[Cassandra Reyna]

This module was SO helpful in absorbing all of the week three material! What a wonderful “lightbulb” moment!

SINGING
Awareness–> Discrimination of different pitches; creating purposeful pitches
Trust–> Matching selected pitches approximately 50% of the time as a beginning form of communication
Independence–> Independent creation of music (musical babble with melodic inflection); can be recognized as music but lacks structure; probably not going to share this music with you, just sing to their toys and by themselves
Control–> Clearly identifiable melodic contour, although pitches may not be exact; taking pride in performance now!
Responsibility–> Use of pulse, meter, and organization; may still shift keys

PLAYING INSTRUMENTS
Awareness–> Reaching toward instruments is exploring instruments; listening is the first step toward playing–they are exploring the timbres by listening
Trust–> Very, very brief use of pulse and meter, such as two or three shakes of a maraca. Really beginning to experiment with duration of sound
Independence–> No longer just putting instrument to mouth to explore but purposefully exploring, such as pressing the keys of a piano
Control–> Learning to start and stop with others; exploring what it means to start and stop, to have that control over the environment
Responsibility–> Maintaining a steady beat; creating connections with others by playing together in the same time and space

MOVEMENT
Awareness–> Instinctual rhythmic movements
Trust–> Purposeful, repetitive movements; probably not yet synchronized to the music
Independence–> Isolating specific body parts, as opposed to the whole body moving as one
Control–> Imitating learned musical movements
Responsibility–> Sequences of musical movement

LISTENING
Awareness–> Recognizing changes in vocal timbre; preferences for Mom’s vocal timbre
Trust–> Recognition of familiar melodies; can be soothing during this unpredictable time
Independence–> Matching intensity of movements to the intensity of the music; actively attending to the music, as opposed to simply having it occur in the environment
Control–> Will stop to listen to the music, to make the choice to stop stomping their feet in order to listen
Responsibility–> Listens to the music of others; understands that others’s music is also interesting and engaging ; there is an understanding that they can connect with other individuals on a musical level

[Cassandra Reyna]

Unfortunately, I do not have access to any small children to practice these songs with! However, I am thrilled to now have these songs to add to my repertoire. During my internship at the children’s hospital, parents expressed enjoyment of new song material because they often knew only the standards, such as Twinkle Twinkle and BINGO. I am excited to start sharing these songs with parents as soon as possible!

[Cassandra Reyna]

Having moved to Virginia just three months ago, I will speak toward the traditional and culture music of the Detroit area, where I earned my degree and completed my internship. This area was incredibly diverse, boasting the largest Arabic population in the nation. I utilized syncopated guitar rhythms in order to accompany a mother who sang to her infant in Arabic. Gospel music was also requested often, as well as traditional children’s songs such as Old McDonald, Baby Beluga, Twinkle Twinkle, etc….

[Cassandra Reyna]

During my internship, I had the privilege of working with a premature nine-month-old who had a trach/vent and spent the first nine months of her life in the NICU. She spent the tenth month on the Stable Vent Unit as her parents were trained to care for her medical needs. Because she had spent nearly the first year of her life in and out of surgeries, as well as heavily sedated with pain meds and hooked up to machines, her development was certainly impacted.
At the beginning of our work together, she was certainly in the awareness stage. I would allow her to simply find the source of the lullaby and eventually challenged her to turn her head to locate me. As her medical condition improved and her reliance on the pain medication decreased, she began to explore her oral motor skills as best she could with the trach. We worked on bilabial sounds like the letter “B,” and she would practice this while I also assisted her in grasping a rattle. Usually she would drop it, but she would move in synchrony with the music! As our time together came to a close due to the end of my internship and her discharge home, she did begin to purposefully shake the rattle and move toward that independence stage! Working with this little one really ignited my passion for getting kiddos off to as optimal a start as possible. We certainly did not want her medical status holding her back cognitively.

[Cassandra Reyna]

I am definitely a list maker, and having developmental milestones on organized slides was hugely important for my list-oriented mind. I feel like I have a firmer grasp on them than I did when we learned similar material in school, especially since I am not focused on 15 or so credits at once right now. This information will make great “cheat sheets” for parents and for myself as I plan sessions for various age groups.

[Cassandra Reyna]

I had a similar experience with teens today! Sometimes we forget that the goal can be humanistic–to just have fun! We danced together, and I didn’t just observe them. I danced too! They taught me what they knew, and it was so empowering for them to take the lead for once. Not to mention, I had a great time as well and remembered how important it is for these teens, who are living at a residential psychiatric facility, to just dance and have a good time with one another. They proved that they can work as a team after all 😉

[Cassandra Reyna]

I am passionate about helping children in the early stages of development start their educations, and lives, on a solid footing. Having gone to a “basic” Kindergarten, where there is simply reading, writing, and arithmetic (no arts or gym!), I understand the benefits of having a solid developmental foundation. However, I believe that this can be achieved through music and not just drilling kids on the facts–it CAN, and should be, FUN! Children need guidance, support, and opportunities to explore their worlds–and what better way to do so than music?
The information that I am learning about early childhood developmental stages is crucial to our work in this field. After I complete my Master’s, I intend to pursue employment in a children’s hospital, where children’s developmental needs can often take a backseat to their physical health needs. It is vital that I understand the developmental milestones of children and babies who have spent their formative years in and out of hospitals. One particular patient from my internship comes to mind–she was in the NICU until eight months and then on the Stable Vent Unit for one more month before discharging home. Developmentally, she was anywhere from 3-6 months behind her peers because she was confined to a trach, vent, and crib at all times. She could not explore as much as a child her age should, and she was not interacted with as much as if she had been at home with her parents and sibling. Understanding where she is at and where she should be helped me set goals for her and for the many children to come during my career.

[Cassandra Reyna]

My name is Cassie Reyna. I recently graduated from Eastern Michigan University but am now living in Petersburg, VA. I work at Poplar Springs Behavioral Health Hospital, which houses acute and residential units for adolescents, an acute unit for adults, and a crisis/rehab unit for past and present members of the armed forces. I am enjoying working with these diverse and challenging populations but would love to return to working with children in a few years after completing this course and NICU-MT training. I completed my internship at C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and ultimately would love to end back up in a children’s hospital and/or working in early childhood. I’m looking forward to learning new repertoire and solidifying my knowledge of music’s role in early childhood!

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