding experience through sharing familial/cultural songs/songs of kin, and in my personal hospital setting, allowing and encouraging families to bond in other ways when a baby or young child might not be able to be touched safely.

A large portion of my work in the NICU, PICU, & burn ICU is teaching caregivers how they can connect with their children regardless of how many wires and monitors are attached to the child. I often do this through gentle encouragement for caregivers to use their voices with their children – to sing to them (or sing with them, if the child is able), to narrate things in the room, to tell stories of their families and loved ones, etc. I have had the opportunity to facilitate songwriting experiences with caregivers to create a song that they’d like to share with their child, or a song that shares the parents’ perspective about the hospitalization experience, and it is consistently clear to me that both the child & caregivers benefit from these opportunities.

[Christine Wick]

I liked how you described the positive outcome of bringing possibly more isolated families together. The non-profit I’m working for just received grant money so that in the future we can create a recurring group that will meet together in our clinic space. I think this offering of a different type of bonding experience will be a meaningful way to build that community support system.

The song writing experiences you get to have with caregivers sharing perspectives about the hospitalization experiences sounds so powerful too. It really shows how music can provide that safe access point across so many areas.

[Maggie Johnson]

Thank you for sharing your experiences of encouraging families in the hospital and your insights about ameliorating isolation both in community and within a family of a loved one in the hospital!

[Erika (TeamRH)]

This question is always an important one that informs us about the unique skills and background we bring to our work. And, how important our work is for supporting young families. I’ve always found this question to be important to ask myself when I am going to be advocating for music therapy and setting up family music classes.

[Leslie Aldrich]

I feel like the value music therapists bring is everything a music enrichment class can be but elevated to a higher level. Taking the concepts of development as the foundation and using music as the vehicle to promote those concepts is a point of value. A group for young families can be more than singing a silly song, which in itself is pretty fun, but it can also be really focused on the child’s specific needs and meet them where they’re at developmentally. Young parents can have the chance to watch and learn about those development stages during the group as well. I feel like learning about how to interact with your child through music is a great benefit and a great way to bond with your child.

[Christine Wick]

Music therapists provide a safe a supportive space for caregivers to connect with their child. It’s a dedicated time to explore, bond, and learn together with the permission to try new things and connect through music. Music therapists have the knowledge and training to meet each child and family unit where they are at and hold them in that space. This is so important in order to ensure positive experiences and that time spent together feels uniquely meaningful to them.

[Maggie Johnson]

Advocating for “the right to learn” in these spaces is so important. I love the supportive energy you have conveyed in your responses!

[Erika (TeamRH)]

Thank you all for your insights.

[Melissa Neitzel]

Music therapists can use a unique tool, music, to create community and bring people together. We also provide a new or an additional way for parents to connect with their child. It’s an accessible tool- especially when using voice. I know I personally enjoy watching my youngest develop through music. It is exciting to see him learn and share with me. We can bring that connection through music to our families.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I think that music therapists have so much to contribute to children and their caregivers! First of all, a developmentally appropriate experience that families can do together at home, with their community, and to share with grandparents/babysitters/other key people in the child’s life makes an impact on many small interactions. Teaching songs and experiences for families to use at home seems valuable for helping children and their caregivers bond. Additionally, the information about how a child can interact with music, such as when they are in the stage observing and taking it in, helps to put other daily life experiences into context for the caregiver as their child might not always be “reacting” but are probably still learning and doing what is developmentally appropriate. Music therapist can provide information and experiences that are mutually beneficial for the child and adult.

[Maggie Johnson]

Music therapists bring their knowledge and depth of direct experience of clients in music and a perspective that incorporates individual ways of relating to the music into the musical choices made when making music with a child and their parents and caregivers. When young children are learning about their bodies, the self, and the world, music therapists can provide supportive musical frameworks for children to conceptualize the various components using a multi-sensory approach to music making. Families can have a space to be co-creators of their experience and can benefit from the unique opportunity to learn in real time from an expert in musical responses and experiences for young families, music therapists can hone in on music-centered connections between family members and helping parents recognize musical development in their child. Music therapists can be attuned to experiences that translate into the home for use outside of groups and sessions to maximize development and caregiver bonding.

[Katelyn Caruso]

Absolutely! It is easy to forget what a person who hasn’t studied music/played an instrument/ etc. does and doesn’t know about music, and as experts in both music and development we have the ability to point out developmental milestones as they relate to music as well as outside of music. For those of us who aren’t parents its helpful to remember that we do have our own area of expertise even though we haven’t been in the position of parenting.

[Melissa Neitzel]

I like how you said families can be co-creators of their experience. It gives caregivers so much power to learn and continue developmental support outside of a group.

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