[Claudia Eliaza]

5 words: Bonding, Slower Pace, Cuddling, Touch

Things to say to parents: 1. Take a moment to breathe, center yourself and be present. This is a time for you and your baby, so forget about the dishes and other things that might be on your mind. 2. Touch is love manifested – so be sure to spread that love to your baby. 3. You’re voice is your child’s favorite voice – so remember to sing to them here in class, at home, and anywhere else! 4. Remember that you can sing with energy and presence even if you’re singing quietly. 5. Your babies mind is being filled with incredible music, and all sorts of information each week; even at this young age!

Lesson Plan:
Greeting: Good Morning (Afternoon) Song
Bonding: Trot Trot Trot to Boston
Song About Me: Just Like Me
Instrument:I do a 1-4-5 progression tune to shaking tiny egg shaker maracas
Movement:Open and Shut Them
Goodbye: A song that requires some good vocal presence and claps (We Gotta Go)

[Claudia Eliaza]

I have been using songs from my Haitian culture in the classrooms and at workshops for kids I work with. I love introducing them to new sounds, rhythms, instruments, and languages they might not have heard of. These songs have been a great way to tell stories, talk about culture, diversity, unity, teamwork and other developmentally appropriate themes.

[Claudia Eliaza]

As a music teacher for babies through pre-K, I bring a level joy and fun to my groups. I encourage a lot of exploration, imagination and creativity into my groups. Now that I have a better grip on these developmental milestones, I feel much more comfortable sharing this information with my parents, teachers, and caregivers.

[Claudia Eliaza]

My apologies… I posted my most valuable takeaway in the reflection section. Here’s what I wrote:
For a person like me who is not a parent, understanding these milestones that happen at various stages of development is key. This weeks videos and slides helped me to better understand this. It will also help me create more effective musical interventions for my families and kids. As I watched the videos and learned about the birth-3, 3-6mos, 6-9mos, etc, I instinctively began writing songs and creating sort of mock goals and objectives that I might have for some of my classes along. Another thing that I’m looking forward to is proving more education to parents/caretakers about what is happening to the child in music. I find parents are hungry for this kind of knowledge. I have physically seen some parents shrink in posture and in disposition when their child finally gains the independence to freely roam about the room. It’s almost as though some adults use the child as their own personal prop and when that prop gets up and walks (or crawls) away, they’re left feeling uncomfortable and will sometimes even chase down the child out of their own discomfort. But after reading about 24-36 month year olds, I learned that the emotional/social elements of these children really shift and they yearn for a greater sense of independence. This is a great educational moment for parents/character.

[Claudia Eliaza]

As music therapists we bring a tremendous wealth of knowledge and information to our families. I actually had a session today with a new family inquiring about MT. Recently the family noticed that their child was struggling academically in school. His delays were impacting his ability to learn in the classroom, and because of this he was beginning to dread going to school. Mom and dad see their sons love for music and decided that they wanted to explore music making for him.
He was quite shy, but as we engaged in the music, his level of trust was strengthened. He explored vocal play and even shared a song with me that he wrote. He left the session singing and skipping down the hallway. He even yelled, “See you next week”, before leaving the building. It was such a touching moment for the parents because they were looking for a space and environment where their son could just thrive and make music for the sake of making music!

My role as music therapist was extensive. I was there to support the family while being sensitive to their needs, I was also able to point out some of the educational moments that were happening throughout the session. I also found that my role today was to serve as a place of refuge for this family. They needed a landing pad, a win, a moment for their son to feel smart, creative, and appreciated. They didn’t want to focus on diagnosis or what their son “couldn’t” do. So I’m reminded of how cool a role we play in the lives of these beautiful families that we work with.

[Claudia Eliaza]

Elizabeth, thank you for these incredible songs! I really love the sort of folk music approach you have in your musical breakdowns and explanations. I appreciate you giving us permission to make these songs our own much like the folk music that is out there! I also was extremely inspired by your songwriting. These tunes were simple in melody yet sophisticated and incredibly interesting to the singing parent, teacher, or caregiver along with the child. I love the dynamical play and vocal lightness to what you shared. I am inspired to begin writing more of my own songs.

[Claudia Eliaza]

For me one of the most amazing stages in watching a child develop trust for me as his teacher. I am thinking specifically about a little boy that I worked with. He was about 2 years old or so, and often times he would come to music and just stare at me the entire time. Anytime I came over to give instruments to him and his mother, he’d hold onto her and try to shield himself from me. He seemed to be mesmerized by the music and the other kids in the class, but didn’t yet feel safe to fully interact with everyone. One day, while doing a large movement piece he found himself separated from his mom and roamed about the class. He was building his trust. A few weeks later he made his way over next to my guitar during a snuggle song. In reading about these developmental stages, I am now noticing that all the while he was building trust and becoming more independent.

[Claudia Eliaza]

For a person like me who is not a parent, understanding these milestones that happen at various stages of development is key. This weeks videos and slides helped me to better understand this. It will also help me create more effective musical interventions for my families and kids. As I watched the videos and learned about the birth-3, 3-6mos, 6-9mos, etc, I instinctively began writing songs and creating sort of mock goals and objectives that I might have for some of my classes along. Another thing that I’m looking forward to is proving more education to parents/caretakers about what is happening to the child in music. I find parents are hungry for this kind of knowledge. I have physically seen some parents shrink in posture and in disposition when their child finally gains the independence to freely roam about the room. It’s almost as though some adults use the child as their own personal prop and when that prop gets up and walks (or crawls) away, they’re left feeling uncomfortable and will sometimes even chase down the child out of their own discomfort. But after reading about 24-36 month year olds, I learned that the emotional/social elements of these children really shift and they yearn for a greater sense of independence. This is a great educational moment for parents/character.

[Author]

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