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July 25, 2019 at 7:01 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
Participant@Jessica
I complete agree with your response that this course has made you notice things that you might not have taken into account before. It has definitely given me a great understanding of how important it is see the value any musical response no matter how big or small we might perceive it to be! Every step is vital and important!@Destiny
You have made some great points in your post! I think the singing reminders are so good. I want to grow in being more aware of what is happening with the melodic response of the clients in addition to the words and phrases they are learning. And I also appreciated the reminder of how we can sometimes get ahead of children and their developmental stage. That is why this instruction is so valuable!July 25, 2019 at 6:49 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantHow have you used these four music experiences in your practice? Have you made any changes in these areas since beginning this course? Post your remarks to the board.
I feel like these 4 areas (Singing, Playing Instruments, Moving, and Listening) are so key to the work we do as music therapists. And they are incorporated into the main methods of music therapy: re-creative, receptive, songwriting, and improvisation. And I think it applies to all age groups not just young children. I utilized these 4 areas throughout my internship where I worked in the public school system with groups of young children to young adults with various developmental disabilities. We were often diving into these areas of all within one session. We often started with a body percussion warm-up that was all about moving our bodies and centering ourselves as a group. Then, we would have times for exploring instruments or learning new songs. And we usually ended with some type of receptive relaxation to help bring the energy back down. All of these areas were utilized with the specific goals and needs the clients in mind for each group. Although I haven’t had a chance to start using this framework of different developmental stages within these areas yet, I definitely think that this particular lesson has given me greater depth of insight into how to choose and select specific interventions for the clients. I feel like it has to start with an understanding of where a client is within the spectrum of stages and then, applying how one might move through the stages on a musical level. I am excited to see how this process of assessing and implementing will help me be more successful in targeting what the client really needs in the moment!
July 24, 2019 at 10:30 pmParticipantSinging: 1. Awareness- Turning attention (gaze, facial, postural) toward singing; beginning to vocalize in response to singing 2. Trust- More purposeful vocalization & selecting pitches 50% of the time 3. Independence- Starting to bring pitches together & match pitches & babble 4. Control- Singing phrases using more intervals 5. Responsibility- Sing familiar songs with various dynamics and range.
Playing Instruments: 1. Awareness- Grasping an instrument briefly when placed in hand 2.Trust- Reaching and beginning to explore instruments with hand or mouth 3. Independence- Using hands to stick instruments & intentionally grasping them. 4. Control- Starting to respond to the music by playing with various musical elements such as dynamics and tempo. 5. Responsibility- Responding to cues & keeping a steady beat.
Moving: 1. Awareness- Instinctive body movements to the music around them. 2. Trust- Tolerating movement of body and responding with repetitive movement. 3. Independence- Imitating & bouncing rhythmically. 4. Control- Being able to sustain clapping hands, patting knees, etc. to familiar songs. 5. Responsibility- Sequenced movements and imitation of movements of others.
Listening: 1. Awareness- Recognizing pitches & vocal timbre (especially familiar voices) 2.Trust- Greater awareness of various sound sources by looking toward them. 3. Independence- Starting to seek out sounds around them. 4. Control- Intentional stopping to listen. 5. Responsibility- Beginning to maintain attention to music around them (specifically the music of others).
July 23, 2019 at 5:54 pm
in reply to: Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.
Participant@Jessica
I grow up in the middle of farm country in Illinois so it is interested to hear about how your experience is so different! And I can definitely see how that background has been helpful for you in a career of music therapy! My internship experiences has helped me continue to grow in this area!July 23, 2019 at 5:51 pm
in reply to: Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.
Participant@Elizabeth
I grew up in a rural area as well, so I would say that when I came to Minneapolis and decided to start a career as a music therapist that I was definitely not well versed in many different cultural or musical preference. I would say that our profession is one that will always push us to continue to learn new music and preference of clients. So I am sure we will all continue to grow in that area!July 23, 2019 at 1:30 pm
in reply to: Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.
ParticipantAs some have already mentioned, the Minneapolis/St.Paul Minnesota area is an extremely diverse area to live in. I grow up in central Illinois in the middle of no where, and living in the Twin Cities for the past 9 years has definitely been a different experience. My internship this past year was in the St. Paul Public School district, and I was usually the only Caucasian individual in a room of students who came from different cultural and racial backgrounds. It was an eye-opening experience, and it taught me a lot about not assuming that I knew what musical preferences my clients had. I also had to be aware that some students could come from homes where music isn’t a huge part of their lives or there are only certain times when music is allowed (usually for religious reasons). But, even with this knowledge about specific cultures, I always had to rely on getting to the know the client personally, because they may live in a home that doesn’t share that same thought process even though culturally it is common to have certain standards about music. I also learned that a lot of these students love American music and the latest popular hits. They are in classes with many other youth that are sharing music with one another. So I would often get more requests for music that wasn’t from their native culture. It is a lot to navigate, but I feel the key is to be open-minded and invested in getting to know your clients preferences!
July 23, 2019 at 1:14 pm
in reply to: Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.
Participant@melissa
I felt the same way about the “Are You Ready for Music?” song as well! It is such a fun and engaging song that allows for choice which is so important! So much great information and resources with this training! Thanks again for having me take this course!July 23, 2019 at 1:10 pm
in reply to: Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.
Participant@Emma
Thanks for sharing your experiences with the songs! I felt like these songs were so easy to pick up from just singing along with them as they introduced them. So I think you made a great point by saying that it says a lot about the simplicity that is needed for these types of groups! And I agree they are just simply fun, but have so much purpose behind why they are utilized!July 23, 2019 at 12:39 pm
in reply to: Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.
ParticipantI am so excited to add these songs to my repertoire now! I also appreciate the ideas and ways to adapt the songs to make them your own as well! My absolute favorite was “Are You Ready for Music?” Although I haven’t used it yet in a session, I definitely want to use this as a way to offer the client choices and the ability express what they would like to play or do in music. There are many songs out there that dictate what the child is supposed to do, and I like how this gives them more freedom to explore the options they have in front of them. I could see how you could individualize this song and incorporate the client’s name in place of “I” if you are just working with one client. I also just love the structure and shuffle rhythm the song has! So excited to keep learning more from this course!
July 23, 2019 at 12:25 pmParticipant@kristen
Thanks for sharing your experiences with this client! Wow, that is a lot of transition for a client to go through 3 different music therapists within such a short period of time! But, it is so great that you have seen progress despite the medical difficulties and circumstances. The client I described is in those two different stages as well. I think it just demonstrates the stages are helpful tools, but not one client is going to fit into a stage perfectly and it can change throughout time for various reasons! Keep up the good work!July 23, 2019 at 12:18 pmParticipant@elizabeth<br />
Thanks for sharing your experiences with your client! I feel like you descriptions of why your client is in those stages were helpful for to have greater glimpse into who your client is within musical experiences. I agree that these videos have been really helpful in determining how to structure sessions, not only for groups but individual clients!July 23, 2019 at 12:09 pmParticipantAs I am finishing up my last course and practicum before starting as a professional music therapist, I am working with a 6 year-old boy who is diagnosed with down syndrome. As I look through the different developmental stages we have laid out for us in this course, I feel he is in-between the trust stage moving toward the independence stage. Although he can communicate with some words, his level of engagement within interventions is usually for short periods of time. He will often go back and forth between being engaged in the music and looking away to something else in the room. However, there are moments where he instinctively starts to make more musical choices and loves to explore different instruments. I love what we have learned because it is helping me see how he is making progress forward into a different stage. These stages are so helpful in just forming an overall framework of how to assess where a client is at musically, and I believe this will help me plan what musical interventions will be best for my future clients! This is all really exciting material for me!
ParticipantParticipant@steve I completely agree that you have a natural way with children that is so patient! I feel I could learn to grow in patience from you! From the little I have seen you interact with your son, I know that you love to engage kids in exploration which is so needed in this work! You are going to be great at this!
ParticipantI feel like I will bring energy and excitement to early childhood music therapy based programs. I absolutely love working with children as they begin to explore and develop! So I can see how this will be valuable for these types of programs because a lot of the developments are all rooted in discovery and exploration! The first few years are filled with wonder at the world around them. I also feel like I have always been willing to be flexible in the moment which will be important as parents and their children are growing at different paces. This information will inform my practice in ways that can help me communicate to parents and help me assess in the moment. Excited to keep learning!
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