[Tiffany Lee]

Having a 1 year old and a 2 year old, I feel a whole new level of experience in this population than ever before! I have had experience working with young children while nannying and teaching in a 2 year old day care class. Clinically, I have had the most experience working with young children with special needs. In my undergraduate research study, I was fascinated with the mother child bond and I did a case study with personal bonding sessions through music therapy interventions between a mother and her newborn. Currently have MT groups in a public school setting with mixed ages Pre-K to 3rd grade. I love this population and would prefer to work in an early childhood setting!

[Tiffany Lee]

I think music therapy belongs in the community, but that this can easily be neglected. Due to the nature of our practice, we can become a “niche” for certain populations, even in the eyes of the public, rather than a resource for the community as a whole. I believe that music therapy can play an important role in the community by educating the public and becoming a vital presence and resource for support. This can be through advocacy, collaborating with other professionals and programs that have common goals as ours, and making ourselves available to our community in addition to our MT clients.

[Tiffany Lee]

I have already been sharing this information with music therapy students that I supervise. As adjunct faculty in the music therapy department, I plan on bringing this information to my university and colleagues. By leading a short term mommy and me music class this summer, I am hoping to raise more education, awareness, and create a “buzz” so to speak on the topic of music and early childhood development. There are so many possibilities in my area that I am very excited to see where this goes in the future! I am also very interested in creating a specialized group for foster families and considering a research study in the future regarding this population.

[Tiffany Lee]

I plan on using all this knowledge in my current practice in my early childhood public school groups. I also plan on starting a 6 week mommy and me music class this summer before I go on maternity leave as an experiment to see what the response is. I have a lot of friends who have young children who have been asking me to host a group like this! I am still considering becoming a sprouting melodies provider later in the year and would love to stay connected!

[Tiffany Lee]

To assure that every child is successful, I will use the same strategies I practice MT, combined with the knowledge I have learned here. 1) Plan multiple plans 2) Lead, prepared that very little will go according to plan 3) See each client as an individual with their own process, personality, and needs. 4) Communicate, communicate, communicate so that things are reinforced at home and parents know their influence is most important. 5) Keep it fun for everyone! I think utilizing creativity while keeping the suggested structure will keep things interesting, yet consistent, which I think are two ingredients that every kid needs to succeed!

[Tiffany Lee]

I am so excited about the opportunities that are ahead! I have wanted to do something like this for a long time. I am most excited to meet a HUGE need in my growing community of young families where there are very little resources for this population. I think this has the potential to benefit so many families and at the same time can be a platform to educate about music therapy services. It could be the perfect bridge. Have a 1 year old, 2 year old, and a baby coming in July, I can see this becoming a very rewarding part of my profession in the future as well as let me still be a mommy my own. I am very grateful for all the knowledge the past 10 weeks has imparted. I have already implemented some of these strategies into my own practice and supervision of music therapy students working in early childhood ed. It’s been wonderful!

[Tiffany Lee]

Family Sprouts: support, sharing, individuality, connecting, cooperation
Session: “Hey Everybody”- Gathering song, Row it Faster – Bonding Song (can be exciting for all ages and there may be a wide range of how the children participate ie sitting on mommy, jumping with a friend, independently bouncing), Can you See me? – Songs About Me, I like this song- instrument song (gives children an opportunity to explore instruments on their own in their own way), Will you come – movement song (get the energy up!), Goodbye followed by Thank You Very Much (cool down and acknowledge each person in the group).

Sprouting Melodies 3: Active, Creative, emotions, intentional, Push & Pull
Session: Hello Everybody – Gathering song, Hold on tight- bonding song (opportunity for closeness for the younger ones and high energy for the older ones), Where is the music? – Songs about me (great bridge into an instrument song & to get the parents involved in the chant), You play a little – Instrument Song, The leaves are falling -movement song (great sensory song and cool down before goodbye), Goodbye & Thank you very much!

[Tiffany Lee]

Tricky question! I think the average person would have no idea. Music can provide a safe, encouraging environment for development. In this case, it would support a child’s overall natural progression through developmental milestones. Music for skill building also provides a safe, exciting environment, however it is much more specific. It can still pertain to developmental milestones, but the experience would be designed to target specific goals, skills, and social norms within the developmental framework rather than just the overall, general developmental process.

[Tiffany Lee]

I have actually led MT sessions with large age ranges in early childhood. It is very challenging, especially combining the age difference with diverse special needs. I have found the greatest challenge is finding a pace that challenges the older children without leaving the younger ones behind and overstimulated. I’ve made it a habit to have plan A, B, C…etc to quickly adapt. I completely agree with other posts that having multiple ways a child can participate is also important to address the range of skills and development. I can see that even though it is probably the most challenging, family sprouts would be very rewarding, especially to siblings and friends. I have a 18 month old, an almost 3 year old, and a baby on the way and could see how a class like this with families of multiple children would be wonderful to all experience together.

[Tiffany Lee]

Chiquita maracas, frame drums, gathering drum (Remo), djembe, scarves, rattle bells (instead of the traditional jingle bells since they have a gentler sound and are not a choking hazard). I personally love what I call “gobble sticks.” Not sure what they are really called, but the bigger ones sound like a turkey and the little ones sound like a bird chirping. They are so much fun!

[Tiffany Lee]

Discovery, playful, movement, energetic, Surprise.

Your child is experimenting with independence! It’s ok if she is focused on you or if she turns outward to explore and interact with others. It’s ok if your child doesn’t do everything or follow directions perfectly. This is simply an invitation and giving him/ her choices on how to play. Mouthing the instruments is a normal part of development; we do disinfect instruments between each session. It’s wonderful that your child is roaming and exploring/ interacting with the other parents and children, but its also normal if they want to stay close to you. When helping your child stomp, press their feet flat on the floor, not just their heels to the floor.

Hello Everybody- Greeting/ Gathering, Hold on Tight- Bonding Song, Just like me -songs about me, Shake our Sillies Out- Instrument song, As big as can be- movement song, Goodbye Song and Thank you very much as families leave.

[Tiffany Lee]

This is where our training at MT-BC’s comes in! This will not only range by group based on size, age, special needs, and individual developmental stages/ personalities, but the range of energy and stimulation with also fluctuate during each individual session. I’ve seen children overstimulated, covering their ears, crying, startling easily, and clinging to parents or hiding. In cases like these, we need to tune it way back and create a safe and trusting environment for our families. I’ve had experiences where it is actually the caregiver that is overstimulating/ over pressuring the child without knowing it and needed some direction and encouragement. Like mentioned in the video, if most of the kids are doing their own thing, running into walls, and de-centralized, we need to turn the stimulation and energy back up to grab their attention and regroup.

[Tiffany Lee]

Gentle, cuddling, calm, close, and bonding

We are so glad you are here and you deserve credit for being here to bond with your baby. Your voice and your face is your baby’s favorite over anyone else; let them hear your and see you. Take time to slow down and enjoy this time with your baby (let go of any stress and tuck away your mind’s distractions). Your baby’s needs are the most important (bring anything you need, don’t feel bad for feeding, burping, or comforting your baby during a session). You know your child best! Hold them the way that they love and its ok to be different than everyone else (try cuddling, lap holding, leaning over them on the floor, standing them up, swaying…etc)

Welcome: Hello to Good night ladies (warm up, greeting, learning each others’ names)
Bonding/ Lap: Wiggly Giggly Car (opportunity to pick up the speed; quick tempo changes)
Song About Me: Just like me (tactile and visual stimulation, bonding/ teaching moment, increase awareness of body & others)
Instrument Song: In my Little Hand (explore maracas, practice reaching and grasping, be mindful of startle reflex)
Cool down/ bonding: My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean (swaying side to side and front to back)
Farewell/ closing: Bye Bye Everyone with guitar (gentle closure, acknowledges each person)

[Tiffany Lee]

I have had “Come Sit and Sing This Song with Me” in my head since I heard it! I love the invitation to a music experience and how this can be used a transitional song. It helped me when working with a new client in a public school setting who struggles with transitioning and impulse control. I really enjoyed the different songs and their complexity, and the content inspired me to branch out more in my own song writing!

[Tiffany Lee]

This is something that I have struggled with personally! As a music therapist, what value do I bring to my community? Being one of the only MT-BC’s in the area, I often feel overwhelmed by the massive needs of my community and think “what can I do to make a lasting impact.” Every step forward feels so small in the light of constant demanding and growing needs. But I have found that the greatest impact is often made by one step at a time, one client at a time, one family at a time. I think music therapists change the world! Our skill, talent, and time might seem small to us, but can literally mean everything to someone else. As a music therapist, I have found my role being unique in a lot of the facilities we have contracts with. Many of the professionals I work a long side are so overwhelmed and overworked that I have become a comfort even to them, not just my clients, and I work like “bridge” in the gap of communication and help facilitate an interdisciplinary model to better meet the needs of the clients we all work with. I think whatever your individual passions and strengths are will influence your practice and contribute to the impact you make. The small things feel small, but they all add up to a big impact!

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