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This is something I hadn’t really considered before this course. I definitely agree with what everyone has said so far! This course has taught me a lot about the value of helping parents understand their children’s development. We’re also especially good at listening to and validating parents in their new roles. I agree with Alanna that providing new songs and ideas for ways to interact with children is an important resource we can provide. I know I’ll be singing a bunch of these songs to my own kids when I eventually have them!
The one thing that stuck out to me from the videos this week was how much parents value the enthusiasm and joy that music therapists brought to their Sprouting Melodies classes, and I’m definitely going to keep that in mind going forward.May 6, 2020 at 6:51 pm
in reply to: What are the needs of the families and communities that you work with?
ParticipantI agree with Tony that the needs of families and communities look different now than they did a few months ago. Some of those needs are the same, like becoming part of and belonging to a community or group of peers, needing validation, or needing a safe environment. They’ve just become intensified or have shifted as priorities. I think that offering opportunities for community gathering, socialization, and peer support is something that people are in need of right now that we can support. I have a group I started serving a few weeks ago of kiddos whose families are primarily first generation immigrants. The group provides opportunity for the kids to socialize with each other, and the parents receive respite for forty-five minutes after a week of parenting, teaching, and working simultaneously.
April 28, 2020 at 9:52 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI’m becoming more aware of how I vocalize with my clients. I have a few nonverbal kiddos around ages 5 to 8, and match their pitches and rhythm often while vocalizing with them. Now I’m thinking about other ways I can continue to encourage their vocalization musically. The videos this week also reminded me of the importance of allowing for instrumental exploration and giving choices to clients, no matter their age, as well as settings things up when possible to allow for that naturally. It’s been difficult to not have instruments ready for clients doing sessions virtually, however. Movement activities have become something I facilitate often in sessions virtually across populations, especially because I often can’t hear auditory feedback while I’m singing/playing, but can observe how my clients are moving around. It seems to be especially important to allow opportunities for movement now as well, given that our bodies are generally more stagnant these days. I also love to provide opportunities for listening by using different instruments, and often bring my violin into sessions to introduce a new timbre with which clients are often not familiar.
Participant@Emily Pope it’s awesome that you’ve been validated in your natural instincts working with your own kiddo! I’m so grateful that learning about these different developmental levels will help me feel more prepared for my own children someday, haha.
ParticipantThe client I kept thinking about is a 12 year old nonverbal kiddo on the autism spectrum. He is in the independence stage primarily and LOVES musical surprises. He has learned to anticipate some glissandos in songs I use and backs away from me and laughs during them. He also seems to be constantly exploring what he can do alone and how he wants to include his family, giving them instruments and pointing to them so they can take a turn as well. It’s interesting to see how the different musical developmental levels can manifest in different, yet easily recognizable ways across ages, etc.
ParticipantI’ve observed a few “lap ride” and bonding songs before, but haven’t been able to hear them in full so I was particularly excited by those. They seem to be SO effective in creating reciprocal experiences for caregivers and their kiddos! I’ve been singing and bouncing a teddy bear on my lap all afternoon and am so excited to help facilitate these bonding experiences for families.
Participant@Maryrose it’s so interesting to read about your transition from the midwest to the east coast – I haven’t put much thought into how different cultural hubs in cities can affect musical traditions, but it’s cool that people were influenced by the singer/songwriter community in Ann Arbor!
ParticipantIn my short time in Eastern Massachusetts, I’ve seen an array of cultural music. Many of my clients are white and from the east coast, and are primarily familiar with Western pop/rock and folk music. However, I also have clients who speak Portuguese and Spanish and are more into Fado music from Portugal or Spanish hip hop/pop/rock. Interestingly, one of my Portuguese speaking clients often requests Western hymns that simply have Portuguese melodies.
It’s been interesting to compare these populations with the clients I worked with in Minnesota. Older adults particularly seemed to have more affinity for country and hymns (especially Lutheran ones) in Minnesota than they do in Mass, where I find a lot of interest in musical theatre and pop music from the same population.ParticipantAwareness: 1. A child turns their head toward the MT when they began to sing after a moment of silence in a song. 2. A child vocalizes within an approximation of a pitch range during or after a familiar song. 3. A child reaches toward a caregiver when they sing the child a lullaby.
Trust: 1. A child puts a maraca in their mouth to explore it when presented with the instrument. 2. A child moves in response to a familiar song, not necessarily in a rhythmic or synchronized fashion. 3. A child begins to purposefully vocalize within the approximate pitch range of a song.
Independence: 1. A child claps along to a familiar movement song such as “Come and Sit With Me”. 2. A child reacts by laughing when surprised by the music (from a change in rhythm, pitch, etc.). 3. A child shows preference for a scarf over a maraca when presented with choices.
Control: 1. A child begins to approximate words to a familiar song such as “Twinkle Twinkle”. 2. A child begins playing a drum quickly when presented with it by the MT. 3. During a movement song, a child is better able to imitate movement and sequences of movement (such as Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes).
Responsibility: 1. A child is able to clap along to a song with a steady beat. 2. During a turn-taking song, a child listens to a peer’s instrumental solo. 3. A child is able to sing along to familiar songs with enhanced attunement and accuracy for the melody and rhythm.
ParticipantIt’s awesome to read about all of your strengths that you’ll be bringing to working in early childhood!
@Shylie, I also am not generally a super high energy person, but have been getting better at finding a balance between fostering a captivating space and not draining all of my energy doing so. I’ve also found that having a quieter vibe can work well with a lot of clients!
The other thing I feel like I’ll bring to working as a music therapist in early childhood is my own experience as a kiddo and understanding how my family was affected by it. I was born three months prematurely, and hit a lot of the development milestones later than is typical. It also added a lot of additional stress for my family as I grew up, with my weakened immune system and fragile lung health. Knowing what my family went through, even though I can’t remember it, is helpful in knowing that every kiddo and family have a different experience and journey, and it’s important to keep that in mind while engaging them in musical experiences.
Participant@AJ I kept thinking about the Sprouting Melodies classes I observed a few months ago and wished I’d had a more clear frame of reference then! Thanks for the reminder that no one develops the same way at the same speed and that we still have to adapt to a wide array of different needs, even based on an age group.
ParticipantI haven’t been around little ones in a long time, so my biggest takeaway was how quickly development occurs! It seems like a lot of changes happen fast, and I was grateful for the reminder that a lot of parents aren’t aware of the range that milestones often occur. I realized how important it is to understand the parental mindset and how different developments come with different successes and challenges for families.
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