[Belinda Adams]

Enclosed bells with handles, gathering drum, chiquita maracas, Lollipop drums, I love the “gobble sticks” that Tiffany mentions as well. Many of these products come from West music or music is elementary for me.

[Belinda Adams]

I find this to be an interesting dynamic for children of all ages and families for that matter. I have struggled to find a space that will not be overstimulating for children and I’ve had varying degrees of success. Currently for an older group of kiddos I am working in a gym space. This would be overstimulating for Sprouting Melodies 2 because of the constant reverberation of every sound especially depending on the instrument choices. In addition, a lot of different instruments playing together may create too much stimulus for the children.

[Belinda Adams]

Spontaneous, child-centered, exploration, exciting, engaging

It’s ok for your child to do something different than the others — they are experimenting with independence. It’s ok that the instruments are going in their mouths — that’s how they are exploring! It’s ok if your child sits with you one moment and hides from you the next, they are watching you though! Stay involved with the music and the group and your child.

Hello: It’s time for music; Bonding song: Wiggly Jiggly Car; Song’s about me: These are my hands Instrument song: We are great musicians; Movement: Dancing is what I feel like; Goodbye Song: NA, NA, NA, NA Goodbye

[Belinda Adams]

I guess I sort of said this in the other post. I hope to continue to use this information in my classroom and in music education but also in the other community based preschool and community centers. Most importantly I would like to grow the usage of BOCES in this region to provide music therapy services to our component districts and the local and regional preschools, early intervention facilities and head start programs!

[Belinda Adams]

I have taken this course through staff and program development funds at BOCES, where I work. Because of this, administration will ask me to share what I’ve learned. Usually this is just protocol but I’m very excited to share the information I’ve learned with them and to use it with my students. Although I don’t teach preschoolers every day I do have a large population of students who are functioning on these developmental levels. Learning about the early childhood development and then applying that knowledge to my students has been really helpful in selecting music activities that will be successful.

In addition, I’d like to share this information with the facility where I lead a preschool music class as well as with other preschools in the area. I think this is such great information and I really want to get the purpose and possibilities of music therapy to be known!

[Belinda Adams]

I have always worked hard to address all children or clients for that matter in the here and now. It’s important to meet the children where they are and allow them to be themself rather than force them to do something else. This often takes a lot of education for parents, as they see their child doing something different as not following directions.

In addition, I have adapted songs on the spot to change the behavior that the children are producing or to call others back to the group. I’ve also added in specific instruments so that all of the children can access the music.

My favorite part is having fun with everyone! I want all of the families to leave having learned something, musically but also about themselves and their child.

[Belinda Adams]

I am looking forward to informing families about early childhood development. I’m also eager to provide music therapy services in this area and actually call it that — providing an education to the community. I am super excited to share what I have learned, meet new people and all.

I’m not 100% sure if I want to become a Sprouting Melodies provider, but I certainly do want to incorporate everything I’ve learned into the current classes that I provide.

[Belinda Adams]

Sprouting Melodies 3 words inventive, thoughtful, emotion centered, choice driven, energizing

Gathering: “Come Have A…” Hello: “I wanna say Hello…” Bonding: “Shake a Friend’s Hand” Song about me: “That’s Me” Instruments: “We are Great Musicians” Betsy King Movement: We are the Dinasours — Laurie Berkner Goodbye: “Goodbye, Goodbye” to Louie, Louie

Family Sprouts Words: bonding, inclusive, multi-level, adaptable, safe

Hello: “Everybody’s here” Bonding: “We’re all together” Song About Me: “These are my…” Instruments: “Let’s Make Some Music” NR Movement: “Dancing is what I feel like doing” Scarves/streamers: “Shiny ribbons” Goodbye: “NA,NA,Na,NA Goodbye”

[Belinda Adams]

I think I’ve experienced a few challenges in serving families with multi-aged groups. One of them surrounds the fight over the parent/jealousy factor. Particularly older sibling to younger when the caregiver needs to assist the younger child to participate. I’ve also struggled from time to time with the sibling dynamic… oh younger brother tries to push older brother so brother tackles him to the floor. All in laughter but still…. Lastly I sometimes have struggled with knowing how to assist the caregiver in bonding with both children — I notice that they seem to favor one.

I have attempted to step into that parental figure when the families allow but sometimes it’s a tough balance.

[Belinda Adams]

Music for developmental learning aides and supports children to learn and advance through growth and developmental milestones that they hopefully would meet either way. Music for skill building enhances the ability to learn necessary ‘rules’ and expectations of the world in a safe way. These are things like manners and cooperation… things that aren’t asked about at your annual child check up but things as adults and parents we want our kids and others to know.

[Belinda Adams]

experimenting, bonding, relationship based, child-centered, thoughtful

Let your child decide how much to participate and what participating looks like.
It’s ok if your child doesn’t have the same response as another person’s child–it’s normal.
Let your child put the instrument in their mouth. They are exploring it. I will sanitize it afterwards!
Make sure you sing and chant! Your child wants to hear you much more than me!
Participate with your child– make this about your relationship!

Welcome — music playing in the background/sign in/attendance/remove outerwear etc.
Hello song- We’re all together is a song I like to use because most adults know it. This way it gets them singing and we can acknowledge all of the children and adults in the song. I think it’s important to acknowledge the adults – sing hello to them too- if we want them to participate.
Movement- Row, Row, Row your Boat on the caregiver’s lap. Change in the speed or motion in the song can allow for experiences in other movements(horizontal/vertical/etc)
“Happiness Runs” can provide for instrument exploration. The words are altered depending on what instruments the child is trying and how they are interacting with them.
“The Noble Duke of York” can be sung as a play song that again allows movement within different body planes and is most likely a familiar tune for adults.
“Babies have wiggles” to the tune of “Elephants have wrinkles” with scarves allows for a cool down but also pointing out of body parts and a sensory/tactile experience with scarves. I even like to give options for the materials that the ‘scarves’ are made out of this way parents/children can have more than one experience if they’d like. (this seems to be more interesting to the children who are a bit older though)
Goodbye song – acknowledgement of caregivers and infants.

[Belinda Adams]

I am so thankful to have found this course… it has shown me so much! I just led my making music class tonight. I do have to say that I arranged for this session before beginning this class and so my age range for kids is much larger than I’d like. Which I assumed after the first few weeks of content but I witnessed it first hand tonight. However, I did work with smaller/younger children when I taught my first music class in the community a little over a year ago. I found that the hardest part for me was being comfortable with the fact that from the outsiders perception it looked like we weren’t doing much. For example, I think that some families felt that their infant wasn’t ‘playing’ correctly when really much more emphasis from me should have been put on the exploration of the child and the singing/interaction of the caregiver.

[Belinda Adams]

I find that community based music therapy is really needed in my area, I”m sure you’ve gathered that from my previous posts. However, people continue to be pensive about actually calling it music therapy. In an effort to include everyone I have taken the avenue of providing music making classes with a music therapy structure. I am slowly implementing additional education for parents, community and location where I am doing this–thanks to this class!

[Belinda Adams]

Tracy – I’m so glad you have a picture here…. It made me realize that I was a participant at a presentation you did in the Ithaca area earlier this year. 🙂

[Belinda Adams]

Wow… what a big question… the needs of the families. First of all, I want to say that I don’t have a ton of experience working with young children and families in my current music therapist role (I work at a school). However, to provide an avenue for my own child and others I have taken on teaching a ‘music class’ at a local Y.

I believe that one of the largest needs in my families and in my community is just a knowledge of MUSIC THERAPY in general!!!! I have worked in my current job for 5 years and I have spent every waking hour advocating for music therapy, engaging in ‘action research’ surrounding it, networking with local agencies all to the response of ‘we don’t have the money for this.’ I’m rather disappointed in many of my surrounding community members for this response but I have decided that this is my GOAL for myself–getting the word out.

As far as families of young children I found that all of the music classes were not music therapy based. They were essentially a ‘CD that could be played in the car’ for the large price of $250. Many of the community members who are working at local colleges and universities can afford this and are willing to pay for it clearly but I was not able to do this and as a new mom I wanted friends! I wanted support… I wanted to know that my baby was normal — and lets not forget, I wanted to know my own confusion was ok. This set me on course to find a way to provide something for families — something affordable. I have used a variety of locations and I’ve met a variety of people. Unfortunately then I didn’t have all the thorough information that this course has provided. I think that families needed the information about early childhood development to know that their child was interacting and I needed this information to remind me how important the family interaction is and how much repetition is really needed.

Overall…. my community and families just need to know what music therapy is… and I want to provide it. IF only there was more time in the day!

[Author]

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