[Daniel DeLucia]

My key takeaways from this course would be that it really helped solidify and deepen my knowledge of music, music therapy and development, and music and development. In particular, how much development happens within the span of 3 – 5 years for a young child as well as how they respond to music and how we approach each child in developmentally appropriate ways. This course helped me further my understanding of and better identify the musical responses I notice when working with young children, as well as other individuals who are chronologically older however may be developmentally delayed.

When considering my perspective on development and the approach with my work, I would say that this course really solidified the idea that musical development is development and that engaging in musical activities is just as equally important for young children (or anyone for that matter) as is other typically developing activities. One idea that I can think of upon completion of this course is that idea of really trusting in the music and utilizing the basic musical elements as a way to connect and continually engage with young children.

I will continue to share the information about the training as well as what I learned in the course through discussions with other music therapist’s, educators as well as parents within various settings and contexts.

[Daniel DeLucia]

As Maura has said, I also have seen success through using paired visual and musical/verbal cues. I find that pairing these together provides different mediums for each child to engage with as well as creates a space where children who have different abilities are able to understand the directions given. I think it also signals to the children that we understand and acknowledge them.
Another strategy that I have used within groups is providing a playful and fun temperament. I think this creates the space for children to feel motivated and create a feeling of excitement and anticipation when playing music or trying new experiences.
Lastly, within group settings, I found that to get other group members engaged, using the group member who is most engaged frequently as a model for the rest of the group, as well as act as a motivator. I found that it tends to better interpersonal interactions between the group members and facilitates group cohesion and a sense of community.

[Daniel DeLucia]

One thing that most excites me about taking the ideas and music from the training into the families and communities that I work with is not only having a better understanding about why what we do is important, but also giving music experiences that allow children to just be themselves and having peak experiences which are meaningful for them. Especially in Sprouting Melodies, some families might not have the time or energy to truly be and play with their child during the week, so allowing for that space to be provided for them I think is very significant. Also, in terms of the music, these songs that we’ve been looking at are playful but more importantly, have intention and meaning built into them.

[Daniel DeLucia]

Five words for SM3: Active, Social, experimentation, energetic, intentional

Session plan:

Today is a beautiful Day (hello song)

You Play A Little (instrument/Movement song)

I can move around (instrument song w/ egg shakers)

Swimming Together (bonding song)

The Leaves are Falling (scarves, cool down)

We Just Wanna Say Goodbye (Goodbye song)

[Daniel DeLucia]

Five words for Family Sprouts: Collaborative, Relationship, Bonding, Playful, Creative

Session plan:

Today is a beautiful Day (Hello song)
Hold on Tight (bonding song)
All night, All Day (instrument song)
Scarf song (Cool down song)
All of this is me (Songs about Me)
We Just Wanna Say Goodbye (Goodbye song)

[Daniel DeLucia]

One thing about music and music therapy that i typically would say to people who are asking how we are different from say music teaching or other music based learning programs is that what we do is using music in a way that address each individual child’s developmental needs. As MacKenzie said, yes there is an aspect of some learning of musical skills, however that is not the primary focus. The primary focus is specifically assessing, treating, acknowledging and improving upon each child’s abilities and needs in order to encourage development overall. it’s important to acknowledge that learning how to engage in music and play music are different than learning specific musical skills (playing piano, singing, violin, understanding sheet music, etc.).

[Daniel DeLucia]

I think one huge challenge about providing music therapy services to multi-age groupings is that each members developmental abilities and needs are not consistent across the whole group. This can be challenging when planning for session as interventions have to be tailored to each individual but also the group as a whole. You have to incorporate aspects which are challenging enough for younger students but also challenging enough for the older studnets in the group. Or, finding out how, if one of the goals is group cohesion, figuring out ways the older students can help encourage or support the younger students in the group.

[Daniel DeLucia]

Five words for SM2: Exploring, Surprises, spontaneous, self-awareness, curiosity.

Five sentences:
1. “This is a time to be playful and have fun!” 2. “Even if you’re child isn’t playing the instrument correctly, they’re still engaging in the music” 3. “Here in Sprouting Melodies, we really encourage engagement through repetition as this will help facilitate structure” 4. “It’s important to remember that music is a whole body experience so don’t be afraid to move and sing along with me!” 5. “It’s okay for your child to explore!”

Session plan:

Today it a Beautiful Day

Bonding song: Wiggly Jiggly Car

Instrument Song: In my little hand

Movement: Can you follow?

Songs about me: All of this is me

Goodbye song: Music Time is Over

[Daniel DeLucia]

At the main office where we host Sprouting Melodies classes, there is a variety of instruments that I would use if I was hosting a Sprouting Melodies class such as scarves, egg shakers, Remo frame drums, maracas, etc. Similar to Olivia, when I work within the NICU however, I usually use a nylon string guitar, occasionally some small percussion instruments, and my voice.

[Daniel DeLucia]

I think overstimulation depends upon the context and the individual. In my work with younger children with autism, I sometimes find that playing egg shakers with a group can cause one child in the group to cover their ears or hide their face in the paraprofessionals lap (if they’re in close proximity to them). I’ve also seen instances in which sometimes overstimulation can cause students (particularly non-verbal ones) to cover their ears and vocalize in a loud dynamic level.

[Daniel DeLucia]

Five words for Sprouting Melodies 1: playful, cuddling, bonding, awareness, gentle

Five sentences: 1.) We’re all hear to create a safe and supportive space for you and your child. 2.) You don’t have to be a musician to make music. 3.) Music can be used to promote awareness and bonding for you and your child. 4.) Now is a perfect time to simply forget about the responsibilities of the outside world and just be with your child. 5.) Notice your child’s responses to the music

Session plan:
Hello song: Good Morning

Songs about me: Just like me (can also be used as a warmup song but also helps facilitate awareness)

Bonding song: Hold on Tight

Instrument song: In my little hand

Movement song: Row Row Row your boat

Goodbye song: Music time is all done

[Daniel DeLucia]

I think music innately has a way of just instilling community all on its own. To make music, it does only require yourself but music also requires you to play with other people and create shared experiences. When discussing music therapy’s role within community based settings, I think it is able to be the role of creating shared experiences and is inviting, but it’s also unique engaging for individuals across all developmental levels and ages. It facilitates a unique two way relationship between the therapist and community members, or infant to family in ways that provide spaces for shared joy and meaning.

[Daniel DeLucia]

The most experience I have had when working with this population has been my work doing music therapy in the NICU in addition to the observing one Sprouting Melodies class. The age range for those babies are typically anywhere from 28 – 37 weeks old. typically when working with babies in the NICU, I would often play lullabies to help promote development, maintain regulation, promote sound integration and instill infant-parent bonding.
When observing the Sprouting Melodies class, one observation that I picked up one was how Awareness for them is so critical as each experience for them is so new (such as picking up a scarf and throwing it up in the air). Furthermore, in order to facilitate awareness within the groupm the therapist had maintained a very exaggerated affect as well as very clear structure and cues.

[Daniel DeLucia]

The needs of the families and communities that I work with (at least within the school district) more or less include finding a sense of belonging and support, especially among groups that are within pre-teen/teen age range or who are within transition programs and are transitioning into employment out in the community. With this one group that I work with in which the members are usually 12-14 years old, many of the experiences that I do with them are meant to address their developmental needs of forming identity and shared interpersonal relationships. Music experiences, in particular activities which involve song sharing and song writing, seem to uniquely address these needs as they promote autonomy and encourage them to lead the session and clinical process. </p>
<p>Families within the NICU however are slightly different. The needs are often revolved around bonding with their infant, a reassurance of steady transition out of the NICU. Based on my observations of an MT at the NICU I will be working in, music seemed to address these needs by reducing stress cues through gentle lullabies on the guitar as well as incorporating the parent’s names into the music experiences to facilitate bonding. </p>
<p>Within both of these contexts, the overall need is a promotion of steady and healthy development within different areas of a person’s life. Music, just by it’s intrinsic nature of being an phenomenon that humans find aesthetically pleasing as well as having innate connections that it can foster between others, addresses these developmental needs in ways that differ from other modalities.

[Daniel DeLucia]

How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?

As a therapist who is currently working within school based settings, I often use all four experiences with different children at different chronological ages and developmental levels. Usually, if I take a structured song that uses movement, I would typically scaffold the experience to have it be appropriate for that particular group of children at that specific developmental level. For example, if the movement experience was made for pre-schoolers and getting them simply to follow along to the movements, I would change it for elementary students and give them an opportunity to initiate their own movements or have the rest of the group imitate their own unique movement.

Have you made any changes in these areas since beginning this course?

Yes. This course so far has been helpful in getting me to be more aware and be more intentional with the specific choices I make within the music experiences for the different groups I work with. In addition, this course so far has made me adjust previous experiences that either may have been too difficult for different developmental age groups. For example, when working with two different pre-school aged groups I realized that skills involving the level of responsibility (such as sharing instruments) were challenging for children who were developmentally on more of the awareness/trust levels compared with more neuro-typical groups of children.

[Author]

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