[Jennifer Chute]

I agree Shannon! It is so important to have inclusive programs, children learn from each other and to have peer models for children that may be a little behind meeting their milestones is so important.

[Jennifer Chute]

I agree Caroline! I find myself explaining what I am doing much more now because of this course and get beyond “My child loves music”.

[Jennifer Chute]

A lot of my parents I work with are from different cultural backgrounds, and English might not even be their first language. They need to have a safe place to bring their children and meet other moms in their community. It is hard for them to get out of the house with small children, and it is even harder for them to meet other moms. One time I had two grandmothers in my group who spoke Mandarin, and when the one grandmother went back to China they exchanged information so they could keep in touch. These two women would have had a hard time meeting otherwise, but because I have such a diverse music group they were able to meet and speak in their native tongue together. Even if I don’t understand what parents are saying to each other in a different language, I can tell just by their facial expression and body language that they are immediately more relaxed and they participate much more because they feel more confident.

[Jennifer Chute]

Marcie I like how you phrased that! It is so true that music therapists have a presence that helps support families without even saying a word.

[Jennifer Chute]

Music therapists have a lot to offer families. They have musical skills and background in child development so they are able to not only sing songs their children will like, but will also pick songs that specifically target each milestone the child is trying to achieve. Music therapists also have education in counseling, which is an amazing resource for a new mom that might be feeling overwhelmed. Parents are constantly getting unwanted advice from relatives, friends, people at the grocery store, you name it! A music therapist is someone who will validate their feelings and truly listen to what they are saying without letting their own biases or emotions get in the way. New parents might feel shy about making new friends with parents who also have young children, or might just not know how to go about it. The music therapist is able to provide a safe space for parents to be themselves and talk freely about what is bothering them, and a place where they will not be judged by how their child is acting, and will in fact get support and strategies about how to deal with different behaviors. I had one grandmother come to group, and she had been so busy taking care of her little grand baby she realized when she got there she was wearing her pajamas! I welcomed the observation warmly and told her my music group was a judgement-free zone, and all I cared about is that she made it to group! The other moms were also very supportive and shared their own stories of being overwhelmed with a small child. One mom said the only reason she had her long hair down in the heat was she was actually able to take a shower! Which was definitely something that all the moms could relate to. It makes me feel really good when I am able to provide a safe space for parents along with a safe environment for the children to learn and grow.

[Jennifer Chute]

Hi Stephanie, I appreciate you reminding us all about how some older adults find a lot of our instruments challenging. I remember when I was a new practicum student I had really nice maracas, but since they were a good quality they were very heavy. I gave an older adult the maraca and she became very tired at the end of the song, I didn’t think about how tiring it is for an older adult to hold up a heavy maraca like that. That was definitely a learning experience for me, it is good to challenge our clients but definitely with a lot of breaks and be very in tune with how they are feeling.

[Jennifer Chute]

I use singing throughout my music groups, and always remind parents that it might take a while for their little one to start singing along. I also like to point out when they are showing signs of starting to recognize songs and starting the action on their own. It is also good when they start to say the last word of a phrase or even just vocalize to the music and match pitches. Often parents are not sure why my group is suggested to them if their child isn’t talking, because they think they are expected to sing along. I do a lot of parent educating, pointing out what they are doing that leads up to singing and is completely developmentally appropriate. Examples of this are starting to vocalize to songs, really studying my mouth when I sing and starting to move theirs to match mine, and even doing the actions to songs is a pre-cursor to singing the song.

Playing instruments is very important in my groups not only for motor skills, but they also cue what songs I am going to do. I had one of our supervisors ask me how the children know what songs come next, she couldn’t believe I never stopped singing. I told her all the children know the routine and get used to the music that goes with that instrument. I like to purposely leave out a song or change something (or sometimes I just accidentally forget a song, and the parents will correct me! :-)) just to get their attention or to see if they will notice it is different, which they almost always do! Instrument playing also teaches children limits, they know I don’t allow them to throw the shakers or it the maracas on the wall (even though I’m sure it is way more fun) and this is very important for this developmental age. They are learning about boundaries in a safe environment, and it also shows parents that it is okay to set limits and that it is necessary.

To me moving to music is almost magical, because once a child is moving to music they suddenly are able to say so much more. It just makes so much more sense to say jump when your jumping, I totally get it! I love using marching in my music group, it forces the children to slow down and really concentrate on what they are doing. I also use movement to work on different motor skills, like having them twist back and forth at the torso with scarves, or swishing them in front of them getting them to cross their mid-line.

I often use listening when the children are very active and not very focused. I try to do “Twinkle Twinkle” and fingerpick it on guitar, it often resets them and they are able to calm down before the next activity. They are certainly welcome to sing along and the parents usually do, but it is more of a listening activity for them to regulate their bodies so they can focus on the next activity.

[Jennifer Chute]

Singing

Awareness- Child can tell the difference between pitches
Trust- Can match pitches, when adult imitates them they make a sound back
Independence- Child will begin to sing on their own, you can start to recognize the melody even if the words are not recognizable
Control- Child can initiate singing songs by doing the action or starting to sing, the child is singing whole songs with recognizable words
Responsibility- Child can wait for turn to sing, stop and start at correct times and listen to other children singing and see how it fits with what they are singing

Playing Instrument

Awareness- Explores instrument by turning it over in hands and putting it in their mouth
Trust- grasps instrument with intention of shaking it
Independence- starts to play instrument without demonstration
Control- stops and starts when they are suppose to, can shake up high and down low and follow other simple directions in the general sense
Responsibility- Child really start following directions and can wait for their turn. They also are aware of what other children are playing and how it fits with what they are playing.

Moving

Awareness- Will become excited and move naturally, kick feet and flap arms without meaning to
Trust- Bounce to the music, sway and be able to catch themselves, know that when the move they can trust the ground under their feet
Independence- Intentionally moves and initiates movement and follows familiar actions to songs
Control- Can stop and start moving intentionally with the music and is aware of how their body moves through space
Responsibility- Their movement matches the music and they can follow specific instructions in a song

Listening

Awareness- Turns head towards pleasing chords, turns head away from dissonance
Trust- Actively listening to music
Independence- Can stop what they are doing to listen to the music, starting to be drawn to different music over others
Control- They can let you know if they like it or don’t like the music, they can listen and move to the music
Responsibility- They can listen to others making music and take active interest in others rather than just focusing on themselves, can really focus on the music instead of having to do other things at the same time

[Jennifer Chute]

When thinking of my own personal home town, I think of patriotic songs at the memorial day parade and everyone waving little American flags as the floats go by. I remember when I was little I loved the base drum because I could feel it throughout my body! What a great sensory experience!

As for now, I live in a city with many different cultures. While I am driving I will hear Spanish music blarring out of one car, beautiful Indian music coming out of the next, and then another car playing country music! The diversity is very interesting and exciting for me since my home town was not very diverse at all. I feel that learning about different cultures and their music is so important for our job as music therapists.

[Jennifer Chute]

Maureen I totally get where you are coming from, it is very important to be aware of a families culture when you are entering their home! Their home is a sacred place to them and you should always be respectful of their culture and traditions. I have often been balancing on one foot trying to get my shoes off, trying to still hold a guitar and toy bag, so I can respect the families tradition of taking their shoes off at the door.

[Jennifer Chute]

Marcie I also get frustrated with electronics, moms showing me youtube videos of wheels on the bus…it is enough to drive you nuts! But that is really great that one of the songs helped you bring her in at that moment, what sense of accomplishment you must have felt! I live for those moments, awesome job!

[Jennifer Chute]

I also have the songbook and you guys have inspired me to check out the CD!

[Jennifer Chute]

I used the Seatbelt song in my young toddler group to teach to parents for when the child is getting fussy in their car seat. The mom’s really appreciated having a song they can bring home with them and use at such a challenging time! The children in the group loved it and it was a nice bonding moment for all the moms and babies.

[Jennifer Chute]

Joe he sounds like such a fun little guy!

[Jennifer Chute]

Hi Caroline! It is always so exciting to see a child be able to mimic a drum beat like that! I worked with a little one that had such an advance concept of rhythm, I swear I am going to see a picture of him one day as a famous drummer!

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