Licking the Drum

Licking the Drum: Recognizing Developmental Music Involvement in Early Childhood

A Course with Raising Harmony Co-Founder Elizabeth K. Schwartz, MA, LCAT, MT-BC

Join Elizabeth Schwartz for this online training which will focus on learning how to observe and interpret musical behaviors in early childhood and to understand development through musical responses.

Earn 3 CMTE Credits by watching the video presentation and then solidify the information through listening to the PowerPoint.

When you register, you will receive:

• Access to the video and audio material
• A downloadable file with all of the slides and documents to accompany the course

Young children respond to music in ways that are unique. Musical responses can range from accurate pitch reproduction to ‘licking’ the drum depending on the child’s developmental level. The focus of this session will be to learn how to observe and interpret musical behaviors in early childhood and to understand development through musical responses.   Recognizing developmental musical involvement through specific musical actions is key in assessing needs, determining clinical goals and planning interventions.

This session will present the clinician’s hierarchy of ten layers of musical involvement common to early childhood.  These ten levels include: Sensing, Exploring, Shaping, Responding, Communicating, Interacting, Collaborating, Internalizing, Refinement, and Mastery. Very specific musical actions in each layer will be examined through description, auditory and visual examples.  Examples will include the manner in which children interact with instruments; move to music; use pitch, intervals and inflection to sing; and react to meter, tempo, dynamics and musical structure.

The session will also examine how these musical actions relate to non-musical developmental skills within the clinical session. An assessment tool created by the clinician and used to determine development based in part on the hierarchy of musical involvement will be shared and participants will be given samples of the assessment to try in their own clinical work.

Learning Objectives

• Participants will categorize ten different layers of musical involvement common in early childhood music therapy (BCD 2020 / II.B.3).
• Participants will identify musical actions specific to the layers of early childhood musical involvement (BCD 2020 / II.B.4).
• Participants will examine how to use layers of musical involvement in music therapy assessment (BCD 2020 / II.B.13).

Updated 5/2023

Evaluation: All course participants must complete and return a course evaluation form. In addition, participants will be asked to complete a short fill-in-the-blank test on course content and scan or email a copy to info@RaisingHarmony.com.. Course certificates will be issued once both test and evaluation are received.

Presenter: Elizabeth K. Schwartz, LCAT, MT-BC, Co-Founder of Raising Harmony™, practices early childhood music therapy in New York and is an adjunct instructor at Molloy College. She is the author of Music, Therapy, and Early Childhood: A Developmental Approach and You and Me Makes…We, A Growing Together Songbook.

Prerequisites: Participants must be a Board Certified Music Therapist or music therapy student interested in expanding their practice into early childhood. Music therapy students will not receive continuing education credits for taking the course but may participate in the training.

International Music Therapists: Music therapists practicing in other countries are welcome to complete Raising Harmony™ Trainings. All music therapists must have required credentials to practice in their country and must contact us directly to register by emailing info@RaisingHarmony.com.

Cancellation and Refund Policy: We are confident that once you enter into the world of early childhood music therapy with Raising Harmony™, you won’t want to cancel! If you do need to cancel and let us know at least 10 days before the course begins, you will receive a credit for a future CMTE through Raising Harmony. Need to cancel 10 days or less before a class begins? You can receive a credit for half of your course fee towards future CMTE’s through Raising Harmony.

Licking the Drum: Recognizing Developmental Music Involvement in Early Childhood is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for a total of 3 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. The Provider, Roman Music Therapy Services, LLC, P-118, maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria.

Do you still have questions? Email us at info@RaisingHarmony.com.