[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

My number one strategy no matter who I’m working with is the use of humor. I work with some pretty tough customers and am frequently challenged to ensure that all participants get something positive out of each session. I also rely heavily on a vast and versatile repertoire and am always learning new songs. It is also important to recognize the subtle ways in which people respond to music. For example, a participant who sits staring into space with arms across his chest may appear unengaged and disinterested, but is he tapping a foot ever so slightly in time to the music? With very small children, sitting and staring may indicate that the child is taking it all in. A child tearing around the room may be over-stimulated or simply enthusiastic. In general, be alert, assess frequently, and utilize all skills in your tool box!

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

If I were to become a SM provider, I would surely look forward to offering my community with an option for music-based early childhood development activities that are fun for caregivers and their charges, and that encourage creativity in a communal setting. I would also love to be able to employ other music therapists since there are many underemployed MTs in my community who would do well working with young children.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

As much as I would love to be a SM provider, I do not currently work with very young children as a music therapist. However, I feel that I have learned a great about early childhood development and in particular, how very young children develop musically. This was my primary reason for taking this course. Taking this course has made me more aware of the subtle ways in which very young children respond to music and I’m sure this skill will transfer to my own work in mental health. I may even write some songs for learning skills development after hearing all your wonderful, original tunes which have inspired me!

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

I will be happy share this information with the music therapists in my community as well as some of the other professionals with whom I periodically network. Since there are no SM providers in my area, I would certainly encourage other MTs who work with young children to consider taking the course and becoming a provider in order to incorporate SM into their own companies or the organizations for which they work. Should I find myself in the future working with very young children, I certainly will consider becoming a SM provider.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies® 3.
Growth. Mastering. Independence. Routine. Freedom.

5 words to describe the music experiences in Family Sprouts.
Family. Sharing. Social. Active. Choice.

Sprouting Melodies® 3 session and Family Sprouts sessions.

SP3 GATHERING/GREETING: Sit Down With Me. I’m Glad You’re Hear Today.
SP3 BONDING SONGS: Hold on Tight. Hey Good Lookin’.
SP3 SONGS ABOUT ME: Can You See Me? All of This is Me.
SP3 INSTRUMENT SONGS: I Like This Song. My Grey Kitty (pentatonic).
SP3 MOVEMENT SONGS: Don’t Rock the Juke Box. All Day All Night Marianne.
SP3 GOODBYE. Time to Go. Happy Trails.

FS GATHERING/GREETING: I’m Glad You’re Here Today. Come On Let’s Make Some Music.
FS BONDING SONGS: You Are My Sunshine. Don’t Worry, Be Happy.
FS SONGS ABOUT ME: Watch Me Go. Who’s That?
FS INSTRUMENT SONGS: Music Is The Way. Irish Washer Woman (You play a little and I play a little …)
FS MOVEMENT SONGS: Day-O. The Leaves Go Down, Down, Down.
FS GOODBYE. Three Little Birds. Happy Trails.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

• Encouraging family members to join in the singing. My experience is that the more familiar and repetitive the song, the more likely “shy” singers will take that first leap into vocalizing. When faced with these situations, I pull out the Old Chestnuts like “You Are My Sunshine,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “My Girl,” “Amazing Grace,” etc … as warm-ups to other music.
• Finding songs that younger kids can engage in but that older kids will not think are too babyish. Actually whether or not this occurs really depends on the individual family’s dynamic. If a family is close and nurturing and spends a lot of recreational time together, older siblings will gladly “dummy down” to engage their younger siblings. It’s seems to be the tweens and teens that are most concerned about maintaining their “coolness” when partaking in an activity they might perceive as being too childish. In my experience with older kids (preteens and teens), what they want to hear and play changes pretty rapidly and it is sometimes a challenge to keep up with their preferred repertoire. My iPod and Blue Tooth boom-box have bailed me out on more than one occasion.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

MUSIC FOR DEVELOPMENT
Music for development promotes, supports, and facilitates all facets of early childhood development including physical, cognitive, emotional, social, and sensory growth, as the child moves through awareness, trust, independence, control, and responsibility. For example, song categories within the Sprouting Melodies curriculum include gathering or greeting songs, bonding songs, songs about me, instrument songs, movement songs, and goodbye songs. The goals of these songs are to engage the child in activities that help them develop non-music skills within a musical environment (e.g., muscle development through walking, running, jumping, tossing a ball in time to music; sensory skills through color and texture recognition of objects used in the music activity; social skills such as sharing).

MUSIC FOR SKILL BUILDING
To me, music for skill building helps the child develop musical skills (e.g., pitch, rhythm, tempo, melody, dynamics) as well as music-related skills (e.g., prosody, cadence, articulation in language). The music is more than just a vehicle for learning and development in that the child is encouraged to respond musically.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Usually a child has had enough stimulation when she is either losing interest in the activity, starting to get cranky, or becomes overly stimulated by displaying hyperactive behaviors such as engaging in repetitive movements or becoming inattentive. As the Sprouting Melodies ladies state, it is OK for the children to wander in and out of the activity within a 45-minute session. Caregivers should not expect their little ones to be completely engaged for an entire session since they will need little “breaks” from the activity, followed by their re-engaging in the activity. To expect a perfect attention span is to invite over-stimulation. But everyone is different.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

5 Words: Freedom. Assertion. Discover. Improvisation. Maracas.

5 Sentences:
1 That kind of monotone seemingly disorganized chanting she’s doing is her first attempt at creating her own song!
2 I love the way she’s beginning to add inflection to her babbling that she’s attempting to imitate word sounds!
3 She’s beginning to match her movements to the tempo of the music when she’s marching.
4 She may be sitting and watching and not actively participating, but she’s processing all of this sound, color, and movement and will spring into action when she’s ready.
5 You see how she’s looking around the room trying to locate the source of the drumming?

Sprouting Melodies® 2 Plan.
GREETING: Hello Everybody! Hello! Hello! Hello! – while going around the circle and addressing each child by name; slowing down and having fun with the tempo through the end. Hey! Hey! Come and Play! – to invite everyone into the activity and to give the activity an official start. (PS – my husband thinks this song sounds like something you’d sing en masse in an Irish pub with a cold beer in your hand!).
MOVEMENT: Can You Follow Me? Have children and caregivers form a “conga line” while MT cues movements. The Birds and The Bees – move toddler’s legs so that movement is organized; vary the tempo.
INSTRUMENT PLAY: Yes! We Have No Bananas – provide a basket of several fruit and vegetable shakers and have child look for the bananas and other items named in the song, and shake-shake-shake! Segue into Sit With Me and Shake – changing tempo and adding stops and rests (as in the video).
BONDING: Wiggly Jiggly Car – hold child in lap as if she were sitting in a car seat and wrap arms around her during first eight bars; then move child side to side, back and forth during last 16 bars. The Letter – hold child’s arms out to the side during the “airplane” verse, then hold her tight.
SONGS ABOUT ME: Can You See Me? – using scarves to alternately cover and reveal different parts of the child. My Girl – instead of saying “my girl,” substitute the child’s name, e.g., “my Ronnie.”
GOODBYE: Happy Trails – put child on your knee, horsey style and rock. Thank You Very Much – have child make the rounds to the other child to wave goodbye.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Nino hand drums, LP maraquitas and maracas, a variety of hand percussion, Yamaha guitar, Mitchell baritone ukulele, Q-chord.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Use 5 words to describe the music experiences in Sprouting Melodies® 1.
Sing. Play. Move. Maraca. Share.

Write 5 sentences you can use when speaking with parents about musical responses of children in SM1.

1 Since children learn music in much the same way they learn language, you can expect your little one to begin experimenting with music babble and other speech sounds.
2 Your child may initially just orient her gaze toward the music source and simply stare as she “takes in” both visual and aural stimulation.
3 Your child may reach for the maraca and just touch it during the first session or two before venturing into picking it up and shaking it as she moves from awareness to trust.
4 Your 9-month old is in the process of exerting his independence when he crawled over to the piano and tried to pull himself up.
5 Did you hear that sound she just made? That’s called “audible breath” and it means that she moving toward singing!

Create a plan for songs and music experiences to use in a Sprouting Melodies® 1 session.

GREETING: Hello-Hello-Hello, and Good Morning – while rocking baby gently back and forth.
MOVEMENT: I Like This Song – move baby gently from side to side. Row Row Row Your Boat – pick up the tempo a little. Yankee Doodle Went to Town – bounce baby up and down at a moderate tempo one time through, slow way down, then pick it up and sing one more time through while bouncing baby more briskly.
BONDING: Java Jive – do a little “jazz dance” with baby while using exaggerated facial expressions to reflect some of the “silly” lyrics (e.g., “a cuppa-cuppa-cuppa-cuppa-cup!”).
Ten Little Indian Maidens – hold baby in standing position and rock back and forth, then on the last line “ten little Indian maidens” hold baby up in the air and jiggle her.
SONGS ABOUT ME: Monkey See, Monkey Do – take baby’s hands and place them near her eyes, then ears, then mouth when singing “Monkey see … hear … speak, laugh sing.” Where Is My Face? – use scarves to cover and reveal baby’s face and mom’s face throughout song.
INSTRUMENTAL PLAY: How Much Is That Doggie In The Window? Encourage baby to shake a maraca at the end of each phrase.
GOODBYE – I See the Moon, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star – rock baby gently back and forth and sing quietly to help baby cool down from all the excitement. Then sing Goodbye.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

I’ve had only a little experience with this age group, and particularly with very young children. However, this past weekend, I was performing at a house party for a large family reunion made up of about 60 people from several generations and of Hispanic (Mexican mostly) descent. Among the family members were several young children including three infants of about 6 – 8 months old. During a break, I offered to play some songs for them to keep them occupied for several minutes while their parents socialized. I sat on the floor with them and sang “Three Little Indian Maidens” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” while they just stared at me (probably because of my bad Spanish). Then the little boy pointed at me and let out a squawk followed by some very interesting sing-song babble. The other two – both little girls – started crying, but not the distressed kind of crying. More like the “I’m gonna sing too” kind of crying since they would intermittently look around the room to see if anyone other than me was paying attention. It was hilarious. I also discovered that babbling and crying in Spanish sounds the same as it does in Deep South English.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Music therapy can have several roles in a community including but not limited to:
• Music-based activities for young children and their caregivers or family members to build community in a positive, instructive, and creative setting.
• Music-based interventions in therapeutic settings for children with special needs to address social skills, learning deficiencies, and behavioral issues.
• Group music-based therapeutic interventions for adults in psychiatric settings to assist in developing coping skills and outlets for creative expression.
• Group music-based activities for families and friends in grief counseling at hospice.
• Group music activities for children and adults with speech and language disorders due to traumatic brain injury or stroke.
• Group music activities to assist children and adults with cerebral palsy or other physical disabilities in rehabilitative facilities.
• Group music activities for seniors in community centers, nursing homes, or retirement communities, to provide opportunities for socializing in a creative environment.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

Most of my MT work is with psychiatric facilities, and I can go on for pages about the needs of these clients. As a private teacher of mostly adults, I do have a few voice students ranging from ages 6 – 11. These kids receive very little music-based activities in their schools which is one of the reasons their parents seek my services. I commend these parents for this because I know it is a sacrifice of time and money to bring their kids for regular private lessons. About twice a year, I receive inquiries from parents seeking MT services for children on the spectrum and have worked with several of these kids in their homes for several months at a time. I have always stressed the benefits and importance of family participation which is usually met with enthusiasm. However, in practice it is too easy for family members in the home environment to become distracted away from the session and so I no longer do this (i.e., I refer out to another music school that includes music therapy services). Tallahassee has a fairly large MT professional community because of FSU’s MT program and most of the MTs here pursue careers working with children, both typical and with special needs. I personally feel that it is adults with mental illnesses, such as veterans with PTSD, the homeless, prison populations, etc. – that have the most need in this community. I believe that if many of these adults could have had the opportunity to engage in early intervention music therapy as children, they would have developed better coping skills.

[Stephanie Tassos Wohlsifer]

So far, only Kerry and Katie have weighed in before me and they have both said it all with respect to putting into practice the core principles and success strategies. Having a foundation in psychology, child development, special education, counseling (listen!), and non-verbal communication (watch!) as well as having strong music skills is what we MTs bring to families and their children. Since becoming an MT-BC, I have am much keener at recognizing the subtle ways in which people respond to and engage in music. We can then reassure a family that even though their child isn’t singing at the top of her lungs, she is engaged because she’s transfixed by what she’s hearing and developing trust in herself and the experience.

I personally am an active networker in my community and have joined several business networking groups in my community. It is a huge investment in time and money (dues, lunches, presentations), but I have to say that after 2+ years, I have more work than I can handle (recall I also teach, perform, arrange and record). My biggest challenge is “educating” the business community about music therapy. Most people “get” music lessons, but not so MT. So, one of my strategies is to give short (10 – 15 minutes) PowerPoint presentations on how MT differs from music lessons followed by a group activity. When people get to know you and what you can do, they begin to take an interest in your work and begin referring you.

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