[Suzanne Denu]

I would stress how the SM program is based on the overall development of the whole child…That as music therapists, we are uniquely trained to look at the aspects and milestones of development in the areas of cognition/awareness, language development, motor development, socialization and play skills, and structure musical experiences where children are nurturing their emerging developmental successes in these areas. Although we do not focus on specifically developing “musicians” and childrens’ “musical skills,” often we find that through the process of engaging in these early exposure and experiential music based classes, there is musical learning and development also occurring simultaneously. The way our classes are broken into age appropriate developmental stages is so important for these little ones…as you are seeing they are growing and changing so rapidly, we are able to structure our music experiences to support them on their way.

This is not something I would necessarily share with parents, but I will share it here: I am really really pleasantly surprised at just how solidly based in child development the SM program is. When I moved from New Orleans to New Hampshire, I left my job behind and was on the search. My kids were 2 1/2 and 6 months. Reaching out into a new community to find activities for young children, I found there was a big lack in my area. What a great place to try and get something started…. so, I went through the training for another early childhood music class, their primary focus is their mixed-age family classes that can draw birth to 5 years (and up). The program of song material is very rich and very plentiful, but it rotates through 24 different songs every 10 or so weeks and requires use of recorded music. Never in the training were developmental milestones of children in these years mentioned– it was taught specifically from a musical education viewpoint. When I opened my business for a short time under their licensure, I taught my classes as a music therapist and I enjoyed that I could bring my work as a therapist into this environment and incorporate children with special needs into an integrated family musical experience. A number of years ago, I ran into Meredith at a conference and when I told her I was doing some MT classes she told me I really should take the SM training and become a provider… and now, years later– I am SO HAPPY I am!

[Suzanne Denu]

I love my black-headed not so loud REMO gathering drums…they have such a beautiful bass tone! Those are a staple for me in my preschool groups. Not so heavy that I can’t hold it and play it standing as we dance too! For this age group, I believe the red ribbon edged nesting frame drums are great. I also have a few green plastic edged frame drums made by Hoener I believe that actually have a decent sound when played with a hand only. I have a few of the Remo lollipop drums that I am on the fence about– the mallets are soft and would definitely get mouthed and are soft enough for a bite to be taken out of them. (Its happened) I love rhythm sticks that are plain wood and are only 6″…I feel like they can begin to be used perhaps at the upper end of this age group. Hoener (sp?) makes finger cymbals that I absolutely love, as well as sets of C major colored resonator bells that I like to use with my older kiddos. I think they also make the handled shakers that I have. I do have a bunch of egg shakers but the larger sized ones. I love scarves and I collect them from various thrift shops so they are all very different and colorful (but I have the classic solid colors too). I also have a couple parachutes that I will use for special occasions. Djembes, Remo ocean drum, tubano, cabasas of different sizes, seed shakers, fruit shakers, and slinky pop tubes. I feel like I am an instrument hoarder…

[Suzanne Denu]

ANGELA — musical tools that help in the moment for me sometimes are always having backup songs to pull out… to use whatever action the overstimulated child may be displaying and mirror it, then transfer it into a purposeful action in the song but at a significantly reduced volume. Whispering often focuses children more effective than being louder! If a child begins to cover their ears… (first off, I feel like this is a learned response that kids imitate from their peers– the child that complains that a peer is playing too loudly, is the one that plays the LOUDEST of all!)… I will be sure to observe them and begin altering my volume, tempo, and accompaniment (if any) and scale it back a bit at a time.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THIS AS WELL!!!

[Suzanne Denu]

This is one of the most challenging things to navigate in my practice with children… especially with groups. KIM– there are definite times I find that perhaps one child may become overstimulated and although the other children seem engaged, they begin dropping one by one as the overstimulated child may be getting individualized attention of another adult present. Sometimes it is hard to know what is true overstimulation and what is attention-seeking, which I definitely see in my preschool classes. I also feel like it is very important to create an environment which is inviting, safe, and very low on what I’m going to call optional stimulation within the room. There are daycare centers/schools where the only space available may be a classroom– and in that case, the kitchen playset is out, and book racks, and artwork everywhere, and bins…. such a busy busy place! I carry some sheets with me and try and cover those things just to get them out of sight– but then sometimes those busy kiddos just uncover everything! It is so important to have other teachers or aides in the room and have a solid relationship with them so that they can redirect if needed while I am able to keep the music going.

I think the best we can do as music therapists, is to constantly be vigilant about the children in our classes and be sure to do everything in our own power musically to reduce overstimulation. Observation of the children will allow us to learn what possible triggers are for some children and we can find ways to either assist them in working through some of these issues with the parental support, or we can change ourselves, the music, and instruments provided.

[Suzanne Denu]

KIM– I like your sentence re-assuring the caregivers that it is not only okay, but a really nice sign of independence exploration if their child chooses to sit with the music therapist or even another adult during the music!

[Suzanne Denu]

5 Words — Active — Inviting — Fluidity– Playfulness — Exploration

5 Sentences — 1.) Our babies take a lot of information in through their feet… when you assist them in jumping or stomping, make sure the bottoms of their feet are making solid contact with the floor. They can best experience the grounding information they are taking in from this sensation. 2.) Look at _______. This is what I call “sponge stance.” There is a lot of internal processing of the music that he is learning just from absorbing the information going on around him. Likely, he will begin taking this information home and will begin showing it on the outside in his own environment. Do not worry! 3.) Oh! Did you just hear that!!! ________ just matched those pitches we were singing! 4.) The actions in songs we sing about me can be a very purposeful way of your child communicating with you… patting themselves on the chest “for me,” could be a way of them signing that they want something, or that something is for them! This is a wonderful skill to develop to assist those children in pre-language development. 5.) If your child is giving you some wiggles, try facing them out into the group– they may be beginning to feel more social and wanting to see the action of their peers and the larger group. Their peers as well as our other caregivers are wonderful role models for interaction within the music experience.

Plan: Hello Song (NR) followed by “Hey Hey Come and Play” Bonding: “Wiggly, Jiggly Car”, “Row Row Your Boat”, Songs About Me: “Just Like Me” “Can You See Me?”, Instrument Songs: “Sit with me and Shake”, “Dancing in the Middle” Gross Motor: “I Can Move Around,” “Pick Your Hands Up High”, Goodbye: Goodbye and Thank You Very Much.

*** Questions– How many songs is typical within one 45 minutes session at this age? And does one factor in a “Cool Down” I would think that a book, or lullabye and a chance to snuggle one last time before departing the group could be a nice experience….depending on the energy of the group!

[Suzanne Denu]

I also have always wanted the experience in working with babies in the NICU. At CHNOLA, that was an exclusive job for my colleague but I got to observe a bit. My only life experience with this has just happened within the last two years when my nephew was born 5 weeks early and spent a month in the NICU. I was there as aunty, but I also took the opportunity to talk to the nurses and my sister to learn what I could about the experience. I loved the time there that I had with my sister and E. And it is still on my bucket-list of MT trainings to take one day.

[Suzanne Denu]

My experiences as a music therapist working with babies in this age range seems SO long ago when I was working at Children’s Hospital in New Orleans. At the time I was a recent grad and although I was there a total of almost 9 years, these experiences came at a time in my life that occurred BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER giving birth to my own babies. I worked most often with the infants who were in the CICU following heart surgeries… these experiences were designed to keep the babies calm and to comfort them, as well as to assist in their “normalization,” gentle stimulation, and to begin boosting their activity level as they were able to tolerate it post operatively. I loved it. There were many times these babies could not have their families present at the hospital and I felt it my privilege to stand in and help these babies find comfort in such a scary and clinical environment. After becoming a mother myself, my views changed and I was opened up to all that knowledge that comes with learning about infant development that you HAVE to learn because a tiny life is dependent upon you. How scary it can be.

What I love about this age is the bonding that happens. I feel like SM is such an amazing opportunity to provide these experiences for new parents. I was able to observe a DEMO SM class for a new mothers group at a local hospital here in NH. I was enraptured with watching the caregivers and the beautiful moments of awareness and connectedness that the music was able to bring to light.

My children are now 11 and 9, and sometimes it feels really hard to picture them as babies now. My clinical work has me most often with toddlers and preschoolers exclusively, and I think I am pretty good at that. But, I am REALLY excited to become a new SM provider for my agency and the opportunity it will give me to open up myself again to this stage of development in my work.

[Suzanne Denu]

Angela– what an awesome visual you paint in your description of your son exploring the small ocean drum! I LOVED IT!

[Suzanne Denu]

Angela — I agree with you that the cost becomes a big issue when you are talking about community based programs… not everyone has the ability to prioritize these music experiences in their budgets– both MT-BC providers as well as our community client pool. I also live in a town where I can see an enormous need– but finding a way to meet this need becomes very difficult when you need to maintain your own paycheck! Finding a balance where you can donate time back to the community may be the only way to get started, and hope the ball begins rolling.

[Suzanne Denu]

Samantha– I completely agree that it would be a disservice to our communities to not open up the idea of community music therapy experiences in our practices….!

[Suzanne Denu]

I feel like as I am growing older, and so are my children, the challenges and stressors in everyday life are getting larger and larger. It seems like wherever I go, be it on facebook or in real life, PTA meetings or school functions, out in my various work-sites, it appears to me that we as HUMANS, are collectively searching for community. I know I am. Remember that feeling when you have reached adulthood, and have found it so isolating and extremely difficult to make friends? I was told, join a moms group, or when your kids start having playdates you will meet more people– and yes, that is SO TRUE! However, I can definitely dig inside myself and find that yearning for “my people.” That sense of belonging that comes with being surrounded with people with whom you do not have ANYTHING to prove– the people who know you inside and out and you click with no matter how much time has past. If only we could bring this feeling to people on a regular basis. I really feel like this is what many people are missing in their lives.

I see the role of community music therapy being extremely important. What an impact community based groups could have in the areas of mental health, wellness, developmental needs, and also very importantly actually BUILDING community…. making our hearts more open through collective experiences for the betterment of everyone. Building bridges between the young and the old, the new moms, children with special needs and those who are NT, people with gender identity questions, families of different cultures. I perhaps have an idealized view here I am presenting, but dang, what a nicer world we could have if people were able to come together and work together to build upon being human together…. there is no lovelier way to do that I believe with music experiences that level the playing field. Music for the sake of music….music making for making community…. music making for making connections.

I need to read about or hear Meredith give a talk about her PYRAMID model of community music therapy… will we be getting more information on this in weeks ahead?

[Suzanne Denu]

First Kim — I love that one of your words is GROWTH.

I am late to the game yall… falling behind but on a mission to catch up now that things have calmed a bit around here. So… trying not to steal anyone’s ideas– yall are all very insightful and have wonderful things to say!

5 Words– Inviting, Bonding, Soothing, Warm, Community

5 Sentences– I invite you to take this time to make yourself and your baby comfortable. Claim a space, grab a blanket and build your nest for the next hour! If your baby is beginning to wiggle and squirm a bit, maybe try this one with your baby standing in front of you. That is lovely! Look at the way you are regarding each other! You are at the perfect distance for your baby to really take notice of your features and voice! 12- 18 inches away seems to be the sweet spot for visual stimulation for this age. If you feel like your baby is not paying attention, they may in fact be actively listening despite turning their head away. These babies are beginning to make independent developmentally appropriate choices in how they want to respond to the music, and right now the simple choice to look at, or look away! Please sing along as you feel comfortable, you are as unique as your baby and you are made for each other– yours is the voice they want to hear above all else! So please, join in.

Opening: Soothing recorded music playing quietly and instruments set out to explore as families make their way into the space. Invite them to get comfortable and settle in. Gathering: “Hey Hey Come and Play!”, then: “Good Morning!” Greeting each baby and family member (caregivers are important to include in the song too I think!) Bonding Song: “Row It Faster” and then maybe an old gem like, “Toe Knee Chest Nut” or a SM song like “Just Like Me”, Instrument Song: “In My Little Hand”, Movement: “As Big As Can Be!” (I love this song!!!!), Cooldown: Maybe a traditional lullabye familiar to the families with gentle guitar accompaniment Twinkle Twinkle even!, and Goodbye!

[Suzanne Denu]

YES yes yes to empowerment of our families! I think every parent wants reassurance that they are making good choices for their children, and need a sounding board to bounce ideas off of other than their own spouses and friends. They need an “expert” source to reassure them that they are going in the right direction and to point out those positives and the things that they are doing RIGHT! I know that I am constantly doubting that what I’m doing is the right thing when it comes to my kids. Mom guilt is REAL!!! With social media and the flood of information and images we are constantly hit with, we live in a world of comparison. Like it or not, it is almost impossible not to compare ourselves/ our parenting/ our lives with the images we see on a daily basis…. and like it or not, quite often, we feel we do not measure up. Families need to be told and shown the positive things they are doing with and for their children, to empower them to share this positivity!

Whether thinking of the families in the lower income areas of Manchester, or the families of the children with medically complex needs in the Developmental Day School, I think the needs of the families are at very basic the same. Connection. Bridging the gaps between parents and children, parents and the larger community, and children and their peers. Whether people realize they are lacking this or not, I think the need for human face to face interaction and connection is one of the most basic human needs that is not being fulfilled for most people.

[Suzanne Denu]

I’m a bit late in the game answering this question, playing catch up right now! I love all of the answers everyone has posted thus far. When I was watching the video I jotted down “flexibility” and “ability to improvise”… so yeah, similar to Christina’s response! I also firmly agree that a Music Therapist is unique in their EMPATHY– Go ERIN for pointing this out and KIM for re-iterating it! Going along with this, I had written down that we can uniquely provide a non-judgemental safe place for families to connect and build community between themselves. Why me? I believe that I have unique abilities and experiences that qualifies me teach these SM community classes. I am not only a musician and therapist, but I am a mom.

SAMANTHA: I love your point that first and foremost, we are musicians and we can offer a quality music experience… like you mentioned, if someone is unable to sing “Hello Everybody” in the same key every time, the children may not be able to recognize that song as familiar to them and then generalize it outside of the classroom. SOOOOO important!

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