[Stephanie Brink]

Play is the work of the child. This is my motto throughout my practice. Play is serious business! Children learn and grow through play. Musical play in particular is a unique modality in that it is an all encompassing play/sensory experience for young children (and many adults, too!). Music is transformative and creates an environment that is structured enough to allow safe experimentation with movement, singing/exploring the voice, choosing/trying out new instruments. Musical space affords opportunities to develop skills like listening, building social skills, moving our bodies, that are unlike any other. I think the biggest struggle for me, being in the medical environment, is that I like to feel a sense of control over the session just due to the setting. Sometimes I forget about this tendency. Once the hospital gets back to some semblance of normal (post covid crisis times), I hope to revisit this/increase my awareness in order to optimize my ability to support children’s coping/development through these four musical experiences.

[Stephanie Brink]

Awareness:
-responds to musical stimuli
-body movement to music
-grasps for instrument

Trust:
-Attends to opening song; understands that music time is beginning
-Reciprocity w/ therapist/caregiver in the music
-Child responds consistently to certain musical cues (including SILENCE! :))

Independence:
-Instrument choice
-Child tried different ways of playing same instrument; using hands, feet, tapping on the floor
-Child explores environment in time to the music

Control:
-Child plays with the dynamic of the song
-Child can recognize songs and reproduce melody
-Child anticipates action in music and tries to replicate (may be a little behind:))

Responsibility:
-Child “peer models” for other children in group
-Follows along with musical/verbal instruction, able to perform tasks
-Able to replicate tempo/beat with relative accuracy

[Stephanie Brink]

I remember working with a very young child and her family before the child went into the operating room. I had brought over a few developmentally appropriate instruments for the child to explore. The parents seemed very concerned that the child shouldn’t toss instruments or put them in her mouth. I reassured them that this was totally developmentally appropriate and that all the instruments are sanitized between uses. The main objective was to engage her in the music so as to distract her from the fact that she hadn’t yet had anything to eat that day due to surgery! This child appeared to reflect being in the independence stage as she explored the instruments and easily engaged in call/response. She displayed no self-consciousness and just enjoyed the musical/social engagement via exploring new skills, new materials and her own voice!

[Stephanie Brink]

I work in an inner city setting. The cultural music is mostly reflective of that. You’ll hear a good amount of rap, R&B, and various latinx styles of music. There is also a very strong local underground music scene. I am always interested to learn about individual clients’ personal musical preferences and try to empower them to incorporate those sounds into their own music making. With respect to very young children, early childhood music standards generally apply. I do have a fair number of Spanish only speaking families with a separate set of familiar children’s songs which I utilize but there are many songs that span across cultures/languages.

[Stephanie Brink]

Although its a little tricky to incorporate these songs into my work at the moment due to COVID, in particular, I can’t wait to implement the transition songs in my practice. There’s something really powerful about these types of songs. Children in early stages of development are seeking autonomy and naturally balk at following directions much of the time. Transition songs communicate beautifully by being a wonderfully somewhat directive while also presenting more of an invitation for children to participate in suggested actions/activities. I love the way these songs suggest structure without making demands.

[Stephanie Brink]

It is incredible to watch young children’s unfolding developmental progress over such a brief period of time. Their developmentally appropriate responses through music can be very enlightening in terms of whether they are on track or need addition support. Having a solid basis for what children should be doing at each age/stage is imperative in completing informed assessments of little one’s evolving needs. What’s an appropriate expectation? What is an advanced behavior? What might be lagging behind a little bit? All clues to tailoring the musical experience to promote growth/development.

[Stephanie Brink]

I have worked with children for many years now and have learned that the best, most meaningful way to engage with children is by being your authentic self. Children can sense it if you’re not. My primary goal is to remain present with children and families and optimize their experience to meet their needs. I strive to match the energy of the children with whom I’m working to capture their interest but my natural state is not super silly or super high energy. I’ve found that this is totally ok especially when working with very young children or very shy/anxious children.

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