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Catching up on some threads that seem to have gone MIA on me!
I hope to hold space for an encouraging, inclusive, and diverse early childhood MT program. I personally do not agree with working from a behavioral/ABA perspective (regardless of age, diagnosis, or presentation), and am adamant about not running my sessions or groups as such. I find that early childhood programs often have behavioral components to them, but that does not feel congruent to a flexible, adaptive, and inclusive environment. I would love to have children & families representing multiple ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds to be present in the same group, as I think that it’s a highly valuable experience for children to interact with others from different life circumstances than themselves. I’m also aware, unfortunately, that this doesn’t always work, especially in a city like NYC where economic differences are so prevalent, and that these types of enrichment groups often target a select demographic. It’s my hope to be able to explore ways to break through barriers that hold that system in place.
ParticipantMusic Therapists provide value to young families in many ways, including potentially combatting possible isolation through bringing families together in community, offering new parents a different type of bonding experience through sharing familial/cultural songs/songs of kin, and in my personal hospital setting, allowing and encouraging families to bond in other ways when a baby or young child might not be able to be touched safely.
A large portion of my work in the NICU, PICU, & burn ICU is teaching caregivers how they can connect with their children regardless of how many wires and monitors are attached to the child. I often do this through gentle encouragement for caregivers to use their voices with their children – to sing to them (or sing with them, if the child is able), to narrate things in the room, to tell stories of their families and loved ones, etc. I have had the opportunity to facilitate songwriting experiences with caregivers to create a song that they’d like to share with their child, or a song that shares the parents’ perspective about the hospitalization experience, and it is consistently clear to me that both the child & caregivers benefit from these opportunities.
April 27, 2023 at 9:39 am
in reply to: What are the needs of the families and communities that you work with?
ParticipantWorking in a hospital setting, the core need of the families that I work with largely centers around normalization of an unfamiliar/scary environment. This unpredictable, unfamiliar environment is a large contributing factor to anxiety, stress, depression, and feelings of isolation, which then can manifest as an increase in pain symptoms. Using music to normalize an environment, whether it be through singing and playing songs that are heard at home, or songs that may be heard at school/daycare, helps to bring a familiar container into a space where nothing else is predictable (you never know when a nurse/doctor will come in, blood draws/IVs/procedures may not follow a predictable pattern, etc.). Giving children and families the opportunity to engage musically allows them the opportunity to explore through sensory play, predictability, and express their choices and preferences in an environment that they otherwise don’t get to say “no.”
The needs of my community – a diverse, urban setting, with all socioeconomic statuses, cultures, languages, and ideologies represented – is connection, ideally on a level playing field that crosses cultures/languages/social standings. Music is a perfect medium for this, as music in some form is found throughout all cultures of the world, and does not require participants to speak a common language (or even require them to speak at all). Intergenerational and multicultural music groups can be hugely effective for this reason.
April 19, 2023 at 10:13 am
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI often structure my more “formal” sessions in similar ways. None of my repertoire is “specific” to drum songs vs movement songs vs shaker songs. Also often create excitement/musical tension through establishing a rhythmic & harmonic pattern, then adding pause to encourage patient response.
I don’t think that my active way of practice has shifted much since beginning this course, but I am definitely more aware of less commonly considered milestones, and how I can support those developments musically.
ParticipantThe most valuable takeaway for me from this module was that it was a great refresher for what is developmentally appropriate at various ages. I currently work in an acute hospital setting, but have some kids that are (seemingly forever) awaiting long-term placement. The CAT & Child Life team do our best to support achieving these expected milestones, but a lot of our work is also often focused on preserving what has already been achieved. Because my patients are often so heavily medicalized, this was a great opportunity for me to revisit what “can/may be expected” to kids existing outside of a medical setting.
ParticipantHi Leslie – I mentioned in another thread, I’m super proud of folks that have transitioned from hospital work to private practice. Such a scary adventure! If I may, I have *HUGE* success with repertoire from Laurie Berkner & Ms. Rachel. They’re almost universally a hit with my kids under about 7, and are endlessly adaptable to flex up to about 10 or so. Ms. Rachel is.. not my favorite.. but kids love her. I don’t even mind listening to Laurie as an adult – not what I listen to in the car on my free time, but she’s very palatable as far as “kids music” goes!
ParticipantHi Melissa – I’d LOVE to make the shift from peds hospital to FT private practice, but am terrified at the limited health insurance options available on the marketplace. They’re so bad (in NY), and so prohibitively expensive. Props to ya for so bravely jumping into that world!
ParticipantHi Erika – I’m so curious about your experience in the Orthodox school. I have a large Orthodox patient population, and often find myself falling into the same few interventions that have been successful with other Orthodox patients. I’d love to expand my working knowledge of culturally sensitive & relevant content.
ParticipantGood morning,
I’m an MT-BC/LCAT practicing at New York Presbyterian-Weill/Cornell Medical Center in NYC. My home is in pediatrics – mostly in ICU step-down and general pediatrics, but also cover the pediatric ICU, burn ICU, and psychiatric emergency department on a consult-basis. I also work with the children of dying adults, as well as adults with developmental delays that are having difficulty coping with their hospitalization throughout the building.
Most of my work has been with children. Prior to being hospital-based, I was working in developmental preschools, and spent a year working in a restricted geri-psych unit of a nursing home.
Through this course, I’m hoping to gain some insight into working with my younger (pre-preschool age) patients, as well as some additional family-centered work techniques. I’m hoping to be able to start a community music therapy initiative, similar to some Music Together offerings that are in close by to me neighborhoods in Brooklyn.
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