[Hally Batterman]

This was my second time taking the course and I loved it both times! I decided to take this updated version years later because I not only wanted a refresher for myself and my work, but I’m also trying to set up mommy and me type music classes at my current place of employment in the near future. After experiencing this training for a second time, I feel that I have really grasped the knowledge and the language that is necessary when communicating with families and caregivers. I understood it the first time around, but I don’t think it sunk in as much. I think this comes with more years of experience as an MT-BC. I really enjoyed getting a thorough education in early childhood development, especially as it pertains to music development. I can’t wait to start planning this future program and I am grateful to have made some wonderful connections here in this awesome field. I know I can come here for help if I need any extra guidance with the program in the future and I greatly appreciate that. I encouraged many of my co-workers to take this training, especially if they would like to facilitate those mommy and me groups in the future. I am hoping that they will eventually take the training because I feel like all MT-BC’s could benefit from this knowledge and it could easily be used in other populations.

[Hally Batterman]

I am most excited to be able to offer not only my music, but also my knowledge and expertise in child development to the families who are looking for these types of services. I am looking forward to facilitating a group in which families can relate to others and feel less alone in the scariness that can sometimes occur when having a child. I am also excited to take some of the music from this training and make it my own. Some of the music I have known for years thanks to Beth, but others are new to me and I always love learning new songs! It keeps things fresh and I am eager to try them in adapted ways with my current clients.

[Hally Batterman]

I have found that the way in which I sequence my music experiences plays a huge role in success within the group. Regulation is a major need that I tend to work on with my kiddos. Sometimes, movement experiences and experiences involving upbeat music can lead to overstimulation. However, it is important to provide those kiddos with the opportunity for growth amongst high energy situations. It’s my job to introduce those incredibly fun and exciting experiences, but also to find a way to bring them back down in a way that feels safe and appropriate so that they can be ready to transition to whatever comes next. I have always paid close attention to the order in which I sequence my music interventions. If we just did something involving A LOT of energy, then the next experience will gradually bring us back down or re-focus our minds to something new and different. This keeps the kiddos actively engaged, while also providing them with a space to organize their bodies.

[Hally Batterman]

I agree with Samantha that flexibility and adaptability are key when working with multi-age groupings. Luckily, we are trained right from the start of our education that we as therapists need to be flexible. I ran some multi-age groupings at my facility over the summer as part of a new summer camp that we started at the Music Academy. I was so nervous when I was told that the youngest in the group was to be 9 and the oldest in their mid-20’s. However, all participants were notified before agreeing to join the summer camp music group and the participants themselves felt it would be a great opportunity for them to act as “mentors” for the younger members. This is exactly what happened and it was truly beautiful to witness in the moment. The older members became role models for the younger ones and it created a space for support and encouragement amongst all group members.

I could easily see how this situation could translate to a Sprouting Melodies group. It would create the perfect space and opportunity for sharing, caring for one another, learning the concepts of kindness and empathy (which we often focused on in these types of groups when I used to work at a pre-school), etc.

[Hally Batterman]

I completely agree with what everyone said above and definitely resonate with the idea of “goals,” as pointed out by Samantha. We are trained through a rigorous educational program in how to recognize developmental milestones, but also how to address areas of need in terms of development. This allows us to create appropriate non-musical goals while using music as our means for change and growth. Our musicianship skills may look similar to other disciplines running early childhood music groups, however, we have backgrounds in psychology, as well as child development to create the most safe and nurturing environment for optimal growth.

[Hally Batterman]

5 words – Active, Strong, Emotions, Creative, Deliberate

Plan:

1. Gathering – Sit Down With Me
2. Bonding Song – My Brand New Friend
3. Songs About Me – Can You See Me
4. Instrument Song – You Play A Little
5. Movement Song – The Leaves Go Down
6. Good bye – Thank You Very Much

[Hally Batterman]

5 words – Support, Cooperation, Sharing, Connections, Joyful

Plan –

1. Gathering – Come On Let’s Make Some Music
2. Bonding/Lap song – Train Ride
3. Songs About Me – Who’s That?
4. Instrument Song – Dancing In The Middle
5. Movement Song – Will You Come?
6. Good bye – Thank You Very Much

[Hally Batterman]

5 words: Playful, Movement, Energy, Exploration, Surprise, Maybe even curiosity

5 sentences:
1. It’s okay that your child is standing and observing. I can see that he/she is engaged in the music and he/she is taking it all in.
2. We are all musical and I am here to give you the tools to show you that you can do this! Let’s jump on in!
3. Feel free to bring any of these songs home, even if it means humming it with your child and just see what happens!
4. It’s okay to let your child explore the instruments. He/she is still figuring out what he/she likes best!
5. Your child may want to turn around and face the other kiddos in the room and that’s okay! They want to explore what is going on around them at this stage.

Plan:
1. Gathering – Hey! Hey! Come and Play!
2. Bonding – Jingle Up, Jingle Down
3. Song about me – All of This Is Me
4. Instrument Song – I Like This Song
5. Movement song – I Can Move Around
6. Good bye – Music Time Is Over

[Hally Batterman]

I agree with Celia in how she shapes her sessions. I always tend to start slow in regards to the amount of stimulation and gradually increase to get to the peak of the session and then gradually decrease as we cool down. I always used to keep in mind that I would need to hand the pre-schoolers back over to their teacher at the end of music time, so it was best to get them to a more regulated state before passing them back to their classroom staff. I also like to start slower in a new group because it takes time to assess and understand the stimulation needs of each kiddo in the group. Everything in the beginning should be predictable and easy to anticipate, sustain, and release. This means the gestures must be crystal clear. As I develop a relationship with the group, I can then start adding in more complex musical elements and/or instruments.

[Hally Batterman]

My boss at the Music Academy provides the instruments for our facility, but all are safe and can be cleaned easily especially in this pandemic. We have a lot of instruments by Remo, plenty of tubanos for each room, cymbals, chime trees, egg shakers, maracas, various sizes of mallets, pentatonic xylophones for each room, frame drums, two giant drum kits, a piano in each room, desk bells, hand bells, q-chords, accordions, small hand-held percussion instruments, cabasas, etc. When working at the pre-school, I had a cart that I would wheel from classroom-to-classroom filled with instruments that I stored in our instrument closet. The main ones included the same maracas that could be seen in the video for this week, scarves, gathering drum, ocean drum, various small paddle drums, lollipop drums, frame drums, tambourines, etc. I always picked the things that could be easily cleaned due to the amount of germs lurking in the pre-school.

[Hally Batterman]

5 words – Gentle, Calm, Swaying, Touch, Joy

5 sentences –
1. Sprouting Melodies 1 is here to help foster the connection between you and your little one.
2. It is okay if your baby is asleep. You are here and you will be able to bring this music home to your baby.
3. I am going to speak in a softer voice to make sure you and your baby are comfortable as we progress through the Sprouting Melodies classes.
4. You may see your baby turn his/her head towards the sound source at this stage of development.
5. Your baby wants to hear your voice more than anyone at this stage of development.

Plan:
1. Instrument exploration/Time for families to get set up and chat with one another as they come in to the space
2. Gathering song – Good morning
3. Bonding song – Row It Faster
4. Song about me – Just Like Me
5. Instrument song – In My Little Hand
6. Movement song – As Big As Can Be
7. Cool down movement with scarves to Beth’s song, Growing Up Today
8. Good bye

[Hally Batterman]

I currently run individual sessions at my job at the Music Academy for Special Learners in NY. Many of them are there for “community music class.” This is a form of community music therapy that we consistently promote at ur facility. It gives our clients an opportunity to explore music in ways they might not have been able to in school/day programs. It is accessible to everyone and often ties into their lives outside of our music rooms. For example, I have helped some of my clients prepare for other music program recitals and school theater shows. It definitely creates a sense of community between the client and therapist, as well as the client’s family. Family is often involved in the music and community music therapy can help form connections between the families. This is also very true of Sprouting Melodies groups. As mentioned in the videos, many times, the caregivers are looking for connection between other caregivers in the same position as them. Community music truly brings people together. It also is a great way for music therapy to develop a bigger presence amongst the people so that we can continue to advocate for the field.

[Hally Batterman]

Most of my early childhood work was within a pre-school for children with disabilities. Most of my experiences were with children who were about 3-5 years old. However, I did run some music groups within that pre-school in the day care center of the school. Some of those children fell in the younger age range. I wish I had the knowledge from this training then when I was working in those day care classes because I feel I would’ve been more equipped to work with the kiddos while more organized in my thoughts. My heart has always been with the youngest ones and I’ve always had a dream of trying to work in the NICU. I didn’t realize that Sprouting Melodies actually had a designated group for infants post-NICU. I think that is such an incredible idea and I would love to try to start up a program like that in my current place of employment along with some of the other Sprouting Melodies groups.

[Hally Batterman]

Music therapists are unique in what we can bring to the table as educators when families have questions regarding their child’s development, as musicians with a trained ear who might pick up on vocalizations and other cues that others may not, as therapists who are trained in areas of psychology as well as the ideas of empathy and compassion, and of course as clinicians who are trained to help guide the children and their families in connecting through music. Typically, I’ve found that the families searching for these types of music experiences are craving connection with their children and usually WANT to grow in that sense. They may not always feel comfortable and secure in their child’s development, but they typically want to know more and are seeking knowledge. We are trained through our degree programs, but also through trainings such as this as well as a variety of other CMTE programs to be a solid source of knowledge for these families. I also take pride in knowing that I have developed an approachable personality and humanistic way of working with my clients. I feel that this is important when trying to incite families in to that “everybody stays, everybody plays” mindset.

[Hally Batterman]

I completely agree with your comments regarding virtual sessions. It can be so difficult to connect when working virtually, but I love how you use the platform as a way to bring everyone together including the families. I too do this and think it is extremely important especially during this pandemic. We need to feel connected in order to feel safe and secure in our lives.

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