[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

This course has opened my up to the idea that music therapy can be something other than clinical work, and that we as music therapists can bring our unique skills to the community as a whole, not only as a facilitator of parent-child classes, but also as a resource for child development and an advocate for music therapy. I have loved all of the new songs and ideas presented, specifically the inclusion of functional language and supportive musical elements, and I will definitely use these in my work with special needs children. These songs will be great for families to learn and use with their kids at home in times of transition, and also as reinforcers of skills being addressed in music therapy sessions.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

One of the reasons I chose to take this course was to feel equipped to reach out to early intervention in my area, and to really be able to offer my services as a music therapist in a variety of ways. I definitely feel this training has boosted my confidence to go out and sell myself to agencies and childcare providers. I also plan to subscribe to online newsletters from local early childhood parenting groups, as well as doing some plain old investigating about what is available for families in my area. I think the library is also a place to start, because I remember how important library story-time was for my kids when they were little: I did my best to get us there every week!

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I am looking forward to providing a positive, non-judgmental space for parents to celebrate the joy and wonder of making music with their children. It seems like there is so much competetiveness and negativity in parenting young children, whether it be self-imposed or from without (as in the “mommy factions” of stay-at-home vs. working outside the home, nursing vs. bottle-feeding, etc.), and I want to do my part in taking us back to the children and their parents, supporting that relationship. At the same time, it will be great to be able to provide the caregivers with useful, developmentally-focused information about their child.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

In my previous experience as a Music Together teacher I learned about the importance of being well-prepared, just in terms of knowing your songs backwards and forwards, as well as (and this is going to sound terrible) simply learning the names of everyone in the class! I am not great with names, so I have to make an extra effort to commit them to memory. I understand the importance of creating a safe physical environment for the class, because not only do you have to protect the children from harm, but you as the facilitator can better attend to the other needs of the children and caregivers if safety is not a concern. Lastly, I think it is important to consider the ability of the parents to move with their children during a movement song, in terms of marching while holding their baby, or planning in such a way as to bear in mind how the children at a certain developmental level will probably move around (because you don’t want crawlers to be underfoot if they are likely to be exploring and your plan is for everyone to move around the room…).

I love that Sprouting Melodies builds in great strategies for success, such as emphasizing then need for flexibility in session planning and having smaller windows of ages in the class levels. Some things I want to bear in mind when running sessions are to have a consistent routine for transitions (and music to go with them), feeling okay with having a potentially difficult talk with a parent when I see a possible red flag in their child’s development, and explaining/leading by example in how I relate to the children in the class that a range of responses are to be expected and are okay.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I can see challenges on both ends of the developmental stages, such as taking care to not overstimulate or startle the babies in the Awareness stage, while engaging (and not stifling the enthusiasm of) children in Independence and Control. I think this is a balancing act that can perhaps be mediated by the participation of the caregivers, in how they interact with/sing to/move with their children, whom they know best.

Another challenge is instrument selection, as we don’t want to make instruments available that could be dangerous or inappropriate to the babies, but also to include those that are challenging and engaging enough to make the older children feel accomplished and “big kid” enough.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

My understanding of this topic and what we are being asked to discuss is the same as Michelle’s; namely, are we supporting the child’s overall development in its various domains, or are we imparting music skills? These are both valid pursuits, but Sprouting Melodies is not about developing those music skills in and of themselves, but rather how music can support the child’s overall development. However, as facilitators and parents, we can be aware of how our children are moving through the predictable stages of musical development as a means of understanding them as a whole person, and perhaps as a means of identifying possible (non-musical) developmental concerns.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

5 words for Sprouting Melodies 3: active, affirming, flexible, feelings, purposeful

5 words for Family Sprouts: Helping, uniqueness, connecting, joyful, cooperation

Sprouting Melodies 3 plan: 1) Gathering/Greeting – Sit Down with Me; 2) Bonding – Hold on Tight, My Brand New Friend; 3) Songs About Me – That All Makes Up Me; Book – Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb; 4) Instruments – You Play a Little with resonator bells; 5) Movement – Will You Come?; 6) Goodbye: Music Time Is Over.

Family Sprouts plan: 1) Gathering/Greeting – Come and Join the Circle; 2) Bonding – Wiggly Jiggly Car; 3) Songs About Me – That All Makes Up Me; 4) Instruments – I Like this Song; 5) Movement – Can You Follow?, Clickety Clack; 6) Goodbye – Thank You Very Much

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I have to echo everyone’s thoughts and say that it does very much depend upon the individual makeup of the group. I would think this would be particularly salient if the group is primarily made up of children on the lower or upper age limits of Sprouting Melodies 2. I think a good place to start would be to begin with less stimulation and increasing it as the weeks go on, always assessing the group’s response. It also depends upon what kind of stimulation, i.e. surprises in the music, varieties of timbre, instrument options, and volume in general, to name some examples. That said, there should never be anything that scares the children and is too unexpected in a way that feels unsafe or unpredictable.

I also think the it is advisable to have some flexibility built into the music that the parents can adjust for their child’s needs, in terms of how they hold their child (facing out or facing in) and their individual vocal volume.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I don’t have any instruments specifically for this age group yet, but I appreciate the suggestions made in the video this week. I was especially interested in the recommendation against egg shakers for this age, as I was given these, by my supervisor, for use in all age groupings of the Music Together classes I taught (before music therapy came into my life!). I do think these can be a choking hazard, and while I fortunately never had a problem in my classes, it did cross my mind that a particularly zealous kiddo could squeeze one into their mouth!

For an early childhood class, as well as a music therapy group for this age, I will definitely invest in a gathering drum, which is a great way to bring the children together and for them to gain a sense of grounding and community as they experience the drum and its vibrations together. I did have an ocean drum that was much louder than I had anticipated (a good reason to not go for the cheap option…), and has since been donated to the music teacher at my sons’ school. I have colorful scarves and would like to purchase either a parachute or a colorful stretchy band to use with a group.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

Five words: discovery, play, wonder, surprise, observing

Five sentences for parents: 1) I have created a safe space for your children to explore, so please let them roam whenever they want to! 2) Have you noticed how much they love those little surprises in the song? Don’t get tired of singing it over and over — they love it! 3) Don’t mistake standing and watching during class as not participating — they are doing important inner work! 4) As you jump your baby up and down, make sure the bottoms of their feet land on the ground — it gives great sensory input and makes them feel secure in the movement. 5) After you’ve had your special face-to-face time, let’s turn them around for the rest of the song — they want to see everyone!

SM2 Session Plan: 1) Gathering: Sit Down With Me, 2) Bonding: Wiggle, Jiggly Car, 3) Song About Me: Just Like Me (perhaps include another song in this section to help both parent and child to form a sense of child’s individual sense of self), 4) Instrument Song: Dancing in the Middle (with gathering drum), 5) Movement: Pick Your Hands up High (with scarves), 6) Goodbye: Goodbye song, then Thank You Very Much with handshake for each child, either in circle or at the door as they leave.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

5 words to describe Sprouting Melodies 1 music experiences: gentle, nurturing, bonding, rocking, intimate.

5 sentences to use with parents when speaking about musical responses of children in SM1: 1) Don’t be afraid to sing! Your baby knows and loves your voice best, and wants to hear it. 2) Your baby likes higher pitched voices, which you know from that natural (mommy, daddy, etc.), high voice you use with baby instinctively. That higher voice is calming to them at this stage. 3) Is your baby getting fidgety while we sing and move? Let’s try standing while you hold him, or supporting her while she stands. 4) We don’t want to sing too loudly with these little ones, since it might be too much for them, especially as they outgrow their startle reflex. 5) Let’s keep a steady beat somewhere on your baby if she’s on the floor while we sing. It will help ease her into the music and increase her awareness of it.

Here’s my sample SM1 session plan: 1) Gathering – “Good Morning”; Greeting – “Today’s a Beautiful Day” incorporating each child’s name; 2) Bonding Song – “Row it Faster” (great because it can be modified to meet the mood of the class that day, alertness/tiredness of the babies); 3) Song About Me – “Where is My Face?” with scarves; 4) Instrument Song – “In My Little Hand” with baby-safe maracas; 5) Movement Song – “Pick Your Hands Up High” (could be modified to “pick yourself up high” as caregiver holds baby up); Goodbye Song – “Goodbye” – consistently the same song each class, in order to give predictability and clear closure to babies.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

My primary experiences with children of this age and level are as a mom. My sons are 10 and 6 1/2 now, but in watching this week’s videos I was reminded of how different babies of this (and all!) age can be, within a framework of developmentally typical behaviors. I think this is a combination of temperament, birth order, and the parents’ differing interactions/responses to their children. That’s why I think Sprouting Melodies can be such an important resource for parents, to be exposed to the fact that babies are different and that a variety of responses are “okay”. I wholeheartedly agree with Meredith and Elizabeth’s remarks about the difficulty of getting out of the house with a young baby! It’s a tough, but wonderful time in a parent’s journey, and I was amazed at how much growth of all types takes place during this time frame.

I was a babysitter for many years prior to having kids myself, and after I was already a mom, I taught Music Together classes that included this age grouping.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

I really like the way Mikhala termed our role as music therapists in Sprouting Melodies as “music therapy by proxy”, as it describes how we can be a channel for exposing others to what music therapy is (and is not), as well as providing a service to our community for which we are uniquely qualified. In my opinion, the major role of community-based music therapy is to provide support and, well, a sense of community! I remember being in a “prepackaged” music class with my firstborn, and feeling worried about his behavior in class. It turns out that he is on the spectrum, but having a music therapist with knowledge of development and the ability to communicate with parents about typical development (and one-on-one, about a parent’s concerns) would have been a boon to me as a parent. That’s not to say that he could have been diagnosed at that age, but just having the resource of a caring music therapist could have exposed me to the range of musical responses one can expect from children of certain ages.

We can be supportive of growth and development in both community-based and clinical settings, but our goals are different, and that is something I am still working to integrate into my understanding of an expanded view of the potential roles of MTs.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

The family of my only current early-childhood client has needs that I think are similar to other families, whether or not their child special needs: to support and enhance their child’s development through music; to gain knowledge and skills that they can use each day as they interact with their child; and to bring joy and fulfillment to their child, because why would they have chosen music therapy if their child did not respond to and enjoy music? The families of my older clients, who have developmental disabilities, have similar needs. In particular for adult clients, I see the need for them to have an opportunity to make choices and feel empowered by that. I think music therapy gives my clients a chance to shine and to experience success, which I know their families want for them, as well.

I live in Austin, TX, which isn’t at all lacking in the live music category, even in the area of children’s music, so that might not be something I need to focus my efforts on. It is a university city where there are also quite a few tech companies, which means that there are many highly educated parents. This could be very beneficial in terms of starting a Sprouting Melodies program, as these parents will want a provider who has significant training and expertise in the areas of music and child development. At the same time, there are many musicians and people who love music around here, which means that they want to not just expose their children to music by attending performances, but to have a way to share the act of making music with them.

[Robyn Rutland-Coleman]

There have been so many great ideas shared here! This question brings to mind the multifaceted understanding of music we have available to us as music therapists. We are aware not only of the enjoyment music can give, but also of the ways it can help us relate to one another and understand ourselves. As music therapists, we are trained to look at clients from a goal-directed perspective, and then to use our skills and expertise to support the client in meeting those goals through music. With a knowledge of early childhood development and musical behaviors, we can be a resource for caregivers, providing a unique perspective on their child’s stage of development and the child’s observed behavior in class. In other words, we can convey to them that their child might look like he is just sitting there, but here’s what’s really going on, and it’s great! I think it is important to acknowledge that as music therapists, we assess throughout our sessions and adapt (or scrap!) our plan if that is what is best for the client that day. This flexibility and desire to meet children and families where they are at a given moment is a great model for caregivers. Finally, music therapists are knowledgeable about how the different elements of music can be manipulated towards a therapeutic end. We have experience with supporting clients’ growth and development through music, and we can use this expertise to provide a developmentally appropriate and supportive music experience that takes into account both the child and their caregiver, and how the music can enhance their relationship.

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