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Although I’ve not had an appropriate session to use them with a client yet, I’ve sung and played through some of the songs, including “You Have Two Eyes” and “Comin’ to Get You,” and really like how direct they are. They make it clear to the child what is happening, what connection they have with the singer, and raise awareness of body/self.
July 18, 2021 at 5:06 pm
in reply to: What are the needs of the families and communities that you work with?
ParticipantThe families that I work with are often overwhelmed by juggling many responsibilities, children, and of course pandemic concerns. Music givese them a voice for expression of those feelings, a way to communicate with each other in a non-threatening way, and a way to relax and focus on some beauty.
ParticipantAs I noted before, we can help young families identify and embrace “normal” developmental stages they might not have otherwise realized is “normal.” This week’s reading and videos emphasized this further and made me realize that as a trained professional, this can be especially helpful because I present as a voice of authority for parents who really don’t know what they’re doing the first time around. How could they? There is SOO much to learn SOO fast when you first become a parent and it feels like nobody tells you enough of what to expect, much less how to be flexible and adapt!
ParticipantI really appreciated the reminder that as musicians and music therapists, we automatically hear pitches in vocalizations but many parents may not. What a great reminder to point things like this out to the parents, who I know will be thrilled to realize how musical their little one is.
I think that with our training, including with the courses we’ve had in psychology, lifespan development, and especially in courses like this one, we are in a great position to gently guide young families in their discovery and understanding of their child’s development.
July 12, 2021 at 5:40 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI’ve not had the chance to implement this in my own practice just yet as all my young kiddos are on summer break at the moment and I’m only working with adults and almost-adults until September. I HAVE thought a lot about how I WILL be using the songs though! I especially like the gathering songs and information as I’d already decided I needed to find something fresh to bring my youngest preschool kids in the fall for our hello/beginning time.
I do also plan to get some early childhood music groups going in the not-too-distant future, so I’m excited to imagine all that we can do with these approaches!
ParticipantThat’s ok now though as I’ve finally located my You and Me Make We songbook that I’d purchased some time ago! 🙂
ParticipantThanks. The pdfs are quite small with 3 slides as well as note-taking space on each page which makes it difficult to see the music notes etc.
ParticipantI consider one particular child who was in the level of awareness despite being older chronologically. I would play music on a variety of instruments from different angles and she would turn her gaze to the sound. If she looked elsewhere I would often stop the music and see that she would look back towards me. I also utilized a lot of sensory music at this stage with hand-over and hand-under hand assistance to help her strum a ukulele, feel a texturized shaker, or stroke a smooth tambourine. The different tactile sensations would catch her attention and re-engage her.
ParticipantI only see a video for the embedded songs, although there are pdf’s for slides from several categories. Are some videos missing?
ParticipantOne place I work at is a somewhat traditional community music school and the music everywhere there is predominately classical. I feel at home in that myself, having grown up always listening to and playing classical music, but what I have loved in this particular community-within-a-community, is that there are a lot of mixed cultures concentrated in the neighborhood area and families from other countries bring their own interpretation of classical music, their art songs, folk songs, etc., and some of the concerts there have been so incredibly and beautifully varied within an overarching umbrella of “classical”.
ParticipantAWARENESS
– Calming to a familiar voice
– Deeply breathe and vocalize when a song is energetic
– Become agitated when dissonance is created
TRUST
– Moves repetitively to a rhythm
– Show pleasure in hearing a familiar song
– Look around when a song stops
INDEPENDENCE
– Sing in glissando patterns
– Move with intent to music beats
– Demonstrate a preference for certain songs
CONTROL
– Match pitches
– Bang loud and fast
– Make purposeful choices
RESPONSIBILITY
– Sing in melodic contour
– Sing parts of recalled songs
– Can choose to play loud or softParticipantThat is something so important to remember- no child is alike, including in the way they progress developmentally.
I was so excited to learn that this particular early childhood music course teaches us to tailor everything to each individual child because of this! I’ve trained in and observed others that don’t approach each child in this way.ParticipantI think the thing that stuck most in my mind was the expectation that parents don’t always know what is typical development and that certain behaviors are part of a natural growth in cognition and interaction with the world. It reminded me of a recent experience I had in an early mixed preschool setting with an aid who was at first insistent that a particular child stay in her seat. She seemed embarrassed when the girl kept coming to me to touch my guitar and was surprised that I allowed it and worked safely around her, especially when later reflexively grabbing something out of the air that she’d thrown from next to me while I continued an interaction with another child. This week’s information made me realize more fully that we have a lot to “teach” caregivers because of our training and experience.
ParticipantHaving raised/raising 4 kids of my own; and having 9 nieces and nephews, several of which have developmental challenges and have utilized early-intervention services, I hope that I have an empathy and a personalized understanding for parents dealing with a whole range of typical-atypical childhood development. In working with family units in group music settings, I intend to pair this personal experience with my music therapy training and experience to provide full support for both child and caregiver to help strengthen their relationship.
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