[Nancy Bair]

1-The question I had is (maybe you’ll cover this later…and I haven’t gotten there yet), how do you structure you time if you are doing back to back classes, of varying ages/levels. Do you allow 15 minutes in between classes? It’s been my experience in the past that if you have extra time in between classes, many times they parents want to come and talk to you–which is fine–but makes set-up/clean-up hard. I’m thinking if I did two classes back to back, how would that work.

2-Also, if I was using instruments would I need to purchase more so I have them all sanitized and ready for each class or would there be time in between to clean them? (sorry, after the last few weeks we’ve had with illness, sanitizing is high on my priority list right now).

3-I love how you referred to sign language teaching. Although I’m not an expert AT ALL in this area, I have found that signing has greatly increased my capacity to communicate with my children. My twins did their first sign (more) at 10 months!! (ok, sorry for the brag, I just love those two!). Do you recommend adding signs or perhaps creating a song to help teach and facilitate a sing for the parents to take home with them?

Also, unrelated, I had a hard time hearing parts of this video too, I didn’t write down the specific time (sorry! I will record them if it happens again).

[Nancy Bair]

Hi all-
My family has been so sick the last few weeks. I ended up with pneumonia and my son was in the NICU with RSV, adn I couldn’t even go see him. IT WAS ROUGH!!! Please please protect these little ones that are coming out and getting exposed to germs for the first time (ok, off my soapbox…). Needless to say, I am a bit behind!! We are all on the mend now and I’m looking forward to the next week where I’ll have time to complete everything.

As far as my experience with 0-9mo olds, I haven’t worked specifically with this population age group with music. However, I am around kids this age a lot at church, and I have 4 kids of my own and can understand and appreciate all that goes into this age, the exhaustion, the highs and lows, and wanting to experience everything with your child, especially if they are your first. Music is such a wonderful equalizer for every child regardless if they are sitting up, rolling over, or slobbering (or all three!).

The question posed earlier about “stuff” is a good one. Most kids this age will have their infant carrier, maybe a stroller, and a diaper bag, burp clothes/bibs, and maybe even binkis. Shoes fall off, cute hair bows come out, diapers need to be changed for unpredictable blowouts, etc. For me, personally, I think I will set some ground rules that I feel comfortable with and perhaps make a visual (like posterboard) or give a handout after the first class. For me, I think the most important thing is to set up a safe environment for the babies and their caregivers where they can thrive and enjoy the time together. They grow so fast!

[Nancy Bair]

I live in a small town in WA state, next to Portland, OR. We moved here about 3 years ago after living in Portland for several years. The schools here are fantastic, it is very active/outdoorsy and beautiful (next to Columbia Gorge), family orientated and educational supportive. It’s a small community and “everyone knows everyone” (or so it seems…). The year before we moved here, the high school needed to be expanded. After a proposal to pass a tax bond for this purpose, the local education foundation put together a few fundraisers, and the money was earned. We aren’t a high earning community either, so this is very telling to me.

Currently I am not teaching any classes either. However, I do know there is a music together family class being offered through the community center. I have a friend from our twins group that attends with her twins and she says the class is well attended. I think she, as many others in our community, really value education and want to give their kids every opportunity to grow, succeed, and learn.

I just recently started doing MT again with an autistic child and already I have had 3 referrals from other members of the community and every one of them says, “I’m so happy to find an MT!”

This gives me high hopes for a program like sprouting melodies.

[Nancy Bair]

Hi everyone! I am finally caught up to everyone!
I completely agree with Caroline and Jennifer. A music therapist can bring adaptability, flexibility, and a level of awareness that only those with an MT’s training could/would recognize.

I have a perfect example. As I mentioned in my first, introductory post, I have taught another early childhood music program (Kindermusik) in the past. Although I think it is a great program, I feel like it was missing key components that only a music therapist can bring. For example, the programs are set, the outlines are done, the songs are the same, the order is the same and you need to stick with their plan. Sure they provide you with everything (down to the laminated visuals), but there is no room for any type of change. I was reprimanded for adding a guitar to accompany a song that was supposed to be sung with no accompaniment. The kids didn’t respond to the song (it was really boring–IMO). When I explained that the response from the kids increased dramatically when I used the guitar (it was a simple song, maybe 2 chords), I was told that I was “off program.”

They also have these particular statements called foundations of learning where they say things like, “The reason we are doing this___ is because research shows that when we do ___, it does ___ (i.e. increases brain development, etc.)” Yet, not once when I was teaching or taking the certification did it cite a study or “research.” I actually had a parent ask me about a foundation of learning statement and I was able to describe in detail what it meant, she was grateful. If I didn’t have my MT training and background, I would not have been able to address her concern. That is why I feel a program such as this, taught by trained MTs bring such value to young children.

[Nancy Bair]

I have used all four (Singing, Playing, Movement, Listening) in my past therapy sessions. I agree with other sentiments about how important to remember to provide time to listen (leave that dead space of sound). I also think I sometimes forget to do this and it is very powerful when it is done.
Singing is a no-brainer, seems like I’m always singing. Also, playing, that’s an easy one to add–who doesn’t want to play along while they sing. Adding movement is also wonderful for a variety of reasons from helping to “reign in” the participants to motivating others to move and participate. I would say that listening is certainly one that I mentally do within a session, but probably don’t present to others in the session as part of the music development or experience. Thanks for the reminder!!

[Nancy Bair]

Singing
Awareness:
Use a variety of voice timber
Trust: Vary pitches for kids to match (hi/Low, etc) as long as safe and secure sonding. Example would be scales or hi voice/low voice singing the same song.
Independence:
Provide opportunities to Babble w/melodic inflection through songs thaty have “la-la” or “da-da” in them. Sing a melody not with words, but these syllables instead.
Control:
Use different tones to show melodic contour withing familiar songs
Responsibility:
Call and response type songs would work great to promote imitation of melody and pulse.

Playing
Awareness:
Allow time to explore the instrument
Trust:
Introduce how to play instrument rhymically.
Independence:
help children explore insturments, by choicing for them self and playing by themselves.
Control:
Encourage children to listen to cues to know when the start and stop play their instrument. Wait for them to pick up on this concept.
Responsibility:
Provide marching music or other steady beat patterned music to allow children to explore their instruments with a steady rhtyhmic pattern.

Moving
Awareness:
Body Movement—lullabies, etc.
Trust
Body movements are now more rhythmic in response to music-provide strong beat patterned music to encourage.
Independence:
Body movement can mimic movements. Provide music with different pitch range and timbre to explore further.
Control:
Uses specific parts of the body to move. Cue music/model movement accordingly
Responsibility:
Can maintain a beat. Use movement to accentuate the beat and reinforce the pattern and rhythmic cues.

Listening
Awareness:
Can recognize changes in familiar timbres/sounds
Trust:
Can recognize changes in familiar melodies and show they are listening by their movement/facial expression.
Independence:
Match the intensity of their movement to the music.
Control:
Can participate fully while listening or not participate and just listen/watch.
Responsibility:
Understand others have sounds too and we can share/listen to each others

[Nancy Bair]

Well, I had two perfect little ones to try these songs out on. My twins loved the music! Their favorite was Hold On Tight! I would put each on in my lap at a time (hard at times..!) and we would mimic the motions. I did change the word from “bike” to “horse” since they were on my knee and I thought it would make more sense to them. They LOVED to go around and up and down. Will definitely do that one many times again.

My daughter loved the la-la-la song (I like this song). Again, I changed the ‘la-la’ to ‘da-da’ since she can’t say her “L” sound yet. In no time at all, she was running around the room saying all sorts of musical babble with her “da-da-da.” I tried this one with just my voice and with my voice/guitar. The guitar was a hit because I could vary the speed as well as introduce other accompaniment chords. The first time I introduced it, I only sang with my voice, holding her hands and moving with her.

I could see in a group setting that it could get difficult to recognize and respond/compliment each child on how well they are doing ___. With my two, I was noticing all sorts of things but didn’t want to stop singing to say, ‘good job, etc.’ That would be something I would have to work on and build into my sessions.

[Nancy Bair]

I grew up in Upstate NY, I am the youngest in the family and my next closest sibling is 7 years older than me with my oldest sibling being 16 years older than me. I did learn a lot of the “preschool” songs, but I also have fond memories as a young child dancing to the Stray Cats with my older sisters. My Dad loved Frank Sinatra and we always had him playing as well as Tony Bennett and lots and lots of Sousa marching band music-especially stars and stripes.

My older sisters all played piano, some were better than others. My oldest sister played the organ and my Dad sang in the choir at church. We had a lot of great songs introduced at church, primary songs (religious and nonreligious), as well as hymns.

My grandmother lived with us for much of my childhood and she shared a room with me. SHe would sing to me everynight some old folk songs like You are My Sunshine, This Little Light of Mine, I’ve been working on the Railroad, She’ll be coming down the mountain, etc.

Big Rock Candy Mountain was a favorite cassette (gasp!) that we listened to on our LONG car trips every summer. I still have those songs in my head all these years later.

[Nancy Bair]

I worked with a 6 year old boy, who at the time was developmentally about 18 months. I could see him through the awareness phase, by stopping whatever he was doing as soon as he heard my guitar and rush over to me. He would immediately start to strum my guitar with me. This demonstrates trust. I could also see him exert many of the independence outcomes as well by choosing his own instrument, imitating me, and creating his own songs/vocalizations. LOTS of repetitions as the “wheels on the bus” song was his MOST favorite and he always chose the little people bus I had that I used for a visual prop. I would also say that some days he had more of these outcomes than others. I can also see that perhaps one of my therapy goals was far-reaching considering he hadn’t mastered the control stage of development yet, which would be necessary for me to be able to successfully achieve my goal.

[Nancy Bair]

For me, the biggest take away this week was looking at all the developmental milestones in a different light—in their own categories (Cognitive/Emotional-Social/Sensory/Physical, etc.). I know this may sound elementary to many, but sometimes a parent gets so overwhelmed with the big things like rolling over, etc. that they fail to see all the other things their child is doing so well. For example, rhythmic sucking. One of my twins had considerable breathing problems, but he was a rhythmic sucker. If only I had remembered this list when I was in the emotional phases of the NICU, I would have remembered that he was developmentally going to be fine. Another quick example, my 9 year old never rolled over as a baby. She sat, she crawled, she walked. No rolling over. As a first time mom, I thought something was wrong with her. Seeing the lists of stages and developments remind me that she, like so many others, can easily be considered “normally developed” when you see all the other areas they are exceling in.

When I think of the children I have worked with as a therapist and even with my own children, I can see patterns that each child is proficient in one area but not in others and it carries throughout their development. As a therapist, I can see how this would be especially helpful in planning sessions, music, and musical activities to help boost those developmental delays and challenge and grown the developmental milestones that have already been achieved.

[Nancy Bair]

Hi All-
I’m catching up with you all this week. I enjoyed this review of early childhood development. As a mom of four, (9, 7, and 21 mo twins), I can tell you that I have experienced all these developmental phases (although I may have slept through some of them). I appreciated re-learning it from a MT point of view instead of a Mom. My twins were early, spent a month in the NICU and are currently in early intervention/speech/physical therapy to “catch up” on their developmental stages. As a Mom, I have a lot of real-life experience I can bring to the table because of this and previous experience with my older children. Especially in those moments when your children are not meeting their developmental phases and how as a parent you feel like you have failed–when really isn’t necessarily your fault. Having one of my twins have severe colic for 5 months (nonstop crying) and the ONLY thing that would soothe her besides a warm bath was me dancing/rocking and singing/humming a melody that I sang until I lost my voice.

As a music therapist, I feel that I will also bring a lot to the table when it comes to early childhood programs. First, I absolutely adore and love kids. I am a Mom, I get it. I love music, I’m so passionate about it. I have a background in teaching and music education as well as music therapy, and I have taught early childhood music education programs before (Kindermusik). I think as a music therapist, being able to customize my program/goals/outcome to the participants based on where they are developmentally is a huge assets.

Also, I felt like the picture of the beginning was very profound. The picture represents several images to me. First, it represents the difference between any two children, whether special needs or not. Every child develops, although at generally the same rate, in their own time and in their own manner. As music therapists, we need to be aware of this and adjust our techniques and goals accordingly. The second thought that comes to me is celebration. Its OK to be different, to take a different path, to get to the same place a little later or earlier than others. This is important to me as a music therapist because music is the great equalizer (in my opinion) and it can make the playing field level for every child, including special needs children. This program also allows us as MT’s, to be able to customize the path WE are going to take with the children we are working with. Maybe drumming isn’t the best today, but something else is better. We can choose which path works for each child and really celebrate each other through the wonderful gift of music.

[Nancy Bair]

Hi all-
My name is Nancy and I am joining this class (albeit a little late…!). I introduced myself on the week one forum and will be catching up this week to week 5 with everyone. I am so excited to be a part of this program and to use it after we are finished! Look forward to getting to know you all better as well!

Nancy

[Nancy Bair]

Hello everyone-
I’m starting this course a bit later than the rest of you, but will be catching up to you within the next week.

My name is Nancy Bair. I live in Camas, WA (just across the river from Portland, OR) in the beautiful (but soggy) Pacific NW! I have been an MT-BC for about 12 years, working with several populations, mainly two groups, (1) stroke patients and elders, and (2) children with ASD/DD. I also teach violin, orchestra and string ensemble coaching. I LOVE to teach and have taught middle school orchestra for 8 years in addition to my music therapy practice.
My experience with early childhood education has been immense, as I am not a mother of four and have been in charge of the children at my church for several years. I currently have a 9 year old, 7 year old and 21 month old twins!

Several years ago when my oldest two were about 1 and 3, I investigated the KinderMusik Program and became a Kindermusik teacher. I taught for about 2 years, but I didn’t enjoy the program. It was so rigid and I couldn’t use my music therapy training to cater to the children’s needs, I had to stick with their program. It was hard for me to follow the program when I could see that what I was supposed to teach next wasn’t going to work that day or with that child.

Fast forward to the past few years where I have taken a break from MT to raise my kids (have the twins..haha-don’t ever think we’ll have just one more…!). I’ve been working with a family off and one through my pregnancy and just recently again. Their son has ASD and GDD. He is the most amazing little boy and the family is so very receptive to music. My experience with him has opened my eyes to such a potential with other children like him. I have received so many referrals from other families wanting to know how they can find someone like me for their children. One parent even asked me if I would consider doing a group session. it was then that I knew I needed to rethink thei early childhood music therapy connection and I remembered hearing about the program at past conferences and knew I had to be a part of it.

What I hope to get out of this program is to understand better then connection between MT and childhood development, and to possibly start my own program in my community.

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