[Ann Dardis]

I look forward to continued opportunities to make music with young children – to learn from them and their parents as well as taking other classes to educate myself about this population and their needs.

[Ann Dardis]

I loved reading the above strategies, mainly because I must admit that with my limited experience in working with children I don’t have very many of my own. I agree that positive reinforcement is the way to go. When it doesn’t work…redirecting is great. I tend to let the parents handle the most problematic behavior – calling time outs, leaving the group momentarily – but if there is danger to another child or to an instrument I do intervene. There have been times I’ve stopped a song early or even ended a session early because the children were uncooperative. One particular day comes to mind when there was a severe thunderstorm in the area & the kids were all incredibly restless. I think it is important to be flexible and to realize that what you have planned is not always what the children need on a certain day.

[Ann Dardis]

Deliberate – the children exhibit very intentional music making
Pull and Push – the children still need the security of having mom near, but then push her away and explore independently
Active – encourage kids to move: run, jump, march, bounce, dance, etc.
Sign Language – great to incorporate to encourage communication among those still unable to speak
Flexible – accept ideas from the children and incorporate them into the music

[Ann Dardis]

I agree that Lauren’s statement does a great job in clarifying the difference between music for development and music for skill building. We use music in so many different ways – to create family bonding, to teach turn-taking and sharing, to allow for emotional expression, to encourage vocalization & speech, etc. etc. etc. And all of this is done without the child even realizing it. It’s fun and games for them with music.

[Ann Dardis]

I have never used the piano in my early-childhood music groups. I have occasionally used the guitar and allowed the children to strum with me. It is my understanding that for proper tonal development it is important for the children to be able to sing acappela. And also so that they and their parents realize that you don’t need an instrument to make music. As one of the chants from this class says, “Where is the music? Where could it be? I looked around…and found it in me. I’ve got it…got the music in me!” I do use knee patting, hand clapping and sometime rhythm instruments to keep the beat while singing.

[Ann Dardis]

I love Meredith’s comment about limiting the instruments in classes with babies. As I’ve stated earlier, all of my classes are family classes, but most of the children have been 18 months or older. This fall I have some younger children. I think it will be beneficial to remove the louder drums from the session and keep only the mellow sounding drums. Also, I probably should avoid using boomwackers with these classes, as the older kids have tended to get rowdy with them. I really need to get some resonator bells with soft mallets and insist that the children remain seated with their caregiver to play them.

[Ann Dardis]

I’ve found the parachute to be too stimulating for children under 18 months of age. There have been quite a few times a mom has had to scoop up her child and hold them rather because the child over-stimulated by the movement of the parachute & the other children.

[Ann Dardis]

I am wondering what you use to disinfect your instruments? I’ve been using some Lysol type wipes, but I am concerned that this is not okay for little ones who mouth the instruments. Is there something better?

[Ann Dardis]

Energy – incorporate a lot of elements of “surprise” in the music
Exploration – encourage children to be able to reach out & move away from mom
Security – allow children to return to the safety of Mom as needed
Playful – model playfulness
Bonding – encourage bonding with other adults and other children in addition to family bonding

[Ann Dardis]

Gentle – being careful not to over stimulate or cause a startle reflex
Bonding – through action such as cuddling, swaying, bouncing, touching
Calming – helping families discover music that works to calm the child when he/she is upset
Joy – incorporating playfulness in class that can be brought home
Exploration – allowing for instruments to be placed in the mouth, slowly introducing different timbres

[Ann Dardis]

In my community there are no other early-childhood music opportunities. The library offers story time & crafts. There may be some music and movement incorporated into the routine at daycare facilities, but nothing intentionally focused on child development. It’s just for fun. So, what I am offering is truly unique and not only for my town, but for the neighboring towns as well. The closest competing program would be over an hour’s drive away. The role that music therapy brings to the community is using music to facilitate family bonding, to help children transition from one task to the next, and to promote their musical development by exposing them to various meters and tonalities that they otherwise may not encounter at home.

[Ann Dardis]

An example that I can think of for Trust is a child in my class that likes to explore different instruments during our free instrument play time. She makes her way over to the heap of instruments, chooses one & then scurries back to mom to play with it. After a little while, she ventures out again to get a different instrument & then returns to mom. This continues throughout the play time. While playing she displays movement that is rhythmic, but not synchronized to the music.

[Ann Dardis]

I’m currently on a summer break from music classes, so I haven’t had a chance to incorporate any of the songs as of yet. Classes start up again for “Summer Camp” on August 11 – 14 and then Fall classes will start mid-September. Songs that I intend to use at that time are “Hold on Tight!”, “Wiggly Jiggly Car”, “Just Like Me!”, “Sit Down With Me”, “All of This is Me”, and “Where Is the Music?”

[Ann Dardis]

In my home community we have mostly German, Polish & Finnish heritage. However, there is also an increasing presence of Hispanic’s due to plenty of work being available at the local food processing factories. Country music, religious music & pop music are popular.

[Ann Dardis]

While I am not intending to start a Sprouting Melodies program, I am going to incorporate my new found knowledge in my current early childhood classes. I’m especially pleased with the information provided about children ages 0 – 18 months. Most of the children in my class have been 18 months or older and so my classes have been geared towards that age range. Currently I have some younger children (8 -12 months) that will be attending this fall. It’s partly because I am now able to confidently answer parent questions about “Is my child too young for class?” And, I can be more sensitive to the younger children’s needs during class as well.

[Author]

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