[Kristen Macleod]

1. It’s okay for your child to turn away from the music sound, they just might need a break. 2 Your baby is just exploring and getting to know the instrument. It’s okay for them to be using their hands and mouth. 3. Can you hear that? your baby is cooing and singing sounds close to your singing. They recognize your voice and are turning their head towards you when you are singing. 4. Your baby is not bored, He is confused. This is why we use repetition. 5. Your baby might be wriggly and fidget because they are ready to do more movement. It’s okay to let them do this.

[Kristen Macleod]

background music as parents settle in/ Gathering songs: ‘Hello’ &’ Good Morning’ / Body Percussion: ‘Sit Down with Me’ / Lap Ride:  ‘Row it Faster’ / Instrument play: ‘In my Little Hand’ / Movement: ‘I can move around’/ Cool Down:  Using scarves or gentle rocking to soothing song ‘ Blow high and Low’  (“Blow high and low and High and low, the wind and waves blow high and low the waves are crashing on the shore blow high and low”. Will post notation later)  / Goodbye: Goodbye.

[Kristen Macleod]

I think this is such an interesting discussion and I am glad that this was touched upon in the videos this week. I feel that since beginning my practice I have constantly been having this discussion in my head as I have been trying to educate people in my community about the benefits of music therapy. Where is the line between community based music therapy and music groups for entertainment purposes? And I feel that this is something I have needed to try and be very clear about in terms of telling people about my training and about goals and objectives.  I have a few community MT groups that do not require clinical documentation but I do have goals and objectives for so I feel that what Lisa is saying about her experience with an elementary autism classroom resonates with me.  I think it is important that we emphasis that benefits of overall health and wellbeing in community music therapy experiences and let those that are part of our groups or parents etc know why it is we do certain interventions/ activites/ experiences and highlight areas of growth and development for clients within the musical experiences.

[Kristen Macleod]

I do not have experience working with groups of this age level.  About 5 or 6 years ago I went to shadow a musician in central scotland who did some community music groups and she did do a music class for babies and parents.  At the time I thought that her approach and music was too advanced for the babies and it was too loud and too much going on. I couldn’t see myself using her approach. Now with the knowledge I am gaining from Sprouting melodies I can  now see how I might work with this group and I am looking forward to doing so.

[Kristen Macleod]

Gentle, warm, connection, supportive, safe.

[Kristen Macleod]

There is very little in the area I work in in terms of group activities for families with children who have disabilities and nothing that is musical. When I talk to mothers of some of the individual children I work with I hear about how they would love to be able to hang out with other mothers who are in similar situations to them or be in an environment where they don’t feel stressed that their child wont fit in or be accepted. As the only music therapist in the area I would love to be able to offer them a service that could meet some of these needs.  I also work a little with some of the young siblings of these children and I think it would be great to have a siblings class where they could be with other children who are experiencing some of the same experiences they are in their home life. It can be a stressful for these children at home and to have a group in the community where they could come and make music and socialize would be fantastic.  I have a large “to do list”!

Emily, Like Erika I would love to hear more about your ‘Sing & Sign’ ideas.  Using more signing is also on my to do list! 🙂

[Kristen Macleod]

Music therapists benefit families of young children as we have a vast variety of skills and experiences we can bring to them along with a great deal of knowledge that could help and support them.  We have musical skills as well as an understanding of development and disabilities which other music group leaders may not have. As others have said we have an understanding of how music can have an effect on people and we know how to use this and to be flexible in meeting the needs of each parent and child making it individual and client centred process.  I think as music therapists we really enter this profession with a real passion to share music with a view to benefit others and this is reflected in the hard work, care, energy and enthusiasm we bring to our sessions.

[Kristen Macleod]

I usually structure my sessions thinking about singing, playing and movement experiences and like Erika and Megan I feel that the listening part is harder.  Recently I think I have been less aware of this element in my sessions. When I used to work with hospice patients I think that listening took on a large part of the sessions when I would use listening experiences to relax and for pain management through using the iso principle to allow the client to begin to breathe with the music and become one with the music emotionally, physically and spiritually resulting in overall calm.  I think I need to look at listening within my sessions and become more aware of how this element might be more present.  I think that looking at each of these elements developmentally this week also gives me a new way to approach session planning and to think about these elements in a different way within practice especially with the younger children I am working with.

[Kristen Macleod]

Singing:
Awareness: Will turn toward the source of singing and make pitched vocalisations.  Trust: The child will respond to their pitch being matched by changing the pitch of their vocalisations. Independence: Allow the child to explore high and low pitches using vocal babble and vocal glissando. Control: The child begins to sing phrases of familiar songs. Responsibility: The child will sing familiar songs with a variety of accurate pitches and rhythm.

Instrument Playing
Awareness: The child will begin to explore instruments with hands, mouth and tongue.  Trust: The child will briefly shake a simple instrument when grasped.  Independence: the child continues to explore the instruments but with more purpose for example using hands to bang a drum.  Control: Begins to respond to musical cues such as starting and stopping, playing fast or slow.  Responsibility: Can maintain a steady beat and also participate in call and response.

Movement:
Awareness: The child will suck rhythmically.  Trust: Can move whole body rhythmically to music. Independence: the child can move different body parts independently to the music, (e.g. clap hands, pat knees etc).  Control: The child imitates movements of others.  Responsibility: Begins to ask for particular movements and begins to use movements within a sequence.

Listening:
Awareness: The child prefers familiar vocal timbre. Trust: The child recognises familiar songs and sounds.  Independence: begins to attend more to preferred music. Control: The child watches others as they make music. Responsibility: begins to listen to the music made by others and have an understanding that it is not just about them. Begins to understand turn taking.

[Kristen Macleod]

I have found learning about these musical developmental levels so useful this week. They have helped me look at some of my clients in a new way giving me a better understanding of them and I can definitely see how they will come in useful when I expand my practice into working with early childhood groups.

When I was watching the videos I kept thinking about a 5 year old boy I am currently working with who has bi-lateral cochlear implants along with other sensory processing  issues. I have found working with him challenging but I am now seeing how his development in music is lining up with these stages which is fascinating. Currently he seems to be entering the independent level. Recently he has begun to explore the instruments with more purpose and to move to the music by clapping or jumping.  In our last session the boy who often wanders around the room kept turning around to face the sound source when I would play guitar and sing.   During one familiar song he began to clap his hands rhythmically in response to the song and then walked towards me . He waited until the song ended, reached out and purposefully ran his fingers down the strings in a slow swipe to strum my guitar and smiled.

I think that having an understanding of where he may be in terms of these musical stages may help shape further goals in my work with him.

[Kristen Macleod]

I really enjoyed learning some of these songs this week and today I managed to try using some of them in sessions. I tried out the songs “Are you ready for music?” , “Sit down with me” and “wiggly Jiggly Car”.  I found that “Are you Ready for Music?” was not only a hit with two 5 year old boys but also with an elderly group today where there were a few smiles and great engagement.  The 4 yr old boys both enjoyed waiting to clap their hands and we also worked on choice making with other movements, e.g jump/stamp feet/dance. This really gave them a sense of control within the song.  Today I also sang the song “Sit down with me” with a girl on the spectrum where I am currently working with speech therapy to encourage sustaining sounds and open vowel sounds. She loved the long sustained ‘la’ note at the end of the song making great eye contact while matching my singing and then signing to me ‘again’!

[Kristen Macleod]

I grew up on an island on the North West Coast of Scotland which is steeped in music of Scots Gaelic song culture and scottish traditional music. Living now in Mainland North Scotland this is still very much the music of choice in this area.  Growing up my mother and grandmother would use Gaelic songs as part of their daily routine or to tell stories as has been tradition in our culture.  There were songs that had a strong beat for work and songs that were almost haunting in melody that were used as a lullaby . Scots trad music still takes a prominent role within the school system in the North of Scotland .

 

Although a lot of popular  kids songs use basic I-IV-V chords I like that we were encouraged to use modes and minor keys in our work with young children this week. Thinking back to the music I was exposed to in my culture while I was a child – most of Scots Gaelic song and traditional music is based on pentatonic scales and modes so I dont know why I found this such a new idea.  Here is an example of a Gaelic song my mother used to sing or hum as a lullaby to me (I hope the link works).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5muVg_ZWek

[Kristen Macleod]

I feel a lot more confident to discuss developmental information with parents of current individuals I work with and in future groups. One of the reasons I feel it is important for my practice to begin early childhood music groups is to encourage parents to be more vocal in asking questions about development and to see how music is important within their child’s development. I wasn’t sure I felt that I could do that before but this week’s material has definately been helpful!

I feel inspired to get even more creative in play with my early childhood 1:1 clients this week especially now that I have a deeper understanding of what may be best suited developmentally.

[Kristen Macleod]

Like Michelle I really like the idea of using “Trade” rather than share and I’m looking forward to trying that this week in a session.  I also found it really valuable to think about things from a child like point of view as I know this is sometimes something I forget to do.  It is so important to feel what it might be like for the child and to truly engage in jumping, skipping, etc (which was also fun to do!)  This reminded me of a voice and music therapy class I took in Grad school where we explored babbling and how the voice develops. We were encouraged to be babies and move through stages of development from lying on the floor to crawling to walking unsteady and beginning to explore sound & movement as if for the first time.  I had forgotten about this experience of being child-like with feeling and experiencing the world that way  and how useful it had been – this week Beth reminded me of its importance.

[Kristen Macleod]

Hi Everyone,

My name is Kristen Macleod. I am currently living in Scotland, UK.  I am really excited to begin this training with you all!

I moved from Scotland to the U.S in 2009 where I completed my Masters in Music therapy at Lesley University and became board certified in 2011. I returned to Scotland and began my own private practice last year Harmony Music therapy Scotland in the Scottish Highlands-  where I am the only music therapist in the whole area.
Before I moved Stateside I worked using music with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities and then while in Boston I completed internships with Season’s Hospice and Palliative Care and also at SpauldingRehabilitationHospital working with adult TBI patients. Currently I work with mental health adults and Elderly, TBI and I also work a lot with children and teens with special needs.
I have recently had a lot of parents with babies and infants asking me if I provide services for that age group as there really is nothing available in the area where parents can engage in music with their children. I have had some experience with early intervention but until now I have not explored possibilities of including sessions for this age group in my practice. I heard so many great things about Sprouting Melodies from friends in Boston that I decided it was time to step out of my comfort zone and really try and provide a service that could support the mothers and young children as they develop in my community through music.
Kristen

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