[Erika Svolos]

Hi Jordann,
Thank you for telling us about the songs you have used. It sounds like they are adding nicely to your work. Can you tell us a bit how you use the four music experiences: playing instruments, movement, singing, and listening?

[Erika Svolos]

I enjoyed reading how each of you are engaging with the songs and hearing your experiences.

[Erika Svolos]

Elizabeth also has shared a lot about the usefulness of acapella with young children.

[Erika Svolos]

I enjoyed reading each of your responses and to hear your takeaways this week. Remember to check back and read your fellow participants’ responses. We find that this helps to deepen the training material.

Elizabeth’s book was created to be a “desk reference” and is handy to have when reviewing development.

[Erika Svolos]

Hello everyone. My name is Erika Svolos. I am the online moderator for this training. I live in New Jersey with my husband, my almost 7.5 yo daughter, and our cat Moose. It is a joy to be a part of this fantastic program and to join in your Sprouting Melodies journey. I am a graduate of Marywood University, currently, a graduate student at Montclair State University, and have been a music therapist in New Jersey for over 20 years. Over that time, I have worked in a variety of settings including in-patient child/adolescent psychiatry, a private clinic for autism, a large urban public school system, private practice, a private special education high school for individuals with emotional and behavioral disorders, and a private Orthodox Jewish special education school. In August 2013 I started my own business/private practice; Music Therapy Services of New Jersey, LLC. I completed the April 2013 Sprouting Melodies online training and it was a wonderful addition to my practice. I began offering Sprouting Melodies classes in February of 2014 and I’ve truly enjoyed working with my SM families. I have been moderating the Sprouting Melodies Online Training for the past 7.5 years.

I will be assisting with any questions and/or technical difficulties.
You will be receiving an email with information about the online forum technology and my contact information. If you do not receive the email, please contact me at erika.svolosmtbc@gmail.com.
I am looking forward to getting to know each of you over the next ten weeks!

[Erika Svolos]

It has been a pleasure being with you all during this training! It is wonderful to hear all that you have taken away from the material. I wish you all the best as you continue on in your work.

[Erika Svolos]

Beautifully said…Thank you Jasmine.

[Erika Svolos]

It is wonderful to hear all that you have gained from this training and how it will support you as you move on in your work.

[Erika Svolos]

Thank you all for your insights. Remember to save these responses as you move on in your work. These are helpful things to help you as you facilitate group experiences.

[Erika Svolos]

Great insights! As many of you point out, the challenge of stimulating older ages while not over-stimulating young ages is an important consideration in multi-age groups. It is a wonderful time to support our more independent children by including them in leadership and demonstrating how we share with other children of any age. I always found collaboration to be the most helpful tool with these challenges. I found including and demonstrating collaboration within our music experiences had a lasting effect on how the children interacting with each other and also showed parents how to handle these challenges at home.

[Erika Svolos]

Thank you all for your insights. This is great to remember as you advocate for your services.

[Erika Svolos]

Thank you all for your insights!

[Erika Svolos]

Great submissions! Don’t forget to save these to bring back to your work.

[Erika Svolos]

I really enjoyed hearing about your experiences. It is wonderful to see all of the work you are doing and how this material is informing your work.

[Erika Svolos]

Hi Jasmine,

Thank you so much for your insightful response and for sharing with us the perspectives from your culture. It sounds like you have a good understanding of your community’s needs and how you can be a support for those needs.

[Author]

Posts