[Channing Shippen]

This is rather late, as my initial response did not seem to post! However I agree with what everyone is saying. Music therapy in the community setting provides opportunity for expression and creativity that is validated and emboldened by peers participating in a shared experience. It is important to make the distinction of community musician and community music therapist, in that our work remains clinical and goal oriented, while even if it is being performance based. I think it derives from the approaches we come with as well as our distinctive training; community musicians often approach from the mind set of “Hey, I want you to experience music, so let me show you what I can do!” while music therapists approach with the mindset of “Hey, I want you to experience music, let me show you what you can do!”.

[Channing Shippen]

I am grateful that my administrators were supportive in my search to find a course that would enhance my practice. During our monthly supervision I relay pieces of the trainings with my team which consists of child life, social work, resource specialists, and programming directors. I find this really helps them understand the benefits of what I am doing and the “Why” of it all. We have begun to create flyers for our patients and families to let them know that we will be offering groups in the coming future.

[Channing Shippen]

Im so glad I retook this training. I have been wanting to provide this as an opportunity for our patients for so long, and felt like I didn’t entirely have the lay out and concepts that I needed locked-in. I think the most relevant information for me was in Family Sprouts. The groups I will be offering in my oncology clinic will be for children 5 and under, who are currently on active treatment and unable to attend these types of groups in the community setting. It is certainly difficult to navigate the range of ages and diverse needs, but I feel like since taking this course my practice has been revitalized and that I am going to be bale to bring more diverse programming to my patients.

[Channing Shippen]

I really try to empower the children in their participation, encouraging their individual explorations. Also I think empowering the parents to feel safe enough to express themselves helps model, like Maryellen said, positive examples for the children to follow. Utilizing the music is also important to actively engage everyone, and create an open and safe expressive environment.

[Channing Shippen]

Im really excited to integrate and adapt the techniques and information I have learned here into the clinic setting. This has been a really wonderful refresher (having taken this course 6 years ago) and I’ve really enjoyed reading everyone’s perspectives and how everyone is planning to integrate these techniques at their site. I am excited to trial this at clinic and am hopeful that it will provide our families with a unique bonding experience.

[Channing Shippen]

Definitely echoing what everyone is saying, but I agree its finding the balance between what is an appropriate level of stimulation for the babies and what is interactive and engaging enough for the older children. And again, being prepared to change the plan if necessary.

[Channing Shippen]

5 words for Sprouting Melodies 3: Creative, Controlled, Exploratory, Engaging, Focused

SM3 session plan: Gathering: Sit down and join my circle. Bonding: Hold on tight. Songs about me: Watch me Go Instrument songs: All Night, All Day Movement: Will you Come? Goodbye: Time to go

5 words for Family Sprouts: Supportive, Connective, Joy, Togetherness, Family

Family sprouts session plan: Gathering: Im Glad Youre Here Bonding: Wiggly Jiggly Car Songs about me: Who’s That Instrument song: Dancing in the Middle Movement: I really gotta Jump. Goodbye: Music Time is Over

[Channing Shippen]

Often times I find myself explaining this to parents when they are in sessions. Like Mary & Alyssa stated above, its about the opportunity to explore and express themselves. I often say music therapy is about facilitating opportunity for personal growth and expression, looking at developmental skills and how they develop within the realms of music, and less about the precise work of learning and understanding musical structure or correct instrument manipulation, but explain that through modeling and exampling musical concepts and instrument playing is naturally learned in this setting.

[Channing Shippen]

5 Words: Trust, Communication, Spontaneity, Play, Independence

5 Sentences: 1) You child is learning to express themselves in different ways its ok if they aren’t playing the instrument “correctly” 2) Its ok to let your child wander and explore around the room 3)Feel free to interact with each other and the other children 3) Every child is going to participate differently, some may be less actively involved than others, this is ok. They are still receiving the music and gaining social experiences 4)Your child is exploring their independence show you trust their choices and use their play as a guide in your music making. 5) Your child is still learning by your example, don’t be afraid to sing out and be silly with them in the music, its not about perfection its about expression!

SM2 Session

Hello/Gathering: Hey Hey Come and Play!

Bonding Songs: Hold on Tight!

Songs About Me: Can you see me?

Instrument Play: I like this song

Movement: I can move around

Goodbye: Goodbye

[Channing Shippen]

My clinic provides a variety of instruments, many remo sound shapes, egg shakers, maracas, scarves, bells, small tambourines and ocean drums. Im lucky that music therapist who was here before me really advocated for a very fully stocked music room!

[Channing Shippen]

I really agree with what everyone is saying! I try and gauge how much stimulation the children have in the session by their abilities to focus on tasks and songs. I think like Alyssa said, when a child becomes over stimulated one sign of this might be that they wonder off to find something more comfortable.

[Channing Shippen]

Personally, I do not have any children of my own, however I have two nephews under 1 and a niece who has just turned 2. It is always such a wake-up call everytime I interact with them vs. when I am with my patients in clinic. My siblings are lucky that they have healthy children so I often find myself making mental notes of their development and how much they follow the typical patterns. My clinic patients ages 0-9months can often experience some delays due to isolation or medical side affects. I love working with this age regardless because you truly get to see the small discoveries magnified in their eyes. Its always wonderful to see that moment that they make the connections of cause and effect.

[Channing Shippen]

5 Words: Bonding, Engaging, Embracing, Calm, Supportive

1. Your baby is hearing and learning, although they may not look engaged in the way we do, they are soaking up and processing all of the information we are sending their way 2. Right now, there is no right or wrong way for the baby to be engaging in the music, it is ok if they mouth the instruments or tap them with their feet 3. While we do this next activity, we are going to hold the babies on our laps, your baby may prefer facing inward, or perhaps outward towards the group, either way is fine 4. Babies are all about those mirror neurons, they are learning everything by seeing and hearing, learning to mimic the sounds you create and the faces you make 5. Gently lay your hand on your babies chest applying a comforting pressure while we say their name, let them know we are singing to them.

SM1 Session:

Before class: calm recorded music

Hello/Gathering Song: “Hello”

Body Percussion: Sit Down With Me

Lap Ride: Row it Faster

Songs About Me: Just Like Me

Instrument song: In My Little Hand

Good-Bye Song: Good-bye

[Channing Shippen]

The clinic atmosphere often isolates the children before, during & after treatments. There is a need in my clinic to offer opportunities to facilitate the growth of a supportive community that understands and comprehends the very individual challenges being faced by the patients and caregivers alike. Parents need time to experience their children growing in an otherwise typical modality, and the children need opportunity to socialize and build friendships as these are mostly opportunities they would be receiving out in their communities or at school, but are unable to attend due to their health restrictions.

[Channing Shippen]

I feel like I am CONSTANTLY answering this question in the hospital/ clinic. The children here are often in treatment for up to 6 hour and need multiple sources and opportunities for refocusing and engaging. Many times the go-to solution is handing them an iPad or a computer and letting them isolate within that experience. While often that is an easy solution, I have also noticed how it can truly effect the emotional well-being of the children. It is an experience that does not socially engage the patients, it isolates them leaving them to process and experience their stresses and symptoms independently. Obviously, I cant be with all 100 patients per day for 6 hours total, but even short 15 minute music therapy sessions offer an opportunity for social engagement and encourages the family to build communication with each other and to view each other as expressive beings. This is truly why I want to start offering group sessions more formally. This additionally allows for a certain amount of expectancy and structure to be provided to these families to help facilitate bonding and alleviate the stress of the often unexpected events that arrive during treatment.

[Author]

Posts