[Daniel Henry]

I feel that the needs of families really vary a lot from one family to the next. Some needs that I have noticed and do my best to meet in my music therapy sessions are:
-A need for community. I think that having the support of a community, especially one with other families who are in similar life stages/ situations, can be a great help for families.
-A need for expression and an outlet for their child.
-A need for affirmation. I am not a parent, but speaking to parents I think it can be a real comfort to hear encouragement and affirmation. I think in MT we can provide moments of affirmation along with tools to help them feel prepared.
-Tools for in the home. Music is a powerful tool and as MT professionals we can provide families with strategies and tools that can be of great help after the session has ended.
-A need for connection with their child. Music provides a lovely shared experience that families get to have together.

I’m sure there are plenty more, but those are some that came to mind for me.

[Daniel Henry]

– Sprouting Melodies/ Music therapy provides:
– Fun for their child!
– Tools for healthy development for the child and parents
– Opportunity for bonding
– Opportunity for socialization with other children
– Opportunity for socialization with other parents
Parent’s can trust the leadership of music therapist. They’re not just paying for a music class, but they are paying to have a skilled professional work with and observe their child and give them tools to continue that work at home.The music therapist is equipped to see the needs of a child and also to develop goals and strategies that are going to best meet that child’s needs.

[Daniel Henry]

One example that comes to mind is using movement. I use a song called “My head, my hands, my knees, my feet” with a group of children who are all at different levels of development. Here I have them follow along to the music touching and identifying various parts of their body and changing up the tempo to keep them engaged and having fun. With this activity I can get a good sense of where the each child might be in terms of their development and not only see examples of movement, but also listening and singing. This section of the course will be a big help in further meeting these clients needs.

[Daniel Henry]

Singing:

– Awareness: vocalizes and imitates pitch.
– Trust: vocalizing in pitch and matches sung pitches 1/2 of the time.
– Independence: vocalizations become more melodic and can use some words in musical context.
– Control: sings independently and follows melodic contour of familiar songs. Engages in spontaneous singing as well as standard songs.
– Responsibility: able to control pitch, volume, and meter and enjoys playing with these elements. Sings independently.

Playing:

– Awareness: Beginning to explore instruments in variety of ways (mouthing, touching, etc).
– Trust: uses meter/pulse very briefly. Can grasp instruments and possibly shake.
– Independence: purposeful exploration of various instruments. Imitation of simple rhythms and pulses.
– Control: able to follow starts/stops within the music and control intensity and meter of play. Can take turns playing an instrument with other children.
– Responsibility: can maintain a consistent beat, can play along with peers, and can create rhythms of their own.

Moving

– Awareness: reaches toward music, looks toward musical source, and makes instinctual rhythmic movements.
– Trust: makes repetitive movements in response to music, reaches out to play or grab instruments, and explores instruments through mouthing.
– Independence: matches intensity and tempo of movements, uses whole body rhythmically and can isolate body parts rhythmically.
– Control: Dances spontaneously to music. Has a fast internal rhythm and can imitate learned movements to music.
– Responsibility: uses musical movements in sequence (i.e. clap your hands, stomp your feet, turn around, sit down).

Listening

– Awareness: Has different responses to sedative and play music and prefers consonance over dissonance. Can recognize changes in vocal timbre and prefers caregivers voice.
– Trust: focuses inwardly in response to lullabies and outwardly in response to play songs. Can recognize familiar melodies.
– Independence: Enjoys crescendos and musical surprises. Begins to match intensity of their movement to that of the music.
– Control: Will stop action to listen to music. Imitates words of songs and can follow “Call and response” songs.
– Responsibility: Listens to the music of others and can follow directions given by the therapist.

[Daniel Henry]

Tough question! I feel that it varies so much in a city like Boston, where there are so many cultures packed together. There are groups that really enjoy the great american composers like Gershwin or Berlin, some enjoy traditional Irish tunes, and others that really love Spanish music or rock and roll. I think a challenge that I have working with varying populations is just learning all the music, but it’s also a great joy because it allows me to be exposed to music that I may not otherwise seek out.

[Daniel Henry]

I don’t yet work with any children in this age group, but I loved learning of the different levels of musical development and how to really use musical interventions to assist development and growth for children as well as to recognize how they interact with music. I really enjoyed hearing the different ways Meredith and Beth help parents understand these levels, and how their child is engaging appropriately for their developmental age.

[Daniel Henry]

I don’t have much experience in working with children, but I do enjoy the groups I have led and observed in the past. Having this information gives me more insight into each child’s strengths and needs developmentally and I think that this information will be vital to creating goals and objectives for the children I do work with and those I will work with in the future. I also enjoyed when Elizabeth spoke of jumping with similar commitment to a child and how, as adults, we can loose that sense of really exploring our environment and bodies. I think that’s an important insight to keep in mind when going into a session. To try, as a clinician, to meet the clients where they are as well as understand their perspectives in order to better meet their needs.

[Daniel Henry]

Hello All!
My name is Adam Henry and I’m a MT-BC in Boston, MA. I graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2014 and currently work for Roman Music Therapy Services. Most of my professional experience is in working with the geriatric population,specifically those with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. I currently work with a variety of populations and personally love working with children. I’m taking this course in order to expand my knowledge and gain the tools and resources to help children reach their full potential. I love how music allows us to connect with children and I’m excited to do more of that.

[Author]

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