[Flora Whitmore]

I have been (and have continued) to spread the word through speaking to families at my local coffee shop (I work there part time and it’s a great networking tool!) I also have been talking up SM to all my parent friends and been utilizing some of the songs with my newest client’s family and spoken to other clinicians and mental health professionals (my partner is a social work and his colleagues work with young children and their families.) I spend a lot of time at my local library and know many of the librarians well and am hoping to try and pitch the library as another location for classes.

[Flora Whitmore]

This training has really expanded how I approach and understand my work with younger clients. I am really excited to have new songs and techniques to add to my toolkit with this age group. I will continue to use the skills acquired in this course to help me explore new directions with interventions and apply the principals I have learned within my work with the practice I am part of. I am ALSO so excited to use these songs with my families when we start offering SM3 in my town this October!! I had the opportunity to sit in on some demo class with my colleague who has already undergone the training and it was so cool to see the songs in practice and to observe the responses. I think this is going to be hugely enriching and I’m grateful for the professional development aspect, and just for the insight Elizabeth and Meredith have provided!

[Flora Whitmore]

I’m really looking forward to getting to know my community! I don’t actually work very often directly in the area that I live in/ where we will be offering SM1. I have had some initial contact with some parents and they are so enthusiastic and excited. My school based work is with much older kids. I am excited to expand my skill set and practice new songs. New repertoire is always a plus. I am looking forward to trying the songs out with real live babies and toddlers!

[Flora Whitmore]

I have had a few different situations where I had a child choose to remove themselves from the circle for a number of reasons. In one of the instances, my co therapist and I engaged her by asking her for a suggestion during an animal song. We also provided an opportunity for (sung) “if you’re sitting and you know it, strum the guitar” (we knew that guitar was a very high preference instrument for her and she came back, in order to participate.)
Another kiddo chose to remove himself from the circle (his 1:1 had reported he was having a hard time) and I approached him during a pre-recorded scarf song and found a way to engage him (he didn’t get the color scarf he wanted and we used the opportunity to practice peer interaction and ask if a peer wanted to trade.)
In other groups, I had a client toss an instrument (she had a pre diagnosed TBI and we engaged in a discussion with her caregivers about further strategies for the next sessions in order to reduce this behavior.)

[Flora Whitmore]

Oh man- keeping everyone engaged and managing energy level are my two big ones. You have to stay on your toes and be watching the responses. I really love when there are sibling pairs and the older kids are helping and supporting their siblings, but I have also had times where there was a huge divide- two six year olds and a ton of babies, and man, that was difficult. Instrument songs and a few familiar songs tossed in have been successful, so the parents could choose their engagement level without feeling too stressed about what their kids could contribute, while keeping the older kids interested too. Having the older children in leadership roles was helpful too- collecting or passing out instruments etc. or making choices that the younger kids could still be involved in, for ex: “should we move faster or slower now?”

[Flora Whitmore]

Music for development is music making that presents opportunities for children to participate in musical activities which incorporate enrichment opportunities needed for growing and learning and hitting milestones. It’s creating a musical environment where those skills can be fostered naturally through specific types of activities but it is neither charting or requiring a specific response.

Music for skill building is where I would say the therapeutic aspect comes in- setting goals to reach targets to help a child develop a specific skills. There are specific interventions, and as Beth said, assessment and treatment plan and a different timeline.

[Flora Whitmore]

Sprouting Melodies 3
Independence Exploration Individuality Creativity Give & Take

Family Sprouts
Multi-generational Teamwork Engagement Connection Enjoyment

SM3 Plan
Gathering: Come on in (A song from my internship) into Hello Everybody
Bonding: Hold on Tight
Songs about me: My eyes are on my face!
Instrument song: you play a little
Movement song: Jumping up and Jumping down
Closing: thank you very much into Time to go

Family Sprouts

Gathering: Come and join the circle into I’m Glad You’re Here Today
Bonding: My brand new friends
Songs about me: Watch me go
Movement song: dancing in the middle
CLosing: thank you very much into Music Time is Over

[Flora Whitmore]

I feel like it really depends on the kids but when working in groups, I *always* take cues from both how the parents are moving and reacting to their children and the body language of the kids. What is the facial affect of a kid? How are they responding to things like their parents bringing them into the room/ trips the bathoom, the sounds of other kids, doors shutting, cars honking etc.
I also have learned to approach kids on their level- squatting or crouching and keep my body movements slow, and gradual and my voice low and gradual. I also try and take in how the children are reacting to seeing instruments. Beeline to guitar? Backing away? I always let kids initiate exploration and follow the lead of how the parent responds to the choices their kids make, and build the musical interaction with those things in mind, decreasing or increasing volume/speed etc depending on response. I think the key to not overstimulating the clients is 1. being very tuned in 2. realizing that, since you are not PSYCHIC, even if you can read kids and parents well, there may be unexpected responses and you just have to be flexible and receptive and employ your understanding of the developmental stages, keep eyes out for red flags and adapt. Flexibility is really really key.

[Flora Whitmore]

Playfulness- Exploration-Bonding- Independence- Gentle Surprises

Sprouting Melodies 2 gives children ages 6-18 months the opportunity to continue to explore their environment through developmentally appropriate music making activities. Songs at this level will help your child continue to build their communication skills and motor planning. All of our activities are built to help your child develop their independence, explore their environment, use their voices, move their bodies, explore instruments and begin to interact with their peers. Parents and caregivers are welcome and encouraged to join in, move and sing along and practice these songs at home and when they are out and about with their children!

Gathering/Greeting “hello everybody”/It’s so great to make music”- I think this might be a music together melody but I also sang something like this in school as a child
Bonding: Wiggly Jiggly Car
Motor:Slippery Fish (this is a fun one with hand over hand, because it has the words “OH NO!” and is great for suspense and uses the sign language words for water and eat. And also has the words “Gulp GUlp GUlp” which you can lightly bounce the kiddo or make the sound with the glottal stop, which looks hilarious and people cannot make that sound without a funny face.
Instrument: Sit With Me and Shake
Goodbye: Bye Bye Butterfly/ Shalom Chavarim / “Goodbye my friends” (one I learned from my practice owner.)

[Flora Whitmore]

I use lollipop drums with this age, but NOT the mallets. Because the mallets are rainbow colored and look like candy and go right into mouths! scarves, beanbags, big gathering drum (remo) bongos and small nesting frame drums and small maracas and brightly colored jingle bells. (The velcro kind is pretty awesome.) Wood blocks (the cylindrical ones.) and soft hand puppets.

[Flora Whitmore]

Bonding, Nurturing, Discovery, Joy, Trust

Sprouting Melodies is a unique opportunity to foster growth and enrich your baby’s development through musical discovery. We provide an opportunity for meaningful bonding experiences through movement, melody and song. Take chances with your child and watch her explore her environment, turning towards music she enjoys. Watch as she develops her ability to explore, engage and interact through the music! Don’t be afraid to sing along, move your body and even bring these songs home to use in your day-to-day routine.

Group Plan:
Vamp on guitar (quiet music in the key of the greeting song)
hello song: “Good Morning” from the videos or “Hello Bluebird” (I think this is an elizabeth mitchell song and has a gentle swinging melody
Bonding Song: Wiggly Jiggly Car or Trot Trot to Boston
Self Song: Where is My Face?
Instrument Song: Ants Go Marching/ I like this song
Movement Song: So Great to Make Music (a standard movement song from our Practice owner. Not sure where she got it from)
Cool Down: All The Pretty Little Horses/ You Are My Sunshine
Goodbye: Bye Bye Butterfly (a cute, jazzy rhyming goodbye song with animals. “bye bye butterfly, toodaloo kangaroo”)

[Flora Whitmore]

I actually have not had a great deal of experience with this age group, as a music therapist. My work has mostly been within ages 4-19. I have been around a lot of babies, and of course sang and played instrument, (I have younger nieces and nephews) but I don’t see them very often. However, I am currently working with a preschool client who is autistic, and he presents with some developmental delays, which land him in this age range for several domains. I have used a lot of the information I am learning in this course to develop appropriate interventions for him. A lot of our work revolves around building a bond, trust and exploring instruments together. In the past few weeks, as we have started to build this bond, his babbling has increased and become more musical and purposeful, his upsets over lower preference tasks has decreased, appropriate eye contact has increased and the types of songs suggested and discussed in these modules have been crucial to productivity in sessions!

[Flora Whitmore]

I think the role of music therapy in community based settings is to bring awareness and bring people/ families together. I like to think about what group music making, and a shared goal does to bring people together, and how music has such an ability to break down barriers and facilitate communication and interconnectedness. I think in a community, a music therapist may be less in the role of a strict clinician and more of a highly informed facilitator. The role is crucial and delicate in a community setting. As music therapists, I feel we are in the unique position of being able to provide a great deal of information, support and guidance, but also have the risk of scaring people away if our approach is too clinical or narrow. It’s a very delicate balancing act, but if done correctly, can really educate, build awareness and be something very cohesive and healthy for all involved.

[Flora Whitmore]

In our community, the needs are very complex. The three counties I serve are kind of diverse in their socioeconomic status- one is very poor and relies on a lot of support from the state- this means they do not have the access to music therapy services unless their children have a formal diagnosis and their school contracts a music therapist. Another has a drastic split of both very affluent families with children in need of continuous medical care and therefore miss out on a great deal of socializing and community involvement and very poor families who cannot afford childcare or child enrichment opportunities. The third has a great deal of immigrants and refugees and while they have some funding for programming, it is very limited and most music therapy services in this county rely on grant funding. All of these counties and communities are very curious and excited about early intervention and early childhood music therapy. Parents have a lot of questions, a lot of fear and a great deal of interest and relief when they hear about options for enrichment and support for their children. The struggle is still finding funding. However, as Sprouting Melodies is separate from clinical services, this has been appealing to a lot of families who desperately want music therapy for their musically motivated children and would not normally have access to it. The parents who do have the means, are very excited at the prospect of enriching their children and connecting with other parents. Because I work in such rural areas, there is a lot of isolation. In many families, both parents or caregivers work, and stay at home parents are very isolated. Offering this program in my neck of the woods will be an exciting avenue for helping them enrich their children and help get them ready for school and for interacting with their peers. It’s also a great opportunity for their parents to network and feel supported, informed and encouraged and armed with knowledge that will carry them forward once the classes are finished.

[Flora Whitmore]

I think one of the biggest things music therapists bring to the table with parents who are seeking enriching experiences for their children is the voice of experience and knowledge around how to address their children’s specific developmental needs through music making. A lot of the parents I have spoken to have been very excited that music is the vehicle for the delivery of these skills for their children, but appear even more reassured and engaged when able to see that there is theory and practice and education behind the music. Our ability to take music and tailor it specifically to the developmental needs of children is what sets us apart. Any teacher can pop in a CD of children’s songs, but it takes a music therapist to develop songs with melodic structure, rhythm, movement and expectations that are engaging, realistic and appealing to a child, while also meeting them in the development stage that they are in.

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