[Dina Breaux]

Because I plan to transition back into music therapy by volunteering at a local music therapy clinic, my goal is to do presentations and sample classes for interested parents with their children. I am working on a website that will include an opportunity for interested families to sign up for an email newsletter. There are also a few independent bookstores and my local library that have large meeting spaces that will work well for presenting the Sprouting Melodies program and for sharing the benefits of music therapy in general. These are just a few ideas I have in mind, but will continue to network with my music therapy colleagues as I explore more opportunities to share the benefits of our profession.

[Dina Breaux]

I also believe it will enhance my knowledge base as a music therapist. It has been awhile since I have practiced in the field so my plan is to volunteer at a local music therapy clinic to regain my skill set and hopefully bring a new program to an established agency. The majority of my previous clinical work was 1:1 sessions with children with autism. My hope is that the training I’ve received through Sprouting Melodies will not only give me the tools to effectively work in a group setting, but also help to identify developmental milestones, thus informing my goal planning for future clients.

[Dina Breaux]

Honestly, I have been wrestling with this question since this training began! I have not been a practicing music therapist since 2010, due to my time spent caring for both my ailing father and father-in-law during their end-of-life journeys. Sadly, my father-in-law passed away in 2013 and my father last December. After the privilege of caring for those two wonderful men, my daughter gave birth to my first grandchild last July and I helped care for her that first amazing year. It was truly a magical time that I enjoyed with my beautiful granddaughter and will be forever grateful I was there for my daughter.
But as a result of being away from the profession so long, I had forgotten most my music therapy skills. During much of the time I spent with my father, father-in-law and granddaughter, I did call on my MT training, but it wasn’t the same as when I worked with clients. This has become apparent to me as I’ve spent time at my granddaughter’s daycare, trying to remember the little tricks I once had up my sleeve to keep kids engaged. It’s not as easy as I remember! ha ha ha
For this reason I plan to volunteer with a local music therapy clinic owned by a colleague of mine. It will hopefully be the transition I need to gain my confidence and dust off my MT chops. The support out there in our profession is what has encouraged me to keep going so I look forward to giving back with my time and energy. I feel truly blessed to be a music therapist!

[Dina Breaux]

The strategies I have recently used come from the training in this course. Using the phrase “trade” has been one of the most successful ones I utilize when it comes to sharing instruments. The daycare group I work with loves to play the instruments, but struggles with sharing them. After a great deal of repetition using the chant, “Let’s trade instruments and have more fun,” they are now able to trade their favorite drum for a colorful egg shaker without tears or tantrums. This has allowed every child to be successful with the social skills of sharing and turn-taking.
I have also modified my sessions by limiting them to 30 minutes because the children would begin to fight over instruments and wander away from the music area towards the end of the class. I took out the movement song (incorporating movement into the instrument song) and combined the clean-up and goodbye songs. This modification has been successful in keeping their attention throughout the session and the transition of putting away the instruments and singing goodbye a tantrum-free experience.

[Dina Breaux]

I think what I am most excited about when I think of becoming a Sprouting Melodies provider is having a strong support system as I ease my way back into a new music therapy practice. It’s been a few years since I have worked as a music therapist and feel “out of the loop” and a little nervous about jumping into my own business. The community support through Sprouting Melodies looks to be a great resource for information and encouragement so I plan to use it a great deal!

Of course, I am really looking forward to working with small children and their parents! My hope is that I will be able to successfully facilitate the bonding experience between parent and child using music in a joyful, fun and safe environment. It’s something I would have loved when I was a new mom because parenting was a sometimes overwhelming job and often times I wondered if I was doing it wrong. My experience as a mom, educator and therapist will hopefully allow me to share my knowledge of child development to new, inexperienced parents in the hopes of alleviating their concerns, and giving them the tools to identify and nurture their child’s developmental stages. Honestly, if I can help even one parent feel empowered and confident with their ability to parent, it will be an amazing and rewarding success!

[Dina Breaux]

I agree, Gina, this was a question that took me some time to think about and consider. They almost seemed to be one and the same. I believe music for development, in an early childhood music setting, can guide and nurture children as they reach developmental miletones. In this safe and supportive environment, it allows for creative, fun opportunities for children to explore their world and their place in it. Music for skill building, on the other hand, gives children opportunities to absorb and practice these new abilities, which will inevitably boost their confidence and guide them towards reaching their next developmental milestone.

[Dina Breaux]

Lauren, I love Beth’s songs, too! Last week I improvised a melody while putting instruments away and wished I had recorded it because I couldn’t remember it later. It would great to have a copy of Meredith’s songs, too! hint hint 🙂

[Dina Breaux]

Thank you so much, Erika and Kristina! Those are wonderful ideas and I will begin to incorporate them into my sessions.

[Dina Breaux]

I believe the biggest challenge for multi-age groupings is finding and/or creating music that appeals to and is appropriate for all ages. A song that is calming and soothing for a baby at the awareness or trust stages might not be enough stimulation for a 2 year old at the independent and control stages. Likewise, music that is geared toward 2 to 3 year old’s might cause sensory overload for a child of 6 months. Finding a balance will be the sometimes formidable task for the creative music therapist, but will give children at various developmental stages and their parents fun and engaging opportunities to share in the music making process.

[Dina Breaux]

5 Words for Family Sprouts:
Togetherness
Family
Engaging
Exploration
Friendship

5 words for SM 3:
Friends
Cooperation
Fun
Purposeful
Playful

Session Plan for Family Sprouts:

Quiet, calming instrumental CD playing as families enter the room

Greeting/Gathering Song: Come and Join the Circle

Bonding Song: Wiggly Jiggly

Song About Me: That All Makes Up Me

Instrument Song: I Like This Song

Movement Song: Come With Me

Goodbye: Na Na Song or Goodbye Everybody

Quiet, calming instrumental CD playing as families exit the room

Session Plan for SM3:

Gathering/Greeting: Good Morning

Bonding Songs: Wiggly Jiggly

Songs About Me: That All Makes Up Me

Instrument Song: I Like This Song

Movement Song: Jumping Up and Down

Cool Down: Left Foot, Left Foot, Right Foot Right

Goodbye: Na Na Song or Thank You Very Much

[Dina Breaux]

Thanks, Megan! Yes, I do use the song Music Time is Over as the very last thing we do, putting the instruments away while I sing. The children are beginning to respond appropriately, but it’s so sweet because they help put them away and immediately take them back out again! They’re so darn cute! I know that when I have groups with parents involved, it will be easier to transition.

[Dina Breaux]

When there is enough stimulation during a group music environment, children and parents are engaged as indicated by their singing and playing during songs. Children will remain in or around the circle, attempting to follow musical cues and playing along with instruments. If there is too much stimulation, they will stop attending to the songs, losing interest and moving away from the group. I have found that the balance between enough stimulation and too much is a delicate one at times. Last week, I noticed that the kiddos were over stimulated when I went from an instrument song to a high energy movement song. It was too much and they lost interest, one of them wandering away from the circle and another randomly throwing egg shakers into the drum! I slowed down the movement song, stopping and starting to grab their attention, then transitioning to a book (5 Little Pumpkins). They sat right down to read the book, watching and attempting to imitate the fingerplay. It was a lesson well learned so I plan on balancing high energy songs with calming, soothing ones.

[Dina Breaux]

This questions goes out to everyone:

Any ideas or songs to put instruments away? I have been using Music Time is Over to put away the instruments and as a final, closing song, but the kids still protest and do not want to let go of those drums and shakers! ha ha ha! It’s so sweet, but I need a gentle way to encourage them to let the instruments go. Thank you in advance!

[Dina Breaux]

Here is my SM1 session plan with songs included:

Quiet instrumental CD playing as families enter, with instruments set out in what will be the center of our circle

Welcome/Gathering (Good Morning To You)

Bonding/Lap/Tickles (Wiggly, Jiggly)

Songs About Me(That All Makes Up Me)

Instrument Song (I Like This Song)

Movement Song (Can You Follow?)

Goodbye (Na, Na, Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye) to each child and then the entire group

As families leave, turn on the quiet instrumental music.

I have used all these songs in my sessions with my granddaughter’s daycare group and they love them!

[Dina Breaux]

These are the instruments I currently have in my personal inventory and that I use with the daycare: full sized guitar(Yamaha); egg shakers (LP); and a hand drum with mallet (Remo drum and lollipop mallet). I definitely (desperately) need to buy more so I’m saving my money!

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