[Alison Albino]

Since I am technically still a student, I definitely want to encourage all of my music therapy friends from school to consider taking this training. The Sprouting Melodies providers is a little community itself! The more Sprouting Melodies grows throughout the country, the more we can connect with one another as providers and learn from each other. I’m also at an age where more and more people I know are looking to grow their families and are looking to provide their children with as many opportunities for promoting development as possible. Just getting out there and spreading the word through social media, word of mouth, marketing materials, and even catching up with an old friend is a great way to inform people about this program.

As a side note, I have noticed whenever I go to an appointment, be it a doctor’s appointment or a haircut, I get asked what I do for a living. That’s another wonderful opportunity to get the word out to new people! You never know who is looking for a service like this!

[Alison Albino]

I have all of these ideas! What I really want to do is chat with Meredith about expanding the Sprouting Melodies program through RMTS to the Brookline area. Library programs are so wonderful and they’re a great place to start! I love working with children and hope once I become certified and begin working full time as a music therapist that I can work with more children through Sprouting Melodies and early intervention. I really look forward to taking all of this information I have learned and incorporating it into my work once I begin working with little ones. I was so inspired by this class that I came up with a bonding/lap ride song! I feel much more knowledgeable about early childhood development. I really believe I can really educate families and caregivers now.

[Alison Albino]

I agree with what some of the others have said. Positivity, positivity, positivity! This is something I think is unique to music therapists. We are taught to look at the positives, not the negatives. See the ability rather than the disability. Success looks different on everybody and I think the best measure of success is engagement. For some children, engagement is running around the room while looking back at where music is coming from, while for others engagement is sitting and exploring instruments. I really look to make sure every child is engaged and just continuing to reassure and educate families/caregivers.

[Alison Albino]

I am so looking forward to just being around so many little ones and having fun with them and their families! Sprouting Melodies is such a blast and there are days full of laughter and joy, I just can’t wait to be able to provide that for families. I’m also looking forward to educating families about developmental stages.

[Alison Albino]

Music for skill building is much more specific. To me this means using music for specific, measurable results such as increased motor movement through instrument play or increased verbalization when answering questions posed in a musical structure. Music for development is using music as an encouraging tool. We can use music to target areas, which requires a real knowledge of those developmental stages. Repeating music structure/experiences is important for development because it allows us to really see how children are progressing. Bonding songs are a great example of using music for development. The youngest children are facing toward their caregivers, but as they grow through the developmental stages, they begin to face toward the group members, until they are eventually able to do the bonding songs on their own!

[Alison Albino]

All of these answers are so true! In my opinion, one of the biggest challenges for a multi-age group is keeping all group members engaged without overstimulating anybody. It’s definitely a challenge to meet the energy levels of a 5 year old without overstimulating a 16 month old. Along the same lines, keeping volume at an appropriate level for all group members is definitely a challenge. Giving the older kids a leadership role is a helpful tool to keep everyone engaged.

[Alison Albino]

Words for Sprouting Melodies 3: Control, active, deliberate, individuality, supportive

SM3 Session Plan

Greeting Song: Hello Everybody
Bonding Song: Train Song (A bonding song I recently wrote and hope to use with the SM3 kiddos next week!)
Songs about Me: That All Makes Up Me
Instrument Song: I Can Move Around and Make Some Music
Movement Song: Jump Up
Goodbye: Bye Bye Music Time is Done

Words for Family Sprouts: Adaptable, bonding, sharing, individuality, modeling

Family Sprouts Plan:

Greeting Song: Come and Join the Circle
Bonding Song: Row it Faster
Songs about Me: All of This is Me
Instrument Song: Show Me How You Can Move
Movement Song: Will You Come?
Goodbye: Bye Bye Music Time is Done

[Alison Albino]

Discovery, exploration, movement, security, and independence.

Children may still want to face you caregivers at this point, but if they’re ready to turn around and face others in the group, that is wonderful too! Don’t worry if your little ones are wandering around and coming back, that’s completely normal. Children are getting ready to move into an independence stage, we want them to become independent people! If children want to explore the guitar, that is totally okay, that’s what it’s here for. You might hear your little ones singing these songs at home even if they aren’t singing along in class. They are still taking everything in!

Session Plan:

Gathering Song: Let’s Make Some Music – vary speeds, play drum fast, slow, up high, and down low.

Hello Everybody – Individually greet each child

Bonding Song: Firetruck song (a song written by one of the music therapists at RMTS)

Instrument Song: Shake Your Shakers (Twist and Shout) – Shake it fast, slow, up high, and down low, and stop!

Movement Song: Come to My Farm – Bring out several toy animals, have caregivers touch different parts of the body that correspond with where the sounds come from (for example with “neigh,” caregivers touch their little ones heads, for “moo,’ caregivers lightly push cheeks, etc.) I use this as a marching/running song with animal sounds.

Cool Down: Pick Your Hands Up High with the scarves

Goodbye Song: Bye Bye, Music Time is Done

[Alison Albino]

I use a variety of colorful maracas during instrument songs. I also use a variety of frame drums and different Remo Percussion instruments with larger rubber mallets. A big gathering drum is another fun one for animal songs. I have also used scarves and bubbles with this age group (not necessarily instruments, but still help facilitate music activities).

[Alison Albino]

I definitely agree that every child is different! Children who are following instructions (as much as possible for their age group) is a wonderful sign that they are receiving an appropriate amount of stimulation. Watching the music therapist, moving to strum the guitar and finding parents are other signs that children are receiving appropriate stimulation. Children are going to be wandering around the room during music, but if they do not stop running around, they may have hit that limit. Crying, throwing instruments even when prompted not to, and fatigue are other indicators of overstimulation.

[Alison Albino]

I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in on a few SM1 classes. Most of the children were actually cousins, so they were seeing familiar faces! It was so wonderful to watch them progress in the few weeks of class. Most of the children came in already exploring drums and maracas. In my opinion, the best part was hearing parents say they started singing the songs from class at home. The way one child in particular smiled during the hello song his parents began singing to him during one of the last classes was really amazing!

[Alison Albino]

Simple, warm, tender, gentle, exploration

Five sentances to use when speaking with parents:
1) What we look for in Sprouting Melodies One is for those little ones to engage in any way they can, any response is valid including looking towards music/caregiver during music.
2) Crying is totally okay! Especially when transitioning out of one activity and into another, it’s hard to have something taken away.
3) The little ones may be looking towards the music, but they will respond even more when caregivers are the ones singing!
4) During those bonding songs, facing the little ones towards their caregiver is a great way to strengthen that bond, but if they are ready to face outwards and watch the rest of the group, that’s great too!
5) Using touch can be so useful in helping your little ones start to identify themselves and their body parts!

Session Plan:
Prior to the session I would put out a variety of drums, frame drums and toms in varying sizes with rubber mallets that are safe for the little ones.
Gathering Song – All Night, All Day: Have caregivers hold the drums up high and down low so little ones can watch and potentially reach for drums.
Hello Song: Individually greet each child, have caregivers tap chest when their little one is greeted.
You Have Two Hands: Have caregivers touch the body parts of their little ones
Lap Ride – Row it Faster
Maracas – Sit With Me and Shake
Cool Down – Listen to the Rhythm of the Waves with the ocean drum
Goodbye Song

[Alison Albino]

There are definitely times when music therapy can be used in community based settings, especially community settings where children do have specific goals that need to be met. As Meredith and Beth mentioned, the Sprouting Melodies classes aren’t necessarily providing “music therapy” by clinical definition. I also really like the idea of looking at strengths instead of weaknesses, this is something music therapists do particularly well. As I’ve mentioned in prior weeks, music therapy in community based settings is just fun! It’s a fairly noninvasive way to promote development and to educate families on that development. This is why these classes really need to be run by music therapists, because we can focus on strengths and we really understand development in early childhood.

[Alison Albino]

Music is such a fun way to have children connect with one another and with their families/caregivers! As music therapists, we understand not only the music, but the psychology behind early childhood. We use music to provide educational opportunities and we really are able to see when children are successful and why. Since we have this information, like Rachel said, we can pass that information on to families and caregivers.

[Alison Albino]

Like many have mentioned, the needs of the families that I work with also vary, but they all can be educated. Children are constantly changing and teaching caregivers what can be expected of children as they progress through the developmental stages is so important. Parents with children who have developmental delays also rely on that knowledge that they are not alone. I believe that is another need of the caregivers and families in this community. Having children be in an environment where they are surrounded by peers who are in the same developmental stage and age range is important for them, but it’s also important for families. It gives those families/caregivers an opportunity to connect with others and share experiences.

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