[Kate Jihye Choi]

I haven’t had enough music group experience in early childhood, but I have had many experiences with elderly adults. And I often found many similarities between those two populations so that it may be helpful for you. One strategy that worked well in my group with elderly adults is giving them a clear cue. Giving them a clear cue can help them understand better what is going on in the group and help them be more confident and willing to participate in the session. It might have to be personalized to each participant. Someone would need a visual cue, auditory cue, or both of them at the same time. Determining what kind of stimulation works better for each one would be helpful to run the group more smoothly.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

It’s been a year since I started my journey as a music therapist, and I’ve started feeling stuck sometimes when I use the same songs and activities over and over. This training has helped me get out of that feeling and be more confident about what I’m providing my client. One parent gave me feedback “This is amazing. Everything you have her try has unseen meaning.” With the knowledge I got from this training, I was able to explain what I expected her to do with music and how music worked to motivate her more clearly. And also I’ve found myself being more comfortable and confident when I work with my co-workers, when they ask about music therapy, when they ask my opinion as a music therapist, and when I provide music therapy consultations. The most exciting thing happened just now. A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to share about this training with my director. And we have decided to launch a music group for early childhood at our office! There should be many things we have to set up and discuss more, but I wanted to share this with you beforehand. This is good news to me and to my community!

[Kate Jihye Choi]

5 words: Interaction, Support, Sharing, Relationship, Expanding

Session plan:

Gathering song: Sit Down With Me.

Hello song: Hey Everybody

Bounding song: Row It Faster

Movement song: I Can Move Around

Instrument play: In My Little Hand

Cool down song: That All Makes Up Me

Goodbye song: Music Time is Over

[Kate Jihye Choi]

5 words: Active, Push&Pull, Choice, Ownership, Emotions

Session plan:

Gathering song: Sit Down With Me.
Hello song: Next To Me
Bounding song: A Car on My Knee
Movement song: Will You Come?
Instrument play: Shake, Shake, Shake
Cool down song: All of Me
Goodbye song: Music Time is Over

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I once had a group of children who were diagnosed or suspected of ASD. There were six children with ASD, and their age range was from 24~36 months. Although their chronological age gap was not that huge, their developmental level had a huge gap. In terms of ASD, they have different sensitivity towards sensory input, different regulation and communication skills. At the first session, I had to forget about my session plan and follow the flow, observing their needs and responses to the music. I’ve learned that focusing on one child at a time and expanding to the group would bring them together and help them interact.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I had the exact same question from one of my clients a few months ago. I explained to the parents that in music therapy, we have different goals than another music learning-based group, non-musical goals. I help the child achieve the goals made by a multi-disciplinary team and the parents. It can be communication, social-emotional, cognitive, motor, or adaptive goals. Music is so motivating, especially for early childhood, that it can motivate them to walk, crawl, run, jump, make eye contact, interact, and speak more. And most of the time, music is more effective than verbal-only or verbal-gestural directions/commands.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

First, I was able to share musical development pieces with my director and others at the Early Intervention fundraiser event. A lot of people came with various experiences, and I was able to share about musical development alongside child development. Many people were fascinated by how Music therapists use music differently according to their developmental stage. Likewise, this course gave the foundation for musical development in early childhood. Now, I think about their chronological age, physical and cognitive age, and musical developmental stage before I meet any kids. Every clinical choice I make is more intentional now because kids always respond to music even though it is not how we expected.

The most important takeaway for me is how to design a music therapy consultant with the client. I receive the referrals from the service coordinators, and then I offer the consultant to see if they need music therapy services. Most of the time, music works gratefully, and I decide to provide music therapy services. However, it is still difficult to measure the outcome of music therapy. We all know music works well, but no one can explain how it works. However, now, I use the level of musical development and let the parents know where their child is now at the initial consultant. After a certain amount of time, I assess them again and discuss where they are and how they develop in terms of musical development. It gives us a clearer picture of music therapy and helps us to be on the same page, like using the same language.

I really appreciate this course, which gave me such wonderful opportunities to think deeply about music and music therapy. I’ll continue to work on expanding my repertoire, advocating for music therapy, and building my business.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

5 words to describe Sprouting Melodies 2: Exploration, Observation, Playful, Independent, Fun

5 things to say to parents: 1) This musical experience is also their opportunity to explore the new world. 2) They’re learning how to interact with me, you, the people around them, and the world. 3) It is okay for them to have a little break. They’re still engaging in music in their way. 4) Feel free to sing with me! Your voice is the most powerful instrument. 5) Repeating is the key. Please try to sing this song at home.

Session Plan:

Gathering/Greeting song: Hello Everybody
Bonding Song: Wiggly, Jiggly Car
Songs about Me: Just Like Me
Instrument Song: My Little Hand
Movement Song: March With My Baby
Goodbye: Music Time is Done

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I think it depends on the level of sensitivity. Some kids have high thresholds, so they require more inputs to get their baseline and to be regulated. On the other hand, some kids have lower thresholds, so even slight stimuli can overstimulate them. For example, I have seen some kids not interested in music or activities requiring attention skills. They just explored or moved around the room, seeming not to want to engage in the music. But, once I did some frolic plays with them, running, bouncing, and jumping for a certain amount of time, they became ready to engage in the music and more interactive with me. Meanwhile, for the kids who have lower thresholds, I need to be very careful in deciding which stimulation I would provide them. In that case, I’d start with a little noise with the scarves or hands, then add voice to see how they respond. I add the stimulation slightly until they appear comfortable and are ready to engage in music.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

The budget for musical instruments is limited at my work, so I mostly use my instruments. All my percussive instruments, such as egg shakers, fruit shakers, hand drums, and claves, are from Remo. I tried various brands of percussive instruments from Amazon, but Remo was the best for me. As I’m a pianist, I use a portable digital piano from Yamaha. It can run on batteries so I can use it even without electricity. My guitar is also from Yahama, and my Ukulele is from Kala.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I think the role of music therapy in community-based depends on the characteristics of the community, such as who consists of the community, their needs, their cultural background, educational level, etc. My community consists of many immigrants from different countries. Often, they are isolated from one another and don’t know how to get along. For them, everything is new, even how to raise a child in a different community. In terms of the perspective that music can provide a safe environment, I found many families open up more easily, find their friends, or just be themselves in the group, which some families had never experienced before. Music therapy really can provide the opportunity for the parents/caregivers to find their roles in the family as well as in the community. In the family, they are not just a parent/caregiver who takes care of their child, but also they are growing up together as a companion of their child. In society, they find out what the meaning of raising a child is and how it affects the community. Understanding their role in the family and the community with music restores their self-esteem, confident, and resilience.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I haven’t had much experience with music groups of kids in the 0-9 month range. However, I have a couple of kids in the 0-9 month range for whom I provide one-on-one music therapy services. One is 4 months old and referred to me due to his torticollis. It was hard for the parent to encourage him to move his neck to help with the tension on his neck, and he gets frustrated whenever the parent moves his neck to the opposite side of his preference. I sat next to the parents while they were holding the baby on his lap and sang a good morning song softly. He turned his head to me and smiled. I let him have some rest and slightly extended the amount of time for him to turn his neck toward me. And I did other movement songs to help him move his head up/down and side to side. His parents reported that he tolerated it way better than he was in physical therapy. I’ve found that music can help children’s physical limits with more playful and joyful experiences. It was also practical for the parents to try with their child at home.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

5 words
– Banding, Calming, Connection, Responsive, and Adjustment

5 sentences
1) I’d like to introduce you to a way to connect you with your child and your child with the world. 2) This music experience will expand your child’s world. And you are also part of the world. 3) Feel free to sing along with me. Your voice is always the best resource. 4) Let’s look closely at how your child responds to music. They have their way of expressing their level of presence in music. 5) Repetition is a key for them to learn new things.

Session plan

Gathering – Good Morning to you
Greeting – Hello song
Bonding / Lapride – Tickle Song, Row Row Row Your Boat / Wiggly Jiggly Car
Instrument Play – In My Little Hand, I Like This Song
Movement – Open Shut them, Baby Shark (lyric substitute the end of the song “We all done” then transition to the sitting position)
Cool Down – That All Makes Up Me
Goodbye song

[Kate Jihye Choi]

I work with families from different countries and cultures. I meet people from all over the world, where I have never met people from. As a travel clinician, I face more challenges when visiting their home due to not knowing their cultural background. From figuring out whether I have to take off my shoes to being asked not to visit their home when no women are in the house. I have a family from Tibet, and they showed me a video of Tibetan music. It mostly consists of percussive instruments, so the child was more responsive toward the music with percussive instruments. Understanding their traditional music helped me figure out how to approach the child and sustain his attention span with music. However, although each culture presents strong preferences, I found that music is universal and works similarly regardless of where they are from.

[Kate Jihye Choi]

Working with many Autistic children, I often found that music is the parent’s last hope. They respond to music, although they don’t respond to their name. They interact with MT, although they don’t seem to recognize others. They make eye contact, laugh, and smile to music. Parents want to know what happens and how to use music daily. I often share music and strategies to help with building stronger parent/child relationships. Because I found in many cases, they have some bonding issues due to a lack of interaction. Music can provide the family with a safe environment to freely be themselves and have fun.

The community I’m working with comprises many immigrants from other countries with various cultural backgrounds. Frequently, they are isolated from the community, although they live in central MA, lacking resources and support as they don’t have any other families nearby. Coming to the music group is one of the great ways of absorbing into the community. They experience new things, meet new people, and make friends in a safe environment. Music breaks the wall between different backgrounds, languages, and appearances. In the music group, everyone is someone else’s parents or caregivers.

[Author]

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