[Hally Batterman]

I agree with a lot of what has been mentioned already. I am especially passionate about understanding the child’s development and being able to successfully communicate with those involved (whether it be parents, teachers, other treatment team members, etc). In order for the children to be successful, we must first understand what they can and cannot do at each point in time based on their developmental level. It is so important to be able to articulate with the caregivers about exactly what is going on and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Providing choices for the children is also a major key to this work. It gives them a sense of ownership and leadership that I feel is necessary with this population.

[Hally Batterman]

I am very interested in becoming a provider! I would love to combine both my knowledge and experiences from Beth at my internship with the information I’ve gained from this training to hopefully offer SM classes at my job at the Music Academy for Special Learners in Long Island. I’ve mentioned the idea to my bosses at the Academy recently and told them that I am currently doing the training and they were very excited at the possibility!

[Hally Batterman]

I too would love to listen to the call!

[Hally Batterman]

5 words for Family Sprouts: Supportive, Shared, Joyful, Connection, Inclusive

Plan for Family Sprouts: Gathering – Come and Join Me in the Circle, Bonding – Hold On Tight, Songs About Me – All of This is Me, Instrument Song – I Like This Song (with a variety of instruments to choose from), Movement Song – I can move around, Good bye – It’s Time To Say Good Bye

5 words for SM 3: Active, Intentional, Deliberate, Personality, Strong

Plan for SM 3: Gathering – Sit Down With Me, Bonding – Swimming Together, Songs About Me – Where Is The Music, Instrument Song – You Play A Little (with a tambourine), Movement Song – The Leaves Go Down (with scarves), Good bye – Music Time Is Over

[Hally Batterman]

The biggest challenge when providing music to a variety of age groups would be the trying to find a way to properly engage EVERYONE in the group. The group may be full of children of different ages or developmental levels or both. This can become difficult when trying to find a way to sustain engagement in the older children while trying to not overwhelm the younger children. If there is an appropriate balance in the music experiences, it can be extremely beneficial for all involved in that it provides a space for connection, support, and inclusivity. The older children get gain a sense of pride and leadership in helping the younger ones and the younger ones can learn to bond with peers.

[Hally Batterman]

I love how someone mentioned that it is our job to set them up for success. We are here to provide experiences that will saturate them in music. The more they are exposed to the experiences, the more they will be able to grasp music skills. I also agree that trying to teach a young child music skills before properly exposing them to music in a developmentally appropriate manner, it can cause the child to become overwhelmed or turn away from the music. They need to learn how to explore, play, trust, own, and eventually create within the music before they can master music skills.

[Hally Batterman]

I have found this question to be quite challenging in my practice as a new professional. I feel that quite often, it can be a student-by-student kind of situation. I have some students that gravitate towards the more sharp and loud sounding instruments, such as the tambourine, while I have another student in that same class of children who cannot tolerate those kinds of sounds just yet. He tends to gravitate more towards the calming tone bars or the motion of the scarves with a lullaby type song. It has been challenging to find a balance in those kind of classes that I see each week.

[Hally Batterman]

I cannot recall the names of all of the brands I typically use other than Remo. When I’m at the pre-school, I tend to use hand-held instruments that are on the larger side so none of them could pose as a potential choking hazard. The maracas I use are fairly large like the ones in the video this week and my egg shakers are probably the smallest out of all my instruments there. I also use those same drums Meredith was using during the movement song. I use Remo drums for gathering drums and I also LOVE my tone bars and hand bells when in need of something to bring the energy back down (or as a cool down). I’m very much attached to my Taylor guitars, especially the Baby Taylor and I also just recently got a Q-chord and a couple different lap harps.

[Hally Batterman]

5 words: Authentic, Playful, Free, Explore, Variety

5 sentences: The child will begin to freely explore in response to play style music and may look inward during lullaby type music for a sense of stability. At this stage, the child will begin to detect changes in familiar melodies, as well as recognize familiar melodies. The child will start to display rhythmic movement that may not be synchronized with the music. The child will start to match pitches. The child can also locate sounds from a distance.

Plan: Hello – Hey Hey! Come and Play!; Bonding – Wiggly Jiggly Car; Songs about me – Can You See Me?; Instrument song – I like this song (with maracas); Movement – Can You Follow?; Good bye – Thank you very much

[Hally Batterman]

5 words: gentle, warm, contained, bond, calm

5 sentences: It is important for you to sing with us because at this point in development, the baby prefers a familiar vocal timbre. The baby will display awareness through reaching out and/or turning its attention towards or away from the music. The baby prefers consonance over dissonance in this stage of development. The baby will respond differently to sedative music versus play-song music. Rhythmic movements are instinctual for the baby.

Plan: Hello/Gathering – “Good Morning,” “Today is a beautiful day” to greet each individual family/baby; Lap ride/tickles – “Row It Faster,” “Where is my face” with scarves; Instrument Play – “I Like This Song,” with maracas; Movement – “As Big As Can Be”; Good bye – Goodbye (It’s time to say good bye) with tone bars from Beth’s song book

[Hally Batterman]

I work at Alternatives for Children, a pre-school for children with disabilities. Most of my students are in the 3-5 age range. However, I have found many similarities in my lower functioning classes such as my groups of six and the few infants in the daycare rooms I have worked with over the years. It is in those moments that the developmental levels have been quite clear to me. Some of those children in my groups of six are still in the stages of awareness and trust and aren’t quite ready to independently explore the music.

[Hally Batterman]

Samantha – I love how you referred to music therapy as a unique medium in community based settings. I agree with everything you mentioned in your post. I also feel that community based programs such as Sprouting Melodies could provide yet another opportunity for members of the community to experience music in a way that is beneficial for their growth and development in situations where they maybe had a hard time receiving music therapy services for a variety of reasons. I currently see many students for what we call music class. Many of which would love to have music therapy services, but they are under a program called self-direction. Self-direction does not cover music therapy services, so we offer music class which is not exactly music therapy, but still provides them with an opportunity to grow through music.

[Hally Batterman]

I am a fairly new professional and also agree with some of the previous participants in the forum in that I am not entirely sure of the families needs just yet at one of my jobs. I haven’t had many opportunities to work closely with those families. However, at my other job where I see students individually, many of them are brought to us by their parents each week. Many of the parents seem to need signs of progress and success. They simply want to see their children doing well while also enjoying themselves. Growth seems to be key.

[Hally Batterman]

Angela – I agree that parents tend to get caught up in trying to engage their children in as many activities as possible and in doing so, may lose sight of the purpose of the experience. Many of my individual students at our facility are brought each week by the parents. The families are always checking in to see how they are doing and some have tried to step in in the past to discourage certain behaviors or redirect them away from something they might have been exploring. The music classes I run are all about exploring the space and being in the music. I have definitely seen the embarrassment from parents when their children aren’t doing what the parents think they are “supposed” to be doing. I just try to educate them in a positive manner and explain why I’m encouraging them to explore in their own way.

[Hally Batterman]

Sami – I completely agree that our education is one of our biggest strengths. It is also what sets us apart from many others. I feel that it is this piece that truly assists in advocacy and will help the parents to understand why we do what we do when we do it. They can better understand our choices and knowledge due to our training and educational backgrounds.

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