[Katelyn Caruso]

If we are working from the framework of each of us as a musical being, and music as an intrinsic piece of healthy development, I think that community-based music making is essential to the community and individual. While this is important for all ages, I see new parents and their young children as an especially vulnerable group in the population as it is already such a time of tumult and transition, as well as a time of big feelings and joy. How important to share these moments with your own community, or to create a community of people in a similar life stage to connect with. I think having the music as part of this community makes it easy and natural for parents to connect with their children, children to connect with peers, and families connect with each other. Not only do parents get out of the house, but their children get something tailored to them, and the group is set up to be very accepting in a world that is often critical of parenting. Additionally, having music therapy in a community based setting makes it more accessible to all and can include multiple generations, siblings, etc and is a place for everyone to thrive.

[Katelyn Caruso]

Most of my professional experience is with older children or adults, but I did do music sessions in a preschool in which we did music for ages 18 month-6 years (split into different classes which were similar to the different levels of sprouting melodies). It was fun to go to the classes throughout the day, starting with the youngest and ending with the oldest as it was really apparent the new developmental stages and musical abilities in each new age level. With the youngest classes, they would love repetition of familiar songs, especially songs that the teachers did with them each day. Many would stare up at the guitar or singer with big eyes and you could just tell that they were soaking it all in! The older students loved movement songs and all of the musical surprises. It was so much fun working with them and seeing them grow and change and see their musical interests change throughout the year.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I have to agree with Maggie’s response! We work together and in the same area, and most of the clients I work with have goals of self-expression, relaxation and stress reduction, and connecting with their family, peers, or the wider community. The greater community in Oregon does seem to have limited access to music therapy services, and a lack of education about music therapy in general. I agree that young children and their families are still feeling the effects from COVID, as my mom is a teacher and talks about the deficits in socializing that her students have the past couple of years, as well as learning from preschool educators that their students just aren’t ready for kindergarten. I think the community of Portland has a great love for music but families lack understanding and resources to use music as a tool for development and growth.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I think that music therapists have so much to contribute to children and their caregivers! First of all, a developmentally appropriate experience that families can do together at home, with their community, and to share with grandparents/babysitters/other key people in the child’s life makes an impact on many small interactions. Teaching songs and experiences for families to use at home seems valuable for helping children and their caregivers bond. Additionally, the information about how a child can interact with music, such as when they are in the stage observing and taking it in, helps to put other daily life experiences into context for the caregiver as their child might not always be “reacting” but are probably still learning and doing what is developmentally appropriate. Music therapist can provide information and experiences that are mutually beneficial for the child and adult.

[Katelyn Caruso]

Singing:
Awareness- moves body to look at the singer, makes pitched vocalizations
Trust- vocalizations are purposeful, usually sings descending intervals and can match pitch about 50% of the time
Control- sings 2-word phrases, can follow melodic contour even if not exact pitches, sings spontaneously and some familiar songs
Responsibility- Sings rhythmically with changes to familiar songs

Playing:
Awareness- Tolerates different timbres of preferred instruments
Trust- reaches toward or begins to explore instrument
Control- begins to play instrument in different ways and plays/stops when they want to, generally fast internal rhythm
Responsibility- can play with both hands, can approximate rhythm patterns
Independence- can play a steady beat and play striking and shaking instruments, repeats rhythm patterns

Movement:
Awareness- intuitive rhythmic movements such as sucking
Trust- moves body parts in response to music
Control- dances to music, can isolate a body part to move to music (not necessarily on the beat)
Responsibility- can move independently from a group to music

Listening:
Awareness- looks towards the music, prefers sedative vs. play songs and reacts differently to both, can determine different timbre and pitches
Trust- prefers high pitches, begins to like play songs and doesn’t react to them with fear, can locate sounds further away
Control- can differentiate rhythmic and dynamic changes
Responsibility- can respond to cues within the music
Independence- listens to musical play of others

[Katelyn Caruso]

While I am currently working with adults, my sessions have changed for the better since the beginning of this course! It has help me identify the different responses that might be appropriate, and adjust the music to match each clients level of interest and interaction. Understanding these stages and how they progress backwards in dementia has helped me to connect the dots with what clients can tolerate and connect with. I do use these types of experiences in my sessions, although I think in memory care especially it’s important to follow the clients lead in how present they are in a given moment, so sometimes it isn’t structured or we will use a familiar song in a variety of ways.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I am interested to be able to take some of the musical elements of the songs presented, and use them in my work with adults. I do see where some of the songs might be appropriate for certain clients, and also my brain is thinking of songwriting ideas to make them more ae appropriate for my own clients. I can see the idea of “musical surprises” to be particularly exciting for a lot of the people I work with!

[Katelyn Caruso]

I go to many different sites all located in or near Portland, and I feel like each site has its own culture and traditions when it comes to music. One site I go to is a Jewish community for elder, and they have strong connections with their religious music as well as knowing many of the popular and musical theater songs from the 1940s/1950s. Many homes I go to use music in an upbeat way and connect with classic rock. I also work with a family of Argentinean Americans and they have taught me a lot about Argentinean and Latin American musicians, as well as progressive rock. Portland itself has a pretty eclectic music scene so it makes sense that we all have our personal music cultures.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I currently work with adults, but it was so helpful to use this framework to see what stage they are at developmentally in relation to the music throughout my sessions this week. I had a session where a 75 year old developmentally disabled woman weekly, and I can see how she is in different stages each week from awareness to independence, depending on the week depending on her health, mood, and energy level. She often will explore instruments in her own way, in the stage of trust as she looks through my basket of instrument, and often chooses one to hold or hands it to me to play. This week she played along with me briefly on a shaker and reached out towards my hand any time I snapped my fingers.

When I think about this in the context of children I know, my 5 year old niece is very much in the control phase. She wants to be making all of the decisions and determining how everyone else should be in her play, and can now take turns and initiate songs and play.

[Katelyn Caruso]

Awareness: in this stage a child can turns towards a sound they like, distinguish timbre such as recognizing the voice of a caregiver, and respond differently to “calming” vs. “play” songs (and might be afraid of play songs!)
Trust: in this stage a child can choose to turn towards or away from sound, can choose how to explore instruments (might be licking a drum!), and can create purposeful pitched vocalizations
Responsibility: a child in this stage can babble with melodic inflection, strike a drum, or hold and shake bells or a maraca
Control: a child in this stage can generally match pitch and sing a variety of intervals, spontaneously dance or sing to music or without music, and can imitate learned movements to music
Independence: a child in this stage can keep a steady beat, play beats and rests in a familiar structure, and listen to the play of others

[Katelyn Caruso]

Absolutely! Understanding where a kid is developmentally can take the pressure off trying to change the behavior, especially if parents understand that is what their child needs to be doing to learn and grow.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I agree! It is amazing how much a child can grow and change in a number of months. I have a niece who is 4, and it was fun to look back and remember what she was like at each stage. Every time I see her she can do something new, and it was helpful to have her to think about as I learned about all the early stages of development.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I like your focus on creating a safe and accepting environment. That is so important for the whole family to thrive.

[Katelyn Caruso]

I think my own flexibility and background as an educator would lead to a welcoming environment where parents and caregivers can find space to develop their relationship with their child, and to support their development. Little things like understanding that putting things in their mouth or throwing a tantrum can be developmentally appropriate can make those things a little less frustrating as they come up, and I believe that the more you know the more you can feel confident in your decisions as a caregiver and best support your little one. I think that empowering parents/caregivers to feel confident and competent will lead to little ones being supported and cared for.

[Katelyn Caruso]

My most valuable takeaway from this week’s information was understanding how important sensory experiences are for a developing child. It made me think about how when a child is young, we focus on offering them new experiences and sensory stimulation, but as adults sensory input or experiences are something that we don’t take into consideration as often. It was also helpful to understand how some of the tricky parts about caregiving (tantrums, throwing toys, etc.) are developmentally appropriate at some stages and made the think about finding tools as music therapists to support the entire family as they are all experiencing these moments together.

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