[Kerry Cornelius]

Though I always try to utilize all of these elements (singing, playing, moving, listening) in each session I lead, this course has helped me begin to frame my sessions in a more effective and developmentally appropriate way. Since last week, I’ve been paying close attention to each of my clients and their current state of musical development. Once I assess where they are in the musical developmental sequence, I have found that it is much easier to tailor activities directly to their needs. I’ve been incorporating concepts like the rule of 3,000, paying close attention to my vocal timbre and how it impacts my clients, as well as using repetition and bringing back familiar songs more frequently. I’ve also been able to provide improved support for parents and caregivers who stay for our sessions. I have been encouraging them even more to be active music-makers with their children (especially for those children who tend to do more observing then music-making) as well as reinforcing the fact that the children need to be able to explore the space and the instruments in their own way–even if that means playing when the music stops or putting a maraca in their mouths!

[Kerry Cornelius]

Singing:
Awareness: Makes pitched cooing sounds while smiling
Trust: Imitates modeled pitches in song while randomly vocalizing “b” and “p” sounds
Independence: Babbles on a glissando and smiles when MT begins singing a familiar song
Control: Sings preferred song independently but omits random words/phrases
Responsibility: Accurately sings entire song and adjusts vocal timbre to match group

Playing:
Awareness: Opens hand on a tambourine briefly
Trust: Briefly grabs maraca, shakes for a few seconds, then drops it
Independence: Holds mallet in one hand while banging on drum with other hand
Control: Plays drum with a mallet and stars/stops along with music
Responsibility: Joins in with the group to play a steady beat on the drum

Moving:
Awareness: Child looks at face of MT when in close proximity and briefly swipes at MT with hand as she sings
Trust: Shakes head repetitively in presence of music
Independence: Pats knees intentionally while smiling
Control: Watches MT intently and imitates stomping and clapping
Responsibility: Participates fully in group social dance to “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”

Listening:
Awareness: Turns head toward sound of caregiver’s voice
Trust: Stops crying and is comforted by familiar rocking song
Independence: Tracks movement of singing MT by rotating head while sitting and changing facial posture
Control: Stops running to actively listen to a new song in a different mode
Responsibility: Watches a peer play the drum then seeks out peer or caregiver’s attention as they begin to play

[Kerry Cornelius]

Because I live in between three large cities (Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and Annapolis), my home community truly is a mixing pot of cultures and traditional music. Closer to Baltimore, there is a strong presence of gospel and religious music, while D.C. has many families from Mexico and Latin America who prefer traditional music and instruments from their home countries. Due to the wide variety of cultures, I often leave myself open to my clients’ preferences and go where they want to take me. I have learned beautiful Spanish children’s songs and lullabies to use with a young bilingual child with whom I work, but I’ve also had clients sing their preferred songs and hymns to me in more of a “jam session” fashion. I frequently try to use a variety of musical styles, idioms and instruments in my sessions to expose my clients to the exciting array of music found in our home community and beyond, as well as to help my clients from all cultures and walks of life feel valued and comfortable in my sessions.

[Kerry Cornelius]

Recently, I began working with a very young child and his mother. As he becomes more comfortable with the environment in our music therapy sessions, he has started to discover and move into the developmental level of independence. When I place three different instruments in front of him, he immediately stands, investigates them and selects an instrument with no prompting. He will often make choices such as playing one instrument for a for long period of time (like the drum, which he will often want to play independently for 5 to 10 minutes), or many instruments for short periods of time (Egg shaker! Bells! Tambourine! All in about 30 seconds). He actively uses a choice board to select preferred songs and activities, as well as frequently positions himself away from his mom so that he can explore the room, and most often, my instrument bag. His favorite activities are “follow the leader” echo games, where he has the opportunity to imitate what I sing or play.

[Kerry Cornelius]

This week, I was really excited to put some of these new songs into practice! Yesterday, I was working with a 7 year old with Down Syndrome who has many self-regulation and communication goals, including playing a steady beat and vocalizing spontaneously. We were drumming together on a gathering drum and I began singing, “Are You Ready For Music?” Because we were already playing the drum (which he had selected from a choice board), I sang “Do you want to play the drum?” four times, followed by four drum beats and “boom, boom, boom, boom!” I then transitioned to vocalizing the chant “Where is the music?” in a rhythmic, singsong voice. Each time I said the word “me”, I stopped drumming and pointed to myself (using high affect and pitch). He began to smile and approximate the word “music” as I chanted the verse a second time and even began to look up at me each time I stopped drumming to gesture “ME!” It was really exciting to see him demonstrating his awareness via eye contact and spontaneous vocalizations. The transitional nature of “Are you ready for music?” helped create a welcoming environment for my client as he adjusted to being in our music therapy session after a long day at ESY and the “boom booms” provided opportunities for vocalization within a set structure. In addition, the percussive qualities of the chant fit well with drumming due to its predictable structure and repetitive lyrics.

[Kerry Cornelius]

I’m not yet a parent myself and I haven’t fully experienced first-hand the joy of watching my own child grow from infant to toddler and beyond. But this course has been reminding me of the importance of learning and understanding the paths child development may take (that are still fresh from my music therapy equivalency work!) so that I can best serve my families. Each week, I see some clients individually in an early childhood intervention center and have already had the opportunity to begin to watch them grow and explore the world within our music therapy sessions.

Throughout Elizabeth’s review of child development scales, I found myself thinking about each of my families and exciting moments from our sessions. I thought of the time a four year old, whose speech usually consists of babbling, loudly declared, “Drum, drum, drum!” His mother began to tear up and began to sing “Drum, drum, drum” while rocking her child. I also thought of another little boy who sat in his mother’s lap and pretended to “sleep” during a relaxation exercise. This same child was earlier described as “always running away from me, not to me” by his mother, who had the biggest smile on her face as she held him.

We as therapists often spend so much time focusing solely on our clients, but I love the emphasis made in the course material about also sharing this love and focus with the parents and caregivers who are so often present in our sessions. My hope is that the energy and excitement I have as a new therapist will be a bright light of comfort and a renewing energy for the children and families I serve. I know that many of my families describe their music therapy sessions as an “oasis” in the chaos of their daily lives, and I want them to continue view me as someone not only there to nurture their children, but their whole family. I’m so looking forward to learning more about creating an environment of community, support and encouragement in my early childhood sessions from this point on.

[Kerry Cornelius]

My most valuable takeaway from this week’s content has been the importance of understanding the typical stages of child development in order to deliver developmentally appropriate practice to the clients with whom we work. Having a strong foundation of knowledge regarding what children and their families are experiencing at each point in their growth (be it ups, downs or a combination of both!) helps us be more in tune with each unique child’s needs—both musically and developmentally— at that point in time. Having a strong bank of knowledge can also help music therapists establish themselves as a source of support for families as they learn and grow together. As community leaders, we can provide families with tools and knowledge as we encourage parents (and at times, reassure them that what they are experiencing is totally normal!), as well as be mindful of looking out for children who may not be reaching their developmental milestones in a typical fashion.

[Kerry Cornelius]

Hi, Erika! I just wanted to let you know that when I was watching Week 1’s training video, I noticed that part of the video repeated itself. Minutes 18:27-23:53 are actually the same as minutes 13:01-18-27. I’m not sure if this is just a glitch on my video, but I did check a bunch of times and it is definitely the same chunk of material. Just wanted to make sure you were aware! 🙂 Thanks!

[Kerry Cornelius]

Hi there! My name is Kerry Cornelius and I’m a newly board certified music therapist. I live and work in central Maryland (I’m based out of Columbia, MD) with Shiloh Center Music Therapy Services, LLC and The Music Institute at Howard Community College. I also maintain a music therapy blog called Songs for Success, where I love sharing original songs, activity ideas and beyond. I graduated from Shenandoah University’s Professional Studies Program for Music Therapy Certification Eligibility in March 2014 and also hold a BM in Voice Performance from Towson University. I primarily work with children, adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, so I am really passionate about working within a developmental, client-centered, improvisational approach. One of sites where I’m currently working is an early intervention center where I see clients individually, and I am absolutely loving working with the little ones! I’ve also previously worked as a preschool music teacher, and really miss leading groups for young children. I’m always looking for new songs and materials to help expand my clinical repertoire and improve my practice, so I could not be more excited about the Sprouting Melodies program! Since meeting and talking with Meredith and Elizabeth at the National Conference in Jacksonville, I knew that I wanted to become a Sprouting Melodies provider and begin extending new music-enrichment opportunities to my community. Can’t wait to get to know everyone and work with you for the next 10 weeks!

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