[Tori Clark]

I think the biggest value music therapists bring to families is the ability to differentiate instruction for a variety of children in the same group. We can facilitate sessions in such a way that every child and family feels uniquely supported. We are comfortable improvising if something is not “working” because our skill set is broad. Also, our work is evidence-based, and we can make connections between behaviors (what we see) and cognition (what is going on behind the scenes).

[Tori Clark]

I hope I am understanding the task well. I took it to mean, how would each of these developmental sequences look in the context of a group session? So, I took a song I am familiar with and mapped out responses I would expect to see from each developmental stage.

Singing: (Clap Your Hands -Old Joe Clarke tune)
Awareness: child vocalizes in presence of caregiver’s singing
Trust: child sometimes matches pitches within the melodic structure/key, though not necessarily in a timed manner
Independence: child babbles melodic intervals common within song structure (ascending/descending M2 & m2)
Control: child follow contour of melody, perhaps 2-4 measures at a time & may fill-in ending of melody (“la la la la ___”)
Responsibility: child sings entire song and manipulates tempo, lyrics (i.e., “stomp your feet” instead of “clap your hands”)

Playing Instruments: (Shake & Stop)
Awareness: child responds with movement of arms and legs in response to music
Trust: child responds with “baby bop” (bounces himself up and down) and may alternately grab, mouth. Shake, and drop maraca
Independence: child alternates starting and stopping shaking the maraca, but not necessarily consistent with musical cues
Control: child can start and stop shaking consistent with musical cues
Responsibility: child can start and stop on own + shakes with a farily steady beat

Moving: (Clap Your Hands -Old Joe Clarke tune)
Awareness: child moves body in presence of music, though in an uncoordinated way
Trust: child waves arms repetitively, but still not necessarily consistent with meter or tempo
Independence: child may clap hands, but would more likely be able to pat knees (perhaps not able to meet at midline)
Control: child claps hands, perhaps not with meter though
Responsibility: child claps hands & could sequence additional movements (“clap your hands and stomp your feet”)

Listening: (Hush ‘m’ bye/All the Pretty Little Horses)
Awareness: child attends to caretaker’s vocal timbre
Trust: child responds to caretaker’s singing with changes in facial expressions and behavior (calms from crying, for example)
Independence: child rocks himself or rocks with a caregiver
Control: child stops playing or running to listen to music
Responsibility: child listens to/watches peers sing the song, as opposed to caregiver only

[Tori Clark]

I use each of these four experiences in my practice, but I have not emphasized listening as often as I could have. I have always been encouraged to create “active” music experiences as opposed to “passive” ones, and listening feels like it fits into the “passive” category. That’s why I appreciate you emphasizing listening as being just as important as movement, singing, and playing instruments. It is so easy to forgot that the brain is always busy, even when a child is still and “passive.” Thank you for sharing the research about mirror neurons. I had not heard that before, but I want to investigate it more fully and definitely share that info with parents.

I also appreciate the discussion about the importance of stop/start as it relates to music. That particular skill can be practiced while moving, singing, and playing instruments. Thank you for addressing how that would look in each stage of development; that in the earlier stages (trust/independence), starting/stopping “on time” is not necessary, though it could be a reasonable expectation in the control/responsibility stages. It is helpful to remind parents and what is or isn’t reasonable to expect of children at given stages.

[Tori Clark]

I had a client (age 7) over the summer with ASD, and I would say he is in the Awareness/Trust stages. The choices I gave him line up with these stages: (1) to look or not to look; (2) to reach toward the music; and (3) to turn attention toward music or away from music. One of his preferred instruments was the (handheld) bell tree. He would turn and reach for this instrument reliably and for 2-3 minutes at a time.

[Tori Clark]

I live and practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. To be honest, I’m not sure if we have any cultural-specific music in this area. I grew up in east Tennessee, so bluegrass music and its related instrumentation are very important to , and naturally this informs my musical style. But Ann Arbor is a melting pot of cultures; it’s economy and culture are highly driven by the University of Michigan, which attracts a multi-cultural population that is also fairly transient (passing through while they obtain a graduate/post-graduate degree). We also live about 30 minutes from Dearborn, MI, which has one of the highest concentrations of Arabic speakers in the U.S. So, in the practice where I work, I see kids whose musical backgrounds are varied (Asian, Arabic, Indian, Eastern European). Mostly, I have used common children’s songs, classical music, and traditional folk music (think Ruth Crawford Seeger) in my practice. But I would love to sensitively incorporate melodies, harmonies, and meters that feel like “home” to more of my clients.

[Tori Clark]

I appreciate the importance of the gathering songs. There’s something calming almost sacred about coming in from the hustle and bustle of a busy morning (getting kids dressed, off to school, etc.) where you’re struggling to keep up with the pace of life, and then entering a music class, where the pace is much steadier and child-focused. There is such warmth to the “Good Morning to You” song, and it captivates the child’s attention and gives a sense of calm to the room. I also enjoyed “Hold On Tight!” for its use of fermata and glissando effects. I was reminded in the book and in the video that silence is just as valuable in music as pitches are. I easily forget to use silence as a musical element in my “toolbox” but it is so useful to build anticipation of musical structure and to give children opportunities to absorb the multiple sensory experiences they are receiving through us.

[Tori Clark]

As a mother of two young children, experiences with children 0-5 are fresh on my mind. I think parents come to classes like these expecting to gain memorable, high-quality experiences with their children, and many times that happens. Sometimes it doesn’t though, because children may come tired, or teething, or for some other reason just don’t engage well in the class. My own children have had mixed experiences in music classes when I thought they should’ve been rock stars! Because of this, I think I bring a lot of understanding and empathy when children don’t engage as you hope or expect them to. I think I can help reassure parents that what we are looking for is any response to music, as opposed to very specific responses. Children, especially those with special needs, may respond quite differently, and I want to be reassuring and encouraging when those responses come.

[Tori Clark]

My most valuable takeaway was seeing how rapidly children develop across the scope of domains. From my own experience as a mother, I have been amazed with both of my girls when they hit significant milestones. It happens so quickly. Yet, so many of the parents I work with don’t witness these amazingly fast developments. It must be difficult in childhood music classes when same-age peers are hitting milestones more quickly than children with special-needs. I think it will be important to point out that development across domains is often staggered and uneven with many children, and to be sensitive when mentioning to parents what they might expect to witness in terms of development.

[Tori Clark]

Hi! I’m Tori Clark, MT-BC. I recently began working part-time for a private therapy center in Ann Arbor, MI, which offers ABA, SLP, and OT services for children 14 & under. The owner is interested in providing some type of early childhood music class, and she likes the fact that Sprouting Melodies is tailor-made to be inclusive of children with autism and other developmental issues which we commonly see in our center. I am also offering adapted lessons, music therapy sessions, and a variety of groups to see what our market is interested in. (The adapted lessons are generating the most interest at this time.)

A little about me: I graduated from Tennessee Tech University in 2003. Since then I have worked a variety of full-time, part-time, and contractual jobs including: subcontracting to provide home-based music therapy for children with ASD, working as a paraprofessional in public school early childhood/ABA classrooms, providing music therapy in center-based summer camps for children with ASD, and working part-time as a music therapist in a school system for students with music therapy written into their IEPs as well as with all early childhood/early intervention students. I have been staying home with my daughters since late 2010, and that has given me great insight into Sprouting Melodies’ target population!

I’m interested in learning new material of course, but also in seeing what material/marketing/session structure, etc. is working for other providers.

[Author]

Posts