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Erika, thank you so much for your response. I love that you emphasized that as music therapists, we are there to support the teachers as well! I’ve had experiences of colleagues feeling open and closed, and great observations/learning have come from those situations. Thank you for the in-service idea too, I love that!!
February 14, 2019 at 9:30 am
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantCheryl- absolutely! Luckily I’ve had a few supervisors who have emphasized the value of silence, I’ve just always applied that to my work with adults and not to my work with kids. Funny how we put ourselves into boxes like that!
ParticipantI’m the music therapist at an Early Headstart center, and our needs are unique because they include not only our families, but our education staff as well. Our families have a lot of physical/safety needs (basic needs, including food, shelter, and a safe community), which I find sometimes impede a child’s engagement in a session (i.e. a child won’t stop crying because they’re hungry or tired). Fortunately, we have a lot of resources at our facility to keep them fed, clothed, housed, and safe! Our families also need more education about early childhood development & caregiver/child attachment, opportunities for bonding, tools to use in developmentally appropriate play with their child, and accessibility/efficiency in sharing this info with them, as a lot of our parents work long hours.
Although our parents are the primary caregivers, their teachers spend the majority of the day with their kiddos. Our teachers are receiving education regarding developmentally-appropriate expectations and interactions, and some teachers are more receptive than others. It’s tough because a lot of our teachers are in the same community as our families, so they have similar frustrations and/or ways of approaching child development. In my work, I do my best to communicate developmentally-appropriate strategies and encourage them to use them outside of the session, but sometimes the teachers don’t buy into it. Each classroom I work with consists of 8 toddlers and 2 teachers, so there is lots of activity in sessions! I’m obviously not expecting the children to be robots and perfectly replicate all I’m doing, but some of the teachers get upset with the kids when they’re not “following directions.” I emphasize to teachers within the session and outside of it that my session is all about play and exploration, and it’s okay if they’re not doing exactly what we’re doing (as long as they’re safe and not far from the group). Any other creative ways I can communicate the importance of creativity and expressiveness to the teachers I work with?
I realize that was a lot to unload- thank you all for listening and in advance for any feedback you’re willing to give!
February 13, 2019 at 9:08 am
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantKristen, I love that example of how a rest in the music can build the children’s engagement and anticipation of the music! I can just see their little smiling faces!
I also love what you said about your pre-k students. Have you found this difficult in a group setting? I try to allow choice for my kiddos that are in control or responsibility stages, but sometimes other little ones in the group get upset if they don’t get to choose in that moment (even if I tell them they get to choose the next song/movement/etc.).February 12, 2019 at 1:48 pmFebruary 12, 2019 at 1:44 pmParticipantThis exercise was challenging, but I tried to incorporate responses I’ve seen in sessions with kiddos in each of the stages.
Singing: Awareness- reacts to familiar vocal timbre; Trust- vocalizes intermittently during song; Independence- musical babble throughout familiar song; Control- shares spontaneous song with MT-BC while playing; Responsibility- adjusts pitch and rhythm to match MT-BC
Playing: Awareness- puts instrument in mouth to explore; Trust- reaches to briefly tap drum; Independence- chooses an instrument when given opportunity to choose; Control- directs MT-BC to start/stop playing; Responsibility- plays drum with a group of peers
Moving- Awareness- moves instinctually (reaches, moves arms, etc.); Trust- bounces whole body to music; Independence- identifies body parts during movement song; Control- imitates movements of adults; Responsibility- reproduces learned pattern of movements (stomp both feet, clap twice, raise arms up high)
Listening- Awareness- startle response present when presented when abrupt changes in timbre/volume; Trust- calms to familiar song; Independence- attempts to match dynamics of music; Control- chooses to listen or play (or both!); Responsibility- connects with peers through turn-taking (I play, you listen; you play, I listen)
February 12, 2019 at 1:01 pmParticipantKristen- that is an awesome example!! I love your description of him moving away from his secure base, but still engaging. How cool!
February 12, 2019 at 12:56 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantSabrina, I totally agree! Knowing the developmental levels and aspects of each levels has helped me tailor my sessions and my in-the-moment interactions with the kids.
February 12, 2019 at 12:53 pm
in reply to: How have you used these four music experiences in your practice?
ParticipantI’ve been active in using singing, playing, and moving in my sessions by implementing a variety of interventions. We always start with our “Hello” song, then usually go into instrument play or movement to music. Depending on the group’s energy and engagement levels that day, we’ll either continue “active” interventions (instrument play/movement) or engage in some regulation-based, “calm-down” songs. In these, children sit in teachers’ laps while we sing and engage in gentle movement. I didn’t realize it before typing this out, but I definitely utilize listening in these songs! Children sometimes sing along, but other times they just watch me or their teachers (especially when I’m introducing a new song). I like to focus on matching the playing and moving of kiddos throughout my sessions, but this training has also helped me remember to match facial expressions and vocalizations of the kids (go mirror neurons!). I’ve also been more okay with silence in between interventions, as this training taught me that silence is so important for the kids to process all the stimuli/info they’re getting!
ParticipantHi Kristen! Thank you, I feel so validated from your comment 🙂 I’m still learning, but here are a few resources that have helped me:
The Emotional Life of the Toddler- Alicia F. Lieberman
Music, Music Therapy, and Trauma- edited by Julie P Sutton
https://www.drmariedezelic.com/window-of-tolerance–traumaanxiety-rela
https://www.nctsn.org/ (lots of awesome, free resources and web trainings!
As far as the music therapy literature goes, there isn’t a lot on early childhood MT with individuals who have experienced/are experiencing trauma. I’ve turned to articles on emotion-regulation and neurological mechanisms by Deanna Hanson-Abromeit, Kimberly Sena-Moore, and Elizabeth Stegemoller, that have been very helpful to integrate into my practice!Let me know if you have any questions or want me to email you any resources!
February 4, 2019 at 6:13 pmParticipantCheryl- love hearing about your NICU experience. I like thinking of various aspects of the music as layers! I think sometimes I forget that music/too much stimulation can be overwhelming for our little ones. Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
February 4, 2019 at 2:57 pm
in reply to: Discuss with the board the traditional and cultural music in your home community.
ParticipantCheryl, that’s so interesting! You’re not alone in that- I grew up in a primarily white, middle-class community, and I’m now working with people of various cultural and ethnic backgrounds. I’ve found that showing a genuine want to hear people’s stories of music in their families and lives helps bridge that gap! I’m doing my best to expand my musical horizons and learn more, but I’ve found that just listening to people discuss the significance of various types of music to them personally is the most helpful/enriching.
February 4, 2019 at 2:53 pm
in reply to: Sing and learn some of the songs presented in the video. Share with the board your experiences using these songs.
ParticipantMy Music Therapy sessions usually end with a few “calm-down songs” (regulation-based and attachment-based interventions to assist the children in transition to a calmer body statement, as well as improve relationships between the kids and their teachers). Prior to learning some of Beth’s songs, I focused on either a lullaby-style song or play-style song- never both in one song . One of my groups of children ages 2 and a half to 3 LOVED “Hold on Tight”! The first time I sang it through, they made eye contact with me and stayed pretty still in their teacher’s laps. The second and third times through, they laughed, vocalized/sang along, and engaged with the teachers and their peers. It was so cool seeing them transition from “hmmm, what is this new song?” to “this is fun!!”. I think the mix of lullaby-style and play-style singing was also helpful to make them feel safe and loved, and meet them in their needs for play, laughter, and connection.
I also discovered Beth and Meredith’s Vimeo profile- loaded with TONS of great songs for my groups!! One of my groups of children ages 2 and a half to 3 and a half struggles a lot with regulation, communicating their wants using language, and expressing themselves in a safe way. We’ve been singing “I Want” on the gathering drum and their teachers have been utilizing it outside of our MT sessions in order to help the kiddos communicate what they want/how they’re feeling. When we start our session with that intervention, the children co-regulate with each other and the adults, make eye contact during more of the session, and express their choices in words. It’s incredible how a fun way of singing/playing about what you want can empower a little one!
February 4, 2019 at 2:40 pmParticipantI’m super excited, because today one of my younger toddlers showed aspects of the Independence stage! I’ve observed that she has been stuck in Trust for a while- attending to the music and exploring instruments quietly. Over the past few weeks, her purposeful engagement has engaged and she’s been more active in vocalizing/approximating my vocalizations, dancing/bouncing to music, and shaking maracas/playing the drum. After the session, she was even dancing when I sang familiar songs, and repeating my spoken vocalizations. I was so excited to see her growth, and I know it’s just going to continue!
January 28, 2019 at 6:03 pm
in reply to: What was your most valuable takeaway from this weeks’ content?
ParticipantI really appreciated Beth’s examples of developmentally appropriate language when answering little one’s questions or giving them directions. My biggest takeaway from today’s lesson was that music can become critically important in children’s thinking about themselves and their understanding of where they “fit” in this world. As music therapists, I think sometimes we are pressured to focus on academic/cognitive goals, but this just shows another aspect of the beauty of music therapy. I love the reminder that we can help our kiddos form a positive self-concept from such an early age through creativity and expression in music!
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