[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

We (music therapists) know that children are coming to this world musically equipped so we should have to use that capacity soon as it possible. According to that fact I believe that music can be great communication bridge between child/parent relation so therefore as a music therapist it is our job to make it easier and to show how to use that tool. Combination of eye, sound (instruments/voice), touch, movement “contacts” and listening are great bonding elements that can combine with music in very good. Sometime silence is also good and can be great element for changing/transformation. As a someone who is working mostly with a parents and babies under 1 as a Musical baby bonding instructor I can say that there are so many benefits to use music: building babies focus, concentration and listening skills, which are the main skills for good communication and therefore foundations for healthy bonding process.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Music therapy in community is GREAT thing generally for music therapy promotion as a profession and can bring some other perspective especially to the families. This idea to bring non clinical approach of music therapy, could also be great opportunity to make this “wellness” point of view closer to people who are not so familiar with music therapy, like it is in my country. As a someone who is working with a parents and babies under 1 I can say that bonding process is very important and most of the parents don t clearly know what it is, ok they have instincts, but programs like Sprouting Melodies 1 can give them a structure and meaning for future bonding activities and it can be very useful and practical for them and the most important they can experience it right now. Also I agree what Jacquelyn said.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Well as I already said, by now, I am offering baby massage classes (from 0 to 12 months), then another program – musical baby bonding program (from 0 to 7-8 months) and also working part time as a music therapist but with adult clients. So as I am mostly in contact with new mommies and their babies I would love to offer something new for them. Sprouting Melodies training looks like great opportunity and chance to obtain my knowledge and expand my horizons as a music therapist and also provides me opportunity, through musical experience, to work with kids from 0 to 5 year and their families. If I integrate all my knowledge and all contacts that I have already made, and start to found future one, I m sure that it would be very beneficial for the both sides. Parents need education, especially not typical one in my country. They need social bond with other parents. They sometimes need manual “how to” or structure to be able to spend quality and fun time with their kids and it can be great opportunity to experience and learn that.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Music therapy in Serbia is pretty much a new discipline and profession as well. Also there are just few of us who has official licence to work. As I already mention we don t have music therapy in hospitals, social institutions, schools….We ARE in public and we presenting lectures to promote music therapy still, but from time to time, also work in private practice. As a music therapist I can see that we need more promotion and practice in reality so one of the reason that I have took this training is to try to bring and offer our profession and services to families and young children because I think that our goals can be very beneficial for them.
As I m working with brand new parents and their babies, more often now, I think that music therapy approach can be very beneficial for them for ex. in situation when we want to make it stronger process of bonding or to help in situation when this process is interrupted for some reasons.
Working with the group or individually we can see or better to say recognize if there are any problems behind the dyad mother/child, and therefore great thing about music therapy is that music therapy is non invasive method and can make “safe space for change” and approach to intervene. Also the other reason why music therapy is valuable is that we can help and offer parents opportunity to meet their children, developmentally, and to help parents to understand their child better, and to find the way to be their assistant in development more than before, using music intervention.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Right now mostly I m working with mommies and the very young babies from 0 to pre crawl phase which is great period to see different babies stages and how they can change developmentally during our sessions. For example when I m using musical activities, with very small babies from 6 to 12 weeks we are working on contacts, call and responses, also I m using some light instruments appropriate for that age like wind chimes, cas cas, kenari…..those instruments are suitable for that age and have beautiful soft sounds. During my work with such a small clients, they are mostly laying on the floor or mother holding her as she is still have limitations to turn independently on her tummy, most of coordination’s are still in progress and need time to be established etc….but as we moving on and on, their awareness (of sounds-music) changed and help them opportunity to move forward. That is beautiful perspective to see how they can respond, vocalize, imitate, make real CONTACT!
As a music therapist it is very important for us to know child developmental stages, which Beth mentioned few weeks ago, and what can or cannot to expect. It is also very important to know that when we are speaking about children with special needs and children with some developmentally delay.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

As the songs are not on my language I tried to adopt some of them with my daughter. She is almost 19 months old and she is very active so songs like Sit down with me and Hold on tight was good. Also I adapt the tempo, and use facial expression and gestures as well. Little exaggeration during the singing is main element 🙂 in my opinion.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

As a little girl who lived in Yugoslavia (now it is EX or former Yugoslavia), we, all nationalities, used to sing pretty much similar songs during the preschool and school period, and also in older period, as we spoke pretty much with the same language, but after the civil war (1992 – 1995) the situation changed. Yugoslavia has split in many different separate, countries (Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Montenegro) so more of the “mutual” songs of my generation or community, which used to be “our” songs, was replaced with “new” songs, but that is another story. Today, after all these years, most of us have some kind of nostalgia when we try to recall those years before the war. As time goes by I can say that I was more Rock n roll kind of person so my musical taste as well as my community develops in that way. Today I am happy that even that we are still living separately I can travel across the all ex Yugoslavia and again explore and enjoy in every tradition and community 🙂 listening and singing, old songs again.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

I hope (and cannot wait) to receive more knowledge from the music therapy perspective. As I already said I don t have much experience as a music therapist in early childhood practice except that I am now working with new moms and their new born babies (from 0 to pre-crawling phase) especially targeting more on a bonding process using musical activities. I am very happy that I am part of this training, making next, logical, step and continuing my education as a music therapist for early childhood period. In the future I want more to focus on parent/children dyads as well as group working through music interventions. So yes, I am sure that I am on a right place ;)!

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Well as a music therapist and as a mom of 18 month old daughter this part was very useful for me. During my music therapy education we use to work more with older psychiatric clients and children with special needs (cerebral palsy) so this field, of child development, is, I can say, very important and represent new chapter for me as I am now more in this area professionally as a musical baby bonding Instructor and Infant massage Instructor, and also personally with my own child. It is very useful, and will be more in the next weeks, that Beth is speaking developmentally and which musical activities is appropriate for that age. Also red flags are always useful information even that every child has individual development path. Some of them start with sitting in 6 some of them in 8 months, some of them are more active than others, and some of them just skip crawling….etc. We should have that on mind as well.

[Milijana Majstorovic Kozul]

Hi,
I m Nana and I am music therapist from Belgrade,Serbia – Europe. Yes, I found your program and decided to try. Little introduction about me…..Music therapy is pretty much new profession here in Serbia and right now we have 5 BC music therapists, and some of us are working in private practice but not very often. The reason why is that is because our “system “ is little bit “rigid” so we don t have music therapy officially in hospitals or in any other institutions officially (ok, we used to have few years ago, since I was a student, but after that situation has changed). That is one of the reason that I want to start program like yours which can bring some changes for music therapy profession here and my community as well.
Also I am IAIM certified Instructor (from 0 to 12 months), Baby Sign Instructor and Musical baby program instructor (from 0 to crawling). I m working with parents and babies through my classes since last year.
I m also a mother of 18 months old girl.
So, as you can see there are many reasons, why I decided to take your program :). It was. natural, my next professional step which two of you definitely have confirmed on your video.
Can` t wait to start and learn from you.
P.S. As English is not my first language sorry for my “future” mistakes.

[Author]

Posts