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July 27, 2014 at 10:32 amParticipant
Wonderful responses from everyone! When I first started leading SM groups two years ago, I was nervous about not having the experience of being a parent. As I became more comfortable, I found that parents really listened and found my advice and observations to be credible. As you make your way through this course, I encourage you to print and keep your answers on the forum in a binder to go back and look at. It’s a great refresher and can help with boosting your confidence in your knowledge of early childhood development and music!
ParticipantHello again everyone. I will be away on vacation from 7/12-7/20. I look forward to reading all of your responses here on the forum once I am back. Please feel free to still email me questions as you are thinking of them! I will be sure to respond on Monday 7/21. Kristina@romanmusictherapy.com
ParticipantHello everyone! My name is Kristina Barbo and I am also an online moderator for this course. I live in Reading MA. I graduated from Anna Maria College, and I currently work at Roman Music Therapy Services(RMTS) with Meredith Pizzi as a music therapist, Sprouting Melodies Provider, and practicum student supervisor. I work with a diverse clientele from birth to end of life in various populations. I have been a Sprouting Melodies Provider for just under two years. I participated in the live training in NY with Beth and Meredith in June of 2012, and completed the online training in November of 2012 after I became a board certified music therapist. My online training experience was unique as I had already started to lead SM groups of my own, which was very helpful as a refresher, and gave me the opportunity to absorb the information in a more applicable way. I will be present during this entire online training course to be a resource for you throughout your experience. I am here to respond to any questions you may have and offer my support as best I can, so please feel free to contact me here on the forum! You can also contact me by email with any specific questions you may have at kristina@romanmusictherapy.com. I look forward to getting to know all of you over the next several weeks!
ParticipantHi Lauren,
I have run SM groups with just two children in it. It really depends on what limits you want to set, but this is a great question to bring up when we have a conference call at the end of the training.
ParticipantBarb, those are all great strategies! It can be intimidating at first, but I can tell that you would know what to do if you were running a group like this. It’s all about trusting our skills, and being able to direct a caregiver when modifying. Remember you are the expert, so talk about how the developmental levels are different, and why you are modifying it for the younger child. The more information you can provide, the more comfortable you will feel with what you are doing, and the more informed the families will be!
ParticipantHi Kristen! Our music therapy space here in Melrose is a neutral color with very few things hanging on the walls. We keep the instruments on shelves high up on the walls so they are out of reach and are not a distraction. I definitely see a benefit having a more calm and neutral space regarding the walls and the floor so that the focus is on the music or the therapist. I have one client that I see at our office space as well as in a group out in the community. Our office space is much more neutral than the space I see her in for group sessions, and she is able to focus more. The same thing can happen when out in the community going to families homes. Sometimes the excess stuff is just too distracting. One thing you can do, which I have done is use small colored rug squares for older kids that thrive with more stimulation, and it’s something that can be removed and put away.
ParticipantIn Sprouting Melodies, I use maracas that have a handle small enough for the children to grasp. If you rub the handle on their palm, their instinct is to grasp or hold what is there. If they are not able to hold the instrument or are not actively playing it, I sometimes have the parent or caregiver play a frame drum with the baby’s feet or hands touching it to feel the vibrations. When the music stops, they usually initiate playing by tapping or moving their legs. These are all ways to get the responses you are looking for from various age and developmental levels in one group but with different instruments. Let me know if you have more questions!
ParticipantFamily Sprouts will be addressed in one of the weeks ahead, and will give you a better idea as well as food for thought about how you actually would engage all participants appropriately. As Ann said, I also “borrow” a child to demonstrate or just model what the parent should do with an imaginary child in my lap, or with my own body, such as how to provide hand over hand modeling of stamping feet. All Sprouting Melodies groups are 45 minutes long.
Kristen, Erika forwarded your questions to Beth and Meredith so when they have an opportunity, they will respond here. Keep the questions coming, and I will do my best to answer them for you.
June 1, 2014 at 11:47 pm
in reply to: Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1.
ParticipantBarb, I do keep the hello song the same, however I do sometimes change up the same song to be more active with dancing for the older kids who have been in the program a long time, and may lose interest. If you can give them a more active role or musical direction such as a (ouuuuuuuuu while pointing around the room to see who’s next, who is she going to point to next?) There are subtle ways you can change it up. I do like to keep it the same structure and basic tune, and it has become the staple and favorite song for several of the families that I work with.
May 27, 2014 at 11:05 pm
in reply to: What value do music therapists bring to families of young children?
ParticipantIt’s so refreshing to hear all of your spiels on how we do what we do and why it works. Your answers were all so articulate and so true. It is important for us to educate parents about what we do as music therapist and why those skills apply to our Sprouting Melodies training, so keep these spiels in mind when introducing yourself to groups if you start a program!
ParticipantMeredith could speak better to suggested times and days to run Sprouting Melodies groups around naps for each age grouping. I will forward her your questions.
ParticipantLauren, I have had several nanny’s, or grandparents, or aunts bring a child to Sprouting Melodies. You would still educate them as you would if they were the parent. They are looking for tips and tricks to soothe, entertain, and connect with the kids they are taking care of as well. You can also mention the bonding aspects of some songs to the nanny, and educate the nanny on how it could be beneficial to teach these songs to the parent so the parent can sing the songs at home as well.
May 18, 2014 at 10:47 pmParticipantBarb, that sounds wonderful! So glad this material could apply for you at such a time of need.
May 13, 2014 at 7:04 pm
in reply to: Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.
ParticipantKristen, I have sent your question on to Meredith and Beth, so look for their response. Before my SM groups start, I have CD’s playing for background music. I like to use the Putumayo Kids CD’s, and I recommend parents purchase them. They have a great collection world music, and are a great alternative to the traditional American Folk songs. Parents love them!
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