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Participant
I love watching children play different dynamics and change back and forth – they find it hilarious! Sometimes a great way to get them to focus is to have them whisper, they love it!
ParticipantIt’s great that you can use this information with your nephew, what a great way to bond with family!
ParticipantIt’s great that you have been able to explain some differences and share this information!
ParticipantI totally agree – so much of our outlook changes when we see that children start the journey of development from day 1! Our interactions with them matter at such an early age, which makes this program so beneficial for families!
ParticipantYes, this is so important! It’s our job to share with the families that different way of looking at how children are interacting with the music.
ParticipantWhile I have been working with young children for several years, this is the first time I have had additional formal training outside of my music therapy coursework specifically in early childhood development. These past weeks, I have learned how to put what I do instinctually with children into words – this course gave me more effective language to use when speaking with caregivers and other professionals about the progress of the children in my groups. I also now have new songs to use in my sessions and a new way of looking at planning those sessions. I hope to be able to share this information through professional development workshops (I have done some on other topics in the past) for some of our sites and to share these resources with colleagues where I work. I plan to incorporate this work and this information into my current sessions with young children for the time being, and possibly start some groups in the future!
ParticipantI am most excited about providing families with the knowledge about what is developmentally appropriate for their children and sharing ways for them to engage with their children. New parents have little to no training in how to teach new children, and I want to give them ideas and music they can use at home to help the children grow up in a supportive environment. I want to help the children enjoy just being children and feel like they have the space to do so.
ParticipantI try to give children a way to engage with the music at all times and I engage with them each as individuals throughout the sessions, whether it is through using their names, giving praise, making eye contact or silly faces, etc. Each child is given a way to engage with the music that is developmentally appropriate for them. Even when taking turns, I give the children who are waiting the job of holding their instruments very still so they do not make a sound while others are playing. I also turn ‘behaviors’ into a game to redirect behaviors that are non harmful. For example, if two or more children start to hold their instruments on their heads and disengage from the group, I have everyone hold their instruments on their heads, then their knees, then their toes, etc. until the last direction is the one that I want them to follow. When I want children to hold instruments quietly or stand still to listen to directions, but some are still playing or moving, I have them all play loudly or move quickly and then freeze as part of a game. It is important to keep it fun, and they will often begin to engage without realizing it.
ParticipantWords
Active, Emotions, Deliberate, Personality, CreativePlan
Set out instruments on the floor in a circle and play recorded music while families enter the room. Allow children to explore the instruments.
Hello/Gathering Song – Sing ‘Sit Down With Me’ while performing different actions (pat, stomp, etc.) to the beat. Have the children come up with different actions to add to the song.
Songs About Me/Body Percussion – Chant ‘Where is the Music?’ while patting and incorporate other actions from the greeting song.
Lap Ride/Bonding Song – Have children sit in adult laps to sing ‘Swimming Together’ and move side to side with the music. Children may move to the middle of the circle to perform the movements there if they wish while the adults continue to model.
Instrument Song – Sing ‘You Play a Little’ while holding a frame drum and playing back and forth with each child. Have adults do this as well with the children around them.
Movement Song – Have children and adults stand in a circle while singing ‘Will You Come?’ and moving around the room (march, run, etc.). Play a steady beat on the drum to indicate the tempo.
Cool Down – Chant the book ‘Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb’ by Al Perkins and encourage the children to follow along with the finger play.
Goodbye – Sing ‘Time to Go’ and ‘Thank You Very Much’ while encouraging the children to shake handsParticipantMusic therapists are trained to manipulate music in a unique way in order to meet specific needs of an individual or a group. We can make those changes on the spot depending on our observations. Many other early childhood music programs come with a set ‘boxed’ curriculum and short training that anyone, regardless of musical background and training, can take and then use. We as music therapists can creatively incorporate new music and that addresses non-musical skills based on our expertise in order to benefit children and families as a whole.
ParticipantIt can be difficult to plan for sessions with children of a range of ages because all of the music activities need to be applicable to each child in some way. If a task is too simple, the older children may get bored and stop engaging, and if it is too difficult, the younger children will not be able to participate. To help with this, older children can be given tasks to assist the younger children or can be given more independence while the adults play with the babies. In a group with siblings, the music can be used to help with bonding as they move and play together.
ParticipantWords
Support, Cooperation, Connections, Helping, SharingPlan
Arrange instruments in a circle on the floor of the room while playing recorded music while the families enter and the children explore the instruments.
Gathering/Greeting Song – Sing ‘Come and Join the Circle’ while patting the beat and encouraging the families to join the circle.
Songs About Me/Body Percussion – Sing ‘All of this is Me’ and have the older children point out the body parts on the younger children. Also sing the song fast a few times to give the older children a challenge.
Lap Ride/Bonding Song – Have the older children sit close to the adults on their laps with the babies on the laps out further away and sing ‘Wiggly Jiggly Car.’ The older children can help hold the babies and hug them and sway with them during the song.
Instrument Song – Sing ‘Music is the Way’ while playing resonator bells. The older children can help play the bells while the adults play shakers with the younger children.
Movement Song – Sing ‘I Can Move Around’ and allow the older children to be more independent in the movements while the adults dance with the younger children.
Cool Down – Read and sing ‘From Head to Toe’ by Eric Carle and allow the older children to help hold the book and turn the pages to show the younger children.
Goodbye – Sing ‘It’s Time to Say Goodbye’ with scarf movements.ParticipantCreating a safe space through the music is key to having families engage with us!
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