[Rebekah Martin]

I have my next parent/infant developmental group on Friday and I look forward to incorporating the Wiggly Jiggly Car. Up to this point I have been keeping lullaby style and play style songs mostly separate but I now am able to see how they can work together to enhance the development of the infant by providing both the structure and safety of the lullaby style and then assist with transitioning to something new and more engaging (especially for the older infants who may not be engaged during a slower bonding song).

[Rebekah Martin]

I lead two parent/infant developmental groups, one for birth-6months and another for 6-12 months. The material this week really helped me to make sense of the observations that I’ve been making in previous weeks. Last week, an 8-week old infant was still very much in the awareness level; Sometimes extremely engaged in watching mom sing and other times not appearing to watch the mom or myself. At the same time, the almost 6-month old infant next to the 8-week old infant is banging the shaker on the ground during a bonding song, not appearing to want to sit and snuggle with mom. This infant is choosing to explore and is moving within this stage of trust, exploring the instruments by bringing them to the mouth and also banging them on the floor.

[Rebekah Martin]

The Orlando community is extremely diverse. There are many families that travel to Florida during the summer months to receive therapy because it is not offered in their home country (i.e. Haiti) or who may come purely for vacation reasons but become ill or run into health complications during their time here. I have learned that although having a general vocabulary in other languages can be helpful, the music does so much of the work by bridging the gap and building rapport. I have learned lullabies in Swedish and Russian in order to provide care for new moms and their infants who are stuck in a country that is not their homeland due to birth complications. First hand, I have been able to see that incorporating culturally familiar music into sessions provides the familiar structure for both parents and children to feel safe to then engage to their full potential. There is a large population of Spanish-speaking families in Orlando, and it has been a great experience to be able to dig deeper and learn the nuances between music from Mexico vs. music from Puerto Rico etc.

[Rebekah Martin]

Jeannelle–I also agree that I was unaware of when the concept of sharing actually makes sense to the child and thought it was valuable insight to teach it in a simple and more developmentally appropriate way until it is understandable.

Hilary– You’re right that it’s one thing to know something but another to know it well enough to then explain to parents in a way that they can then use as a resource. This is one aspect that I hadn’t thought too much on and am thankful I’m able to begin incorporating it into my practice as I am learning.

[Rebekah Martin]

I have the opportunity to be a pioneer in providing music therapy services for early childhood development within a hospital affiliated program and I know that with this class I will have a firm foundation from which to build this program into an effective but also fun experience for the community.

I have a warmth to my personality that allows people to feel welcomed and accepted. I have had many non-music therapy positions that have helped to create this ability to build rapport in an organic way with children and adults regardless of age or ability. In being a young professional without children I feel I am also able to view early childhood development with a different set of eyes. Throughout this week’s material I felt proud to maybe be “that music lady” or “the music therapist” to all of these children that I am blessed to be able to work with each week. I also feel empowered that I can assist in expanding the world for these children and assisting them with moving from one developmental stage to the next in such a positive and rich environment.

As music therapists, we are trained very generally, to remain versatile & to provide qualified care to any population. I have always preferred working with children but this week’s training has brought out in me an excitement to learn and dig deeper that I feel I have solidified where I want my niche of music therapy to be. While remaining open to all opportunities and paths, it is exciting to find where my passion lies.

[Rebekah Martin]

I previously have been trained in using developmental stages as the basis for musical experiences for children in the medical model. Typically, though, it is for the most salient goal I can address for that child in that exact moment–and I most likely will not see that same child again. I’m beginning to see how this curriculum will give me the tools to expand my skills whether in a short term setting (to have and use this knowledge to truly make use of that limited amount of time) or when seeing clients on a more consistent basis (how I can assess growth for that child specifically). I am enjoying learning what to assess & how to assess each child on a deeper level. Also, it is so valuable to learn how to relay that important information to the family. Prior to this week’s content I had not placed much thought on what information I would need to be ready to share or even provide reassurance for when speaking with parents. I also appreciate the red-flags guidelines. Working in a rehabilitative setting it is important for me to be knowledgeable of these important observations not only for music therapy purposes but for the child.

[Rebekah Martin]

Hi all! I am Rebekah, joining from Orlando, Florida. I had a terrific experience interning at Florida Hospital Orlando during the fall of 2016 and became certified February of this year. During my internship I was required to complete a project and found myself drawn to patients at the Florida Hospital for Children Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation clinic. We serve patients with a variety of neurodevelopmental disorders with ages ranging from 2 months to 18 years old. I had the opportunity to co-treat with physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy during my first 3-months of my internship and then provide two children with twelve weeks of individual music therapy services at no cost. I created an all-inclusive assessment form as well as weekly documentation to track progress of musical and behavioral changes. The response from both the Rehab clinic and families was so positive that the Florida Hospital music therapy team began plans to create a hospital affiliated outpatient pediatric music therapy program for the future. I was lucky enough to be offered this position this past April and I have been working dutifully to lay the foundations for what services can be provided and how they will be provided. In addition to both individual and group music therapy service offerings at the Outpatient Pediatric Rehabilitation clinic, we have begun offering an infant/parent developmental music group at Florida Hospital for Women.

This journey has been an exciting one (that is just beginning), where I am still learning the ways to provide effective music therapy services for children with a variety of ages & abilities. I sought out resources that could potentially assist me on this journey and feel lucky to have found Sprouting Melodies. I am so excited to dive into learning more about how music can parallel development and in turn incorporate this knowledge into all of my new therapeutic endeavors.

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