[Leigh Ann Walberg]

Singing and Instrument play is included in my pre-school sessions every week, and movement is included at least 75% of the time. Though I have used listening with my older clients through the years, this is one area I had not considered using with the pre-school children. Changes I have noticed already is just the awareness of why kids do what they do, when they do it! Though I don’t work with parents right now, I have already shared some of the information I’m learning with the staff working with the students, and explain why I am allowing certain things and how that pertains to their development. So far everyone seems to enjoy the new info. I do want to add more of the stop and start type songs, since most of my students are in that control stage, following the 3 second rule.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

Singing: Using songs where they repeat sounds after me, such as la la..then later words and eventually move to singing songs as they progress through the stages. Start with simple melodies and choose more complex music as they move through stages.
Playing Instruments: observe in 1st stage the reaction to different styles of music. Watch which instruments students choose and if those choices change from session to session, allow them to explore. Add some stop and start songs with 3 seconds delays allowed. Create songs where they can practice a steady beat.
Moving:Allow them and observe them moving to music, entire body at the beginning. As they move through stage do songs that isolate body parts for rhythmic movement. Then do imitation songs where they mimic your movement. Move on to sequence movement songs such as head, shoulders knees and toes. Start with knee tapping and stomping before moving on to clapping.
Listening: Watch for any reactions to change in vocal timbre in early stage. As they progress observe if they recognize familiar melodies, if they match intensity of movements to intensity of music and if they stop action to listen to the music. In the last stage, encourage taking turns so each child can listen to their peers music.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

I also loved these songs. I had a chance, at my pre-school today to try out Sit Down with me, Just Like Me and Will You come. They especially loved Just Like Me and Will You Come, those were BIG hits!! For Will You Come I did several verses such as I’ll be patting with the music, clapping, waving, nodding and leaning. I also did several verses with Just Like Me. Several of the students sang along to Just Like Me.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

I had a neat moment in one of my early-childhood classes two weeks ago right after learning about the different developmental stages. Little Joey just turned 4 and seems to be mostly in the Trust stage. He is significantly delayed with a probably diagnosis of autism. Up until this point there had been minimal reaction to music and me and minimal participation, which is the way he is in class generally also. He rarely chooses an instrument, staff will often help him choose, but that day he picked a castanet with the face on it, so when you shake it the mouth opens. After a couple minutes I heard him making a ahhh noise that got louder and softer. We look over and he is opening and closing the mouth of this castanet with his other hand, and as she opens it his AHHHHHHH gets louder, and as he closes it, it gets softer. We all just watched amazed!

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

Living in the Chicago-land area, it is also a melting pot of traditions. I do find that a lot of the children don’t seem to have music as part of their background, sometimes not even knowing the traditional songs sung by many early childhood cds or pre-schools. The particular school I work in has a high number of Hispanic and Indian.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

My most valuable takeaway this week, was just having the specific ages and what is expected at each age. Though I raised a daughter and probably learned this in college 20 years ago, I was ready for a refresher. I especially appreciated the red flag comments, to have a better idea when there may be a concern. I also had never thought through the point that at 36-48 months they do not understand moral concepts and “sorry” is not understood yet, I found that interesting.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

I think I bring to my early-childhood music therapy, after 20+ years or work, a love for music, a joy in what I do, and a compassion for the parents struggling through this journey, especially when their children are not meeting milestones. This information will support me and improve my practice by giving me more specific guidelines of what to expect at each step along the way.

[Leigh Ann Walberg]

My name is Leigh Ann Walberg and I have been a Music Therapist for 22 years. I graduated from W.I.U. and have worked in a variety of Music Therapy settings and populations in the Chicago-land area, mostly in private practice ever since. I am a mom of one teenager, and since we are both off today with a “cold” day I decided to get this first session done while she sleeps in! This is my second year working at an early learning center as their Music Therapist for 3-4 year olds in their at risk program. I go in one day a week and see 9 groups. Previously I worked for 7 years at a school for special needs kids age 3-22 so had 2 classes of the really young. I was excited to take this course to update my info on child development since I have not taken a course since college, and to get some new fresh ideas on session structures and new music. I have never worked professionally with children birth-two so am excited to get more info on the younger babies as well.

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