[Amy Dunlap]

How are you planning on sharing this information with colleagues, administrators and families?

I believe that Sprouting Melodies is the most well-rounded and informed early childhood music program that I have heard of. I will not hesitate to recommend the training to any MT-BC interested in working with this population, or in community music therapy programs. I think that establishing a presence (booth, table, etc.) at community fairs, farmers markets, educational events would be a really great way to spread the Sprouting Melodies name. Hanging fliers in community spaces (churches, libraries, grocery stores, coffee shops, etc.) is another good way to get the name out there, which is what will be very important in the first few months/years of developing a program. Additionally, having a presence on as many websites and social media sites as possible will help greatly to educate and attract families.

[Amy Dunlap]

In August, I will go back to school full-time for my master’s in music therapy, so my SM development plans will slowly evolve over the next few years. It is my hope that the company I work for will continue to develop SM programs in the communities where we work. When I am finished with school, I plan to help to build a SM program in my community. Hopefully, the other therapists I work with will have some experience in doing so and we can move forward in a new community.

In my Week 9 post, I mentioned how the training has already impacted my work as a clinician in terms of intentional, musical thought. I notice myself being more dynamic, if you will, in my musical choices in therapy sessions. In my work with adults with severe developmental disabilities, I find the developmental level thinking sneaking in, especially as I evaluate my clients’ responses to sound (or lack of sound). Through the training, I have also learned a whole bunch of great songs that fill in some holes in my repertory. Finally, I have a new appreciation for community programs and all of the work that goes into being a leader and a music therapist in a community, which is a responsibility I agree that we have as providers of a community-based service.

[Amy Dunlap]

Like many of the others, I don’t have a lot of experience working with early childhood groups. In general, I do find that replacement is usually a successful tactic when trying to change a child’s behavior. Since children in SM classes will be accompanied by an adult, I will be intentional to educate the adult so that they are an asset to success, not a hindrance because I haven’t helped provide an appropriate strategy. Also, one thing that has been stressed here and in my other MT training is to use the music as a solution for any and every problem you can. In talking about the music, Beth and Meredith have done a great job of encouraging us to think outside of the box in terms of musical elements that we can manipulate. They have encouraged us to consider the reason for and intended outcome of manipulating the music. In turn, I have begun to think more creatively in my music therapy sessions; my therapist thinking is fuller and more comprehensive than before taking SM training. When working in groups with children, I think a balance between creative musical experiences and good, standard behavior modification (i.e. redirection, replacement) is probably (hopefully!) a recipe for success.

[Amy Dunlap]

Of course I am excited to provide a quality and much-needed service to my community and the families in it. On top of that, I have really enjoyed learning about early childhood development. I like understanding the “how” and “why” of behavior and feel that I will be truly informed in doing so as a Sprouting Melodies provider. I also look forward to learning from the children and remembering to embrace childlike curiosity and joy. Being inspired by others is one of my favorite parts of being a music therapist and I am excited to spend more time with young children, because it has been a while!

[Amy Dunlap]

This dilemma reminds me a lot of some of my older adult groups (this is my primary population). Often, I will have a variety of moderately high functioning residents with a few extremely low functioning residents with advanced dementia and/or very limited physical abilities. As was mentioned above, I generally tailor the sessions a bit more toward the majority, which is higher functioning, but take time within the structure to engage those lower functioning residents individually, in their own way, so that they can benefit from the experiences too. I think that some of these skills will transfer well to young children, with the primary concern being overstimulation, which is not necessarily a concern with older adults. I agree that helping the caregivers help the younger children is crucial to everyone having opportunities for success. I think that the pre-requisites that Meredith has mentioned (must take SM1 first, etc.) are likely very helpful in involving children of multiple ages and in getting parents used to the program. The only other concern I can think of is if there is a time when two children (or groups of children in the same levels as each other) need two very different things, whose needs do you prioritize?

[Amy Dunlap]

This makes me think of one of the first “one liners” I learned as a music therapy student. We were taught that music therapy emphasizes the process while music education emphasizes the product. Back then, this even helped us as students to keep track of what we were to be learning. I think the same is true here. Explaining to parents that when the child engages in our music, the nature of the experiences is to support his/her developmental process. We can provide an example of this by showing how multifaceted the outcomes of one experience might be (i.e. functional language, socialization AND sensory integration). As we lead SM groups, the more that we emphasize the whole-person experience the children are receiving, the clearer this developmental focus will be. If we need to further explain our point, we can explain that we are not concerned with a certain response (i.e. playing, singing, attending) like we would be if we were teaching a specific skill.

[Amy Dunlap]

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 3:
Creative, Active, Push and Pull, Sharing, Emotional

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Family Sprouts:
Bonding, Busy, Variety, Joy, Together

Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Sprouting Melodies 3 session:
Gathering: Oh Gather ‘Round
Greeting: Hello Everybody
Bonding Songs: Swimming Together
Songs About Me: Where is the Music?
Instrument Songs: Music is the Way
Movement Songs: Will You Come?
Goodbye: Time To Go

Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Family Sprouts session:
Gathering: Come and Join the Circle
Greeting: Hey Everybody
Bonding Songs: Row It Faster
Songs About Me: Who’s That?
Instruments: I Like This Song (on piano)
Movement: Will You Come?
Goodbye: Music Time Is Over

[Amy Dunlap]

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 2.
Exploratory, Energetic, Playful, Moving Out and Back In, and Musical Variation

Write 5 sentences you can use when speaking with parents about musical responses of children in SM 2.
1. “If your child is doing nothing on the outside, then they are probably doing everything on the inside. This is a great time for your child to take it all in.”
2. “Silence in a song is a great way to grasp your baby’s attention and build anticipation for the familiar.”
3. “The fact that your baby is crawling away is a good sign that he/she is developing and moving toward ‘trust.’ Don’t worry, he/she will come back to you in no time.”
4. “Your chid is getting so much enjoyment out of bouncing the soles of his/her feet on the ground because it is helping him//her to organize the sound that is all around him/her.”
5. “SM2 is where we learn to play maracas!”

Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Sprouting Melodies 2 session.
1. Gathering: “Sit Down With Me” – I love this take on “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” and find it very attention-grabbing
2. Greeting: “Hey! Hey! Come and Play!” – I think this would be a nice, energetic complement to the gathering song, plus it’s a lot of fun to sing and sets a great tone for the session
3. Bonding: “Wiggly Jiggly” – nice blend of security and risk
4. Songs About Me: “All of This is Me” – after two high energy songs, a slower, more introspective song might be a nice placement here
5. Instrument Songs: “Dancing in the Middle” – I think this would go well after the last song because it is taking the focus out of the contemplative “me” and bringing the awareness to the whole group as they play the gathering drum together
6. Movement Songs: “March With My Baby” – This will get the babies up off of the floor as they will have been here for most of the session at this point; this will also give the babies and parents a chance to bond a little after playing as a group
7. Goodbye: “Music Time is Over”

[Amy Dunlap]

Currently, I work with children in this developmental stage for one hour/month and am co-treating with SLPs in an outpatient hospital setting. In that group, I use the Remo gathering drum and the babies have small maracas and even a small guiro that they receive as part of a sensory kit from the SLPs. I bring along a few Hohner Kids Baby Band kits and my baby Taylor guitar.

[Amy Dunlap]

I agree with Lauren that we can gauge stimulation needs by really paying attention to each child’s behaviors. I believe that enough stimulation is evidenced by attention (not necessarily active engagement), while overstimulation or not enough stimulation is evidenced by fussing, crying, adverse behaviors (i.e. beating the wall), or a failure to sustain attention.

In working with adults with severe developmental disabilities, I have become more aware of how stimulating some instrumental timbres can be. As was mentioned in the video, I have realized that tambourines can be extremely alerting or unpleasant. I think in SM 2, timbres can be expanded from SM1, but harsh timbres should still be avoided (at least in early sessions). I think paddle/frame drums have really grounding timbres that are likely to engage through resonance without overstimulating.

[Amy Dunlap]

I have had relatively little experience with infants this age. When I was a freshman in college, I nannied for my four month old cousin for a month. I remember him being very fussy, needy (just as we got settled into one thing he was needing something else, or so it seemed), and also calming in his pure joy at certain things. I remember being amazed at how much we seemed (at least in my eyes) to communicate or connect through sharing the same space, eye contact, body language, and my verbal communications with him. I do remember playing with a musical mobile and observing his startle response when a new song would come on or the animal noises would play. I am looking forward to working with parents and their infants at this age because I think it will be an environment unlike any other I have experienced before.

[Amy Dunlap]

Five words to describe Sprouting Melodies 1:

1. Supportive
2. Sweet
3. Fun
4. Bonding
5. Grounding

Write 5 sentences you can use when speaking with parents about musical responses of children in SM1:

1. Your voice is the most important sound for your baby to hear.
2. It’s okay if your baby isn’t holding an instrument; the first step in playing is listening.
3. If you tap the beat on your baby’s body, it will help him/her to internalize the rhythm of the music we are making.
4. Don’t worry if your baby falls asleep! That means he/she is comfortable in this space with us and sleep is so important for your baby.
5. Did you hear that exhale? Your baby is trying to sing with us!

Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Sprouting Melodies 1 session.

Hello: “Good Morning” – I really like the mode here and think it’s a really engaging way to start the group, plus, the swaying will help to establish a cohesive energy
Bonding Songs: “Wiggly, Jiggly Car” – making sure to gauge the babies and not to overstimulate them in the play section
Songs About Me: “All of This is Me” – I think the minor mode will be really grounding after the more high energy (and potentially overstimulating) “Wiggly, Jiggly Car”
Instrument Play: “I Like This Song” – simple lyrics will be easy for parents to learn and more emphasis can be placed on interacting with babies with instruments; this song is very happy
Gross Motor Movement: “As Big as Can Be” – I really liked this song and the natural progression some babies might take in standing up
Cool Down: “Time to Go” – this seems like a nice transition into the goodbye song and will help parents to start the transition back to real life as much as it will help the babies
Goodbye: “Goodbye (Music Time is Done)” – I really like this song as well and would like to use it as my goodbye for SM sessions

[Amy Dunlap]

The role of music therapy in community based settings:

I think one of the most unique things about music is its holism – first, in the way that music connects all parts of our being when we fully engage in it, and second, in the way that music can connect all parts of the community, young and old. As music therapists, we are comfortable facilitating these connections in others. In community based settings, this becomes one of the music therapist’s duties. I agree with what Meredith and Beth said about meeting the needs of the community. When providing community based programs, this is an absolute necessity, otherwise there will be no demand and the program will not flourish and provide the intended service.

[Amy Dunlap]

Like Caitlin, I am not quite sure how to answer this question. I will be relocating to a small town 1.5 hours from Columbus in August to go back to school and there is already one SM provider living there at this time! My plan is to come back to Columbus after I finish my master’s degree in two years, so I will have time while in school to begin to market to my target neighborhoods. Columbus is a big city with a lot of suburbs, some of which are much more advanced financially, educationally, etc., than others. While I will not be living in those suburbs myself, I plan to reach out to those small communities when the time comes to build a SM program. I have two suburbs in mind, both of which sound like the neighborhoods Lauren described above. I used to be a barista at the Starbucks on the main street in one of the neighborhoods and made a lot of connections with both moms and business persons while working there. I also have family members in in the other neighborhood whose children have done a lot of babysitting there, so I could potentially use that as another way into the community. Luckily, Columbus isn’t so large that either suburb is difficult to get to (only about a 20 minute drive from the city center). I anticipate the needs of those communities to be very similar to many that have been discussed above. </p>
<p>Another potential target SM community may be found at Columbus’ children’s hospital, with whom my company already contracts outpatient music therapy services. During our one-to-one phone conversation yesterday, Meredith and I discussed the needs of families whose children are in and out of the hospital due to developmental disabilities or chronic illness. Certainly bonding and a sense of “normalcy” for 30-45 minutes would be a great gift for these families. Additionally, my credentials (i.e. training, skills, experience, etc.) enable me to provide appropriate services for children with special needs.

[Amy Dunlap]

I agree with Sarah that the prospect of working with typically developing children is a little intimidating. Luckily, I feel that the developmental levels in SM training read almost like a handbook for figuring little ones out. I know that once I begin to see children on a regular basis (rather than one hour/month as is my current situation), thinking in terms of the developmental levels will become second nature and my skills will come to match the level of skill I have in other areas. I have great confidence in the SM model and in my own potential, which is crucial, I think.

In the video, Meredith says that some of the parents may even be older than we are, which really resonated with me, as I only graduated last year. In the communities where I want to build Sprouting Melodies programs, I know most of the parents will be much older than I am. I also know I can’t let that get in the way of my confidence as myself as a provider. Like Meredith said in the video, however old our adults may be in groups, they expect us to be in charge and want us to be in charge – all in all this leads to a better experience.

Now translate that thought into “value”: I believe that as the MT-BC, I am the specialist when it comes to both music AND development and have the unique ability to combine the two in creative, fun, accessible ways. The result of this effort is an extremely desirable product, especially in our culture, where parents seem to seek wholesome ways to support the child’s holistic development (mind, body, spirit). As is stressed in the materials, both the adult and the child experience joy while engaging in music together. Not only does the child bond with an adult who loves him, but he also develops crucial social, emotional, and cognitive skills that easily transfer to life outside of SM classes. Through SM classes, we are providing a service that parents are hard pressed to find anywhere else and from anyone else.

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