[Katie Bagley]

I try to use all four types of music experiences in my client sessions. Though after this week’s lesson, I realize how much of a higher value I have placed on instrument play and singing in the past. It was valuable to see and learn about the connection between music and movement, especially for younger children. Last year I participated in a group rhythm experience geared toward adults called TaKeTiNa, which helps develop awareness of mind/body connection with rhythm. It was a wonderful experience, which I was reminded of with this week’s material. I intend to be mindful of this music and movement connection in my further sessions, encouraging and pointing out musical development through movement to my clients and families.

[Katie Bagley]

Singing:
Awareness- Child engages in intentional breath and sighs/vocalizes in cooing
Trust- Child begins to closely approximate and/or match tonic pitches of familiar melody
Independence- Child babbles using musical dynamics and inflection including glissando
Control- Child matches pitches/general contour and shape of familiar lullabies
Responsibility- Child accurately incorporates pitches, meter and tempo to reproduce songs

Instrument Play:
Awareness- Child demonstrates differentiated facial affect based upon varied dynamics and instrumentation
Trust- Child reaches out to instruments, played with parental assistance
Independence- Child intentionally and appropriately uses varied instruments
Control- Child plays instruments, engaging in start/stop and call and response with facilitator
Responsibility- Child joins within a group musical experience demonstrating steady beat

Moving:
Awareness- Child demonstrates awareness of music by slight rocking motions
Trust- Child engages in repetitive “bopping” motion with entire body
Independence- Child moves feet to rhythm and tempo of song
Control- Child follows verbal cues within a musical structure for repetitive motion (stomping)
Responsibility- Child successfully imitates these learned movements in a sequential order through familiar songs (stomp, shake, clap)

Listening:
Awareness- Child recognizes mother’s voice as evidenced by varied facial affect
Trust- Child turns head eliciting facial presence upon hearing familiar lullaby
Independence- Child matches facial expressions of facilitator within active musical participation
Control- Child intentionally observes musical cues to start/stop instrument play
Responsibility- Child begins to value peer musical input, and stops instrument play to listen

[Katie Bagley]

One of my clients is currently on the verge between Independence and Control Stages of musical development. She is beginning to generally match pitches and follow familiar melodies of nursery rhymes, certainly has a fast internal rhythm, and loves to bang on the drum. We have been working on control and turn taking with a melodic tag on the end of verses “And now it’s time to stop!”, and repeating again. This is the only child I have independently seen with who is within this developmental stage, and I’m really enjoying working on turn taking and functional communication with her.

[Katie Bagley]

This week I used “Sit Down With Me” with my new twin 2-year-old clients who have both been diagnosed with Autism. One of our goals has been creating a smooth transition into the session (in their home), and working on general attention to the music. I was very interested to see how the minor modality would affect this experience, and was pleasantly surprised when both twins ended any fussiness they were displaying, stopping to listen to the song while gazing at the guitar. It was also a great moment for mom, who had the most relieved look on her face! She was able to sit 2-3 feet behind them and watch as they gathered into music.

[Katie Bagley]

There are also many different traditional music types and cultures surrounding Greater Boston. I have worked with Dominican, French Creole, Korean, and Indian clients throughout my hospice internship, in which most families shared music that was important to them from their home countries. I have not yet had the experience of learning children’s songs from these cultures. In my current pediatric palliative work, I have predominantly American clients who enjoy the traditional nursery rhymes and popular songs (Frozen, of course!).

[Katie Bagley]

This week’s material brought forth the importance of educating and assuring parents of typical, healthy behaviors in their child’s development. As Beth stated in the video lesson, most parents are looking for information or validation that their child is on the right path toward healthy developmental growth. This is an area in which I personally look forward to bringing to my practice with families of early childhood clients. Learning of these typical development markers per age group is very helpful for me to base my understanding of typical development, versus possible early signs and indications of developmental concerns or abnormalities. I hope and intend to bring a developmentally appropriate practice to each of my clients and families, grounded in research and educational effectiveness. As an early childhood music therapist, I will bring and promote optimal learning for my clients, with rich experiences enhancing their physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and motor and sensory development.

[Katie Bagley]

For me, I found it most valuable to learn the basics of typical development for each age bracket of early childhood. Coming from a background with little early childhood experience, it was a very informational lesson, which is extremely necessary to create a base for developmentally appropriate practice. I also found importance in the concept of assuring parents of their little ones’ typical, healthy development. This includes education in regards to aspects that can be troublesome for most parents, for example, the “Terrible Twos”. This developmental period which can appear so daunting is actually a big and healthy step for 18-24 month olds- in which they are now able to show adults their wants and needs. I found Beth’s point in the video regarding this to be very informational, and gave me a new vantage point to view these behaviors.

[Katie Bagley]

Hello All! My name is Katie Bagley, from Upton, Massachusetts. I work with both Meredith Pizzi and Kristina Barbo at Roman Music Therapy Services. I completed my board certification last month, and received my Bachelor’s degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston. My primary experience has been in geriatrics, dementia and hospice clients, while it is recently since working with RMTS that I have expanded to those developmental disorders and other populations. I am very excited to be branching into the early childhood world through Sprouting Melodies! I am also very interested in neurologic music therapy, which I plan to explore within my career. I know that Sprouting Melodies training will enable me to advance my skill sets as a professional music therapist, specifically by becoming more knowledgable in stages of development and advocacy for early childhood music therapy in schools and communities. I look forward to meeting and learning with you all!

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