[Shannon Laine]

I’ve been reflecting on this a question a lot lately, as I have not actively worked in over 7 years but am now planning to reenter the music therapy field. As nervous as I am, I am also excited! To me, Sprouting Melodies serves as a bridge for me to reenter the music therapy field. My own kids (ages 7 and 5.5) are not much older than the ages served by Sprouting Melodies classes and I feel like I will be able to directly relate with families I am working with. The Sprouting Melodies training reinforces for me a lot of what I observed in my own children, and how I encouraged and nurtured their own development. I’m hopeful to use this knowledge (which puts into words a lot of what I’ve come to understand on my own!!) and my personal experience to guide and teach other families. I’m so excited to get back into making music, experiencing music with more little ones. Recently I started offering a once a month musical playgroup at my local library and I am looking forward to continuing this group while learning new songs. I know it will take some time to get back into the swing of things, but I am excited for the new challenge ahead of me!

[Shannon Laine]

I am so excited about this part. Aside from actually practicing music therapy, my favorite thing is to network. I am looking forward to networking with local agencies and organizations to educate them on the benefits of Sprouting Melodies (especially when compared to other music groups). As I move forward, I want to continue offering “sample” SM classes at local libraries. I currently am working with the library in my town but plan to reach out to other local libraries as well. I love Meredith’s suggestion of working with them to offer a focused “Music and…” type of workshop. Additionally, I would love to offer a multitude of community SM classes. This might take time, but a network of providers in my area would be great- I know that the area where I live could absolutely benefit from this. I am feeling optimistic and motivated to put in the work to help this grow!!

[Shannon Laine]

Maureen, I think you’ve got it exactly right. Fostering relationships with families while giving them the “hows” and “whys” behind what we are doing is going to be amazing!!

[Shannon Laine]

Stephanie- I think consistency is so important! This provides kiddos of all abilities with stability and predictability in order for them to be comfortable, take risks, and trust the situation! Meredith and Beth have done a great job of communicating this throughout the training and it is certainly a foundation for making the groups successful.

[Shannon Laine]

I agree with what both Maura and Caroline have stated. It’s important to establish the expectations/participation “guidelines” (in quotes since almost anything goes!) to reassure parents that there truly is no wrong way to participate in a SM group!! I also like to give the children time to settle into a group. Each child experiences the group differently and needs to be allowed time to settle. I try to incorporate what the children are doing (especially the shy ones!) into the music, meeting them where they are at and letting the music reflect their actions to reinforce that however they present is perfectly acceptable for making music.

[Shannon Laine]

I am looking forward to getting back into the “swing of things”, making music, and connecting with other parents! After staying home with my kids for 7 1/2 years I’m excited about the new adventure that waits. Having kids of my own gives me a deeper understanding of child development and I hope to impart this knowledge and experience to the parents I’ll work with in groups. AND I’m looking forward to making music again!

[Shannon Laine]

One more thing! The conference call listed says August 7. Should I assume that it will be on 21 at 7:30pm?

[Shannon Laine]

Maureen, I think it’s great you brought up age difference and music preference. And also getting to know the individuals in our groups. I agree that this helps to know how to plan activities to more effectively meet the varied needs of these multi-leveled groups.

[Shannon Laine]

Maureen it sounds like we are thinking similarly here!! 🙂

[Shannon Laine]

I’m so disappointed I missed the conference call! It just wasn’t possible with where my kids were at Tuesday evening… I hope it is posted online soon and I can catch up on it!

[Shannon Laine]

To me, music for development helps promote a child’s natural process of growth. Sometimes this can include gaining and/or developing certain skills, but not always. Development, or growth, speaks generally to the path a child takes, at their on pace. Music can be used to nurture or guide a child along this path. Skill building is a part of development. However, to me, this is like a checklist, a more concrete idea of what a child can or cannot do. Skill building is especially important when a child is not meeting developmental milestones “on time”.

I guess one way I see this is music for development can be defined as a lot of the things we’ve learned in the Sprouting Melodies curriculum, approaches, and foundations. Music for skill building, at least to me, is a lot like what true music therapy can do (especially in the special education world where children are often delayed developmentally, and that’s where my experience lies, and where I believe this question is trying to focus on): focus on individualized goals using individualized approaches to help the child achieve skills in an area of development in which they are lacking (physical, social, emotional, speech).

[Shannon Laine]

SM3: purposeful, energy, control, spontaneous, play

SM3 Plan: Hello/Gathering- Hello Everybody
Body Percussion- Where is the Music?
Lap Ride/Bonding- Swimming Together
Instrument Play-All Night! All Day!
Gross Motor Movement- Jumping Up and Jumping Down
Cool Down- Five Fingers
Goodbye/Closing- Thank You Very Much

Family Sprouts: Busy, complex, role model, individual, helpful

Family Sprouts Plan:Hello/Gathering- Hey Everybody
Lap Ride/Bonding- Wiggly Jiggly Car/Hold On Tight
Instrument Play- I Like This Song
Gross Motor Movement- Watch Me Go/ I Can Move Around
Cool Down- I’d Like to Visit The Moon
Goodbye/Closing- Thank You Very Much

[Shannon Laine]

This is the one type of group I have run recently! Only two in the past two months, but this is something at least! I am running an all-ages music group once per month at my local library. The first group was great- mostly ages 1-2 years old. This past group was quite mixed. My activities weren’t planned appropriately, and the group dynamic was quite different for each group. I think it’s good to keep in mind the goals of each activity, and how it can be adapted to meet the needs of mixed ages. When I lead my next mixed age music group I will absolutely keep this in mind.

[Shannon Laine]

Sounds like a lot of us are just building our supply of instruments! I’m looking forward to finding out more from Meredith and Beth.

[Shannon Laine]

Play, watch, impromptu, curious, free

1) If your child is simply watching this is still participating! They are taking it all in. When they are ready they will participate. 2) Sometimes your child will want to sit on your lap facing you, jut like in Sprouting Melodies 1. However, they might want to sit on your lap facing their peers. This gives them an opportunity to watch, learn, and begin to interact. 3) Your child might sit and watch or participate in the activity, but they might not! It’s ok if they explore the room, wander around. They are still experiencing the music, just in a different way. 4) Many of the activities in Sprouting Melodies 2 are built around play. This is a child’s “work” if you will. I want your child to play, engage and have fun! 5) You’ll notice a lot of activity throughout the group. This is great! We will bring the energy up and down for the children, as to stimulate and relax, nurturing their independence.

Hello/Gathering: Hey! Hey! Come and Play
Gathering: I can. You Can. We can Sing!
Bonding Song: Swimming Together (I’ve used this song with my own kids and they sing it when we swim! We even swam in a pool recently and found a frog! My son was SO excited to sing this song and actually swim with a frog.)
Instrument Play: In My Little Hand
Gross Motor Movement: Jumping Up and Jumping Down
Cool Down: Five Fingers
Goodbye: Music Time is Over/Thank You Very Much

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