[Victoria Fansler]

I feel quite motivated and inspired from this course to create parent-infant opportunities in the Tulalip community as a preventive measure to mitigate the commonness of children being taken into state or tribal custody. I really appreciate the feedback you gave in terms of creating language that funders are looking for and finding financial support to create an accessible community program for young families.

I am also certainly applying the practical information already in my work with young children. I hope to build upon the style and purposeful nature of songs I’ve learned from this training and move into creating more of my own songs to address developmental issues I’m seeing.

[Victoria Fansler]

I have been invited to speak to Early Childhood Education classes and to present a half-day workshop for Early Headstart providers. The goal of these trainings is to encourage adults who work with children but do not consider themselves musicians to feel more confident and competent in making music meaningfully with young children. Much of the information we have learned here can be incredibly helpful for non-music therapists, such as classroom teachers who could use some musical support in creating smooth classroom transitions.

I also certainly hope to become a central resource for families and other stakeholders in the Tulalip community. As we increase our grant funding and program presence in the community, this role as a resource will continue to grow. School and community center administrators have already begun approaching us as a consultant or support to their goals with families and children as well.

[Victoria Fansler]

I hope to do more work with young children and parents together as my involvement in the community grows. Currently I mostly work with just children, and many of my clients have already lost contact with one or both parents. I am excited to provide a true community-based group as my current work feels much more clinical. I am excited to provide an accessible resource for parents so they can receive the education and systems of support they need. Ultimately my hope is to see fewer kids entering state or tribal custody because more parents in the community feel supported and competent.

[Victoria Fansler]

With my clients, I find two main reasons children disengage from the music: either 1) they are distracted by other things they want to do, or 2) they have some big feelings that prevent them from feeling safe in socially engaging. To address the first issue, I have structured my room so that there is plenty of open space to explore and anything that isn’t supposed to be played with is out of sight. In the second area, we do a lot of work for emotional regulation by laying a solid foundation of safety, explicitly teaching techniques for emotional regulation and relaxation, and building emotional vocabulary for children developing language. When a child becomes sad or angry and refuses to engage, I narrate what they’re doing and label how they might be feeling. I make sure they and their peers know it is okay to take a break and that they are welcome to re-join at any time. In a group with parents or aids I have someone step away from the group to just work with this child and see what they need and how they feel safe participating, but often I am the only adult in my sessions.

[Victoria Fansler]

SM3: Testing boundaries, Expressive, Choices, Leading and following, Newly social

1) “Hello everybody” with small instruments available, 2) “Swimming Together” 3) “My Brand New Friend” with scarves 4) “That All Makes Up Me” 5) “I Like This Song” 6) “I Know a Chicken” with egg shakers 7) “You Play a Little” 8) “Will You Come?” 9) “The Leaves Are Falling” 10) “So Long, Farewell” 11) “Music Time Is Over”

Family Sprouts: Inclusive, Supportive, Personal choices, Bonding, Love

1) “Hello” (Goodnight Ladies), possibly with “Many different ways to say hello” 2) “Row It Faster” 3) “I Like to Lick the Ice Cream Cone” 4) “Who’s That?” 5) “Can You See Me?” 6) “I Like This Song” 7) “Stick Song” with variety of instruments 8) “Music Is the Way” 9) “Can You Follow?” 10) “The Leaves Are Falling” 11) “Goodbye” (like the hello song)

[Victoria Fansler]

There are so many challenges in raising differently-aged children in the same home, and these challenges are mirrored in leading sessions for mixed-age groups. I think one of the most difficult and yet most meaningful challenges is that it forces children — especially older children — to develop empathy very quickly. They have to accommodate for babies’ needs, and it can be very difficult for them to understand why baby can’t make those accommodations for them instead. However, although this dynamic may create stress in some ways, it is pivotal in helping children grow into the caring human beings we hope for all of them to become. Music sessions can be a sacred space for families who feel they have to constantly negotiate about activities; by facilitating experiences in which all children can participate in their own unique ways, the struggle is mitigated and the love between siblings can show through more.

Thinking along these lines, I appreciated what you mentioned about how the sessions can easily become oriented more toward the older children simply because they are good at self-advocating. I like the idea of building in an intentional time for calm, soothing music with the youngest group members in mind, particularly toward the end of the session. This redirects some love and attention toward the babies, and it will also help the older ones regulate after getting excited and aroused.

[Victoria Fansler]

I always like to explain that music therapy is process oriented rather than product oriented. From there it is easy to give examples of that difference in focus: for example, although child might not produce the most obvious musical product of singing along to a song, the process of being present for these musical activities with their caregiver and peers has a myriad of developmental benefits that may be completely unrelated to singing. I think it is also appropriate to talk a bit about how much of brain development occurs in the first five years of life and how experience-driven that brain development is. This helps adults recognize that much of the growth that is happening may not show up in immediate behavioral responses in the moment, but that we know growth is happening on a deeper level simply because of the nature of music and the brain.

[Victoria Fansler]

Singing:
Attention – Recognizes melodies based on perfect pitch. Trust – Explores pitch and timbre vocally. Independence – Sings bits of song phrases. Control – Sings self-composed songs. Responsibility – Sings known songs beginning to end.

Instrument Playing:
Attention – “Grab” reflex can be used to help baby hold small instrument. Trust – Slow shaker movements gain speed and become more rhythmic. Independence – Explores instruments through repeated loud banging. Control – Starts & stops playing based on starts & stops in music from other sources. Responsibility – Can begin formal instrument training.

Listening:
Attention – Timbre-driven in musical listening. Trust – Recognizes melodic patterns in various keys (not perfect pitch). Independence – Sustains attention when listening to music. Control – Discriminates between loud and soft. Responsibility – Listens for specific intervals.

Movement:
Attention – Rhythmic movements of sucking and crying. Trust: Moves or stops in response to musical stimuli. Independence: Demonstrates purposeful, controlled movements. Control: Can follow verbal directions for movement to music. Responsibility: Sequences series of movements to music.

[Victoria Fansler]

I don’t have regular groups of this level yet. I have used scarves and egg shakers with a moms’ group that had several babies this age. I appreciate the recommendation of Jambo chiquitas, because just as you said, the egg shakers have gone straight into several babies’ mouths! I also like the idea of using big, resonant drums for caregivers to play and provide a strong sense of beat for the babies, particularly for the cultural context I work in.

I also have realized that the brand of egg shaker matters. Just today, I broke an egg shaker by leaning on it to imitate a child. I will be getting slightly higher quality shakers in my next order.

[Victoria Fansler]

Five words: Anticipation, malleable, responsive, loosening, surprising!

1) Listening is a way for your baby to participate! She’s processing now, but it will all show up at home!
2) You are your baby’s safe space; just knowing you are there helps them feel safe exploring a little bit further.
3) See if you can observe your child and synchronize your movements to them.
4) We really really do wash all the instruments!
5) Did you see how “tuned in” he was? He knew something surprising was about to happen!

Greeting: “Hello” (NR), greet everyone by name. Tribal song “Fly Eagle Fly” with gathering drum in the middle.
Bonding: “Row It Faster!” and “Wiggly Jiggly Car”
Songs About Me: “Can You See Me?”
Instrument Songs: “In My Little Hand,” “I Feel the Beat” with babies’ names, “I Like This Song”
Movement: “March With My Baby”
Goodbye: “So Long, Farewell” with “Thank You Very Much” to transition out

[Victoria Fansler]

The nice thing about children is that they tend not to hide their true feelings, positive or negative! I can see how age and developmental stage really play into the balance of how much stimulation to use. I have also seen children of similar ages respond quite differently to similar stimuli based on their personalities and baseline levels of arousal or hypervigilance. For example, I have one client who loves all types of stimulation, from tickles to pauses to whistles to accelerandos. I have another client who, despite being slightly older, needs extremely steady and predictable music choices to establish that sense of safety. These clients both make their feelings quite obvious in response to the music that appeals to them — and the music that doesn’t!

I love the ideas you have given to add elements of “expected surprise” to these songs, such as whistling, tempo changes, and pauses. These elements have been particularly helpful with some of my clients who are older (2-3 years old) but need some support in the Trust area to make up for some experiences when they were babies. These clients really benefit from bonding songs, but the songs can feel stale to them quickly without a little added pizzaz. However, once we add in a whistle or a moment of anticipation, their interest is piqued and they are right there with you!

[Victoria Fansler]

I just started working with a little one in the latter end of this age group. She is in a daycare setting and has had a difficult time adjusting. I have been asked to come support by either helping to soothe her if she is upset or helping facilitate bonding activities between her and the daycare teacher if she is feeling alright.

Our first session was this week, and I was so thankful to have this knowledge going into the session. The combination of sedative and playful feelings in the bonding songs had such a clear impact. She recognized me as a new person and showed some immediate affect shifts toward concern; however, the rocking and soft feel of our first bonding song set her at ease. The play-song portion went over well initially, but she showed some signs of alarm before the iteration was over, so we cut it short and returned to a longer round of the soft portion. In our third or fourth round coming into the soft section, I saw such a beautiful shift in her; her eyes softened in a way that showed a visible shift in her sense of safety and comfort in that environment. It was truly moving to see that response.

[Victoria Fansler]

I believe music therapy is an integral resource in addressing individual and community needs, especially in community settings. Music therapists working in different communities than they live in (as I do) have a responsibility to communicate with community members who have first-hand understanding of strengths and needs in the area. We also have a responsibility to understand individual strengths and needs in context, taking into account systems of inequity or opportunity costs that affect each individual. We must set up our sessions to be as supportive, anti-oppressive, accessible, and inclusive as possible; in this way, we can combat communal and systemic challenges along with individual ones.

I appreciate Tori’s comments about her experiences using music as a tool to bring two otherwise-isolated groups together, promoting individual growth, interpersonal connections, and communal awareness all in the same program. I believe this confluence of objectives is a cornerstone of community music therapy — and even if we are not conducting sessions explicitly considered CoMT, these are goals that should always be part of our consideration.

[Victoria Fansler]

Bonding, touch, soothing, gentle, warm

1) Your baby values the sound of your voice much more than any correct or incorrect pitches.
2) Your baby is hard-wired for bonding with you — even if you are not the bio parent.
3) Your baby’s needs are the most important thing; it’s okay if they need to sleep, eat, etc.
4) In your arms or on the floor in front of you is exactly the right distance for your baby to see your face.
5) It’s okay if your baby likes an exciting transition, and it’s okay if that’s too much for them.

Plan:
1) Soft recorded music as families transition into the room
2) Hello song with finger-picked guitar (to the tune of “Goodnight Ladies”). Greet each child and parent by name.
3) “Just Like Me”
4) “Hold On Tight!”
5) “Row It Faster”
6) “I Feel the Beat” with shakers and voice (no guitar).
7) “As Big As Can Be”
8) “Everywhere Babies” book
9) Goodbye song with finger-picked guitar

I had some questions in response to this week’s videos:
1) How long are SM1 sessions scheduled for?
2) Do you use the same hello and goodbye songs each week for a given group to build consistency and familiarity, or do you change out greeting songs so parents get a wider range of exposure?
3) Some songs were in the Power Point that I could not find in the videos or the book: “Gather Round Babies” and “Little Red Wagon.” How can we access these songs to build our repertoire for this age group?

[Victoria Fansler]

Sure. Our specific training and background gives us a different relationship to music than that of any other professional. Music therapists understand music not primarily as entertainment or background, but as a specific tool and communication modality. Most people recognize some degree of power that music has to express, reflect, or connect; however, we bring more direct knowledge of how specific musical elements and experiences can be used to facilitate these types of experiences.

For example, other music providers certainly strive to provide inclusive spaces and may experience some success along the lines of “music is a universal language” or “music levels the playing field.” However, we know that the general presence of music does not itself create inclusivity or equity. Rather, we as music therapists are able to harness particular musical traits and experiences in order to make a social setting more accessible for the diverse sets of clients we see.

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