[Steven Clarke]

Singing:
Awareness: Recognizes sound of own voice within the music Trust: Begins to vocalize during song Independence: Experiments with own voice in the context of song Control: Sings along to familiar parts of songs and demonstrates learning new parts of songs Responsibility: Self initiates favorite song for group

Playing:
Awareness: Recognizes an instruments unique sound in the context of the music Trust: explores the instrument Independence: Plays in creative ways Control: Self initiates stopping or starting with or without peers Responsibility: Plays with own style while aware of music environment

Movement:
Awareness: moving in response to music Trust: Synchronizing movements to music Independence: Moves specific parts of body and initiates movements Control: Can imitate movements suggested by peer or MT Responsibility: Learns sequence of movements

Listening:
Awareness: Responds to dynamics Trust: Recognizes favorite song Independence: Chooses how long to listen Control: Identifies preferred music and their role in it Responsibility: recognizes other’s role in music experience

[Steven Clarke]

This week’s materials offered me new perspective on how important singing, playing, movement and listening are in regards to the developmental stages of young children. I feel I am gaining a better understanding of how to identify the developmental stages within music experiences so that I can share them with parents when they happen. Becoming more aware of how these music experiences can be applied to many populations is something I am also considering. Recognizing when they are appropriate to meet the needs and goals of each group/individual client is also important.

The groups I lead or have led in the past involve singing, playing, movement and listening experiences. They are a great means through which social interaction between peers in a group can be encouraged/facilitated in a fun, stimulating and memorable way. They also contribute to the flow of the session, so that the beginning, middle and end all work together to meet each participant where they are at in the moment. I now better understand the importance of parent modeling and participation as it plays into a child’s learning and potential development during groups.

[Steven Clarke]

I have lived in several communities throughout my life, with Boston/New England being the most recent. Before Boston was Hawai’i and before that I was born in Oregon where I spent my young childhood years. Living/grown up in many places, I have been afforded the opportunity to have many traditional and cultural music experiences. In Oregon, my Grandparents would take me to Pow Wows where I experienced Native American culture, music and dancing. In Hawai’i, many cultures from all over the world live in the same area. Their traditional and cultural music is represented through Polynesian, Asian, European, Latin and African to name a few. Polynesian music/traditions are also deeply connected to Hula and Chant (representing oral traditions/history of the people passed on from generation to generation).

These experiences have shaped my musical tastes to form an eclectic palate, but more importantly they have made me realize that there are not many places where only one tradition and one culture exist. Being aware of this and sensitive to it is important when we are sharing/creating/enjoying music experiences with others.

[Steven Clarke]

I have not had the opportunity to use any of the songs presented in the video yet, but I am excited to apply them as a structure from which I can expand upon and incorporate my own creative ideas! The addition of major/minors scales, modes, harmonies, dynamics and capitalizing on interesting rhythms will be extremely useful when adapting these songs for future use. I feel that drawing upon and considering such elements when making music for this population will help keep it exciting and fun for them.

[Steven Clarke]

I am looking back to my experiences while in practicum. I was able to spend time working in a medical daycare setting with children who also had special needs. Their ages ranged from 8 months to 5 years old. It is interesting to think how the stages covered in the week 3 material could be applied to their different ages and/or developmental levels. Often the groups involved singing a movement song during which each participant was invited to move a certain way for the group to imitate. Their choices of how to move musically as well as which musical movement to use when presented a choice relates to what I have learned from this material about the Control and Independence stages of development.

[Steven Clarke]

When working in early childhood music therapy based programs, I would like to be able to embrace being “like a child” as the material suggested this week. Embracing such a mindset would provide children opportunities to feel safe and have fun, and allow myself as the therapist to meet them were they are at in the moment through the music. The ability to utilize fun and engaging music activities/interventions that are “child like” to best meet the needs of each individual is something I hope to continue to develop within my repertoire and skill sets as this course progresses. My personal integration of the information covered this week will support my work as a music therapist as I further embrace opportunities through music appropriate to the development of each child at the stage that they’re at.

[Steven Clarke]

I definitely agree that being able to recognize possible “red flags” within the normal stages of development is a very important skill to have as a music therapist working in early childhood with children and their families. Although I do not yet have children myself, and I also have limited experience working within this setting as a new professional, I hope to be able to provide knowledge and support to parents in my future work in early childhood music therapy. I also hope to draw on the knowledge when beginning my own family. The stages of development were good to review, and it was also useful to see how they apply to the music therapy setting.

For me the most valuable takeaway from this weeks’ content was the analogy of the many paths that a child can take during the course of their development. The role that genetics, family/environment and social settings play in their development is important. Thinking of disability or special needs as a path, and how we as music therapists can best use music to guide the journey along the path was very intriguing. When we understand a disability better, we can begin to provide opportunities for the child/family to cope with and overcome it’s symptoms to continue on as healthy a path as they are able.

[Steven Clarke]

Hello Everybody! My name is Steven Clarke and I currently live in Boston, MA. I graduated from Berklee College of Music, and have recently began working at Roman Music Therapy Services after receiving my board certification in October. While studying at Berklee, I worked with children with special needs in medical and trauma settings, elders in assisted living facilities with Alzheimer’s and Dementia and adults/adolescents in psychiatric care settings. I completed internship at Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital working with adults and adolescents in a dual-diagnosis psychiatric care setting. I am currently working with at-risk youth in an alternative middle school/high school setting, and also work with individual clients with Alzheimer’s/Down Syndrome and Autism. I am excited to start this training to expand my ability to work with children and their families in early childhood. I hope to integrate the information and tools I learn in this course into my current skill sets to provide a greater level of service. I look forward to learning how to develop an adaptable framework of songs and sessions pertinent to early childhood, and also growing from the knowledge and experience of those teaching and participating in this course.

[Author]

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