[Mary Kerrigan]

I am so glad that I had the opportunity to take part in this training. I have always wanted to work with little ones, but just really haven’t had the chance in my professional work as a music therapist to do so. Now that I have all this knowledge and resources I am ready to start advocating and reaching out to my community. As I mentioned in previous posts I really do not have too many professional connections to the early childhood community with having primarily worked in the adult special needs population, but after thinking about who I could reach out to in response to this week’s other post I realize that I do have a good base of connections in my personal life to just simply get my name and Sprouting Melodies out there. It’s a small start but still a start! I am hoping with the support of Roman Music Therapy Services to help promote the agency more in the Worcester county area and bring more awareness to what music therapy is and what music can provide for not only early childhood, but also for anyone at any level! I am also really excited to start working towards this and I wish everyone else the best of luck in their pursuits as well!

[Mary Kerrigan]

Having worked now for three years professionally in the adult special needs population I really do not have too many professional connections to the early childhood community. However, my aunt is a recently retired day care provider who still has connections to many other younger day care providers and my sister who has two little girls and cousins with young children attend various events with their children and also have their own daycare providers and day camps etc. I am hoping to start there by asking my own family for their support and helping me advocate and spread the word of the benefits of music in early childhood. My younger sister was formerly a camp counselor for our town’s parks and recreation department and I hope to use that connection as well to possibly reach out to the P&R director to see if she may be able to help with opportunities to provide Sprouting Melodies programs to the local community or if she too has any connections to other parks and recreation departments in surrounding towns.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I think the biggest strategy that I need to adapt is exactly the same too, that I need to not be afraid to communicate more with the parents or other staff in the room that may be helping with the music group and know it’s okay to give those verbal directions or prompts for the parents and staff. I think being more aware of those children that may wander or not be as participatory but not overly doting on them to the point where the other children in the group aren’t paying attention or are struggling then to participate is important. There needs to be a balance and I like what Cynthia was talking about and in that moment maybe first check in with yourself to make sure you are providing what they need. I think having a structure as we have been doing each week with the levels of Sprouting Melodies, but having various handfulls of songs to pull out when we need them quickly is great for the felxibility part and I think being flexible is really the most important quality of a music therapist and strategy we can use in making sure that each and every child in our group is successful.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I do not work at all currently with early childhood, but have always wanted to. Becoming a Sprouting Melodies provider will allow me to experience working with babies and children as well as to expand myself as a music therapist into my community. There are other music therapists in my immediate area but I still feel like when people ask what it is that I do they still question exactly what is music therapy and I also feel as though there aren’t many parent/child or any sort of early childhood music groups happening close around where I live. By becoming a Sprouting Melodies provider I hope to spread the joy of music and share how music can be such a beneficial part of a child’s life to promote life long music making and hopefully further advocate and spread the word about our field of music therapy and how great it is. But mostly I am very excited for the actual work with babies and children to diversify all the music therapy work I do with adults.

[Mary Kerrigan]

Emily that really is a GREAT answer! I completely agree. I believe that music for development is more of a facilitator to encourage that natural growth for child. It is structured, but still open for all kinds of development, while music for skill building is more of a targeted intervention working on an area that may need more concentrated work to further develop if not already developed at the appropriate stage. Sprouting Melodies provides appropriate developmental music in order to encourage and enhance the development that is already naturally occurring for the child rather than working on skills that do not already exist or aren’t happening yet.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I agree with others who have posted that finding the balance is always a challenge and working with adults with developmental disabilities that is a regular challenge in the group setting even if they are of the same age, because their level of developmental stages may be different even though their ages are the same. This is a challenge I think many music therapists face on a regular basis and that is why we are trained so specifically and so much! I think the biggest challenge with providing multi-age groups is having the parents compare their child to others in the group. It is our job to highlight the great things their child is doing within the balance of a multi age group and encourage them that their child is okay and to have them continue to be open to their child bonding with others of different ages because much can be taught from that simple interaction especially for the older children to be able to encourage and “teach” the younger babies or children some of their musical skills and things they have learned. It can certainly be difficult to find that balance of enough stimulation or too much for the varying ages, but I think having an inclusive group like Family Sprouts is extremely beneficial for children to experience starting at such a young age and especially important for siblings when it comes to bonding and sharing happy and fun experiences.

[Mary Kerrigan]

5 words for Sprouting Melodies 3: lively, expressive, knowing, purposeful, responsive

5 words for Family Sprouts: bonded, encouraging, engaged, together, excited

Plan for Sprouting Melodies 3:
Greeting Song: Sit Down with Me
Bonding Song: Swimming Together
Song about Me: Watch Me Go
Instrument Song: All Night! All Day!
Movement Song: Will You Come?
Goodbye: Hands Ready

Plan for Family Sprouts:
Greeting Song: Come on Let’s Make Some Music
Bonding Song: Hold on Tight
Songs about Me: Can you See Me
Instrument Songs: Music is the Way
Movement Song: I Really Gotta Jump
Goodbye: Music Time is Over

[Mary Kerrigan]

I work primarily with adults so my collection of instruments is mostly larger for children and babies. I do have a small collection of shakers and maracas that are smaller in size, some chiquitas and egg shakers as well as some bells and small hand drums that I have used whenever I do have the chance to work with children. Most of the equipment I have purchased is from the Music Therapy Starter kit from Westmusic.com. I again purchased the adult instrument starter kit; however, they do have a children and infant starter kit as well which is something I would consider investing in if I had na increase in working with children.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I feel as though for this developmental level and ages of the babies/toddlers that it really needs to be quite a fine balance of stimulation. The babies are starting to explore and observe their world more and do enjoy those “expected surprises” but they are somewhat expected so there is structure to the surprise and predictability which allows it to be more familiar. They like to have that stimulating challenge of anticipating the surprise but also the familiarity of knowing that it is coming soon. As mentioned in other posts it really and truly is a case-by-case basis on how much is enough. If your enrollment is mostly filled with babies on the younger end of the age range then maybe not too many surprises or loud music; however, if you have higher enrollment on the 18 month old age range or around there then that kind of stimulation is what they need and without it they may become disinterested or disconnected from the music experiences which is definitely not what you want. Again it needs to be a fine balance which we as therapists are trained to recognize when running music experiences.

[Mary Kerrigan]

It’s okay for your child to walk or crawl around the room or sit facing outward. It’s important to let them explore the space, each other and other parents and then allow them to feel they can come back to a comfortable space in your lap and arms. Don’t worry about their wandering or exploring the instruments we want them to explore things and start exploring their independence. It’s okay to help your child tap their feet or jump and clap. Make sure when jumping to have their feet firmly touch the floor to help them feel grounded in their movement.

high-spirited, captivating, free, stimulating, spontaneous

Greeting Song: “Hey! Hey! Come and Play!

Bonding Song: “Wiggly Jiggly Car”

Songs About Me: “I’ve Got a Song in My Tummy” – Lori Berkner

Instrument Songs: “Sit With Me and Shake”

Movement Songs: “Will You Come?”

Goodbye: “Goodbye Everybody”

[Mary Kerrigan]

5 Words:
Calm, encouraging, understanding, cheerful, connected

5 Sentences:
It’s okay if he/she is fussy. We want the child to be comfortable so do whatever your child needs, their needs come first and the group and music will still be here. Sing! Your child wants to hear you. It’s okay to get nice and close, make sure he/she can see you. Have fun and enjoy this time to bond and play with your baby.

Session Ideas:
Entering group: Soft recorded music playing, encourage parents to get comfortable and bring in anything and everything they may need.

Hello/Gathering: Today’s a Beautiful Day

Lap Ride: Row it Faster

Song about Me: Where is My Face?

Instrument Play: Sit With Me and Shake

Movement Song: As Big As Can Be

Cool Down: Soft song with scarves maybe like the color/rainbow song that was sung in the video.

Goodbye: It’s Time to Sing Goodbye Everybody

[Mary Kerrigan]

I have not had the opportunity yet to work as a music therapist with babies and I do not have any kids of my own. When my cousins and older sister started having babies I was unfortunately 6 hours away at college and really wasn’t around much during those baby and toddler years. But as I mentioned in one of my first posts my cousin had a little boy in December of 2013 so finally I was able to be around for all those wonderful baby moments. This pregnancy and birth weren’t like all the others though because he was born at 30 weeks and was in the NICU for the first 2 months of his life. This was a very overwhelming and hectic time especially for his parents but also for the whole family. They already had an almost 4 year old son at home and were stressed between spending time with him as well as the new baby fighting for his life in the hospital which was at least a 25 minute drive from where we all lived. We all took turns babysitting for the older one and helping run errands and do anything we could to take some of the burdens of regular life from my cousin and her husband to be able to spend more time with their kids. Finally in February he was able to come home at 5 1/2 lbs and I became obsessed with him. He was an extraordinarily happy baby that would literally smile the instant you talked to him. The last month while he was in the NICU the doctors told my cousin she was finally allowed to play music softly next to his crib, so she downloaded the Beatles lullabies and I bought her a slit drum and ocean drum to bring in an play for him. When he was about 7 months old and started to have a little more strength to sit comfortably in his bumbo I was babysitting and brought my guitar with me. Having worked with older adults basically since I started working professionally I have become a huge Beatles fan myself. I started playing “Yellow Submarine” and “Let it Be” for the boys and the baby couldn’t stop smiling and cooing. Today he is about 20 months old and now he wiggles his hips and stomps his foot (what he thinks is jumping though) and he laughs hearing those Beatles songs. All of my little cousins and nieces love music, but our whole family agrees that this special little guy definitely has the potential to become a musician himself some day. I think the music really gave him comfort when he was struggling as a innocent helpless little baby and music still continues to bring comfort to him as well as joy now that he can finally start making great music himself.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I agree with what a lot of you have already mentioned. What makes us stand out in community based music experiences is our “therapy” training and background. We are unique in the general music community because although we may not be practicing clinical therapy in those community experiences we have the advanced skills in both music and therapy that help us to think clinically in order to continue to promote that wellness and growth for those around us and those making music with us. I think when explaining to parents that we aren’t practicing clinical music therapy by using the vocabulary that Meredith mentioned towards the beginning of the first video such as we are not doing a formal assessment, treatment plan, termination plan etc. that parents will feel a little more open to the experience because in fact it isn’t therapy it is simply music therapy based. We are taking our training and skills and adapting them to promote wellness and growth for their children which is I think a complete advantage in comparison to other community based music experiences with “teachers” that may not have the advanced training and clinical background we have as music therapists.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I work primarily with adults with developmental disabilities and when I do work with children they too are developmentally delayed. I think in regards to the special needs population I have to agree with Corie that much of the needs of the families, both parents and child are to see them in a more positive light and allow them to be successful because unfortunately what tends to happen sometimes with this population is that their delays are highlighted more than their successes. Also sometimes the parents don’t know how to positively interact or interact at all with their children and I think the music is such an easy commonality to bond together with and have fun playing with and interacting with each other. Sometimes with children with special needs there are so many services and “therapies” to have to make it to such as SLP, PT, OT, etc. that their schedules can becomes so hectic. Having SM and this unique music therapy experience can be a fun and relaxed break from the monotony of what life can become to promote healthy bonds and interactions between families.

[Mary Kerrigan]

I really love what Corie and Mary have said in their posts in regards to the music therapy community. I 100% agree that really is such a special part of our world as Music Therapists and especially being such a small and specific field we are kindred spirits with each other and always willing to support each other due to our uniqueness. To add a bit to that idea, my mother (an 8th grade english teacher) came with me to a free one day International Music Therapy symposium at Temple University this past April because she had the day off and being one of my BIGGEST supporters was curious about learning more about MT. She was amazed at how friendly and informative and willing to share all the music therapists were. Even though she was the “outsider” that day she said she didn’t feel that way at all. She had lots of questions and a confused face sometimes, but everyone was so wonderful to help engage her in the conference and share their knowledge and expertise which was so amazing to see.

When we were asked in the video to think about this question the first thing that popped into my head was that parents with “typically” developing children would immediately hear the word “therapy” and turn away from SM because they don’t think their child needs therapy and there is sometimes a stigma that comes with that word and it was great to see that mentioned later in the video and explained. I think that being a Music THERAPIST makes SM even more valuable than other music based childhood programs because we do have the extensive background in human development as well as working on our skills as a musician and as Mary mentioned having the creativity and flexibility to adapt our music to directly impact the human development we have learned about and experienced through our many clinical practices. The therapeutic environment is not just for those with developmental delays or mental health or declines in health, but also beneficial for typical growth and development in life. Everyone is always intrigued about music therapy because it is so unique and many people immediately know the benefits and value of music in a person’s life, especially in early childhood and having the structure and support therapeutically I think only enhances the quality of the experience of music in early childhood which is an incredible value you won’t really find in many other early childhood programs.

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