[Christina Wensveen]

I use all four types of music experiences in my sessions. I have found that movement to music awakens the whole body and prepares a child to then go into the other types of music experiences. Especially with my students who have autism, kinaesthetic music activities seem to engage them like no other. I often try to incorporate listening and movement together, as this keeps elementary kids engaged and on task. I have also created artwork with clients using the melodic contour of a piece while listening. I use instruments with most groups and have found that children love choosing which one to play on a particular day. I am looking forward to learning about how to set up a session space for each age group with instruments.

[Christina Wensveen]

Singing:
Awareness- vocalizes with various pitches, Trust- vocalizes in tonality of song, Independence- use pitches to combine sounds together, Control- sings ups and downs in a melody Responsibility- sings from beginning to end and understands what a song is.

Playing Instruments:
Awareness- explores instruments and develops understanding, Trust- briefly begins playing for a duration of time, Independence- grabs mallets and plays instruments in their own way, Control- love to start/stop and watch you imitate them, Responsibiity- maintains a steady beat and can match beat of another group member

Moving:
Awareness- movements are spontaneous, Trust- repetitive movements synchronized to the music, Independence- aware of body parts and can first pat knees, stomp feet, Control- moves with leader, Responsibility- can use sequences in musical movements

Listening:
Awareness- reacts to varying timbres, Trust- smiles when familiar songs are played, Independence- responds to intensity of music with matching movements or facial expressions, Control- music captures their attention and they pause to listen, Responsibility- respect and understand the playing of others.

[Christina Wensveen]

Calgary is quite a multicultural city. There are so many summer festivals for the different cultures living in the city- i.e.: Latino fest, Afrikadey, Reggae fest.. I try to hit a new one each year! I find many of the older adults I work with have European backgrounds. I try to use songs they can connect with such as Edelweiss, Lilli Marlene. I have also used traditional First Nations music in my sessions with a variety of clients and we have spoken about how music marks life events in many cultures. And of course, country music is a big part of Calgary’s culture. So I have learned many tunes from Canadian cowboys like Wilf Carter, Ian Tyson and Gordon Lightfoot.

[Christina Wensveen]

I especially like the movement songs and believe they worked really well with my sessions. I find “Will you come?” a great song to teach new vocabulary like marching, hopping, running etc.. I think the middle section works well with the pause, and teaches counting and speaking in rhythm. I am going to work towards my client filling in the “1, 2, 3, 4, come and march some more!” as it fits in with her speech goals. After one week she has already begun singing, as the melody is so familiar.

[Christina Wensveen]

I am currently working with a preschool child with Williams Syndrome in her home. She is definitely in the control stage of development. She matches pitches well, and loves imitating words even though her speech is delayed. She also loves sudden changes in the music and the element of musical surprise. She has learned dance moves to a couple of songs and I think this helps provide meaning to the lyrics in the song. She also likes to control the session by singing her favourite songs spontaneously- even if we are working on a completely different song! I provide activity, instrument and song choices in the session for her, but also say “first we sing ___, then we sing ___” which has been working well.

[Christina Wensveen]

This week’s material really helped put me into a child’s ‘shoes’ by making me think about their perspective of the world. I am not yet a mother either, so I especially enjoyed the way the presenter spoke about babies/toddlers as their own person finding their own place in the world. What this will allow me to do in my work is to remember to have fun with the kids and to let them explore. So far this course has really reminded me create opportunities for children to discover their environment at their own pace. I think this will assist me in developing a positive relationship and environment with each of the little ones I work with. This is such an important part of our work- as it’s when a child feels comfortable they are able to take risks, learn and grow.

[Christina Wensveen]

The most valuable takeaway from this week’s content for me has been a review of the developmental milestones. I think this has given me a wonderful general understanding of a child’s development and will influence my expectations of what children are able to accomplish. I found milestones such as turn taking, using simple phrases and understanding same/different especially relevant to my work in early childhood ed. Knowing what age these milestones begin to develop will influence my session planning.

[Christina Wensveen]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Christina Wensveen and I am a graduate of the University of Windsor’s Bachelor of Music Therapy program. I live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada so instead of BC-MT, we have Music Therapist Accredited, MTA. I have been working as a music therapist for 5 years, and started my own private practice 2 years ago. I currently work in a school system, providing music therapy to children who receive funding for early intervention. I work on a lot of social, speech and behaviour goals and am so excited to add songs from other MT’s to my repertoire! I am also looking forward to learning about the developmental stages in childhood and how music therapy can be a part of what that. I thought this course would be way more fun than reading a textbook so I really looking forward to starting!

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