[Amy DiLabio]

I have used all four areas in my practice, however I naturally gravitate towards singing and instrument playing. One thing that I have begun using more of since the class began, is listening. I have always valued the rest, or silence, but did not always take advantage of it. I have begun using silence to bring my students attention to me and to their surrounding during movement. It is interesting to me to watch those children who readily stop at the silence, and those who struggle to stop their movement. I observed that for some the music is still going on within them even though the music has stopped around them. For these individuals it takes them a few more beats to recognize that the music has stopped. The other thing that has changed since this class began is that I have been analyzing where my students are developmentally with regards to musical development and relating this to where they are in development with regards to chronological age. It helps me to develop a plan to guide those students who may lag behind developmentally.

[Amy DiLabio]

Here is my stab at this assignment.
Singing:
(A) Awareness: alter vocalizations in response to the singing voice
(T)Trust: sings descending intervals
(I)Independance: uses vocal glissando
(C)Control: matches specific piches
(R)Responsibility: matches discrete pitches in high and low range

Playing Instruments:
A: Turn gaze towards source of sound
T: reaches out to touch instruments
I: grasp instrument such as maracas, bells and shakes
R: alternates hand to play shaing insruments

Moving
A: sucks rhythmically
T: moves body parts with internal rhymthic beat
I: claps hands
C: sustains hand clapping in familiar song
R: uses sequences of movement patterns

Listening
A: tolerates both recorded and live music in the environment
T: Looks toward face of singer
I: demonstrates musical preferences and dislikes
C: tolerates sining along with peers or others
R: adjusts quality of singing to blend with group

[Amy DiLabio]

I agree with you Alyssa, I love that the songs don’t need accompaniant. I prefer to not have anything between me and my client when possible. I haven’t had the chance to use the songs yet with my students, but I plan on using the the Songs About Me with a student who has crippling anxiety. I feel that if I focus on how we are unique, but similar I may be able to make a deeper connection with her. She appears to move through the continium of trust…independence…and control stages of musical development. Another song that comes to mind is Will You Come. I like that this song is inviting and sharing music but leaves the decision up to the child. This I think gives my student a choice and gives her control whether or not to participate. There are many times in school that she is required to participate. This is an opportunity to choose for herself…no judgement just encouragement to participate. I am trying to provide her with as many positive experiences as possible to help her relax away from mom and home.

[Amy DiLabio]

To be honest I find this question particularly difficult for me to answer. The music within my community is eclectic. Different styles of music can be heard depending on the age of the listener. There isn’t one predominate cultural style of music that stands out to me. However, depending on where I am within the community, the genre of music can be distinguished. For example, in one part of my community there is a low income development; when I am there I tend to hear mostly rap music. At the music school where my children take lessons , classical music is what is mostly heard and discussed. In the center of my town is a community based art school and across the street a community based theater. In these places a variety of music can be heard and appreciated. During the summer there are several community gatherings and most times live music is present. In all occasions that I have attended there has been a variety of music performed. One time there was a cover band performing, another time a Blue Grass band performed. I live in an area that would be considered the suburbs, but in one direction with in close proximity is a more rural farming area and in the other direction a big city, Philadelphia.

[Amy DiLabio]

Several years ago I provided music classes for a pre-school/day care. It was wonderful making music with these chldren and care givers. At the time I was not particuliarly aware of the stages of musical development, so it is interesting for me to think back and put into context a past experience. I introduced a song that I had heard and adapted called, “I feel.” In the song the children sing together, and then there is pause for each student to sing how they are feeling. Whle we are singing we are tapping our kness and swaying in time to the music. The children in this group were in the Responsibility stage of musical development. Most children responded with feelings such as, happy, great or tired. One child responded that they were mad. I could see a great deal of frustration in this childs face and body language. The child then began to sing why they were mad. They were mad when their older sibling hits them in the arm. Before I knew it each child wanted a turn to express their own frustrations with siblings or parents. We sang in an angry voice and grumbled as well to express how each child was feeling. This gave the group a chace to express empathy and validate their peers feelings. it helped them to see that they were not alone in their feelings, and that is OK to feel mad sometimes. To bring things up and back, I took the song in another direction and stated in song, “I feel like singing a song….” I then passed the music on to a student who understood to sing something they felt like doing at the time. This gave the students the opportunity to refocus their thinking with in the contet of the same song. It was wonderful to share in the experience of music making and sharing of things that bring frustration as well as pleasure to the student.

[Amy DiLabio]

Angie much of what you said resonated with me. I too am a mother and my experience as a mom has helped me to understand the children I work with. It has also given a context beyond my education to draw upon when talking with parents and care takers of children with whom I work. Keeping the stages and expectations of development in mind will be very beneficial as I develop programs and work with children and their families in a music therapy setting. I hope to keep the developmental delay red flags forefront in my mind as I work with children and their families. These I find to be particularly interesting.

[Amy DiLabio]

I valued the reminder and overview of early childhood development. It was helpful to focus on these milestones of development as they relate to my students. At times it can be easy to get wrapped up in pushing children to know more and more and to expect more and more of them. Parents will come to me with concerns that their child is not developing appropriately. It is important for me to remind parents that development is on a continuum and each child develops at their own pace. The information presented gave me new words and ways to share with parents and reassure them that their child is developing typically.

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