[Kaylee Greco]

What are your key takeaways from this course? How has this learning changed your perspective on development, your approach to the work, or the way you use music in your sessions? How will you share this information with colleagues, administrators and families?

Key Takeaways – One of the biggest takeaways that I got from this course is working with the knowledge of typical child development to support the child in their goals. This is something that is so incredibly important when working with this group so that you are able to form sessions around this typical development.

Changed Perspective – This information added to the way that I use music in my sessions. I was fortunate to have a very developmental forward framework in my internship and it is always a great a reminder of how to work with families.

Share Information – This information will help me to advocate for early childhood music groups, especially coming from a music therapy standpoint. I will definitely be sharing this information with music therapy colleagues as well as my colleagues in my school districts.

[Kaylee Greco]

I’m excited to utilize this structure as well as the new songs. I am excited about all of the information that makes it easier to communicate with staff or parents. I also like how this information served as a reminder on developmental aspects and things to keep in mind when working with children and i am excited to utilize this information in my practice.

[Kaylee Greco]

Some strategies that I have learned in my clinical experience include setting the environment up for success, knowing my students, and communication. For setting the environment up for success I will choose my instruments wisely (i. Don’t give mallets out in a group where a student is known to throw), set up the room so that I am in between the chairs and the door if I have a student who may run, put away extra instruments or props if I am in a session with students who are easily distracted or over stimulated. Once I know my students I am able to shape the session around their needs, if they are a student who craves sensory input then a lot of movement songs will be used or if I have a student who’s is easily over stimulated then I will use songs with a strong, constant rhythmic beat and a mellow melodic line. Communication is also key, specifically with aides or parents. If a child is simply sitting there I may tell the staff member that it’s okay if they choose to just listen that day because that may be what they need today.

[Kaylee Greco]

5 Words: Joyful, Together, Family, Cooperation, Patience

Family Sprouts: Greeting- I’m Glad You Are Here Today, Bonding – Hold On Tight, Songs About Me – Who’s That, Instrument Song – I Like This Song, Movement – Clickety Clack, Goodbye – It’s Time to Say Goodbye

[Kaylee Greco]

5 words: communication, fun, energetic, freedom, movement

SM3 Plan: Gathering – Sit Down With Me, Bonding – Hold on Tight, Songs About Me – You Play a Little, Instrument Songs – I Like This Song, Movement Songs – The Leaves are Falling, Goodbye – Time to Go

[Kaylee Greco]

As a music therapist we understand the link between music and development and can form our sessions/groups to work with that development. We are also trained to adapt in the moment if a certain song or intervention is over stimulating or under stimulating so that we can make the necessary changes to meet the child where they need to be. I also feel like our training makes us uniquely prepared to work with groups or children who may be at different developmental levels, we can explain succinctly to parents the expectations that we may have for their children or why a child is responding in a certain way.

[Kaylee Greco]

Most of my experience is with kids slightly older than the Sprouting Melody Classes so far. For my younger kids in K-2 I find that scarves are very popular as well as novel instruments such as the ocean drum. For group play I use a lot of egg shakers or Chiquita’s so they can choose a color. I also love using the gathering drum or a buffalo drum for the vibrotactile feedback. I especially like using the gathering drum for smaller groups because I can use it as a boundary which tends to help the kids that I work with.

[Kaylee Greco]

5 Words: Exciting, Exploratory, Stimulating, Social, Developmental

5 Sentences: It’s okay, they can explore my guitar, it’s something new and exciting! Did you hear him match my pitch, that was very exciting! At this developmental stage your child may want to explore the room and that’s okay! Don’t worry if this instrument ends up in their mouth, that is a way to explore the instrument and they are always safe and sanitized. Look at how well he is focusing on you when you sing to him, you guys have a really great relationship with each other!

SM2 Session Plan: Gathering/Greeting – Hey Hey Come and Play Bonding – Hold on Tight Songs about Me – Can You See Me? Instrument Songs – I Like This Song Movement – March With my Baby Goodbye – Goodbye

[Kaylee Greco]

I find that the right amount of stimulation happens when the child is still engaged even if it is not in the way that you would expect. They may be wandering around the room but their gaze often returns to you, or their gait pattern matches the music that is being played. Understimulation may result in the child being completely disengaged and doing their own thing and, in my experience, overstimulation is often seen as excessive fidgeting, looking uncomfortable, or crying. It is a very thin line to walk so I am constantly observing those non verbal cues and altering my timbre, volume, pitch, tempo, etc.

[Kaylee Greco]

I have almost no experience working directly with this age group but I am very excited to learn more and gain more experience in this area.

[Kaylee Greco]

Five Words: Supportive, Calm, Consistent, Bonding, Slow-paced

Five Statements:
“Look at how your daughter looked at you when you started singing!”
“Notice how calm your child’s body is right now, remember how startled he was three weeks ago!”
“You’re doing such an amazing job singing to your baby, that’s such a great way to grow your bond”
“The way you are holding your baby is so supportive, that helps to foster a sense of trust”
“It’s okay that your baby is sleeping, you guys got here and we are so excited to see you!”

SM1 Session Plan:
Gathering: Today’s a Beautiful Day
Bonding: Wiggly Jiggly Car, Little Red Wagon
Songs About Me: Where is My Face, Just Like Me
Instrument Song: I Like This Song, In My Little Hand
Movement: Pick Your Hands Up High, As Big As Can Be
Goodbye

[Kaylee Greco]

I believe that the role of music therapy in community based groups is incredibly important. Music therapists bring knowledge, not only in music, but in group management, child development, and therapeutic techniques. An important factor in community based groups such as Sprouting Melodies, is the family aspect. At that point the group isn’t just about the children, it is also about the parents and the relationship between child and parents and music therapists are uniquely equipped to facilitate groups that target those types of relationships.

[Kaylee Greco]

I currently do not work directly with my students families. I am looking into branching out and starting early childhood classes but the pandemic has briefly halted those plans. I work in a very small town, so there aren’t many early childhood classes near me so I feel as though a class such as this one would be a huge benefit.

However, due to the nature of tele-health, I have begun to interact with the families more often and I have found that their biggest need is support in how their specific child is developing. I had one student who would not sit in front of the phone and would often walk into her closet. Once her mom follower her in there and we were able to have a very productive session from insider her closet. Her mom kept apologizing to me and needed the affirmation that this was okay! There is no rule saying where therapy needs to take place under these circumstances. I also had another student who often struggled with transitions. One week, back in November, he had a rough day in music and then attributed that experience to music therapy. From then on he refused to attend sessions and often asked for it to be “canceled.” However, I knew how much he benefited from music therapy, I eventually brought in something new and exciting and we were back in business. During the pandemic, I was the only service that he would sit down for. He once missed a session and independently contacted me to make it up! His grandma then messaged me saying that she had thought about canceling it because of how often he asked but after seeing how well he did over tele-sessions she knew how important it was to him and asked for an increase in services. Music therapy can be such a huge support system for parents and their kids and it is important to remember that even in the more difficult times.

[Kaylee Greco]

Music therapy has this unique ability to assist in bonding between parent and child. The very nature of music therapy means that the participants don’t have to be “musical” because they inherently are. I also like to talk about how music therapy uses music to approach goals and that the music sort of masks the “work” that is being done. There is so much you can do with one simple song that parents sometimes don’t even realize. I truly believe that there is huge potential for developmental growth with babies that is sometimes untapped and music therapy has the ability to tap into that potential.

[Kaylee Greco]

I tend to use a mix of instrument play, and moving in my sessions. I also incorporate singing, however, a majority of my students are non-verbal so the emphasis is not placed on singing but rather the movement/direction that goes along with it. I will often use listening in the form of books, where the students have to listen to the book and follow a directive at specific times. Since sessions have switched over to tele-therapy during this pandemic, I have really noticed the value of movement activities and interventions. A majority of my students did not have instruments, and I did not have the means to supply instruments so each intervention had a movement component. I also work with a HOH individual so I was able to really get an idea of how visual cues also support movement.

I also utilize a lot of movement in my sessions because I work with primarily K-2 students and I have found that movement is a great way to regulate their sensory systems in order to help them become more focused. Prior to the pandemic, I used instrument play a lot as a reinforcer. In my groups it was a great way to work on turn taking and social skills. I would have one student playing the drum, and on completion of their turn I would have the group clap for their friend. The student playing the instrument would then have the option to pass the instrument to a friend who had not yet had a turn.

I would love to explore more interventions that focus on singing and listening in the future!

[Author]

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