[Adrienne Salmon]

5 words to describe the music experiences in SM1: Warm, Safe, Predictable, Bonding, Playful

5 sentences to use with parents about musical responses in SM1: 1). Even if you don’t believe in the sound of your singing voice, your baby loves the sound of your voice the most, and will use it when creating a bond with you. Don’t be afraid to sing out!
2). Your baby’s reflex will be to grasp something in the palm of their hand. Put the maraca handle there and see if they grasp! If not, you can help them by tickling their palm. 3). When playing with scarves or instruments, your baby will see and process the item best if it is held 12-18 inches away from their face. 4). I’m glad you made it to the session! Please come join us. 5). Swaying, rocking, and moving to the beat of the song helps your baby internalize rhythm, which in turn makes rhythm more natural for him/her!

Mock session plan: Gathering song, Hello Song, Bonding song (such as Wiggly Jiggly Car possibly followed by Row It Faster), Instrumental Song (such as In My Little Hands), Songs About Me (such as Just Like Me and/or Where Is My Face), Movement song (such as As Big As Can Be and/or Hold On Tight), Goodbye Song

[Adrienne Salmon]

My personal favorites to use are the movement songs and believe they worked really well with my sessions. I have been finding that “Will you come?” is a great song to include what may be new concepts (like marching vs. walking) and using old favorites of my kiddos, such as hopping (big time favorite), running etc. I think the middle section works well with the pause, and the rhythm there is great help in teaching counting. I don’t yet have groups with parents and children, but I am really looking forward to observing the beautiful bonding that is sure to happen in the bonding songs. Furthermore, Wiggly Jiggly Car is so dang catchy that it is constantly stuck in my head!

[Adrienne Salmon]

Becoming a Sprouting Melodies provider will open up the opportunity for me to get SM groups added to my caseload, and then the knowledge that I have gleamed from this program will really come to light. I also will be incorporating the knowledge into my preschool groups, into my young individual client sessions, and into my groups of kiddos ages 0-5. Additionally, as I had mentioned in the other post from this week, I think that there is a lot of untapped potential in the immediate area around my apartment, that I think is marketable and would be very receptive to SM practices.

[Adrienne Salmon]

I hadn’t really thought about this until now. I work within my case load, and this is my first job as a music therapist (and I just last week earned my board certification). Around where I live, there is an Arts in Trauma center, a PTSD and the arts center, and a lot of programs for families in need. I think that sharing the opportunity of SM to these places would be mutually beneficial. I also will most likely be getting some Sprouting Melodies groups added to my caseload, and once that happens, I’m sure that I will get more ideas on how to spread the word and opportunities of Sprouting Melodies.

[Adrienne Salmon]

I am looking forward to applying the knowledge of where each kiddo should approximately be developmentally, and appropriately building my sessions upon that. I have, in the past, thought a child should be at a different point developmentally, and expected a certain result that I did not get. I am really looking forward to applying this knowledge to my session planning. I also am looking forward to using some of the language that I have learned, as Ericha called it, “family friendly” terminology, in talking to parents and family members. Sometimes, it is really hard to describe what we do and why in terms that others will understand. This gave us a whole arsenal of terminology to use with families that they will be sure to understand. And furthermore, I am looking forward to further integrating all of the great songs and activities into my sessions.

[Adrienne Salmon]

A way that I assure that each of my kiddos are successful in a group is to adapt the activity to each child’s needs. For instance, I use a song where the kiddos start out pretending that they are sleeping, and when I wake them up, they are told to pretend to be a certain animal. I have a child in this group who has a language barrier, as well as developmental disabilities that place him in a different developmental category than his peers, and he does not quite yet have the complex thinking to pretend to be an animal, and put that into practice. So, I sat with him and had him strum the guitar (which he loves and is great at) while other kiddos in the group acted out the activity. He was engaged the entire time, looking at me, watching his peers, and paying attention to the guitar. His peers included him by crawling over to him and showing him what animals they were. It was apparent by his smiling face that he felt successful, and his peers felt successful in being together in the activity.

[Adrienne Salmon]

Some of the challenges that come with multi-age groupings fall mostly within the developmental age of the group as a whole, and finding productive, age-appropriate activities for the whole group to engage in. What may be age-approopriate for one child could not be appropriate for another. So the challenge comes to be, how do I adapt this activity to make it as appropriate as possible for each child involved? Within that issue, keeping the older children engaged in what may be considered ‘baby’ activities, (and on the same hand, keeping younger children engaged in more advanced activities), is another challenge inside itself. A solution may be to use older children as examples on younger activities, or having the younger children help with simpler tasks in more advanced activities.

[Adrienne Salmon]

I would say to parents that music for development is looking at where the child is developmentally, and that we are using music to provide opportunities to enhance communication skills, cognitive skills, socio-emotional health, sensory and physical needs. Music for skill building, I would say, is then looking at where the child is developmentally, and how we can use music to develop skills (gripping, crossing the midline, gait control) based on their developmental needs. Furthermore, music for skill building can deal with other skills such as counting, turn-taking, colors, etc.

[Adrienne Salmon]

5 Words to describe the music experiences in SM3: Active, Deliberate, Independence, Accepting, Intentional
5 Words to describe Family Sprouts experiences: Cooperative, Personal Growth, Supportive, Spontaneous, Enjoyable

Session Plan for SM3 may be: I would make sure that the instruments are spread strategically around the group for easy use and that aligns best with the group’s abilities and needs Gathering song (Sit Down With Me), A Hello Song, Instrumental songs such as Me Makes We and/or You Play A Little, followed by some guided improvisation, Movement activities which may include a pre-recorded song, and/or Will You Come, followed by Songs About Me using All of This Makes Me and Where Is The Music, and then draw it to a close with a Goodbye Song. My FM3 session plan would look very similar, with adding in a section of Bonding songs (such as Hold On Tight), and be more cooperative between kiddo and parent/family member

[Adrienne Salmon]

5 words to describe the music experiences in SM2: surprising, engaging, fun, exploratory, and energetic.

Sentences: 1). 1. It is absolutely fine if your child isn’t doing exactly what I’m doing; it’s most important that the kiddos are making their own, independent musical choices. 2). If your child wants to explore and move about the room, that is fine! It is both important and encouraging that they feel comfortable enough to explore the space on their own. 3). Make sure, if your child wants to bounce, that their feet are planted firmly on the ground and that you are there to physically support them so that they are as safe as possible. 4). A 45-minute session is a very long time, so it is fine if your kiddo’s focus isn’t 100% on the session 100% of the time. They are absorbing and processing the session even if their full attention isn’t on it. 5). Don’t worry if your kiddo wants to orally explore the instruments; I have sanitizing wipes and each instrument is cleaned following every session!

My session plan might look like: Welcome/ Hello song, an instrumental tune such as Come With Me and Play A Little, followed by Sit With Me and Shake, then a movement/play song (maybe pre-recorded, maybe I Can Move Around depending on ages of group members), then self-identifying songs such as All Of This Is Me and/or Can You See Me, followed by a Goodbye/wrap-up song

[Adrienne Salmon]

I think that how much stimulation is too much or too little varies so greatly from person to person, regardless of age and diagnoses. I have some older kids for whom the level of stimulation I use with younger kids would be too much, and vice versa. When I am in these situations, I try to adjust what I am doing in the moment, so as to not lose the kids for whom the session is too stimulating, and then bring it back to where the other kids needs are.. almost utilizing the ISO principle in these situations. It is definitely a delicate balancing act. One technique that I utilize often is to give certain tasks to certain kids so that everybody can be as equally involved as possible. In my experience, however, this is most easily done when there are multiple staff/adults hands for helping.. it gets rather difficult otherwise because we are, after all, only one person.

[Adrienne Salmon]

My favorite instrument to use with this age and developmental group would have to be my Remo Lollipop drum. Kids love it, and we make lots of jokes about whether or not the lollipop would taste good if we tried to eat it. We use lots of bells, shakers, and those are great because the bells can be attached to the wrist, not requiring a grip. Also, with one of my clients, we frequently use LP maracas, the smaller maracas which are about the same size as the egg shakers, with a handle at the end. This works really well for some clients for whom the egg shaker is too big to hold in their hand. It is also good for kiddos who’s hands are clenched; they are usually able to hold the handle of the shaker, whereas extending the hand to grab the large egg shaker can sometimes be difficult.

[Adrienne Salmon]

I think that the importance of music therapy in community based settings cannot be overstated enough.. and I am having a difficult time putting it into words. So I will use an example. One of the groups that I see is in a high school for kids who for whatever behavior-based reason (trouble with the law, trouble with authority, physically acting out, physical harm, self-harm, what have you) cannot function in a “normal” high school. The way these kids, who would otherwise not really associate with each other (this group is an elective class, and most of these kids did not begin this group as acquaintances, never mind peers) have begun to uplift one another and encourage each person’s individual talent is really inspiring. These kids are so similar in so many ways, but just as different in just as many ways. However, as a community, they are coming together and assembling little groups within each other (one bass-guitar-piano-voice group, one drum-guitar group) to put together a performance for the school. Music gives them a common thread that can unite them, and I leave every session uplifted and inspired by the way the community setting uplifts and assists these kids. One girl started out being so shy, she didn’t want to sing in front of anybody. Now, with the encouragement of the group, she sings in front of everybody weekly, and told me she wants to be a singer! I just can’t overstate enough how profoundly positive the role of community based music therapy sessions can be.

[Adrienne Salmon]

I want to start out saying- I love babies! However, I have not yet had the opportunity to be with children younger than 2 in a music therapy setting. I have been babysitting for a long time (as previously mentioned), and watching a child 12-18 months figure out their world view is both hilarious and amazing. I nannied for this adorable, wonderful, little man from 8 months until 19 months, and experiencing with him when it was appropriate for him to be able to play with crayons (rather than eat them), when he stopped calling every man he saw ‘dad’, watching him refer to everything as a baby, has just been totally eye-opening and educational. I think that, from working with so many people, we can forget where babies really are at certain stages, and maybe expect more, or even less, of them developmentally. A very significant learning experience that can definitely be applied to a music therapy session, was rocking. For about 2 weeks, he went through this little phase where he would have no problem napping on me, but when I tried to get him into his crib, no matter how long I waited for the nap to stick, he would wake up and just wail. (I called this ‘failure to plant’). So, I would scoop him from his crib, sit down, and rock him back to sleep. Never underestimate the calming powers of the rock.

[Adrienne Salmon]

The needs of my clients are so very diverse. I really consider myself to be extremely lucky, because the job that I have allows me to meet such remarkable people each with different stories. I have some young children, ages 2-5, with congenial and acquired blindness. I have some clients, ages 7-19, on the Autism Spectrum, which certainly is a broad spectrum! Some of those clients have coexisting IDD, ADHD, etc. I have adults at the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and Dementia. I have adults with various and varying levels of IDD diagnoses. I have preschool, pre-k, kindergarten, all the way through high school classes of children and young adults with any variety of diagnoses. I consider myself incredibly lucky because I really get to do so many different things on any given day, and to learn so much from so many different individuals.

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