[Jonni Fogerty]

I plan to continue establishing early childhood groups in my community through my music therapy agency. This training has provided a nice review of developmental milestones and a refresher for considerations when working with young children. However, the information discussed was also a helpful reminder for focusing on developmental sequences when working with older individuals with developmental disabilities, which make up a large part of my practice.

[Jonni Fogerty]

I will be sharing this information with my colleagues. We hold regular inservices and have been doing a sequence on development, in which some of these concepts may be included. We have recently developed a new contract with an early childhood development center. This training has helped to advocate for the benefit of music therapists providing early childhood music programs. The information has also been helpful in explaining to families why their children behave or respond to music in certain ways. It has reminded me to keep in mind the need to explain developmental rationale to families, teachers, and administrators.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Becoming a part of a networking community that shares materials and resources is a wonderful benefit of becoming a Sprouting Melodies provider.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Age-appropriate music and a variety of different experiences are the foundation of a success-oriented environment. I also typically screen families up front using the registration form for the class to collect information about the child so that I can plan more effectively for the group ahead of time. This information helps me to be more flexible within the session as well, adapting to the needs of the children as observed during the session. Another strategy for success is to engage the adults in the room. Explain why we are implementing the specific musical experiences and model for them how to encourage and assist the children.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Music for development facilitates the achievement of developmental milestones. Music for skill building focuses on building competence in specific musical concepts.

[Jonni Fogerty]

One challenge with multiple ages in one group is of course that children are at different developmental stages. Because of this, the music needs to be selected carefully in order to engage older kids but not overwhelm younger ones. Additionally, the environment in which the class takes place needs to be safe for younger children. This includes making sure that the experiences planned do not promote instances where older children may knock younger children down as well as making sure that instruments in the room are safe for younger children.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Five words SM3: adventurous, performing, flexibility, growth, independence

Five words Family Sprouts: variety, cooperation, inclusive, social, sharing

SM3 Plan: Gathering Song: Hello Everybody; Bonding: Hold On Tight (EKS); Songs About Me: Watch Me Go (EKS); Instrument: I Like This Song (EKS); Movement: Will You Come (EKS); Goodbye: Time to Go (EKS)

Family Sprouts Plan: Gathering: I’m Glad You’re Here; Bonding: Hold on Tight; Songs About Me: Who’s That?; Instrument Songs: Dancing in the Middle; Movement Songs: Can You Follow?; Goodbye: It’s Time to Say Goodbye.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Basic Beat Jumbo Chiquites, Latin Percussion mini cabasas, Remo paddle drums, gathering drum, and SoundShapes, and scarves.

[Jonni Fogerty]

5 words: active, engaged, trust, learning, exploration

Sentences: 1) Make sure the bottoms of your baby’s feet are touching flat on the floor as you tap them. This will help organize her. 2) Feel free to let your baby move around the room. The environment is safe and your child needs the opportunity to explore. 3) Don’t worry about instruments going in the mouth. Just put them in the “wash me” bin and we’ll make sure they’re sanitized for next time. 4) If it seems like your child is not participating, he is probably just taking time to process everything going on around him. He’ll join in when he’s ready! 5) If your child isn’t imitating our actions exactly, that’s fine! She’s exploring and learning to make her own choices.

Plan: Gathering Song: The More We Get Together (Traditional); Bonding: Wiggly, Jiggly Car (EKS); Instrument: Egg Shaker Blues (Gary Johnson); Movement: The Leaves Are Falling (Music Together); Cool Down: All of this is Me (EKS); Goodbye: Hey, Hey Goodbye (self-composed)

[Jonni Fogerty]

Structuring a group session to provide the right amount of stimulation for the participant is often the foundation of the session structure/plan. As many of the forum members have suggested, the right amount of stimulation is often individualized. Music therapists are adept at assessing the situation and allowing for flexibility to meet the individual needs within the group. However, once you are familiar and comfortable with an age group and especially a specific class, it is much easier to intuitively have a pretty good idea of what the group in general will be able to handle. There is enough stimulation when the group is engaged and too much when participants are distressed or overly hyperactive.

[Jonni Fogerty]

5 words: calming, safe, welcoming, simple, predictable

5 sentences:1)Did you notice your baby vocalizing on pitch? 2)Make sure to sing with us! It doesn’t matter how you sing. Your voice is your baby’s favorite thing to listen to! 3)It’s okay that he is turning his head from the instrument. At this stage of awareness, this is one of the choices he is able to make – whether or not to look at the sound source. 4)Your child is not bored, just confused. We’ll repeat the song a few more times to help him become more familiar with it. 5)If you tickle your baby’s palm, this will stimulate a reflex to allow him to grasp the maraca and shake along with us.

Plan: Gathering Song: Welcome to Music (Laurie Farnen); Bonding: Wiggly, Jiggly Car (EKS); Instrument: Shake, Shake, Shake (Darcy Walworth); Movement: As Big as Can Be (EKS); Goodbye: Music is Over (Laurie Farnen)

[Jonni Fogerty]

The experiences that first come to mind are those I have had recently with my 3 month old niece. She is obviously in the musical developmental level of awareness. She often turns away from loud sounds. She shows a distinct preference for her mother’s voice (my sister), but also seems slightly confused by my voice (perhaps because it sounds similar to her mother’s?). She is just beginning to imitate facial expressions. She is especially fond of imitating people sticking out their tongues right now. It is quite interesting to see her reactions to recorded music. She prefers slower, more sedative music in the morning and the evening. However, she becomes upset if this music is played in the afternoon. She prefers to listen to more upbeat music in the afternoon.

[Jonni Fogerty]

In the past, I worked as a music therapist at an intercity preschool. I taught three classes per week, which were grouped together by age. The youngest class I taught had children 6 weeks – 6 months old. The kids responded extremely well to the developmental approach and the staff appreciated the strategies they were able to take away and utilize throughout the week.

[Jonni Fogerty]

The role of music therapists in a community-based setting is quite simply to provide music therapy services that meet the needs of that specific community. Many of the forum participants have mentioned the way that music therapists are always informally assessing. This assessment process starts broadly with the needs of the greater community in general in order to develop appropriate programs and then becomes more specific to meet the needs of individual clients to help them become more independent within the community.

[Jonni Fogerty]

Music therapists are specialists in both music and development, which makes us uniquely qualified to provide information and support to families of young children. Specifically, helpful strategies for using music for transitions and daily routines. I like Nicole’s way of describing it. We bring “endless opportunities that encourage the child to explore who they are and the world around them.” Music therapists go beyond just providing fun musical experiences. We help the child, teacher, family, connect to the world and use the material learned in the musical experiences to further development and more easily travel through the day, the week, and the year.

[Author]

Posts