[Amy Brownell]

Singing – AWARENESS: Child will respond to singing by vocalizing similar pitches. TRUST: Child will begin to match pitches with adults more frequently. INDEPENDENCE: Child will imitate the inflection of a melody even more. CONTROL: Child will sing parts of songs by themself. RESPONSIBILITY: Child will demonstrate independent control of pulse and meter and may sing an entire song while creatively changing parts of it.

Playing Instruments – AWARENESS: Child will begin to grasp instruments and put them in their mouth briefly while they start to explore. TRUST: Child will begin to shake and turn instruments briefly. INDEPENDENCE: Child will explore details of instruments with more purpose. CONTROL: Child will demonstrate musical aspects such as starting and stopping playing, although it may not be in direct response to the music. RESPONSIBILITY: Child will imitate and play a steady beat provided by an adult.

Moving – AWARENESS: Child will demonstrate instinctual responses to music (sleeping with slower music, more activity with play music). TRUST: Child will move their body in response to music, although it may not match the pulse. INDEPENDENCE: Child will show more intentional movements by isolating body parts. CONTROL: Child will imitate movements from an adult or peer. RESPONSIBILITY: Child will follow movement prompts and will sequence movements.

Listening – AWARENESS: Child will gravitate towards the voices of familiar adults. TRUST: Child will recognize a familiar song but my turn their head if they hear changes in melody. INDEPENDENCE: Child will begin to match movements and facial expressions to changes in intensity in a song. CONTROL: Child will stop moving to listen to music and will be processing information even if they do not appear to be responding actively. RESPONSIBILITY: Child will listen to the adult and peers sing a song and show more engagement with them while wanting others to appreciate their own singing.

[Amy Brownell]

Thank you so much, I appreciate the information! One of the reasons I moved from the field of music education to music therapy was because I could see there was so much more to music than just practicing to perform, and it was hard to see kids give up on music because they were frustrated or anxious when they did not have the techniques to play band instruments. I love being able to allow and help everyone to make music, no matter what their abilities, and I want to make sure I am not adding any stress by moving on to developmental levels when they are not ready!

[Amy Brownell]

Very true – finances play a large role in the services families can receive! I have also run into to schools/programs who were unsure of music therapy services at first (I had a teacher come out and tell me at the end of the year that she was not too sure about it but went along because the school set up the program, but then loved it by the end!).

[Amy Brownell]

As a traveling music therapist in a private practice, I work with families throughout the state. At the moment, my work is mainly with individual families and some school/daycare programs, and I do not have many community-based opportunities. However, across my sessions, I find that parents want to be able to understand and relate to their children. I have had many parents tell me they are unsure of how to engage with their children, especially those who are not communicating verbally. Music provides the nonverbal bridge between parent and child so that they can interact in what many on the outside might consider to be ‘unconventional.’ I have also found that finances can impact the services that families are able to provide. As insurance has not covered music therapy in our state at this point, our families pay out of pocket, and many children have fewer services than what they require based on what families can afford. We offer a financial assistance program through our practice, however there are just so many families in need. Building community-based music groups can help to reduce the cost of services for each family while bringing parents and children together to learn more about each other in meaningful ways.

[Amy Brownell]

Music therapists use research-based knowledge about childhood development paired with musical skills to help children and adults engage with music in meaningful ways. We are able to structure the music in a way that is both beneficial and enjoyable to the child, and it is able to be reproduced by the adult to continue to use at home. We sing, dance, move, and listen to music through a different, creative lens, and we are able to share that information with adults to help them become more aware of every small achievement their child makes on a daily basis.

[Amy Brownell]

Love to hear about your client’s progress!

[Amy Brownell]

I love this intervention!

[Amy Brownell]

It’s great that you were able to see her respond to the change!

[Amy Brownell]

That’s great!

[Amy Brownell]

So glad it has worked well for you!

[Amy Brownell]

I would love to hear how this turns out!

[Amy Brownell]

Singing
When singing a song containing both words and sounds (ex. open vowel sounds) with a group of children, children in the awareness level may respond by vocalizing with similar pitches with the adult (the adult can also respond to the pitches that the child is vocalizing in an imitative section of the music). Children in the trust level will begin to match the adult’s pitches more frequently, so this imitative portion of the song can become more of a game. Children in the independence level will begin to imitate the inflection of the melody even more, those in the control level can be encouraged to sing parts of the song by themselves. Children in the responsibility level will demonstrate more independent control of pulse and meter and may be encouraged to sing the song independently or creatively change parts of it.

Playing Instruments
Given a variety of appropriate instruments, children in the awareness level will begin to grasp instruments or put them in their mouths very briefly while they start to explore them, and when moving into the trust level, they will begin to shake or turn the instruments briefly. Children in the independence level will continue to explore details of instruments with more purpose and should be allowed to play them as soon as they pick them up. Once in the control level, children will begin to demonstrate more musical aspects, such as starting and stopping their playing – however, this may not be in direct response to the music. Children in the responsibility level will be able to imitate and play the steady beat provided by the adult while also playing within the group.

Moving
Given live music paired with movements provided by an adult, children in the awareness level will show some instinctual changes to the music (ex. sleeping with slower music, more activity with faster music). Children in the trust level will begin to move their bodies, although it may not be directly related to the pulse of the movement, and they should be encouraged to pat their knees and stomp their feet. Children in the independence level will show more intentional responses to the music by isolating body parts, and once in the control level, they will demonstrate more imitation of the movements provided by the adult and peers. Children in the responsibility level will be able to follow prompts to then recall sequence those movements.

Listening
Given a familiar song sung by the adults in the group (group leader and parents), children in the awareness level will gravitate towards the voices of familiar adults. Once in the trust level, children will recognize this familiar song, but may turn their heads if they hear changes in melody. Given intensity changes in this song, children in the independence level will begin to match their movements and facial expressions to these changes. Children in the control level will stop their movements to listen – even though they do not appear to be outwardly active, their brains are processing the information. Children in the responsibility level will be able to listen to the adult and their peers sing the song and show more engagement with them while wanting others to appreciate them when they sing as well.

[Amy Brownell]

I have used singing interventions mainly with preschool age children to focus on building expressive communication skills, whether in improving articulation, building phrases and sentences, and using social based song to teach conversation skills. I have begun to view singing from a different angle with my babies and toddlers through observing their changes in vocalizations to (ex. seeing if they approximate or match pitch, imitating inflection). I have started to use these vocalizations to interact with them through vocal games, provide cues, and sing songs together. This different outlook has increased my view of their engagement with the music!

I have used instrument playing interventions to build fine and gross motor skills, such as isolating a finger to strum the guitar or play piano keys, grasping maracas and mallets, and alternating hands to play the drum to build dexterity. I am beginning to allow for more exploration of instruments, rather than providing the instrument and giving the “adult way of playing” direction immediately. I have observed the children engaging more quickly when given the chance to explore and play their own way, and they have created many different sounds with just one instrument.

I have used movement interventions to address self-control while following directions; at times I have used movement to gather the group and gain attention (ex. instructing the group to all pat their knees or clap their hands in order to refocus and move on). I have also sequenced movements with preschool age children to add to cognitive challenge for other ways to move their bodies. With younger children, I am becoming more aware of the differences between instinctual and intentional responses to music, which then alters my response and directives (or lack of directives) to them.

I have used listening interventions more with my preschool age children paired with cognitive skills, such as listening to music and determining whether it was fast/slow/loud/soft, and then at times pairing it with an outside idea (ex. listening to Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens and matching movements to animals). I have begun to observe children listening – especially with my babies and toddlers, I have allowed them more time to sit, listen, and watch without prompting them to act, and then I have observed how they have independently reacted to what they heard. With older children, I have begun to prompt them to listen to each other play one at a time and reflect on what they heard (ex. whether they liked it, if it was fast/slow/loud/soft, etc.).

[Amy Brownell]

I used “A Car On My Knee” with paper snowflakes with a group of toddlers. They enthusiastically interacted with the snowflakes by placing them on different body parts and by holding them out for me to do the same. This song kept them engaged for several minutes as they smiled and laughed.

[Amy Brownell]

I work for a private practice in CT, where at this point insurance has not covered music therapy. Therefore, most of our clients pay for services out of pocket, which leads to the majority of my caseload being clients who come from white middle and upper class families. While I am constantly striving to introduce and use music from different cultures, most of my clients request common nursery rhymes, songs from children’s movies, and pop songs they hear on the radio.

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