[Kelsi Tafaro]

Compared to others, I am actually very fortunate that my internship was in early childhood, and I was able to provide music therapy services to the infant room. Much of my focus in this room was centered on the awareness and trust principles, particularly bonding/”I love you rituals”, finger plays, and sensory sensory stimulation. Now having my own child and taking this class, I am much more keenly aware of the experiences I provided and how I can continue to adapt them in my practice to be even more developmentally appropriate. My son is currently 6.5 months and is absolutely loving the rainstick and maraca!

[Kelsi Tafaro]

In our private practice, I have found that by offering “classes”, we appeal to a much larger audience and people are much more willing to register for our services. However, whenever we label something as a music therapy group, it often limits those who think the class applies to them/their child. It goes to show the power of marketing and how one word can change the dynamic of wording. One thing that I agree is critically important is always emphasizing that we are music therapists. We have a certain level of expertise that I feel is integral to the community music model and through this model we can assist parents in bonding with that child and how to implement strategies at home to continue that bond and development.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

I echo what everyone else has mentioned regarding a need for community. However, for us, this isn’t just a need during the global pandemic. I often feel in our area, the Northern Virginia/DC Metro area, there is major pressure for high achievement and pressure to succeed from a very young age. The parents of the children we work with feel so isolated from other families whose children are neurotypical, from their families who don’t understand their child’s unique needs or community members who perceive their child a certain way. I often feel that when they come to us they are seeking support and welcoming us into their family to help them navigate the unknown. I have found that many families value our input and see us as an integral part of their multidisciplinary team.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Hi Rebecca, you bring up a good point about parents saying they “can’t sing”. I work in the public schools system and work with special education teachers on integrating music in their classrooms, and I also hear from them that the kids “don’t want to hear them sing”. I also tell them that the child doesn’t care what their voice sounds like they just thrive off the interaction and experience. I think it is critically important that we empower young families, teachers, caregivers, etc. in how to engage in musical experiences with the little ones!

[Kelsi Tafaro]

As a first time mom, I can attest to how overwhelming being a parent is, especially when learning and understanding about all the developmental milestones that your child should be attaining throughout their development. As a private practice owner, I often receive referrals from parents who are first-time parents who did not realize that their child wasn’t hitting their developmental milestones on time and did not realize until a childcare provider, relative or doctor pointed it out. I believe that music therapists are incredibly valuable to young families because we are able to interact and engage with children in a way that is uniquely innate and in a way that they understand. By being able to understand child development and development through music, we can assist parents in understanding their child and equip them with the skills to maintain those skills outside of the therapeutic setting to maintain continuity of learned skills.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Hi Jasmine! I, too, really enjoy how clear and simple Elizabeth and Meredith’s songs are. I appreciate the simplicity of the chants because it provides the structure and rhythm to help organize the child’s processing while not muddying the water with too much stimulation where the point of the intervention is lost.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

With COVID and the transition to virtual services, I have found myself using singing more often over the use of instrument playing. This has really prompted more verbalizations and vocalizations from my clients. I have also found that the virtual platform requires a bit more wait time between transitions, and this has opened up the opportunity for additional responses and spontaneous communication. Additionally, I have observed that creativity has been sparked among my clients whenever I encourage them to use household items to play as an instrument (vitamin bottle as a shaker, oatmeal container as a drum, rice in a container, spoon/pot, etc.). I often treat it as a bonding experience for the client and caregiver to problem solve together in the moment and go on a hunt for a household item to use.

I was taught the importance of transition songs in my internship, and I have used them in my clinical practice as I have found that they are integral in providing structure to the environment while also encouraging creativity in the moment. I often found that children have a hard time “giving up” their instrument whenever it is time for the instruments to be collected. My transition songs are simple in structure and allow them the opportunity to play their instrument however they would like before they put it back into the bag. I like having the child put it back into the bag/box because it provides them that autonomy and independence that they crave, especially when they are in the “control” phase.

I really enjoy incorporating movement into my early childhood groups and individual sessions because I find that it is one of the most innate responses children have and it is a great opportunity for children to connect socially with one another. I like to use manipulatives, such as parachutes, stretchy bands, and streamers, to help facilitate the movement as it provides an additional sensory experience to the session.

Active listening is an experience I would like to continue to incorporate more into my practice. I often use auditory discrimination and auditory perception activities, but found that these are often more abstract to children and require a higher level of development (responsibility level). At this stage, children demonstrate the ability to attend to the music and to perceive the music and match their movements or actions to the dynamics of the song, scale of a song, or intensity of the music.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

1. Awareness- rolling toward music, localization to the sound source, and repetitious sounds
2. Trust- Turn attention to and away from music, use senses to explore instruments, match pitches and create simple melodies
3. IndependenceTake an instrument and pass it from hand to hand, match intensity of movement to music, melodic babbling with inflection
4. Control- like to pound/bang on a drum/instrument, sings spontaneously, dances spontaneously
5. Responsibility- imitate simple rhythms, sing in minor and major keys, recognize and imitate dynamics (soft and loud)

[Kelsi Tafaro]

I love that book, and I love that you have found a place for it in your clinical practice. I think it is increasingly important for us to assist our clients in understanding the differences among them. I recently used Iza Trapani’s Jingle Bells in the school setting to help teach students about different culture’s holidays in the wintertime, and it was very well received!

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Working in both private practice and the public school system, I have the opportunity to work with a variety of different communities with varied cultural backgrounds. In the metro DC area, we are a very transient area with many government families that come from varied cultural backgrounds. As a business owner, part of our intake process is working with the families and/or clients to identify the client’s musical preferences, languages spoken at home, and songs that are native to their culture that they use to connect with each other at home. Having the parents as an active member of the multidisciplinary team is crucial to helping us understand the traditional and cultural music choices of the client and using that information to help influence our session planning. We currently have a contract now that is geared toward refugee families of various areas. It is critical that we collaborate with the program facilitators in families in order to help drive our interventions and adapt them based on the participants’ backgrounds.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

During this unit, I continued to reflect on my 5 month old son and what developmental stage he is currently in which is the awareness level. He responds positively to infant-directed speech that has higher pitch contour and his emotions are reflective of those pitch contours and specific timbre of our voices. He frequently explores his voice and explores the pitches of his voice, especially those in the higher register. He also engages in repetitive movement that engages his sensory system like swaying to a 3/4 pattern, bouncing to an upbeat rhythm, etc. I also notice him rolling toward the music and reaching toward the music when I am doing virtual sessions with my clients, which demonstrates his awareness and music choice. In addition, when my son is crying and I match his pitch, I notice a decrease in his distress as if he feels that he is being heard and understood.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Hi Michelle!

It is amazing how babies respond to infant directed speech and tone of voice! It is definitely something we must be mindful of in our practice!

[Kelsi Tafaro]

This week, I found all of the content especially relevant, but I found the 0-6 months information the most relatable as my baby is currently 5 months. I found myself checking off in my head all of the developmental milestones he has already obtained as Meredith and Beth were going through them. Additionally, I found myself getting excited for the future milestones that were mentioned. Something my husband and I are currently experiencing is my son’s interest in proprioceptive input (wanting to be assisted to stand and jump constantly!) and communicating through fussing whenever he is seeking that sensory experience. The greatest joy for me is seeing him recognize me everyday when he wakes up or when I come into the room or smile when we sing songs together! These interactions are so meaningful for me that I want other parents to also experience these same feelings, and I am already planning on how to integrate caregiver and baby classes into our programs being offered at our practice.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Early childhood development and how children interact with the world around them has been a particular passion and focus of mine since my undergraduate coursework. This passion continued to grow during my internship in early intervention and in my master’s degree/professional work in special education. I have experience composing original children songs that are tailored to developmental milestones and client’s unique needs and goals. Having a 5 month old of my own, I am more aware of elements of the music and how they impact and facilitate exploration through music. As a private practice owner, I’m hoping this knowledge and my prior/current experiences will help me to continue to develop programs to offer the community and to continue developing appropriate treatment plans that are specific to my clients’ needs and development.

[Kelsi Tafaro]

Thank you so much! I’m excited to implement what I learn and use him as my little guinea pig! 🙂

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