[Maggie Johnson]

Thank you for holding it down in the conference call. It was great to hear about your situation and your perspectives!

[Maggie Johnson]

What are your key takeaways from this course?: For me the musical developmental levels have been very important and connecting them both with observable responses and with the musical experiences themselves. I think I have a much greater confidence in best-practices for interacting with parents and caregivers, and for the structural details of this type of programming. And, of course, the wonderful music! I am really grateful not only to be able to learn the music presented in this course, but to have a grasp of the interconnectedness of the musical phenomena, writer intentions, ways to adapt songs to different scenarios and needs etc. all so deeply—this is a huge gift!

How has this learning changed your perspective on development, your approach to the work, or the way you use music in your sessions?: I think I have been given tools to be developmentally responsive at the individual, dyad, and group levels of those I meet in groups, and tools to be responsive to my individual music therapy clients of all ages. I think I am poised to offer a much more immersive musical experience in that I have a deeper understanding of the musical mechanics in every moment and every choice I make as it relates to development. I feel a deepened sense of the power of music. My observation skills have been sharpened along with plenty of language to describe what I see in these groups. I now feel much more confident in working with young children.

How will you share this information with colleagues, administrators and families?: I supervise several therapists so I will be able to better support them when developmentally focused questions and opportunities arise in supervision. With administrators I will be more equipped to meet the demands for consultation/inservices and to fill the need for gaps in services for families and connect my lived clinical experiences and stories to the knowledge gained in this training. I’m reminded of a talk I attended recently at the MAR virtual regional conference last year and one of the speakers mentioned the importance of recognizing musical response in head trauma survivors as a way of advocating for services. I’m connecting this concept and thinking of ways to talk about musical responses as being the in-road to advocate for young children’s potential, especially when it comes to things like social-emotional learning. My hope for the future is to develop and help market the early childhood program within the agency I serve. My wheels are spinning. Thanks everyone for a great class!

[Maggie Johnson]

Silly sounds and “vocables” as I call them are one of my absolute favorite tools of the trade for singing engagement! Thanks for sharing!

[Maggie Johnson]

These are such compassionate strategies for making everyone feel accepted and welcome. Thank you for sharing!

[Maggie Johnson]

Making a habit of regular check ins with the adults/caregivers, practicing communicating unconditional positive regard, and asking lots of questions with the intention to also reciprocate helpful information that I may have noticed, all of these feel important. Practicing mindful check-ins/listening while facilitating and moments of improvisation and musical empathy with the group as a whole and individuals within the group. Responding to the nuances in a child’s musical response in a way that highlights it for the group (musically, nonverbally, and verbally). Paying close attention to the room set up, sensory inputs, and instruments.

[Maggie Johnson]

I’m excited to experience the joy of this work and to offer something in my community that is expertly catered to children’s developmental levels and is so supportive of parents and providing a space for families to empower themselves and their community. I’m also very excited to bring these concepts to the older folx I work with. I look forward to a much more nuanced level of collaboration with caregivers and families, and I feel inspired to write original music with the intention of touching the hearts of children and their families.

[Maggie Johnson]

I think the “no set structure” and “following the child’s lead” can be such an important asset in parent’s eyes for these programs!

[Maggie Johnson]

Active, energizing, “Me,” Emotions, space

Greeting – “On A Day Like Today”, Body Percussion “Oh Yes I Am”, Instrument Play “Stick Tune”, Transition “We’re Gonna Put The Shaker In the Bag”, Gross Motor “Popcorn”, Instrument Play “The B.E.A.T.” & “Playin My Drum”; Tranisition “Sing A Rainbow” Scarves/Cool Down – “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “It’s Time to Say Goodbye”

[Maggie Johnson]

Connection, adaptive, support, sharing, multifaceted

Transition: “Oh Gather Round’; Greeting: “On A Day Like Today;” “Aloha Is How We Say Hello”; Tambourine: “I Love the Mountains” “Buzz Buzz Bee”; Transition to Shakers: “Where Is the Music”, “Shake & Then You Stop”, “I Like This Song”, Transition to Scarves: “Sing A Rainbow;” “Pick Your Hands Up High” Cool Down; “A Little Seed For Me To Grow;” “It’s Time To Say Goodbye”

[Maggie Johnson]

I think one of the main challenges would be tending to the differing self-regulation needs at the same time and not prioritizing someones needs over others. Having the parent participation can be to the group’s advantage in this scenario because they can assist in helping regulate/co-regulate if things get a bit dicey in some kiddos eyes. For planning it could be challenging knowing how much and how intensely to lean into the music of the older groups. I think finding gentle ways to encourage intermingling of the ages could be a good plan, for example singing a song about the older children gently playing with a scarf with a little one around the circle as part of a B section of a song in contrast to a more energetic A section in the center of the circle. Reminds me of how powerful music can be to make this type of interaction a positive one for everyone! I also think positioning could be both a challenge and a huge asset to the success of these groupings. The bigger kids might want to be up close in proximity to the facilitator, providing a safe are behind for the younger ones to observe. There might also be choices for things to omit, for example, maybe it would be more difficult to use louder instruments, or to do experiences that involve turn taking where some 1-2 year olds might struggle more with those concepts.

[Maggie Johnson]

I think all parents want to see their children fall in love with music and see possibilities for growth and development, to make connections with others, and develop self-esteem along with their accomplishments. Many of the highest quality music programs check a lot of these boxes, but music therapists have the skills and training to help all children and families promote a “musical self-concept” that isn’t based on pleasing a teacher, passing technical proficiency, winning a competition, passing a test, or the need to pass through specific curriculum to be considered worthy of that deep deep connection with music that we all have the capacity for. Furthermore, any music class can promote child development because I think anyone seeking music programming for their child has at least an intuitive understanding that music is important to a child’s development, however music therapists are especially knowledgable and skilled in responding through the music and creating that strong relationship between facilitator/therapist and participant and parent-child etc., also facilitating overall developmental growth through musical play and connecting specific developmental opportunities with specific musical development or capacities.

[Maggie Johnson]

I really like the tone of your 5 sentences, especially the phrase “helping your kiddo branch out” and the explanation of the pause.

[Maggie Johnson]

Party, surprises, rondo, playful, exploration

5 sentences: “Let’s ALL get silly!” “It’s okay to let your child respond with variation on the actions that we are singing!” “Yes, let’s be open to exploring a little around the room;” After responding to a Child:”Oh! How exciting to hear that communication when they [asked for something in the music circle/made a choice]!” “We can try to find ways to bring the music with us throughout the week.”

1.“On A Day Like Today” original gathering song 2.“Hey! Hey! Come and Play! Gathering w/drum 3.“Wiggly Jiggly Car” LapRide/Tickles 4. “Where is the music?” Songs About Me (passing out instruments) 5.“Walrus Washes His Winter Coat” (instrument play) 6.“Shake and then you Stop” (instrument play) 7.“Just Like Me” sound about me/cool down 8. “It’s Time to Say Goodbye”

[Maggie Johnson]

I learned a sensory processing model that had regulation before integration, discrimination, and motor planning. Children can be over/under responsive, sensory seeking, have deficits in discrimination or a combination of one or more of these variations. For example a child may exhibit tactile defensiveness when encountering the texture of an instrument, they may be sensory seeking in the proprioceptive and craving active movement or physical resistance, they may have a combination of over and under-responsive auditory sense that changes depending on the situation, they may have an under-responsive vestibular sense and not notice changes in positioning or movement, they may have a visual discrimination deficit such as poor depth perception. All children lay somewhere on these spectrums at any given time so it’s important to handle sensory stimuli on an individual (or particular group) basis and get in the moment with them. I’m guessing a lot of us have seen or been a part of overstimulating music environments. Perhaps when we were young ourselves, or taking someone to a children’s concert etc. It’s important to observe responses and communicate with parents about what you are seeing as they may be able to relate their interpretations. We can anticipate and respond to children’s sensory needs in class by noting how they interact with the experience and watch how they co-regulate with their caregiver. I see many above have mentioned taking things one at a time and adding on or backing off and I tend rely on that method when facilitating and turn that sense up especially high when I don’t know a child/client very well. One thing I love about being a music therapist, is that if someone does become overstimulated, you can also respond and help them see it through to increased regulation/co-regulation and not just immediately have to have them abandon the group/session forever.

[Maggie Johnson]

I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and consideration. This would be a difficult decision for me because I would want my participants/client to experience a wide range of timbres even if it’s only in sessions. I really wish I could remember the name right now, but there is a non-profit that sources ukuleles for participants of music therapy. I wonder if there is something you can do in the way of grants to provide instruments. Thanks for sharing!

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