[Christina Bass]

I really enjoyed reading everyone’s responses, such a great question! I think another point that is so great about having an early childhood program provided by board certified music therapist is our continuing education. We strive to keep up with the latest research and take courses to further our knowledge. This adds so much more than a set program to follow. And of course, our diverse clinical training and experiences help shape our insight in providing the best service for each individual child.

[Christina Bass]

I think the biggest need for families in my community, and probably most communities around the world, is having meaningful experiences with their children. Many of the families in my community that I interact with seem to have very busy and hectic lives and tend to rely on technology to keep their children busy. A music based program would be so beneficial to help create these meaningful experiences and bonding with their children that they can transfer to their home life as well.

[Christina Bass]

I use all four in most of my sessions, especially with my younger clients. I typically have used listening, instrument playing, and movement when working on other areas such as attention and executive functioning and singing with speech. This training has made me look closer at where my clients are developmentally in each of these areas and adapt interventions that will better support their needs.

[Christina Bass]

Singing: Awareness-Child looks at face of music-maker and will make cooing vocalizations. Trust- Child imitates the pitches of the singer while occasionally producing hard consonants. Independence- Child’s vocalizations have a recognizable melody. Control- Child sings independently with clear intervals and musical phrasing. Responsibility- Child sings familiar songs with accurate pitches and melodic intonation.

Moving: Awareness- Child displays pleasure when moved musically and will open and close hand in response to music. Trust- Child will display movement in arms by reaching to each side and above head, movements change when music stops. Independence- Child participates in start and stop movements. Control- Child can quickly adapt speed of movements to changes in tempo. Responsibility- Child participates in dances and games that require a sequence of movements.

Playing Instruments: Awareness- Child places hand on drum for short periods of time. Trust- Child reaches for maraca and will use palmer grasp in both hands and shake for a short time. Independence- Child can hold a mallet in one and and strike a drum with an open palm of opposite hand. Control- Child uses both hands to play the triangle. Responsibility- Child imitates simple intervals on xylophone.

Listening: Awareness- Child moves towards drum and places ear on head of the drum. Trust- Child looks towards music source after it has stopped. Independence- Child displays positive affect and increases movement and vocalizations when listening to familiar songs. Control- Child can imitate simple rhythmic patterns. Responsibility- Child listens to timbre of group and adjust his voice.

[Christina Bass]

I am still in the assessment phase for many of my young clients and I found this information very insightful. Most I would say fall somewhere within the awareness, trust, and independence stages. One of my kiddos was most likely in the control stage when I began working with him and seems to be moving more into the responsibility stage. He has been really tuning into changes to the structure, dynamics, and tempo of the music and engaging more in following directions and imitating rhythm patterns. In our last session he listened to a chord progression I was playing and spontaneously began to sing a melody that fit with it.

[Christina Bass]

Although many of the clients I work with are familiar are with American traditional and pop songs, I have found the music culture of Colorado Springs very diverse and interesting. A couple of my client’s families have a strong Christian faith and the children are most familiar with the Christian Rock they hear at church and listen to on the radio. There is also a strong country influence, both old and current, there is an elderly woman at one of the facilities my company works with that used to sing on a local country radio station with her family when she was younger, and I have a couple younger clients (ages 7-9) that love many of the older country songs. There are many bilingual families, primarily Spanish/English, and many engage in the traditional music of their culture. Colorado also has folk, bluegrass, and Celtic music with many events and festivals.

[Christina Bass]

I found the breakdown of each developmental stage in each domain and understanding that each individual will have a unique response the most valuable. I have gone over them in the past, but this more in depth review I found extremely helpful. Being knowledgeable about each stage will be extremely important to help guide parents while providing the best treatment for each individual. I also found the encouragement to picture having an infant with us extremely helpful in developing a better understanding.

[Christina Bass]

Hello everyone! My name is Christie Bass, I am a MT-BC in Colorado Springs, CO. I earned my bachelor’s from Colorado State in December after completing my internship at Osawatomie State Hospital in Osawatomie, KS. I am currently working as an independent contract music therapist for the company Moved by Music, LLC. We provide individual in-home services as well as some groups at various locations. Before my internship, I worked as an educational assistant for children diagnosed with autism in the early childhood program in Colorado Springs School District 11. I began to discover my passion for working with young children. I am currently working with few young children (ages 4-7) in my caseload and I’m looking forward to learning more about working with these children with a developmental approach!

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