[Meredith Pizzi]

I’m thrilled to be on this online course with all of you! I am Meredith Pizzi, proud to be a Board Certified Music Therapist and excited to see the course finally launch online after a year of planning, research, design and development! Here we are about to embark on a 10 week journey together and I am sure we are all going to learn a lot together.

I am a graduate of Duquesne University’s Music Therapy Program and I had the joy and honor of working with Beth Schwartz as my internship supervisor. I learned so much from her in my internship and really developed a love for working in early childhood. After my internship, I had a very successful private practice on Long Island, NY before moving to Boston in 2006. Once settled into Boston, I founded Roman Music Therapy Services, and in 2009 Sprouting Melodies was born! Since 2009, we have seen our revenues at Roman Music Therapy Services skyrocket, more than tripling in 3 years and a lot of that has to do with the growth of Sprouting Melodies and how well it has been received in our community. What brings me here is the desire to share with others what I have learned about early childhood and music making. And with all of the effort that has gone into growing Sprouting Melodies, I want to give other music therapists the opportunity to now make it part of their practices. I’ve learned so much, and the branding and program development is done! I just want to get it out there to music therapists and families all around the country!
I look forward to traveling this early childhood learning journey with you!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Hi Kerry,
That is soooo strange!! I will look into it. I don’t remember ever hearing that, and the videos haven’t changed. I will go digging and see if I can fix it. Thanks for letting us know!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Caitlin, This is why we challenge you to do this and write down what you bring! We know all of you have a lot to offer. We just want to make sure that you know it too!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Another thought in response to Kristen’s question about noise and stimulation level for babies. It is true that 2nd or 3rd borns handle a lot of stimulation better than 1st borns. I do try to recommend that all little ones younger than 9 months start in a Sprouting Melodies 1 class. We’ve also created a Saturday morning class that we call Sprouting Melodies 1&2 so it combines the levels 1 & 2 and only goes up to age 18 months. This gives the little ones the opportunity to participate and engage in music levels that are appropriate for them.
Some of the reminders that I give parents is that for little ones, we clap for movement and rhythm, but not for volume. I also don’t give out varieties of instruments in this class. We may all have a few maracas, or a drum, but we don’t do mixed instruments in SM1 as we do in SM2 and 3.
Does this make sense?
Also, I like your idea of repeating the same song with variation in the lyrics or movements to add novelty for the older children but consistent repetition of melody for the younger ones.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Kristen, Beth does do an amazing job engaging the children and keeping the music going on the piano. She also positions the piano in a way so that it is almost a part of the circle. All of the children see her and the keyboard and she creates a horseshoe shape in which the children wrap around the left and the right of the piano. But again, that is with preschoolers in chairs. As for Sprouting Melodies classes on the floor, we have not used any keyboards in our groups. I do reiterate what Beth says about the importance of demonstrating for parents that they don’t have to play an instrument to be able to make music with their little ones. We use the guitar for maybe 1-3 songs each group, but we do a lot of our songs acappela.

[Meredith Pizzi]

I like the short line Lauren R. used. – Rather than teach children music, I use music to teach other skills.” Well said! And yes, we are not teaching the skills in a formal curriculum format. Instead, we are providing developmentally appropriate music experiences that give opportunities to master developmental skills. And just wait until you see the skills the kids in your group develop! You will be amazed! I am all the time!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Thanks for you thoughts here, ladies. Yes, it is difficult to bridge a wide gap of ages in the class, but like Kristina said, if you take the opportunity to educate the parents about the modifications you make and why, they will be better informed and see that everyone is getting what they need. The challenge in Family Sprouts is exactly why I DON’T recommend starting with a Family Sprouts Class. I recommend starting with a SM2 and SM3 class. Then you can really demonstrate what SM classes are capable of providing on a developmental level. When there are sibling pairs, there is a lot you can do to engage families and benefit all of the ages.
About minimum class numbers, it becomes an economic decision and one about growing your program. I often talk with new Sprouting Melodies Providers about setting a minimum number, and also talk about how when you are a starting a new group, you are better off running the class with only 1 kiddo and inviting everyone you see or meet to come and try it out. If you don’t have anything running, there is nothing for them to come and try out.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for all of your thoughts! About scheduling days and times, Sprouting Melodies fit my needs as a private practice music therapist when I started 5 years ago, and it fit the need that many of your spoke to, something to do with those morning hours! It also provided income, paid up front, not after providing services, and it was year round, which was a big concern of mine working mostly in the schools.
About families’ needs, I have found that variations in income do matter, as do interest in education and enriching early childhood activities. Sprouting Melodies is unique and definitely attracts parents and caregivers looking for depth and developmental learning and growth. Our most popular classes are between 9am and 12 noon. If you choose to become a Sprouting Melodies Provider at the end of this course, I will go through all of the specifics with you about class days and times. We do have 2 afternoon classes running, but it seems to be harder for parents to maintain an ongoing commitment to afternoon times, especially if they are working during the day. There are just so many things to fit in! We also find Saturday mornings to be very popular. Often times a parents who is working primarily during the week will bring the little one, or we have a number of families that all come together as a family to Sprouting Melodies. We’ve even had grandparents drive 45 minutes each way to join the children and grandchildren for Sprouting Melodies. Talk about intergenerational music making!
The other question Lauren asked was about nannies and caregivers. First I’ll answer as a parent, and then I’ll give you my Sprouting Melodies Provider answer. 🙂

As a parent of 3 young kids, ages 9, 7, and almost 4, I’ve relied on sitters and caregivers in family daycare and small nursery school/daycare settings to care for my children when my husband and I are both at work. One of my family’s dearest sitters was an older woman who had the flexibility to care for our kids when my schedule was sometimes out of the ordinary. Having had 1:1 and center based care for my children, I will tell you that I always wanted my children to bond with their caregivers, and I wanted the caregivers to bond with our kids. I know how important those bonds are for development, learning to trust, and act independently, a young child must feel a sense of safety and connection with their caregiver. When working with young children and caregivers, you actually want to encourage bonding between the caregiver or nanny and child because the child will benefit from that bond. It doesn’t replace the parent-child bond, but you do want a healthy bonded relationship for the child to flourish!

Now, as a Sprouting Melodies Provider! 🙂 When working with caregivers, I always encourage them to share what they are learning with the parents and if it is possible, invite the parents to come to the regularly scheduled class or a do a makeup on the weekend so that they can experience the music class also! You will still give them the same information and keep feeding them as caregivers. you want to give them new things to learn, notice and look for as they interact with the child throughout the day. And your Sprouting Melodies Sayings will be great for the caregiver to be able to share with the parents after class. Give gentle reminders like, “When you see mom and dad tonight, be sure to tell them about how Susie demonstrated her new found independence today during the instrument play when she selected an instrument from the bucket for the first time all by herself!” The caregivers appreciate sharing what they did, and the parents want to hear about the experiences the little ones have!
I hope this helps! Send any more questions along!

[Meredith Pizzi]

This is probably one of my favorite forum questions in the whole course!!! Remember that you are valuable!! Your experience, training and perspective bring a great deal of value to young children, their parents, grandparents and caregivers! Thanks for all of your comments and contributions. And for all of those folks still contributing, take this opportunity to brag! We have a unique skill set and contribution to offer as music therapists!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Great job on all of these. Remember that with awareness, the responses we are looking for don’t necessarily involve doing anything. In the awareness phase of development, they are taking in and absorbing stimulation. Responses I always keep in mind for this age is taking in as much sensory information as is comfortable. I often see this when a little one reaches up for a scarf or for their parent’s hands. Touching the drum lightly while an adult plays is another example of when and how a newborn can reach out and feel the music in an intensity that is comfortable. We want to encourage their choices, to touch or not to touch, to look or not to look, etc.
Keep up the great responses!

[Meredith Pizzi]

I am really looking forward to all of the stimulating conversations we are going to have on this forum. Thank you to each of you for being a part of this course!

[Meredith Pizzi]

I’m thrilled to be on this online course with all of you! I am Meredith Pizzi, proud to be a Board Certified Music Therapist and excited to see all of you joining us for this online Sprouting Melodies Training. Here we are about to embark on a 10 week journey together and I am sure we are all going to learn a lot together.

I am a graduate of Duquesne University’s Music Therapy Program and I had the joy and honor of working with Beth Schwartz as my internship supervisor. I learned so much from her in my internship and really developed a love for working in early childhood. After my internship, I had a very successful private practice on Long Island, NY before moving to Boston in 2006. Once settled into Boston, I founded Roman Music Therapy Services, and in 2009 Sprouting Melodies was born! Since 2009, we have seen our revenues at Roman Music Therapy Services skyrocket, and a lot of that has to do with the growth of Sprouting Melodies and how well it has been received in our community. In fact this summer we will throw a 5th Birthday Party for Sprouting Melodies

What brings me here is the desire to share with others what I have learned about early childhood and music making. And with all of the effort that has gone into growing Sprouting Melodies, I want to give other music therapists the opportunity to now make it part of their practices. I’ve learned so much, and the branding and program development is done! I just want to get it out there to music therapists and families all around the country! I have to say it is so thrilling to see the number of programs around the country growing and one of my biggest goals was met! My younger sister just gave birth to a little baby boy last week in Mesa, AZ and she will be able bring her little boy to Sprouting Melodies. That for me is a dream come true! So what brings you here??

[Meredith Pizzi]

Wow! Wow! Wow! I love reading everyone thought and plans for the future! I am all about visions for the future and making them happen! I am at the New England Region Conference right now, my second conference in 2 weeks, and I’m sitting in the hall typing this out to reply to all of your awesome comments!!
There are a number of questions I want to answer here, but first of all, I want to extend to each of you a complementary 30 minute phone call to talk about your thoughts, ideas, plans, questions and visions for the future. I do a lot of coaching with music therapists about business development and career options and I would love to extend this to all of you as your figure out where to go next. To schedule your 30 minute call, please call Leslie at Raising Harmony, at 781-343-4061 and she will schedule our call.
Okay! Now on to the questions!

Q: What do you call your library programs? Do you refer to them as Sprouting Melodies or something else?
A: I do not call my library programs Sprouting Melodies, but other Sprouting Melodies Providers are offering Sprouting Melodies through the libraries. You can decide which would work best for you. For me, the library program started before Sprouting Melodies and has always been a way for us to introduce people to what we do and to invite people down the street
to our center for Sprouting Melodies Classes. However for other Sprouting Melodies Providers who are new to early childhood or are offering programs for young kids in a new community, they have chosen to offer the library programs as Sprouting Melodies. This helps to increase brand recognition and build credibility for a new program in your area. You can offer Sprouting Melodies at a library and instill invite them to a class as you build your program. We can certainly talk more about the specifics of how this would work in many different environments.

Q: Will all f the business/marketing questions be answered with the “support package” after paying for the license?
A: Yes! I am here to help you figure out all of those details!

Q: What about paying for the license?
A: So, I’m kind of making up this question, but I want to answer Kate’s comments about getting the agency license. Everyone is welcome to begin with an individual agreement and then as your practice and your program grows you could always upgrade your membership. For most organizations, it makes perfect sense to start a program with an individual agreement. You can also have up to 2 providers as an individual program, and can then add additional folks over time and upgrade.
We also offer payment plans for the individual provider agreement. You can pay upfront $400, or $110 for 4 months, or $100 up front and then a monthly ongoing membership fee of $35 a month for the remaining 11 months.

Q:A question about providing sprouting melodies for special needs children, specifically children on the autistic spectrum. Is this a possibility?
A: As someone already mentioned we do have a model for Special Sprouts which you can offer as a Sprouting Melodies Provider. You can also however include children with autism in your regular Sprouting Melodies classes. We have had many children with autism participate in our classes and make a tremendous amount of progress with the support, modeling and interaction with their same age peers. I would suggest that you not overlook this possibility because it does work really well. At the same time, if you think a Special Sprouts would work better for your community, Beth and I can help you get that going.

Q: What about intergenerational programming?
A: We do have a Seniors and Sprouts group which would be perfect for this!! It can be done as you mentioned with older adults and little ones, or with older adults and parents bringing their little ones with then 3 generations of group members. Both ways work.

Q: What about Preschools?
A: We have worked in few schools. This is definitely do-able!

[Meredith Pizzi]

Nancy, we have worked with a few providers to complete their instrument collection and get them started with instruments to use for Sprouting Melodies. I generally have a conversation with new providers about what they already have and then we come up with a very basic list of what they really need to get going. Often this first instrument order for folks is between $75 and $200 depending on what items they need and what they already have that is usable for Sprouting Melodies classes.
If you want to carry some instruments to sell, we can definitely get you prices and talk about what instruments would make sense for you to have on hand, or you could take orders from families and we could then send things out to you.

As far as CD’s, we can help you get cd’s at wholesale pricing that would be general children’s music that we recommend or cd’s that I have created, or Beth and her team of therapists in NY have created, and then you could carry them and sell them to families. We have vendor relationships with a few CD companies. The wholesale cost for cd’s is generally between 9 and 12 dollars.

[Meredith Pizzi]

Great, Ladies! Please know that it commonly happens that it takes music therapists who have completed the program months, or even a year or more, to be ready to begin a Sprouting Melodies Program. There is no limit! Just be aware that you can’t market using the Sprouting Melodies name until you become a provider. You can become a provider as a member and then start to build up your program. We will help you ever step of the way!
Thanks again for joining us for this course.

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