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Sing/Awareness: child will turn attention toward the source of singing
Sing/Trust: child will respond to caregiver’s singing with their own vocalizations
Sing/Independence: child will use vocal glissando
Sing/Control: child will use gestures or words to request a favorite song
Sing/Responsibility: child will sing familiar songs using melodic contour and/or melodic rhythmPlay/Awareness: child will change vocalizations and/or movements to unpleasant/unwanted sounds
Play/Trust: child will explore instruments with their hands and/or mouth
Play/Independence: child will use hands to play instrument
Play/Control: start and stop instrument play in response to music
Play/Responsibility: child will respond when cued to play simple patternsMove/Awareness: child will tolerate being rocked or bounced
Move/Trust: child will tolerate rhythmic movement of body parts
Move/Independence: child will rock or bounce their body rhythmically
Move/Control: child will start to use movements, such as jumping, marching, clapping, and patting knees
Move/Responsibility: child will imitate movements of othersListen/Awareness: child will tolerate live or recorded music in their environment
Listen/Trust: child will look toward the sound source in response to silence in the music
Listen/Independence: child will demonstrate musical preferences and dislikes
Listen/Control: child will be able to watch others as they make music
Listen/Responsibility: child will accept music suggestions of othersMay 17, 2022 at 3:42 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantSince I am not currently in internship or practice, my answer will be based on my current job.
I am a long-term music substitute, and I use there four experiences in the classroom. (Of course, the goals are different, but I see in an emerging post-COVID space the need for music therapy in school settings.)
Three of these four experiences are also found in the music education philosophy of Carl Orff/Gunild Keetman’s Orff-Schulwerk. Many teachers use the four experiences of singing, saying, moving, and playing. Some teachers also add the experience of create. (In fact, my license plate is SNG&PLY for that very reason, and it also works for music therapy!)
I would say many of the kindergarten students are in the developmental levels of control and responsibility, although I think living 20% of their life during a pandemic has inhibited some of their musical development. Based on my Kindergarten students, I use the four experiences by:
Singing- I try to select songs where the majority of the range is C4-A4 and the lyrics are syllabic. (Depending on the school, singing has been limited this year due to the pandemic.)
Playing- In the music classroom, before I had out instruments we will use body percussion to prepare/practice steady bear and rhythms. I will play music games, both individually and in groups. We may play ‘freeze games’, student conductor (pointing to different groups of instruments when they want them to play and stop), class play-alongs, or individual students coming up to play on the ‘special drum’ while I sing at the tempo that they play. If they stop playing, I stop singing. (It’s a lot of fun!)
In this setting, I don’t use a lot of bells, mostly because of the set-up, size of classes, and length of classes. We will use a lot of untuned percussion and boomwhackers when playing.
Moving- the last school where I worked used John Feierabend’s Move It as a warm up for class. This was a chance for students to work in the stages of independence, control, and responsibility. Sometimes, we extend the responsibility by having the students create a movement for a section of a song. I also liked the song Punchinella, where each student gets to choose the movement for the entire class.
Listening- I haven’t done as much listening as I should. My experience this year is we practice listening in small chunks; mostly, it’s been listening to music with a visual cue or listening to a classmate play an instrument. If I was in a place for a longer amount of time, I would like to include time to minimize movement/talking and practice listening to different types/styles of music.
ParticipantKnowing what I know now, I saw some of my students in the developmental level of control at Integration Station, a preschool for children with identified special needs. We had some students who were non-speaking and used assistive communication devices. One of their goals was to complete “I want…” statements. I also had pictures and books for certain songs. When we were in small groups, students could ask for a song, either by pointing at the picture/book, picking up the picture/book and handing it to me, using their devices to complete an “I want…” statement, or using their voice.
ParticipantAwareness
-Turn attention (eye gaze, face, or body) toward the source of singing/instruments
-Calm down to familiar melodies
-Vocalize in response to singingTrust
-Match selected pitches about half of the time
-Move rhythmically (but not synchronized) to external music
-Show pleasure when hearing a familiar songIndependence
-Use vocal glissando
-Reach for an instrument
-Imitate clapping hands/clap hands on ownControl
-Sing a few words using pitched intervals
-Sing song fragments when playing independently
-Use familiar instruments functionallyResponsibility
-Sing familiar songs using melodic contour/melodic rhythm
-Sing along with a group
-Maintain a grasp on a mallet to play an instrumentParticipantGreta,
I had some [music ed] colleagues have students that could not participate in music class during the period of Ramadan. It was also my understanding that some sects of Islam only have the prayers sung, and women are not allowed to sing the prayers.
We also had students who were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and some of them would not participate in songs that were about holidays or celebrations. In the public school setting, we would work with families on a case-by-case basis.ParticipantMaggie,
It sounds like you had the opportunity to work with people with different cultural backgrounds. I like the question that you asked about cultural considerations. Do you have a question about family traditions as well? I wonder how much overlap there would be.
ParticipantI LOVE this story! I also like how you came up with the idea of teaching your daughter the song and involving her in the embedded song. What a nice moment for your family.
ParticipantGreta,
I relate to wondering if the songs are “too short”. (I find that I tire of the songs long before the children do!) Repetition can be a good thing, and I find that playing with the musical elements can extend the connection if the child is still interested.
ParticipantIt is quite the ear worm!
I wonder if the repetitive nature/predictability of the song can help build relationship between the child/parent and be reassuring.
ParticipantI live in an area of northern Virginia that is predominantly white (Caucasian/non-Latino). Older adults tend to prefer country music or the popular music of their youth. A lot of the kids around here seem to listen to the Billboard top 100 type of songs.
However, the schools that I work in vary by the neighborhood. Some schools have a larger Latino population, and the school I am currently in is mostly families who immigrated from India. Since I am a sub, their music is selected by the teacher, so I don’t really see much of child-preferred music. There was one day where children could choose their own movement for a song and it was interesting to see the children move in a way I have seen in traditional Indian dances.
Having been raised in a small town community where the population was over 95% white, if you have a middle/older adult in who wants Judeo-Christian or popular music, I’m your girl! I’m working on expanding my repertoire to include music of other cultures.
ParticipantWe were on Spring Break and I’m currently a music sub, so I didn’t have a chance to use these songs. However, we do make up songs throughout our day in our home.
Nowadays, if I try to sing to my 11-year old, sometimes he rolls his eyes, but sometimes he plays along. My cats just look at me when I sing to them 😉
However, I remember making up songs when my son was younger, usually during diaper changes or having to wait in line at the store. I was thinking: did it work because of the elements of the song, or because of our relationship? I think the answer is yes.
ParticipantGreta,
I like your point about the range within the milestones. I have used a visual that you can have two children the same chronological age at very different developmental ages, and that can vary from domain to domain.
ParticipantI agree, Maggie-it was nice to have a quick refresher of all of the domains from birth-5 years, and now I have a nice resource to refer to!
ParticipantJee,
I had to laugh at the reminder to see/experience the world the way a baby/toddler does. About 15 years ago, I remember using a cow puppet with a small group of children. It wasn’t until I moved the cow quickly in front of a child’s face that I realized that the puppet’s head was as bug (if not bigger) than the child in question! No wonder she startled!
That memory is still in front of my brain, and it helps me to consider that I’m a LOT bigger and I need to tailor my movements and voice to their needs.
ParticipantGreta,
I have so many questions about your work in pediatrics! It’s great that you are able to connect with patients in music in such a short amount of time.
I like your thought that the setting in which we meet the child may influence how they interact with others.
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