[Peggy Grace]

Singing- Awareness: Vocalizes spontaneously with or without pitch. Trust: Attempts to imitate specific pitches Independence: May vocalize using pitch while exploring meter. Control: Combines pitch with accurate rhythm. Responsibility: Matches accurate pitch in sequential songs.

Instrument Playing- Awareness: Child explores texture and shape of instruments. Trust: Allows hand over hand of instrument playing. Independence: Plays a variety of instruments without assistance. Control: Able to follow natural cues for various beats. Responsibility: Able to play by direction or spontaneously.

Moving- Awareness: Moves/responds to sound. Trust: Child moves to music with accurate/inaccurate rhythm. Independence: Moves various areas of body to music. Control: Begins to match accurate beats through body movement. Responsibility: Begins to move body with controlled rhythm.

Listening- Awareness: Recognizes changes in vocal inflection. Trust: Responds to familiar songs. Independence: Develops music preferences. Control: Remains quiet to follow musical direction. Responsibility: Follows direction and allows music preferences of others in group.

[Peggy Grace]

Sing-Being a vocalist, singing in my practice is kind of the foundation of the music experiences. I have used music to promote relaxation through a soft voice and volume, to encourage communication and for overall creative expression. I have also found that singing can really lift the mood. I love the fact that most children love to sing because they have not been told that they cannot sing, except in some poor family dynamics. Since taking this class, I have been incorporating more expression in my face and the surprises that you have taught about. I have found that those facial expressions encourage them even more to sing and engage.

Play-I use all types of small instruments and drums with the children I work with for gross/fine motor movement, to improve gripping and hand strength and also for assessing a child’s strengths. Of course, instrument play is a type of movement, so playing a small instrument may be the only form of music they can engage in.

Move-Many of the patients I work with, whether they are adults are children, have limited mobility and may not be able to ambulate. If they are ambulatory, then I like to use songs that I may make up that fit the situation. I have been able to incorporate the movement songs in this class and adapt them with some my patients. I used “I Can Move Around” with a child with Downs Syndrome and he attempted to follow my movement. I had to adapt the song to him since he is not ambulatory yet, but I think It will set a foundation to build on.

Listen-This is another area where I like to use music for communication, verbal or non-verbal. The best example I can give is when I do a drum circle with the young children at our annual bereavement camp. I assign a beat keeper who plays a gathering drum, and the group has to first listen and then mimic their beat. They all get to take turns being what I call “The Beat Keeper.” I will sometimes have them play an emotion on a drum and we play what I call a ‘feelings game’, where they have to guess what emotion is being played on the drum.

[Peggy Grace]

SM 3: Helpful, Purposeful, Excited, Interactive, Spontaneous

Hello/Opening “Hello Everybody”, “Sit Down and Join My Circle”, Bonding “My Brand New Friend”, “Hold On Tight”. Songs about me
“My Eyes Are On My Face,” “Where Is The Music”. Instrument songs “You Play A Little”, I Like This Song.” Movement songs
“Clickety Clack,” “Will You Come”. Goodbye “Thank You Very Much.”

SM Family Sprouts: Together, Sharing, Trusting, Carefree, Adventurous.

Hello/Opening “Hey Everybody” “Come And Join The Circle”. Bonding “Row It Faster”, Wiggly Jiggly Car.” Songs about me “Who’s That”, “Can You See Me.” Instrument songs “You and Me Makes We”, “Dancing In The Middle”. Movement “I Can Move Around”, “Can You Follow.” Closing/Goodbye “Music Time Is Over.”

[Peggy Grace]

Based on your explanation, Erica, I think I would explain to the parents that Sprouting Melodies is a program that helps to support a child’s overall development. We are not focusing on specific skills or needs, so there is no formal assessments or care plan needed, although their participation may encourage the child’s interest in developing a musical skill as they get older.

However, it is imperative that a Sprouting Melodies program be facilitated by a board certified music therapist because music therapists are trained in basic childhood development, so we understand how music can support it, and we are able to detect any issues or concerns with the child’s growth. If an issue was identified, then a music therapist has the skill and knowledge to make recommendations for assessments to determine if a problem exist. A musician or non-music therapist would most likely not recognize any issues with the child’s development.

[Peggy Grace]

Obviously, the differences in development of multi-age groupings is a challenge in of itself. You may have infants 0-9 months mixed with energetic 2 year olds, so fusing the musical needs of both I think requires special planning. Having the variety of songs, including soft and upbeat songs helps to ease this challenge. I also agree with Victoria. If you have older children in the group many of them will have more compassion and become “helpers” in the group. This in turn can be excellent models for the younger children and hopefully instill that same compassion and helpfulness as they grow.

[Peggy Grace]

Hello everyone, my name is Peggy Grace and I am a board certified music therapist from Fort Myers, FL. I have been working for the local hospice for over 15 years along with 3 other music therapists who work with our agency. My main focus is visiting pt.’s in their homes, skilled nursing facilities and group homes. Our music therapists also work closely with the bereavement department to help individuals of all ages deal with the loss of a loved one. I feel very blessed, because our agency also started a program working with children with life-threatening illnesses called “Partners In Care”(PIC), also known as “Hope Kids Care”. I work with 5 of these children on an individual basis. I love working with children, but it was initially challenging because I had very little experience in working with children during my training. I was drawn to this course because I want to expand my knowledge of childhood development, repertoire of children’s music and incorporate new techniques into my practice. I am also considering starting some music therapy group settings with some of the schools in the territory that I work. After viewing this first video, I am very excited to learn and apply the knowledge and techniques offered in this training!

[Peggy Grace]

I am very excited about implementing the strategies and songs I’ve learned during this course! I have already utilized some of the songs and techniques, like the use of the surprise, and they have been very effective. If I become a provider in the future, I am looking forward to providing another community resource that will provide music experiences for young children. The potential to educate the community about music therapy and how beneficial it is for children is very exciting.

[Peggy Grace]

Initially, I find successful strategies are pragmatic. In other words, planning a structured plan, making sure you have enough and the right kind of instruments, setting up the room are basic building blocks for a successful group. In my work, I find it is crucial to know the health needs and background from the parents and have them describe their family dynamics. You may find that as the child participates in the group that the description the parent offers is slightly different, but having he basic information is helpful in the long run.

I think it is important to make eye contact or acknowledge to the child that you notice them. I think it helps them to feel that they are important. On the other hand, if a child is attention seeking then that needs to be addressed as well. Having a room that limits distractions is helpful. And using a variety of songs as backups are helpful too because certain songs may be more engaging to a certain group. Being able to demonstrate to the parents that you have the expertise to handle situations and reassure them of normal responses to music is also important to have a successful group

[Peggy Grace]

5 words: Freedom, Trust, Flexible, Adventurous, Watch:

5 sentences for parents:
Your child is going to be more adventurous at this stage. Allow them the freedom to explore this environment. They will want to explore but will come back to engage with you because they trust you. We have structure, but will also be flexible to match and re-direct the group when necessary. Don’t be surprised if your child is hesitant to engage with other children in the group yet, but support them in their decision to engage with others.

Session Plan:

Materials/equipment: small rhythm instruments, including egg shakers, keyboard, guitar, drums, scarves.

Begin with hello song, gathering song “Sit Down With Me”, bonding songs “Wiggly Jiggly Car” “Hold On Tight”, songs about me “All of This Is Me”, instrument songs “Sit With Me and Shake” “In My Little Hand”, movement songs “Can You Follow”, transition/goodbye song “Thank You Very Much” “Goodbye”.

[Peggy Grace]

I think it goes without saying that every child is different, although there are general characteristics in the age groups. It becomes even more challenging when working with the special needs child. One child may need more stimulation through upbeat songs and lots of instruments, then some will require more soothing, soft songs. I agree with Tori that the music therapist can rely on their training to observe the children for signs of over or understimulation. Having structure is very important, but I have found that flexibility is also important so that you can adjust the music to meet the children at their level. Through the volume of our voices, tempo and volume of instruments, we can match the group and then gently re-direct them where to go from there.

[Peggy Grace]

Through the agency I work with, we have several small rhythm instruments including egg shakers (but not with this age group, chiquitas, maracas, hand bells, shakers, small and large tambourines. We also have 2 gathering drums, ocean drums, paddle drums and sound shapes. Also 3 q-chords, keyboards, scarves and of course, my own guitar. I have some instruments in my personal collection including a djembe, several egg shakers, a guiro, chiquitas and maracas and handbells. I buy most of my instruments from West Music, but I have bought guitars from local instrument stores. Amazon is also a great place to purchase a q-chord as they are sometimes cheaper than what you find at other on-line music sites.

I really liked the suggestion of using the larger chiquitas with the children in this age group. I am going to purchase some of those!

[Peggy Grace]

I am most looking forward to implementing the songs that have been shared in the training. It has given me a framework with which to write my own songs for the children that I work with. I am looking forward to the confidence I have gained and will also feel when I do future MTx groups with children. My mind has been spinning with ideas of how to possibly provide some groups in the community through local schools and other childhood programs. I will have to collaborate with my managers to see if some groups could be started, and use the knowledge that I have gained though this course to explain how this can benefit the children, community and the agency. It will require education on my part, but I now have some beneficial resources through the course to provide that education.

[Peggy Grace]

I plan on sharing this information with the MT’s that I work with at my agency. I also plan to provide an in-service on music therapy with special needs children and compare that to typical development, and how music can be adapted to support the growth of the special needs child. Since I have frequent contact with the children’s parents, I am glad that I have more knowledge about growth and how the music can be adapted for the special needs child.

Our local university, Florida Gulf Coast University, started a new music therapy program about 2 years ago. I can certainly use what I’ve learned from this course as a resource for educating students and possible interns we may have in the future.

[Peggy Grace]

First of all, I want to thank Meredith and Beth for organizing a wonderful course and offering your expertise in early childhood music therapy. This course has really helped me to understand more clearly childhood development, and how to incorporate music to support that growth. One of my music therapy instructors taught the concept of “transfer”, and how knowledge and training can always be adapted and transferred to work with other populations. I have already incorporated some of the songs and concepts taught in this course in my work with special needs children. So I will continue to learn the songs and use what I’ve learned with these children.

If I ever become a Sprouting Melodies provider, I am glad that I have a foundation from which to work. I now feel more comfortable with working with children and have the desire to start a group through my agency with the children we serve in the rural communities that I serve.

[Peggy Grace]

Five words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies 1:
Growth, Bonding, Caring, Exciting, Patience

You will be able to watch how your child develops through the musical experiences. The songs will facilitate deeper bonding as you travel this experience together. As a result, they will learn and know how much you care for them. In return, you will be able to instill that caring in them through the music experience. At times the music is lively and exciting, and other times it will be slow and calming. So be patient and allow your child to learn new skills as they develop and grow.

Session Plan:

Objectives: To establish bonding between child and parent, and with the other members of the group.

Materials: Various small rhythm instruments minus egg shakers, guitar, scarves, drums, mallets.

Procedure:
Begin with a Hello song (tune from “Singing In the Rain). Incorporate stops and starts for interest and variety. Bonding songs including “Hold On Tight” and “Let’s Get Together” using scarves. Introduce rhythm instruments while singing “Shake, Rattle and Roll”. Continue with movement using songs “I Can Move Around” and self-identification using “All of This Is Me.” Begin to wind down with slower tempo using ocean drum and song “This was fun.” Close with goodbye song “So Long, Goodbye My Friend.”

The songs you may not recognize are songs I have written. I hope it was ok to use those.

[Author]

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