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With Sprouting Melodies 1, the words that Meredith uses to describe the experience are bonding, touch, gentle, slower pace, cuddling, calm affect, joy, swaying, and I am sure much more. The fact that one can include a 0-month old means the adaptability needs to be there.
One might tell parents about the adaptability of music and demonstrate that. We also want them to bond and build connections with their caregivers; it would be helpful to affirm their bonding within the group. Within Sprouting Melodies 1, there are two different levels that one can advance to (awareness -> trust) and/or to have both levels within a group. Educating parents on this can be helpful, informative, and build their trust as well for what Sprouting Melodies can provide. Showing that holding their babies 12-18 inches is exactly the right course of action. One might also tell parents about the melodies that babies are drawn to – the upward higher melodies. Instruments can be explored at this age, as well!
A plan to use for a SM 1 session might be: Hello, instrument exploration, “Hold On Tight!” (movement song), “I See Colors” movement song, Goodbye
ParticipantMusic therapy can promote a healthier community that is more informed/educated, as well as joyful in music. As parents reported, Sprouting Melodies has promoted their children to react to music more outwardly and expressively from a younger age. Though Sprouting Melodies isn’t music therapy, it leads the community to more ways to promote joy and bring people together. Another thing music therapy can provide is a consistent and predictable structure to lives that might lack in this, or simply reinforce safety and predictability.
My experience with music therapy has been promoting connection to others and the clients themselves. I have observed this in assisted living facilities, schools, and within individual sessions in any setting.
July 18, 2022 at 3:08 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI love your point about grownups not really understanding that children are exploring and developing in a musical sense. I think this is exactly the value of this course! We as MT/PS can educate parents and also give kids the space to be uniquely themselves and where they are in development.
July 11, 2022 at 2:04 pm
in reply to: What are the needs of the families and communities that you work with?
ParticipantSome of the families or caregivers I see simply need support and assistance with the day-to-day with their children. They might need help with managing emotional outbursts, learning classroom knowledge that might not be understood in a conventional way, or simply bringing enjoyment into their lives. The community that I serve has a number of needs. Shared connection and joy are two of the most important that I have witnessed. Music can allow for shared singing, lowering cortisol levels. Music can facilitate engagement for those who cannot participate in conventional ways. Music allows for a different path to learn and grow, neurologically and otherwise. The point is: music can meet the *unique* needs of our clients – almost anything can be addressed through music.
ParticipantMeaghan, I like your use of the word non-threatening. Time and time again I see MT exhibit this aspect of doing a task. Just today I witnessed my colleague help to lead a child into the classroom by encouraging him to play the drum back to class.
ParticipantMusic therapists can provide a great number of complex, but also simple things. For example, a music therapist might be able to educate the parents in relation to how music can be used to not only see their child’s developmental level, but also to improve and work on it. Additionally, music therapy can support bonding and connection between family members such as (but not limited to): siblings, parents, and grandparents. Music therapy can also facilitate one of the most important things: joy!
ParticipantSinging Awareness: uses pitch in vocalization ; Trust: matches selected pitch about half the time ; Independence: babbles with melodic inflection ; Control: follows melodic contour of familiar song ; Responsibility: uses pulse and meter within melodic contour
Playing Awareness: responds differently to sedative versus play-song music ; Trust: briefly uses pulse and meter ; Independence: explores a variety of instruments purposefully ; Control: starts and stops instruments purposefully ; Responsibility: maintains a steady beat
Moving Awareness: rhythmic movements are instinctual ; Trust: responds to music with repetitive movements ; Independence: isolates body parts to move rhythmically ; Control: imitates learned musical movements ; Responsibility: uses musical movements in sequence
Listening: recognizes changes in vocal timbre ; Trust: recognizes familiar melodies ; Independence: beginning to match intensity of movements to intensity of music ; Control: stops to listen to music ; Responsibility: Listens to the music of others
July 5, 2022 at 2:09 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI have used the “listen” aspect along with “play” in one intervention. “First we listen, then we play” is how it starts. Then I tap a rhythm on a paddle drum and hand it over for them to repeat. It has been a good assessment tool and is one that I will repeat throughout my time in a school to assess any advances.
One change that I foresee happening is using music throughout the transitions of interventions. One song that I find particularly intriguing (which I will try tomorrow) is “Sit Down With Me.” Sometimes I am unsure of how to harness the energy that is cultivated with a movement or even instrument song. Using the “sing” and “listen” aspect of music experiences will be helpful!
ParticipantI like that you point out the fact that a lot of these songs that you use are also associated with dancing. Musical associations are everything for older adults in my experience!
ParticipantA lot of the music I use comes from popular songs of the generation I am working with. An adaptation for younger children for a cool-down intervention includes using the ocean drum combined with “My Bonnie.” At Roman Music Therapy Services, a lot of us use a familiar Hello and Goodbye song to bookend each session to give a sense of familiarity, incorporating major thirds and even a part that sounds like the song “American Pie” (personal opinion/observation!)
ParticipantI really like the song “Just Like Me!” because of the ability to adapt it to so many various body parts. I am going to a preschool group tomorrow, so I will be using it. As I practiced it I adapted it in my own ways and discovered that the use of repetition will be enhanced with a space. For example, “you have two feet just like me… just like me, just like me. you have two ________” and leave a pause for a response, also keeping in mind that combined with body language, the music can speak for itself. There’s the inclination to go down from the ^3 to ^1 so not only will the space motivate and the anticipation of the word, but also the musical contour of the melody allows for that response.
ParticipantI have seen a number of children with developmental delays. Something that seems pertinent is that repetition element and establishing trust. I like how Meredith made mention of the principle of repeating it 3 more times once one starts to get bored. I am prone to forgetting about this element, though with larger groups of children, I’ve often seen the level of engagement stay the same or even escalate when I repeat parts of the intervention. With more repetition comes more familiarity and more familiarity brings that “friendly” aspect to a song and eventual competence.
ParticipantAwareness:
1) pitch in vocalizations
2) instinctual rhythmic movements
3) preference of higher pitch.Trust:
1) recognizes changes in rhythm with familiar songs
2) responds to music with repetitive movement (“friendly songs”)
3) creates spontaneous melodiesIndependence:
1) uses repeated sound
2) uses hands to strike drumhead or tambourine
3) uses whole body rhythmicallyControl:
1) imitates words of song
2) dances spontaneously to music
3) ability to follow melodic contour of a songResponsibility:
1) sing in both major and minor keys
2) recognize and reproduce “loud” and “soft”
3) listen to the play of others / inhibit their own response in order to respect others’ musicParticipantDiandra, I love the bit about advocacy! We are all unaware about early childhood development and the impacts music can make until we learn about it – which we are lucky enough to do in this course. So it will be important to impart all of our learnings this course brings so that others will know what an important thing Sprouting Melodies can be for early childhood development.
ParticipantI always strive to look for context of the individuals I work with. Children at this age cannot express the context they are in and sometimes are unable to understand emotions associated. I feel that after this training I will be able to bring not only a supportive presence, but also the knowledge of their context to further understand what they might be feeling.
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