[Kristina Rio]

It can definitely be challenging. What has worked for me is to use a simple song that is not too stimulating for the little ones and model for parents how to engage with their child where they are developmentally. For instance when I do a tickle song, I encourage parents with babies who are not yet walking to feel comfortable with the one on one interaction of the tickle in their own space while the older kids are running away from their parents in a chasing game. I also prompt the older kids to “get” their parents and chase them back. It’s all about giving the parents instructions on how best to meet their child’s developmental needs, so you are using the same song but in different ways with each family.

[Kristina Rio]

Cassandra, don’t be sorry for using the songs in the videos for you plans! They are building blocks for you to take and use and make your own. It is a great place to start, and will give you the tools you need to work off of when creating your own sessions and writing new songs!

[Kristina Rio]

That’s great! I’m so happy for you. There is nothing greater than finally feeling like you’ve figured out something that works with such a challenging client!

[Kristina Rio]

That’s great! I’m so happy for you. There is nothing greater than finally feeling like you’ve figured out something that works with such a challenging client!

[Kristina Rio]

I make a point to intervene if there is a situation where someone could get hurt such as pushing, throwing, biting etc. There are going to be times when things are chaotic, especially when you have kidos that have been in the classes for a long time. When I find myself losing control of the group, I usually make a point to stop and try something different. It is always good to let parents know what you are doing and why you are doing it. I may say, “we are a really active group today! Let’s try something different and dance while we sing hello”. I may also let it ride as long as no one is getting hurt. The older guys are expressing their independence by roaming around etc, so usually I will say, “let’s do a lap ride, this is a great time for one because it is going to give them the stimulation they are seeking by running around. The more active your child is, the more bounce you should give them!” Or try a gathering song where you need to hold hands in a circle to re-gather everyone. Gross motor movement is a really great way to regain the attention of a chaotic group who is seeking a lot of movement. It is Ok for the kids to be moving around a lot, it is unrealistic to expect the kids to sit for a whole 45 minute session and participate the whole time, and it’s important to let the parents know this. Joint attention experiences are great as well where you have one instrument for everyone to play in turn. There are so many different strategies you can use to re-engage a chaotic group, and that’s why we are so good at what we do. We are comfortable meeting them where they are and recognizing and understanding what it is they need in that moment, or we know how to intervene and redirect. Use your clinical skills! You’ll be surprised how good you are at redirecting! You are expected to intervene, and I would unless the parent has already done so before you had the chance. The information you give to parents in between or during experiences should be short and sweet. I believe in this course you will have the opportunity to write up some short statements that you can relay to parents as you are facilitating. It is very important to keep the music flowing and moving, so keep your statements short, or say them during transition times.

Let me know if you still have any questions or need me to clarify anything!

[Kristina Rio]

Kate, I don’t think there is a wrong way of addressing what is Ok for parents to do during the group. A good opportunity for you to do this would be when all the parents are settling in with all of their “stuff” at the beginning of the first class. Just letting them know that they can be comfortable staying in the group even if their baby is crying, or if they need to feed or change their baby. Does that answer your question?

[Kristina Rio]

Your answers are great! I encourage you to print your answers and keep them in a file for each class. These sentences and session plans will be very useful when you start your groups. Keep up the good work everyone!

[Kristina Rio]

Welcome Nancy! We are so glad you are joining us. If you have any questions feel free to contact me here on the forum or at Kristina@romanmusictherapy.com.

@Jennifer….I love what you said about how the familiar music allows the “grown ups” to share part of their musical memories with their little ones. During my Sprouting Melodies groups, I always make a point to prompt the “grown ups” to sing along. We have such a great skill set for writing or choosing purposeful, functional, and developmentally driven music. If you can encourage the caregivers to sing, they will learn the songs quickly, be able to use them at home, and add them to their familiar musical memories with their little ones. Often my SM families comment on how they use a specific song they learned from me to help their child transition to bedtime, or that it was less of a struggle putting on the winter coat, hat, gloves, and boots to get out of the house when they used the song I taught them. The caregivers are more comfortable singing familiar words and melodies, but with a little encouragement, they will be singing along, and your songs will become their “go to” favorite familiar songs!

[Kristina Rio]

Thanks everyone for sharing! @ Katie Maurer, I’m so glad that you found confidence in repetition when writing and singing songs. It’s so important to stress this to parents and caregivers in your sessions as well. Just a simple comment like, “As adults we get bored of songs so much quicker than young children. When you are singing with your child and you start to feel as though you’ve repeated the song enough, do it 3 or 4 more times!” If a child does something new during those 3 or 4 more repetitions, do it one more time!

[Kristina Rio]

It was so great to read through everyone’s answers! As a Sprouting Melodies Provider, I have had some experience having those difficult discussions with parents or caregivers when you have observed a red flag. It is so important that you be sensitive. One way I do that is by mentioning what I have observed, and then asking them if it is something they have seen their child do or not do in other settings. Helping the parent or caregiver become aware of what it is you see can really help. Sometimes they don’t want to hear it, but it is our job to address these issues, and give support and resources as needed to support the development of the children in our program. Another important note is to always say what you see! As music therapists, we see so much growth and wonderful responses from our kiddos, but the parents don’t always see it the way we do. Make a point to tell a parent what a great thing their child just did!

[Kristina Rio]

It is so great to hear from everyone and learn a little bit about everyone’s backgrounds. @Kate. I am especially interested in implementing ABA strategies into my music therapy sessions. The CMTE course would be fabulous!!!

In this training, you will learn a lot about how SM is unique from other early childhood music programs. I’m so glad all of you have decided to become Sprouting Melodies Providers. We really provide a great service for families and their little ones that is true to who we are as clinicians, even if we are not doing clinical music therapy. We have such a special skill set, and that’s what makes us so special and qualified! The parents in my classes truly appreciate what we have to offer and have given such great feedback on our program. I urge you to check out the testimonials page on the SM website! http://sproutingmelodies.com/testimonials/

[Kristina Rio]

Hello everyone! My name is Kristina Barbo. 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 have been a Sprouting Melodies Provider for a year and a half. 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 as a moderator like Erika Svolos to be another 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 feel free to email me with any specific questions you may have at kristina@romanmusictherapy.com.

[Kristina Rio]

I am most looking forward to bringing my own individual personality to my groups. With this strong background of information and resources, I feel so confident and excited to provide the best service I can possible for these families. I am excited to share wonderful moments with caregivers and laugh A LOT, because these kids are so funny! I am looking forward to being a trusted and professional resource for families!

[Kristina Rio]

I have had many experiences in which I have had to stretch to ensure every group member was successful. One instance that comes to mind was in my family sprouts Sprouting Melodies class. One of the children in the class was new to the group. He was a bit older than the other group members. He was almost four, and the other group members were a sibling pair, baby and 3 year old, and 2-3 year olds. He was very shy and stayed very close to mom. He would hide his face in her lap, or with his hands. He seemed very anxious in the group. During the instrument exploration activity, I told him, “hey look what I have just for you!” I brought down the tall Remo tubano kids drum from the shelf. I placed it in front of him and said, “look at how cool this big drum is, it’s just your size!”. He smiled, and reached out to play it. During other activities when he would hide, I would ask him to make a choice related to the music, “fast, or slow?”, “up high or down low?”. He responded positively, and opened up to the group by the end of the session. He has developed so much confidence and social skills during these groups over the six weeks that he was in class. His mother was great with him. She was very playful, energetic, and engaging with him. As far as the baby in this group, she would cry and cry some days. The noise could be very overwhelming for her, so I would take that opportunity to teach the older kids that when there is a baby in the room, we should play softly because loud noises can be scary. It is so hard to handle group dynamics at times, and it is our job to really be open and responsive to all group members. In groups that we have verbal and non-verbal clients, it is important to provide a switch or some form of assistive technology or signing to engage and help facilitate involvement in the session for every child in the group. Parents don’t always know how to support their child and help engage them, so some verbal suggestions can be very helpful for parents when they can be supporting their children. If group members are asked to play up high, but one child has a hard time lifting both hands up with a drum in one hand and a mallet in the other, then the therapist can cue the parent to lift the drum up high and see if they can reach up with their mallet to hit the drum independently. It is important that we give these cues to parents, other wise they may not know that they should be actively present in the session or they may not know exactly how to help their child without doing it for them.

[Kristina Rio]

5 words: interactive, fun, flexible, social, bonding

Session Plan:
Instrument Exploration: Let’s Make Some Music
Gathering: Hello Everybody
Songs About Me: How Do You Do And Shake Hands
Bonding: Row It Faster
Instruments: I Like This Song
Movement: I Can Move Around
Cool Down: Rainbow Scarves/ Where’s My Face
Closing: Bye Bye Music Time Is Done

There are several challenges to providing multi-age groupings. You have to be very aware of each individual in the group while at the same time keeping the group cohesive, interactive, and engaged. It is very important to be flexible in multi-age groupings and be able to weave in and out of individual attention to group attention. The needs of the group will not always be the same, so it is important to be observant, inclusive, and inviting in the group. I agree with Beth that it is very important that we communicate with the parents in this group because they may not see or understand how to support their two children in the group at the same time.

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