imagine 2018

imagine.magazine Fall 2018 l Vol.9, No.1

2018 your resource for early childhood music therapy imagine 9(1), 2018

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imagine.magazine www.imagine.musictherapy.biz ISSN 2153-7879 All rights reserved.

editor-in-chief Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG contributing editor Marcia Humpal, M.Ed., MT-BC editorial assistance Gretchen Chardos Benner, LMSW, MT-BC Dana Bolton, M.Ed., MMT, MT-BC Ellary Draper, Ph.D., MT-BC Laura Brown, Ph.D., MT-BC Ashley Miller, MM, MT-BC business manager & design production Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG design assistance 2018 Rowan Schaefer, Music Therapy Student

publisher de la vista publisher about imagine imagine is an annual online magazine sharing evidence-based information and trends related to early childhood music therapy through various media.

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join imagine imagine publishes articles that are directly related to early childhood music therapy (ages: zero to five), grounded in evidence-based practice. topics include professional wisdom event reports and reflections research snapshots and reports innovative clinical practice parents can series children's corner early childhood music programs intervention ideas color of us series video/audio podcasts teaching episodes photo stories useful online resources book reviews with audio bookmarks ....and much more possible formats mutlimedia article audio podcast photo story, or invited teaching episode for more details, visit our website at www.imagine.musictherapy.biz next submission deadline April 15, 2019

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online shop Visit the imagine online shop and purchase the 2018 issue of imagine as an e-book. All issues of the imagine magazine are available for immediate download. advertise in imagine imagine is the perfect place to advertise your products and services to music therapists, early childhood music educators, daycare providers, service providers, administrators, higher education faculty, and of course, parents. Advertisement rates and specifications may be obtained by visiting the imagine website or sending an email to imagine@musictherapy.biz disclaimer The opinions and information contained in this publication are those of the authors of the respective articles and not necessarily those of de la vista publisher or members of the editorial team.

Accordingly, de la vista publisher and the editorial team assume no liability or risk that may be incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this publication. No endorsement of authors, products, or services is intended or implied.

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imagine.magazine

Editorial

All About Play – Play for All Play is more than enjoyment; it encompasses active engagement in learning and is an important part of children’s development. Play gives children the opportunity to practice new skills needed in real life. Play can happen anytime, anywhere, and with anyone – peers and adults. Through play, children are motivated to discover the world! Fred Rogers, a children’s television legend, succinctly stated, “Play is really the work of childhood.”

In this issue, the authors explore various aspects of play including the role of play, developmental stages of play, play-based learning, cross-cultural play, environments for play, interdisciplinary play opportunities, play for children with disabilities and for those who experience difficult life circumstances. Authors also discuss strategies to support play, commonalities between play and music therapy, parents’ and caregivers’ beliefs about play and provide tips, practice ideas, and resources for music therapists. All articles are grounded in research, evidence-based practice, and organizational guidelines highlighting innovative projects and practices of educators, practitioners, and students.

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In the multimedia feature article, Jill Jacobi-Vessels sets the stage for this year’s issue by answering six essential questions about play: Why do children need to play?

How do children learn through play? What are the developmental stages of play? Why is play essential for all children? What factors should be considered when including children with disabilities in play? and How can music therapists support play? Reviewing the music therapy and play literature, Lori Gooding reflects on these questions and provides answers within a music therapy context. She concludes, “Play and music therapy can be a natural partnership that enhances outcomes for young children...” Adding to the benefits of play, the Genius of Play organization generously shares 16 poster-like displays of “Facts About Play” that spotlight research outcomes.

Twelve practice articles contribute to the better understanding of play. Nicole Rivera provides a summary report of parents’ and caregivers’ perceptions of play. Petra Kern, Ruth Brocquevile, and Vanessa von Richter address outdoor play for children with multiple disabilities while Katie Myers shares ideas for creating viable indoor play environments. Play, explore, discover is the theme of the Orff-based music therapy article written by Michael Detmer and Robert Amchin. Similarly, Julie Andring addresses playfulness in music therapy sessions. Introducing culture and play behaviors of various countries, Jonathan Tang offers suggestions for culturally competent music therapy practice. Dramatic Play (Katie Martin and Amy Kurowski-Burt), Arts-In-Play (Julia Richerson), and Music Therapy and Child-Life CoTreatment (Kelsey Lownds and Camille Fraser) describe play sessions that are interdisciplinary in nature. Musicbased play interventions for blended families (Lorna Segall), foster families (Kirsi Tuomi), and children who have experienced trauma (Margaret Scheppman, Taylor Chapman, Emma Powers, and Olivia Swedberg Yinger) contemplate issues and discussions evident in today’s society. Further, the annual early childhood research snapshot focusing on caregiver-child dyads (Andrew Knight, Carly Flaggan, and Daniel Goldschmidt), two conference reports (Erin Shina, Colleen McDonald, Olivia Slade, and Bethany Walker; Dana Bolton), book reviews (Julianne Heany & Meagan Hanley; Rown Schaefer), and a list of free play resources (Camille Catlett) will keep readers informed about the latest trends in the field.

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Additional examples of purposeful music-based play interventions for prenatal music bonding (Mary DiCamillio), Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (Michele Schnur Ritholz), a parental ukulele program (Melissa Reinhardt), sibling play (Carol Ann Blank), pediatric hospital play (Matt Logan, Brianna Negrete, & Chloe Kelleher), and winter play songs (Rachel Rambach) can be found under the podcast series. Sound bites enrich the podcasts and give the readers an opportunity to extend their song repertoire, as do the international playlists of children songs composed by colleagues residing in 10 countries under the “Color of Us” section.

A large selection of intervention ideas from student authors, interns, and practitioners is waiting for you to be playfully implemented in your sessions. Multiple new entries under the “Favorite” section (i.e., videos, music books, movies, apps, props, and instruments) on the imagine website are also waiting to be explored.

Three fabulous infographics provide tips on “Music Play with Infants” (Madison Whelan), “Early Literacy Play through Music” (Dena Register), and “Play with Someone who uses an AAC System” (Anita Swanson).

This year’s “Parents Can” section (developed by MusicBeat, the University of Louisville, and Rhythmkids) encourages parents to catch the beat and use intentional rhythm and drumming games with their children. Adorable photo stories (by Kiyomi Hanaoka, Vicky Abad, Lora Heller, and Rebecca Tweedle) on the imagine website, a humorous child interview (Alie Chandler), and a teaching episode featuring five games with “The Musical Wheel” (Holly Hankins) round out this year’s issue on “All About Play – Play for All.” Finally, in the “Wisdom” section, Marcia Humpal, our contributing editor, reminds us to “be playful and let our body language and facial expression reflect the joy that is inherent in play.” I encourage you to heed her advice.

Keep smiling, singing, and playing!

Sincerely,

Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG Editor-in-Chief, imagine

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CONTENTS inside this issue editorial

reflection

All About Play–Play for All Petra Kern............................................................

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wisdom

10 Tips for Understanding and Incorporating Purposeful Play with Young Children Marcia Humpal...................................................... 9

research Facts About Play The Genius of Play............................................... 27 Early Childhood Research Snapshot Andrew Knight, Carly Flaagan, and Daniel Goldschmidt........................................................ 30

reports

A Mindful Approach to Music Therapy: AMTA Annual Conference Report Erin Shina, Colleen McDonald, Olivia Slade, and Bethany Wilker..................................................... 10 Shine: ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference Report Dana Bolton......................................................... 13

practice

featured

Playing to Learn: The Essential Role of Play in Early Childhood Instruction Jill L. Jacobi-Vessels........................................... 16

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The Role of Play in Music Therapy: Considerations for Music Therapists Lori F. Gooding.................................................... 22

Understanding Perceptions of Play Nicole R. Rivera................................................... 32 Outdoor Play: Making A Playground Accessible for Children With Multiple Disabilities Petra Kern, Ruth Brocqueville, and Vanessa von Richter........................................................... 34 Indoor Play: Creating an Environment That Enhances Learning Katie Myers.......................................................... 38

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Orff-Based Music Therapy: A Play-Based Approach to Enhance Developmental Skills in Young Children Michael R. Detmer and Robert A. Amchin..........

The Significance of Culture in Developmental Play Jonathon Tang.....................................................

Setting the Scene: Dramatic Play in Inclusive Performance-Based Music Therapy Katie Martin and Amy Kurowski-Burt..................

Playfulness in Music Therapy Sessions Julie Andring........................................................

Music-Based Play Interventions for Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma Margaret R. Scheppmann, Taylor Chapman, Emma Powers, and Olivia Swedberg Yinger.......

Arts-In-Play: Playgroups to Build Family Resilience Julia Richerson....................................................

Music Therapy and Child Life Co-Treatment: Reaching Medical Goals through Guided Play Kelsey Lownds and Camille Fraser......................

Music Therapy and Blended Families Lorna E. Segall.....................................................

Intervention For Forster Families with Young Children Kirsi Tuomi............................................................

intervention ideas 40

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infographics Music Play with Infants Madison Whelan.................................................. 69 Early Literacy Play Through Music Dena Register...................................................... 70 Play with Someone Who uses an AAC System Anita L. Swanson................................................. 71

parents can Tips for Parents MusicBeat............................................................ 73 Tips for Parents University of Louisville......................................... 74 Tips for Parents Rhythmkids.......................................................... 75

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Sycamore Swing Elaine Slusser....................................................... 76 Let’s Play the Guitar Rachel Barber........................................................ 77 Strings On The Guitar Cheyenne Norris.................................................. 78 Good Morning Song Ann-Morgan Conway, Ruthie Walton, Judyta Patoka, Marta Kryston, and Konstancja Tyton..... 79 One, Two, Three Elise Scullin, Jensen Self, Justyna Kwaśniok, and Sara Knapik-Szweda.................................... 80 All About the Senses Serita Lagos and Kirstin Wolgast, Amalfi Urbanek, and Kinga Urzędowska........................ 81 It’s Time to Eat Madison Mohr, Bethany Wilker, Laura Tyrala, Magdalena Bryla, Marta Naumiuk, and Aleksander Meryk................................................ 82 Clap, Stomp, and Wave Marypaige Taylor, Allie Hagan, Ewa Banachiewica, and Olga Czech................................................... 83 I Can Make Music With My Body Debora Tillman..................................................... 84 Let’s Brush Your Teeth!

Grace Kuang........................................................ 85 The Dinosaur Song Kevin Bock........................................................... 86 The Coin Song Stephanie Cham.................................................. 87 Animals on the Farm Malley Morales..................................................... 88 Happy, Sad, Scared, or Mad Caitlyn Etter.......................................................... 89 Let’s Go! Courtney Morgan................................................. 90 Stop and Go! Elizabeth Carr-Jones........................................... 91 Today’s Your Day Misty Birchter....................................................... 92 Saying “Hello” Hanna Shin.......................................................... 93 Friendly Greetings Yooboo Park........................................................ 94 How Can You Dance?

Lorissa McGuire.................................................. 95

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Music is Fun! Katherine Lantigua..............................................

Target Words Melody Marisa Hahn........................................................

I Can Play Meryl Brown........................................................

Play and Pass Michaela Meland.................................................

Fish in A Lake Christine Nance.................................................

Quiero Tocar Christine Nance.................................................

Winter Play Songs: Repertoire & Applications for the Holiday Season Rachel Rambach............................................... 115

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resources

publications Early Childhood Music Therapy Publications 2017–2018 Christopher R. Millett........................................ 118

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color of us Playlists for Young Children Seen in Music Therapy Worldwide Petra Kern......................................................... 102

reviews

podcasts

Prenatal Music Bonding: Building Family Relationships Before Birth Mary DiCamillo..................................................

Raising the Bar on Our Clinical Music Michele Schnur Ritholz.....................................

Ukulele and Baby: Involving Families in Music Therapy Melissa Reinhardt..............................................

Me….Structuring Music-Play Experiences for Siblings who are Developing Differently Carol Ann Blank.................................................

Being Playful in a Pediatric Hospital: Music Therapy and Child Life Perspectives Matt Logan, Brianna Negrete, and Chloe Kelleher...................................................

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Free Play Resources to Support Each and Every Child Camille Catlett................................................... 116

Trivette, C. M., & Keilty, B. (Eds.) (2017). Family: Knowing families, tailoring practices, building capacity. Washington, DC: Division of Early Childhood.

Julianne Heany and Meghan Hanley................. 120 Federico, G. F. (2017). A Musical Journey Through Pregnancy: Prenatal Music Therapy. Tenerife, Spain: Obstare.

Rowan Schaefer................................................. 121

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Visit our website www.imagine.musictherapy.biz Like us on facebook https://www.facebook.com/ECMT4U Follow us on twitter @imagineECMT Follow us on instagram imagineecmt View all issues online at www.issuu.com

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WISDOM

Marcia Humpal, M.Ed., MT-BC Contributing Editor, imagine

10 Tips for Understanding and Incorporating Purposeful Play with Young Children 1. Remember that play has a purpose. Play can facilitate socialization, boost motor skills, encourage communication, enhance cognition, and foster creativity.

2. Embed learning experiences into play. Allow children to explore and discover through their many senses.

Demonstrate relational skills by using objects for their intended purposes. Provide manipulative objects to construct or create. Engage in pretend play, teach limits and cooperation through games with rules, and practice motor skills through rough and tumble play.

3. Follow the child’s lead. Allow time for children to engage in play free from adult direction to build creativity, independence, and problem-solving skills.

4. Guide and facilitate play through observation, interpretation, and responding by supporting, interacting, and scaffolding instructional practices and interventions.

5. Know the child’s level of play. Enter the child’s play at his/her level, then bump up the level of play

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gradually, building on skills that have become established.

Engineer the environment to enhance the level of play or anchor concepts. Avoid over-stimulation, too many choices, extraneous sound, visual distractions/ lights, or clutter. Guide discovery.

Provide time to practice learned skills and build in opportunities for success. Avoid questioning; instead, comment on what the child is doing to reinforce and build communication skills and selfconfidence.

Structure cooperative play in very simple steps/ expectations. Use concrete, not abstract, words and terminology.

Be a responsive adult and nurture responsive family members and peers. Share, collaborate, and build capacity.

Be playful. Let your body language and facial expressions reflect the joy that is inherent in play.

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REPORTS A Mindful Approach to Music Therapy AMTA Annual Conference Report November 16-19, 2017 | St. Louis, Missouri Erin Shina, Colleen McDonald, Olivia Slade, and Bethany Wilker, Music Therapy Students University of Louisville, Louisville, Kentucky

Songs! Expand Your Repertoire and Clinical Creativity in Early Childhood Music Therapy Presenters: Andrew Knight, PhD, MT-BC; Jessica Lee, MA, MT-BC Summarized by Erin Shina This presentation focused on the use of the Music Together Within Therapy program and repertoire, giving examples of songs and how they can be implemented for specific therapeutic goals. Presenters discussed how music can assist in academic learning (i.e., motivation for learning and curiosity), language development (e.g., phonemic awareness and vocabulary expansion), physical development (e.g., gross or fine motor skills,

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coordination and balance), and social/emotional development (e.g., self-regulation or leadership skills).

Presenters also explained how music can be used to ease transitions between activities or into the end of a session. More information about Music Together certification can be found at https:// www.musictogether.com/offer/within-therapy

imagine Presents: Music Therapist as Media Mentors Presenters: Petra Kern, PhD, MT-BC, MTA, DMtG; Marcia Humpal, MEd, MT-BC; Dana Bolton, MEd, MMT, MT-BC, Gretchen Chardos Benner, LMSW, MT-BC; Ellary Draper, PhD, MT-BC Summarized by Erin Shina

This roundtable presented by the imagine editorial team explored the “what, when, with whom, where, why, how, and how much” digital media should be used with young children of all abilities in music therapy practice. Having families’ well-being in mind, music therapy practitioners explored what it takes to be well-versed media mentors, empowering parents to engage their children in meaningful ways by using selected music apps for goal achievement and positive relationship building.

Key elements discussed were: Modeling quality screen time and connecting screen experiences to real life,

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Using media to encourage children’s creativity and curiosity for learning, and Promoting a positive family media ecology at home.

This interactive roundtable used multimedia to illustrate the content from works published in imagine 2017.

Additionally, music therapy practitioners were encouraged to bring their digital devices to explore their own tools and interactive media. More information about the use of technology and interactive media with young children and their families can be found in the 2017 issue of imagine at http://www.imagine.musictherapy.biz/ product/imagine-2017/

Working with Traumatized Children: A Look at Patients and Self Presenter: Maria Nowlin, MA, MS, LPC, MT-BC, NCC Summarized by Colleen McDonald

This presentation focused on the importance of early intervention for children who have experienced trauma.

The presenter discussed definitions and symptoms of trauma, long-term effects of trauma, treatment modalities, and steps for self-care and prevention of secondary trauma. The presenter used The Trauma Tree to express how damage at the base of the tree (i.e., prenatal, birth, and infancy/toddler) affects the growth of the tree.

Long-term effects of childhood trauma include impaired social and cognitive development and may increase the risk for substance abuse later in life. This presenter highlighted the importance of early intervention to enhance neuroplasticity during the treatment process.

She also emphasized that treatment for traumatized children should focus on trust, control, normalization, and safety. For more information regarding treatment modalities, visit the following websites: Trauma Assessment Pathway (TAP) at www.taptraining.net Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) at www.child.tcu.edu Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics at www.childtrauma.org

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MTex: NICU-MT Interventions for Neonate Sensory Integration and its Impact on Long-Term Development Presenters: Darcy DeLoach, PhD, MT-BC; Amy Robertson, PhD, MT-BC; Michael Detmer, MME, MT-BC Summarized by Colleen McDonald

This innovative presentation highlighted evidence-based interventions for a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

The presenters pointed out that multimodal neurological enhancement is an effective intervention to increase auditory brain development through teaching tolerance to stimuli using music. Female infants benefit from the use of guitar paired with singing, while males find the most benefit from unaccompanied singing. As for language development, infants learn through rhythm, pitch, and intonation. Using “singsong” speech is optimal for language development and can produce positive long-term effects. Through sensory stimulation (e.g., use of the Pacifier Activated Lullaby), infants can reach physiological maturity more quickly and can achiev better coordination of the suck-and-swallow mechanism, which in turn increases nutrient intake.

Building Your Toolkit: All the Essentials for Working with Children Presenters: Katelyn Kamerad MT-BC; Rachel Rambach MM, MT-BC Summarized by Olivia Slade

In this presentation, the presenters shared an online resource of clinical songs compiled in various categories

by Music Connections, LLC. A portion of the session’s discussion addressed songwriting, including the following three tips: Start with the basics!

Keep the music simple!

Use a theme!

Additionally, the presenters noted that they facilitate a discussion group to expand practitioners’ repertoire by sharing resources. To join the group, visit https:// www.facebook.com/groups/MTconnections/

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Early Intervention with Children and Families with Visual impairment

Death of a Child with Disabilities Presenter: Catlin Krater, MS, MT-BC Summarized by Bethany Wilker

Presenter: Paige Robbins, MM, MT-BC Summarized by Olivia Slade

This presentation focused on interventions that may be useful for children with visual impairment. The presenter addressed the following therapeutic goals: Improving social skills, increasing mobility, enhancing body part recognition, and working through grief with families.

Environmental considerations included size of the room, lighting, tactile materials, and musical instruments that night be too stimulating (e.g., having shiny surfaces). The presenter suggested giving children with visual impairment more response time and embedding props such as braille books into music experiences. Resources are available at http://www.aph.org/dolly-partonsimagination-library/apply/.

This presentation focused on how children with disabilities perceive and respond to loss. Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities experience loss, but often receive little to no assistance in the mourning process. Instead, caregivers often may protect children from upsetting events and therefore discourage grief. Developmental impairments may complicate the grieving process because of greater difficulties in expressing emotions, adapting to changes in relationships, and understanding the difference between life and death. To help the child cope with loss, the presenter suggested the use of story books explaining death in familiar terms combined with original songs, directed drumming, improvisation, and movement activities.

About the Authors Erin Shina, Colleen McDonald, Olivia Slade, and Bethany Wilker are undergraduate students at the University of Louisville. Erin and Colleen are currently interning at UofL’s Music Therapy Clinic; Olivia at Personal Counseling Services in Clarksville, Indiana; and Bethany at Season's Hospice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Contact: erin.shina@gmail.com

See us at the AMTA Annual Conference in Dallas, Texas

imagine Presents: Intervention Ideas for Young Children of All Abilities

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Prepare, implement, and monitor effective song interventions in children’s home, preschool, and community settings.

Facilitated by faculty and student authors from the University of Louisville and Southern Methodist University

November 16, 2018 3:45-5:00 PM

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Shine ZERO TO THREE Annual Conference Report November 29-December 1, 2017 | San Diego, California Dana Bolton, MEd, MMT, MT-BC Bolton Music Therapy, Murfreesboro, Tennessee From November 28 to December 1, 2017, over 3,400 early childhood professionals gathered in San Diego, CA for the 2017 ZERO TO THREE Conference celebrating the 40th anniversary of the organization. The conference featured 96 informative sessions, including five sessions presented in Spanish and simulcast in English, 236 speakers, and 70 Marketplace vendors. Key themes from this year’s conference included infant mental health and the impact of immigration policies on young children.

This year’s Rally for Babies focused on the ThinkBabies™ campaign to bring attention to what babies and their families need to thrive. The campaign’s priorities include: quality, affordable child care; time for parents to bond with their babies; healthy emotional development; and strong physical health and nutrition.

The second annual Strolling Thunder™ event was held on May 8, 2018, bringing babies and their families from all 50 states to Washington, D.C., to meet with their lawmakers and urge them to make the potential of babies a national priority.

Multiple plenary sessions featured well-known names in the early childhood field. Ed Tronick, MD, from the University of Massachusetts, presented the opening plenary entitled The Still-Face and Infants’ Meaning Making without Language or Symbols. He spoke of how infants are able to make meaning of their own self and the world through relationships and on their own, despite their lack of abstract thought. Later in the conference, Dr. Tronick received a Lifetime Achievement Award for Dedication to Improving the Lives of Young Children from Zero to Three in recognition of the impact of his research on young children and their families.

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Nisha Patel, MSW, of the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, presented the policy plenary Dreaming, Designing, and Doing: Increasing Mobility from Poverty.

She explained the realities of poverty today; children are less likely to have more economic success than their parents, hard work is not always enough to lift someone out of poverty, and zip code determines success more so than one’s genetic code. She defined mobility from poverty as having three achieving prongs: economic success attaining, power and autonomy, and being valued in the community. She explained the challenges related to changing the narrative of poverty and how we treat people, creating access to good jobs, ensuring opportunity communities, providing support that empowers, and transforming data use along with multiple solutions to address each area. More information about her work can be found at www.mobilitypartnership.org The practice plenary, How Immigration Enforcement Harms the Health and Development of Citizen-Children and Refugee Children, was presented by Luis Zayas, PhD, from the University of Texas. He described the aggressive enforcement environment immigrant families face, along with the impact of that environment on citizen children of undocumented immigrants and refugee children. Mixed-status families often live with constant fear and anxiety and are less likely to seek healthcare or other social services. Children may show high levels of attention problems due to constant anxiety or experience

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guilt that their misbehavior may lead to their parent’s arrest. In some extreme instances, children can develop disorders such as selective mutism, reactive attachment disorder, or dissociative states. Refugee children can experience three types of trauma: trauma before migration due to war and violence in their home countries, trauma during migration due to human trafficking, and post migration trauma from government and law enforcement as well as from poor living conditions in immigration detention centers. The speaker provided attendees with suggestions on how to effectively advocate for these children within the court system.

Kathryn Hirsh-Pasek, PhD, from Temple University presented the science plenary, How High-Quality Language Environments Create High-Quality Learning Environments. She began by describing the Word Gap and how the quality of words that children hear matters as much as the quantity. The Word Gap persists over time, with 80% of third graders from low income families not able to read at grade level. She gave six principles of language learning that support reading for both monolingual and bi-lingual children: children learn what they hear most; children learn words for things and events that interest them; interactive and responsive environments build language learning; children learn best in meaningful contexts; children need to hear diverse examples of words and language structure; and vocabulary and grammatical development are reciprocal processes. She closed by describing several programs that incorporate these principles at the family, classroom, and community levels.

The keynote plenary was presented by Geoffrey Canada, MEd, from the Harlem Children’s Zone. In The Crisis Facing Youth: What Adults and Communities Can Do to Save Our Children, Canada described how he worked with parents in Harlem to change the way they interacted with their children and the expectations they set for them. He learned that any strategies had to make sense to the parents and that they needed to have an alternative they believe in before they could change their behavior. He taught parents to let their children explore, ask questions, and make mistakes to learn. His project raised expectations in the community by making it normal for children to go to college, teaching parents to

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start planning for college when children are toddlers rather than waiting until high school. Canada stated that crises such as teen pregnancy and opioid addiction may start in poor black communities, but when the focus is on race rather than finding solutions, they spread to the whole country. He encouraged attendees to think outside the box when a child is not learning and to continue to be creative researchers and inventors.

Multiple breakout sessions focused on working with dual language learners and immigrant and refugee families. In Supporting Dual Language Learners: Bringing Together Research, Practice, and Community, panelists Sarah Lytle, PhD, Mario Koran, MA, Sarah Garrity, EdD, and Amelia R. Bachleda, PhD, presented about the brain science and research behind dual language learning; they offered practical applications for providers. Children who are dual language learners display increased prefrontal activity in the brain and demonstrate greater cognitive flexibility in solving problems. Playing games such as reversing the motions to Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (e.g. touching your toes when singing “shoulder”) tests executive functioning skills and is a predictor of future academic ability. There is limited evidence to indicate that learning two languages delays language development, and in fact, code switching, or switching languages within a sentence, is evidence of sophistication, not confusion. Sign language can be used to mediate the two languages while children are still learning them. An online module about Bilingual Language Development, along with modules on many other topics, can be found at modules.ilabs.uw.edu Jessie Lowell, PsyD, and Melony Cohen presented Multicultural Considerations and Best Practices in the Assessment of Young Immigrant Children. They gave practical suggestions and considerations that professionals should keep in mind when assessing children from immigrant families. Immigrant families may experience greater stigma attached to mental health and disabilities. Even non-verbal assessments will have cultural biases and it is important to assess with the language of preference, or with both languages.

Examiners should be aware of their own biases and be careful not to fill in information gaps based on stereotypes and should always do whatever they can to include parents in the assessment process.

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Several sessions focused on actual immigration policies and resources for families. Supporting Immigrant, Undocumented, and Refugee Families: Fear, Anxiety, and Hope was presented by Lisseth Rojas-Flores, PhD, Wendy D. Cervantes, Mayra Alvarez, MHA, Lucero Chavez, JD, and Jose Ortiz-Rosales, MSW. ¿Que está pensando el niño? Impacto de las políticas de inmigración en el bienestar de las familias? Who Is Thinking About the Young Child? Impact of Immigration Policies on Families’ Well-Being, presented by María Carolina VelascoHodgson, MSW, Karen Garber, LICSW CEIS, and Carmen Rosa Noroña, LCSW, was presented in Spanish and simulcast in English, giving English-speaking attendees the novel experience of relying on interpreters for the duration of the session. Both sessions provided case examples of families of varied immigration status as well as provided resources for families to know their rights and create Family Preparedness Plans. One session also conducted a role play scenario for providers to demonstrate how to react should ICE agents appear at

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their office or clinic. All panelists spoke to the loss that is associated with immigration and the effect that it has on the development of young children, even if they do not fully understand what is happening. While providers cannot change immigration policies, they can help families prepare for concerns and manage their fear and anxiety.

Registration is now open for the Zero to Three Annual Conference 2018 from October 3-5 in Denver, Colorado. http://annualconference.zerotothree.org/

About the Author Dana Bolton, MEd, MMT, MT-BC co-owns Bolton Music Therapy in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and has worked in the early intervention field for 14 years. Dana joined the imagine editorial team in 2014.

Contact: dana@boltonmusictherapy.com

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FEATURED

Playing to Learn: The Essential Role of Play in Early Childhood Instruction Jill L. Jacobi-Vessels, Ph.D. University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky In today’s testing-focused classrooms, early childhood educators frequently feel pressured to teach through adultled, highly structured lessons where children are expected to sit still, listen, and learn. Not surprisingly, many young children cannot help but wiggle and squirm. Play-based learning offers an effective alternative as it is processoriented, fosters collaboration, builds language, and extends attention. The intent of this article is to provide an overview of play-based learning and suggestions for how music therapists can support play as an effective instructional approach.

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Why Do Children Need to Play?

Driven adults living in a fast-paced world work hard.

Work may occasionally be pleasurable or freely chosen, but is often guided by external demands for achievements within a given timeframe. This adult practice may make it difficult for some to value play as a learning platform, but play is essential for optimal development of cognitive, language, physical, and social/ emotional skills in young children (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). In contrast to more formal classroom approaches, topics for learning overlap during play and evolve as children make decisions, collaborate, and negotiate.

They may engage in literacy by sharing a book about a farm, build math skills while building a barn with geometric blocks, develop gross motor skills as they gallop like horses, and enhance social skills as they negotiate who gets to be the farmer.

The definition of play is notoriously difficult and has kept researchers debating for decades. Rubin, Fein, and Vandenberg (1983) suggested five essential characteristics of play: it is intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, pleasurable, imaginative, and involves active engagement. Effective play-based instruction is intentional and offers opportunities for children to openly explore, actively engage with materials, make choices, and allow imagination to flow. Benefits of this approach include increased cooperation, engagement, and personalized understandings of new concepts (Stegelin, 2005).

How Do Children Learn Through Play?

Researcher Jean Piaget (1962) asserted that as children interact with materials, they encounter new concepts and test theories to construct their own knowledge. He found that children learn by interpreting new information through already established ways of thinking, and, when information does not fit previous beliefs, they adapt previous ways of thinking to make sense of new material. As children engage in ongoing play, they explore materials and personally experience multiple and meaningful opportunities to build and affirm knowledge (Mooney, 2013). Didactic teaching approaches, where adults present information while children passively listen, are not designed to leverage the power or flexibility of play.

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Watch Video on learning through play at https://youtu.be/0ytZ08AKTQ8

What are the Developmental Stages of Play?

Children develop play skills in concert with skills in other areas of development. Piaget (1962) noted that all children progress through stages of cognitive development in the same order, and each stage is characterized by differences in behavior and play as outlined in Table 1. Understanding these stages provides a useful framework for maintaining appropriate expectations when developing music therapy goals and interventions for young children.

Table 1.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

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Figure 1.

Parten’s Social Stages of Play

Parten (1932) provided one of the most familiar descriptions of play, which includes six identifiable stages based on children’s social behaviors during play as displayed in Figure 1. Careful observations of children at play can determine current social skill levels and inform individualized intervention planning. Depending upon learning goals, music therapists may choose to support the child’s current social level or gently encourage movement toward the next.

Watch video on the Piaget’s developmental stages of play at https://youtu.be/dYNWO3ywB4k

Why is Play Essential for All Children?

Play is prevalent across cultures and is inherently respectful, culturally diverse, and inclusive as children of all abilities and skill levels make use of their own knowledge and experiences to develop play themes.

Familiarity with a child’s family and their values, traditions, and languages is essential to achieving intervention goals. Because many children spontaneously include singing as part of their play (Veldhuis, 1984), music is a rich source of inclusion for children who may speak a different language.

Approximately 25% of children in the United States are dual language learners (Migration Policy Institute, 2014), and young children, including those with special needs, are capable of mastering the complexities of dual languages (Conboy, 2013). Further research shows that early exposure to multiple languages increases brain plasticity, enhances memory, and develops more

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Watch video on Parten’s social stages of play at https://youtu.be/l05mzSyqQEk

sophisticated executive functioning skills (Sandhofer & Uchikoshi, 2013). Intentional use of music that reflects children’s backgrounds allows them to see themselves as valued (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009).

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What Should Be Considered When Including Children with Disabilities?

How Can Music Therapists Support Play?

Play occurs naturally across school, center-based, small group, and home settings and is particularly important for children with disabilities. Communication and peer interactions are common challenges for children with special needs (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), and play is highly beneficial for language and social skill development (Barton & Wolery, 2008). During play, children with special needs perceive themselves as powerful and competent, and therefore more willingly engage in communication and social interactions.

Through play, children of all backgrounds and abilities encounter opportunities to succeed in ways that are personally meaningful to them (Buchannan & Johnson, 2009).

Children display predictable play behaviors as they develop (Piaget, 1962). Infants repeat actions during “functional play,” such as batting a toy, which contributes to physical and cognitive development. Use of steady rhythms or instruments such as maracas that make sound by being repeatedly moved are appropriate intervention strategies for this age. Around 18 months, children begin “symbolic play” and might pretend that a block is a cell phone. Song props that are similar in size and shape to real objects help facilitate children’s engagement during music activities. Simplicity and flexibility on the part of the music therapist will create a more successful intervention environment for younger children. The following Table 2 provides suggestions for simple strategies that music therapists should incorporate into their work with young children to address each element of play.

Targeted strategies to support play interactions include pairing the child with a more skilled peer or direct teacher involvement to model and guide (Smilansky & Shefatya, 1990). Children with disabilities may need additional support to successfully enter into ongoing play with others. Limited verbal or social skills may result in what appears to be aggression (e.g., snatching a toy), when the child is simply looking for a way to be invited.

Modeling and providing appropriate words or actions may be needed. Implementation of active and receptive strategies such as playing instruments, singing, dancing, creating stories, and listening to music allows children of all levels to have opportunities to meet targeted learning goals.

Watch video on reflecting diversity through music at https://youtu.be/MxmCbeAQZGc

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Because play-based instruction is not consistently present in traditional school or center-based settings, it may not be valued or respected at all locations. Music therapists can advocate for the validity of play-based instruction by explicitly stating connections between planned activities and a child’s Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP) to show how therapy sessions intentionally address identified learning goals. Additional connections to applicable early childhood standards may strengthen understanding of the value of play. Some parents,

Watch video on how music therapists can support play at https://youtu.be/TJHKUGkHD-s

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especially those from cultures that value more formalized approaches, may also find it difficult to view play-based instruction as effective (Fung & Cheng, 2012; O’Gorman & Ailwood, 2012). Practitioners who connect instruction to children’s real-life experiences and reflect home cultures facilitate understanding and show respect for families.

Conclusion Music and play are a powerful combination. Play allows children to build skills across learning domains, but research shows that fun actually may be the most important element of play (Eberle, 2014). Music interventions that leverage the instructional power of play will meet children where they are developmentally, address individual needs, maximize learning and engagement and, importantly, include the element of fun.

Music comes in multiple languages and eloquently reflects a variety of emotions. It invites the listener to move in creative ways and is a bridge to collaborative learning and positive social skills.

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References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders

(5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Barton, E., & Wolery, M. (2008). Teaching pretend play to children with disabilities: A review of the literature.

Topics in Early Childhood Special Education, 28, 109-125.

Buchannan, M., & Johnson, T. (2009). A second look at the play of young children with

disabilities. American Journal of Play, 2, 41-59.

Table 2.

Strategies for Music Therapists to Support Play

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Conboy, B. (2013). Neuroscience research: How experience with one or multiple languages affects the developing brain. In F. Ong & J. McLean (Eds.), California’s best practices for young dual language learners: Research overview papers (pp. 1-50).

Sacramento, CA: Governor’s State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care. Retrieved from http:// www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ce/documents/ dllresearchpapers.pdf Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S. (Eds.). (2009).

Developmentally appropriate practice in early

childhood programs: Serving children from birth through age 8 (3rd ed.). Washington,

DC: NAEYC. Eberle, S. G. (2014). The elements of play: Toward a philosophy and a definition of play. Journal

of Play, 6, 214-233.

Fung, C. K., & Cheng, D. P. (2012). Consensus or dissensus? Stakeholder’s views on the role of

play in learning. International Journal of Early Years Learning, 32, 17-33.

Humpal, M. (1991). The effects of an integrated early childhood music program on social interaction among children with handicaps and their typical peers. Journal of Music Therapy, 28, 161-177.

Matthews, S. (2012). Singing soothes classroom transitions. Dimensions of Early Childhood, 40, 13-18.

Migration Policy Institute (2014). Critical Choices in California: Investing in the educational and career success of immigrant youth. Retrieved from https:// www.migrationpolicy.org/research/critical-choicespost-recession-california-educational-careersuccess-immigrant-youth Mooney, C. (2013). Theories of childhood: An introduction to Dewey, Montessori, Erikson, Piaget, and Vygotsky. St Paul, MN: Readleaf.

Niland, A. (2015). Row, row, row your boat: Singing, identity, and belonging in a nursery. International Journal of Early Years Education, 23, 4-16.

O’Gorman, L., & Ailwood, J. (2012). They get fed up with playing: Parents’ views on play-based

learning in the preparatory year. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 13, 266-275.

Parten, M. (1932). Social participation among preschool children. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 28, 136-147.

Piaget, J. (1962). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood.

New York, NY: Norton.

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Register, D. (2001). The effect of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing. Journal of Music Therapy, 38, 239-248.

Rubin, K., Fein, G., & Vandenberg, B. (1983). Play. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child

psychology (4th ed., pp. 693-774). New York: Wiley.

Sandhofer, C., & Uchikoshi, Y. (2013). Cognitive consequences of dual language learning: Cognitive function, language and literacy, science and mathematics, and social–emotional development. In F. Ong & J. McLean (Eds.), California’s best practices for young dual language learners: Research overview papers (pp. 51-89). Sacramento, CA: Governor’s State Advisory Council on Early Learning and Care. Retrieved from http:// www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/ce/documents/ dllresearchpapers.pdf Smilansky, S., & Shefatya, L. (1990). Facilitating play: A medium for promoting cognitive, socio emotional and academic development in young children. Gaithersburg, MD: Psycho social and Educational Publications.

Stegelin, D. (2005). Making the case for play policy: Research-based reasons to support play based environments. Young Children, 60, 76-85.

Veldhuis, H. (1984). Spontaneous songs of preschool children. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 11, 15-14.

Williams, K. (2018). Moving to the beat: Using music, rhythm, and movement to enhance self regulation in early childhood classrooms.

International Journal of Early Childhood, 50,

85-100.

About the Author Jill Jacobi-Vessels, Ph.D. has administered programs for young children for over 25 years. Her research focus is on kindergarten readiness through play-based learning. She is currently the Director of the Early Learning Campus and is an Associate Professor in early childhood education at the University of Louisville in Louisville, Kentucky.

Contact: Jljaco02@louisville.edu

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REFLECTION “Play and music can be joined, forming a pathway to learning for the young child. Opportunities for developmentally appropriate music play, using both teacher-directed and child-initiated experiences, should be included in preschool classrooms” (Littleton, 1989, p. ix).

The Role of Play in Music Therapy: Considerations for Music Therapists Lori F. Gooding, Ph.D., MT-BC Florida State University Tallahassee, Florida

What Is Play?

Play is the act of engaging in an activity for enjoyment and recreation rather than a serious or practical purpose (Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2018); play is intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, pleasurable, and imaginative. “Playing” an instrument shares many of these same qualities—it too involves engagement, pleasure, and intrinsic motivation. Likewise, playing an instrument is often freely chosen and can be highly imaginative (e.g., improvisation). Music therapists can use this overlap between “play” and “playing” to provide valuable opportunities for young children to address learning goals while exploring, engaging, making choices, and allowing imagination to flow.

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What Is Play-Based Learning?

Before examining how play can be integrated into music therapy practice, one must first consider play-based learning. Play-based learning is simply learning while at play (Daniels & Pyle, 2018). Play-based learning provides opportunities for both developmental learning, which focuses on social-emotional development, general cognitive development, and self-regulation, and academic learning, which focuses on academic skills (Pyle, DeLuca, & Daniels, 2017). Free play is child-directed, voluntary, internally motivated, and pleasurable, and this type of play appears to be beneficial for social competence and self-regulation. Free play involves unstructured time in which children are free to choose their actions using a range of objects and activities (Weisberg & Zosh, 2018). Free-play can occur both indoors and outdoors (Synodi, 2010). Guided play is supported by adults and geared toward specific goals which are often academic in nature (Pyle, 2018). Guided play includes opportunities for choice, but adults lead children toward a goal. Guided play can be adult-directed, as in games, (including music games), or mutually directed where both child and adult exercise Play-Based Learning some control (Daniels & Pyle, Free Play (child-led or directed): 2018). Both Unstructured time in which children free and voluntarily choose their actions from a guided play range of objects and activities. can be eective, but Guided Play (teacher-directed): Play the research time in which children choose suggests that activities that have been supported by guided play may adults to promote learning. be more eective when trying to achieve a set learning objective (Weisberg & Zosh, 2018).

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What Do Play and Music Therapy Have in Common?

There are a number of concepts characteristic of both play and music therapy.

As Jacobi-Vessels (2018) points out in the featured article, play is intrinsically motivated, freely chosen, pleasurable, imaginative, and involves active engagement. Music therapy, too, provides enjoyable experiences (Humpal, 1991). Play provides opportunities for children to openly explore, actively engage with materials, make choices, and allow imagination to flow. These same concepts can be seen in music therapy; for example, Or music therapy incorporates spontaneous play, promotes creativity through improvisation, encourages exploration, and promotes active engagement (Voigt, 2003).

Play allows for assimilation and accommodation of knowledge; it is social and therefore can facilitate social and language development. Music therapy interactions facilitate academic, social, and language learning, and music games, playing instruments, and other activities have been used in early childhood education to improve both social and academic skills (Humpal, 1991; Register, 2001). Play is inclusive, occurs in multiple settings, and learning goals can be embedded in play. Music therapy occurs in a wide range of settings, from hospitals to schools, and multiple goals are addressed simultaneously in music therapy treatment. Perhaps most importantly, play is process, and not product oriented. Similarly, music therapists employ music experiences that are primarily process-oriented (AMTA, 2005).

How Has Play-Based Learning Been Integrated Into Music Therapy?

Music therapists who use free play principles often incorporate improvisation and instrument exploration, as well as specific

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types of free play. These strategies are used to address both social and emotional goals.

Moreno (1985) united play and music therapy concepts, combining nondirective play therapy with more structured music play materials. During music Music play therapy is a play therapy, the music nondirective approach based therapist is nondirective, on an integration of music providing each child therapy and play therapy with the opportunity to principles. Children are given play out his feelings on opportunities to play out their instruments supplied in feelings during improvisational a playroom. When experiences. invited, the music therapist engages and verbally reflects the child’s feelings; however, the child remains free to play as desired, without direction.

Improvised musical play (IMP), a music therapy intervention that involves singing or Improvised musical play chanting improvised lyrics (IMP) involves the music describing play therapist improvising chants behaviors (Gunsberg, or songs describing 1988), is another children’s behaviors during example of play used in sociodramatic play. The adult music therapy practice. is a narrator, providing IMP is based on support in a mutually sociodramatic play, a type directed manner. of free play that involves role-playing (Daniels & Pyle, 2018). Gunsberg (1988, 1991) developed IMP to foster social play in an inclusive preschool classroom. In IMP, the music therapist uses musical and lyrical techniques to support play (Gunsberg, Music games can be used in 1991). IMP starts with guided play experiences to strumming chords or facilitate specific learning playing rhythms during objectives. free play and moves to singing phrases about children’s play, eventually creating and repeating refrains as play behaviors are

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repeated. Once children lose interest in specific play behaviors, the music therapist returns to describing play, eventually closing the IMP episode. Gunsberg (1988) found IMP an effective way to promote social interaction; however, he also found that welldefined play formats were particularly useful for integrating children with developmental delays into play.

Outdoor play is inherently free, but it can be challenging for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Kern and Aldridge (2006) added an outdoor music center to a sandbox and composed childspecific songs to encourage children with autism spectrum disorder to engage in meaningful free play. They concluded that musical equipment/instruments alone may not be enough to facilitate engagement; individualized interventions may also be needed, and songs can provide support along with teacher mediation. When targeting specific goals or working with children with disabilities, more support may be needed than child directed play alone can provide.

When more support is needed, music therapists have turned to guided play.

Hughes, Robbins, McKenzie, and Robb (1990) developed a music play program that integrated exceptional and nonexceptional children in structured music and play activities based on the idea that social and physical interactions can be naturally fostered through age-appropriate music activities. The program consisted of structured music activities followed by unstructured social playtime. Activities included singing, moving to music, listening, playing instruments, and creating. Children in the program demonstrated increasingly spontaneous, helpful, and friendly behavior during the program. The music therapists recommended that music activities be developmentally appropriate, high quality, and structured to encourage cooperation.

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What Should You Consider When Incorporating Play?

Play can enhance the music therapy process for young children, but music therapists should consider the following factors before implementing play-based learning opportunities. ➡ Who are the clients? Children with disabilities may need greater support, therefore guided or mutuallydirected play may be more beneficial when working with children with disabilities or inclusive groups. ➡ What is your learning objective? The learning objective should determine the type of play implemented by music therapists. Social objectives are more conducive to free play, whereas specific academic objectives may be better addressed through guided play. ➡ What music therapy interventions should be implemented? Music centers, improvisation, and music games are all possible options for play in music therapy. Other options may also be considered. As with any music therapy interaction, the client objective should drive intervention selection. Again, children with disabilities may need more structured, supportive, and individualized interventions. ➡ Where/how/when should play be implemented? Play can be implemented with groups or individuals, and can be integrated into free time in the classroom or on the playground. Mutuallydirected or guided play can also be implemented during group time. Keep in mind that staff may need guidance on selecting and implementing appropriate teaching techniques within music-based play experiences (Hughes et al., 1990). For example, staff should be encouraged to model interactions but allow children to respond freely. Music therapists should also be aware that musical objects can enhance play interactions that are not musical, i.e., musical objects during classroom circle time play activities can increase children’s attention (Sussman, 2009). Therefore, music therapists might consider consulting with other early childhood providers on

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➡

P L A Y

ways that music—or musical instruments—can be used to enhance non-musical play.

What is the music therapist’s role during play?

The music therapist’s role is dependent upon her/his approach to music therapy and the kind of play implemented. In free play the child is independent, so the therapist serves in a passive role. However, the music therapist can engineer the environment to enhance and encourage various levels of free play (e.g., by adding instruments that can be played by more than one person, or by limiting the number of toys/objects/instruments to avoid over-stimulation).

The therapist would take a slightly more active role in mutually-directed play, functioning as a play partner and narrator and helping children problem solve and be creative (Synodi, 2010). In guided play the music therapist would take the most active role, providing guidance and structure and modifying activities when needed to promote learning.

Intrinsically Motivated Pleasurable Imaginative Active Engagement Process Oriented

M U S I C

T H E R A P Y

Conclusion Play and music therapy can be a natural partnership that enhances outcomes for young children, and both teacher-directed and child-initiated music play experiences can be enjoyable, allow children to be creative, and actively engage children in learning. Music therapists should carefully consider the clients, their learning objectives, and type of intervention when deciding where, how, and when to implement play.

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References American Music Therapy Association. (2005). Advisory on levels of practice. Retrieved from https:// www.musictherapy.org/members/ advisory_on_levels_of_practice_in_music_therapy/ Daniels, E., & Pyle, A. (2018). Defining play-based learning. In A. Pyle (Ed.), Play-based learning (pp.

6-10). Retrieved from http://www.childencyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/dossierscomplets/en/play-based-learning.pdf#page=25 Gunsberg, A. (1988). Improvised musical play: A strategy for fostering social play between developmentally delayed and nondelayed preschool children. Journal of Music Therapy, 25, 178-191. https://doi.org/ 10.1093/jmt/25.4.178 Gunsberg, A. (1991). A method for conducting improvised musical play with children both with and without developmental delay in preschool classrooms. Music Therapy Perspectives, 9, 46-51. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/9.1.46 Hughes, J. E., Robbins, B., McKenzie, B. A., & Robb, S. S. (1990). Integrating exceptional and nonexceptional young children through music play: A pilot program. Music Therapy Perspectives, 8, 52-56. https://doi.org/10.1093/mtp/8.1.52 Humpal, M. (1991). The effects of an integrated early childhood music program on social interaction among children with handicaps and their typical peers. Journal of Music Therapy, 28, 161-177.

Jacobi-Vessels, J. L. (2018). Playing to learn: The essential role of play in early childhood instruction. imagine 9(1), 16-21.

Kern, P., & Aldridge, D. (2006). Using embedded music therapy interventions to support outdoor play of young children with autism in an inclusive community-based child care program. Journal of Music Therapy, 43, 270-294. https://doi.org/ 10.1093/jmt/43.4.270 Littleton, D. (1989). Child’s play: Pathways to music learning. In B. Andress (Ed.), Promising practices: Pre-Kindergarten music education (pp. ix-xiii).

Reston, VA: Music Educators National Conference.

Moreno, J. J. (1985). Music play therapy: An integrated approach. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 13, 17-23.

Pyle, A. (2018). Synthesis. In A. Pyle (Ed.). Play-based learning (pp. 4-5). Retrieved from http://www.child-

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encyclopedia.com/sites/default/files/dossierscomplets/en/play-based-learning.pdf#page=25 Play. (2018). In Oxford Living Dictionaries. Retrieved from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/ Pyle, A., DeLuca, C., & Daniels, E. (2017). A scoping review of research on play-based pedagogies in kindergarten education. Review of Education: An International Journal of Major Studies in Education, 5, 311-351. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/ 10.1002/rev3.3097 Register, D. (2001). The effect of an early intervention music curriculum on prereading/writing. Journal of Music Therapy, 38, 239-248.

Synodi, E. (2010). Play in the kindergarten: The case of Norway, Sweden, New Zealand and Japan.

International Journal of Early Years Education, 18, 185-200. doi: 10.1080/09669760.2010.521299 Sussman, J. E. (2009). The effect of music on peer awareness in preschool age children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Music Therapy, 46, 53-68. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/ 46.1.53 Voigt, M. (2003). Orff music therapy: An overview. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 3(3). doi: 10.15845/voices.v3i3.134 Weisberg, D. S., & Zosh, J. M. (2018). How guided play promotes early childhood learning. In A. Pyle (Ed.), Play-based learning (pp.25-28). Retrieved from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/sites/default/ files/dossiers-complets/en/play-basedlearning.pdf#page=25

About the Author Lori Gooding, Ph.D., MT-BC is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Florida State University. She currently serves as Past President of the SER-AMTA. Contact: lgooding@fsu.edu

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RESEARCH imagine 9(1), 2018

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F A C T s

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P L AY Genius of Play provide families with the information and inspiration they need to make play an important part of their child’s day.

B OU A T imagine 9(1), 2018

Re-printed with Permission. www.thegeniusofplay.org

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Andrew Knight, Ph.D., MT-BC, Carly Flaagan, MT-BC, Daniel Goldschmidt, MT-BC Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

2018 Early Childhood Research Snapshot

Each year, this snapshot is the result of a systematic search for early childhood articles that relate to music and music therapy published in peer-reviewed journals in the previous year. This year’s search revealed a trend regarding research with caregiver-child dyads, including research that was conducted in the home and/or focused on the importance of music as a part of the relationship; the term “caregiver” instead of parent is used to be more inclusive of nonbiological roles of adults who care for young children. The goal of a music therapist may be to create interventions to benefit the caregiver-child relationship, teaching caregivers how to use music and the rationale behind these uses.

Hernandez-Ruiz (2017) published a feasibility study intended to address the strengths and limitations of blending a six-week music therapy program with the parent-mediated Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM). The purpose was to teach caregivers to employ behavioral strategies to improve their children’s social interactions.

Three caregiver-child dyads participated in the study which showed that it is feasible for caregivers to learn the principles of the P-ESDM within a musical framework while being developmentally-, culturally-, and ageappropriate. Practitioners may find the P-ESDM to be a helpful tool to utilize as a theoretical base in their practice, although it does require additional training and certification to use.

Millett and Gooding (2018) examined the effect of music therapy on pre-operative anxiety in

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caregiver-child dyads using a randomized pretest-posttest design. Forty caregiver-child dyads with children 5 years old or younger participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to either a passive or active music therapy session for the duration of 15 minutes before surgery. The passive music therapy group received music-assisted relaxation, while the active music therapy group was engaged with the purpose of shifting attention from anxiety-producing stimuli. Data analysis revealed that there was a significant reduction of anxiety in caregiver-child dyads after both types of music therapy intervention, but neither type of intervention was more effective than the other. As children may be affected by their caregiver’s emotions, reduced anxiety for caregivers may lead to reduced anxiety for children. Benefits of anxiety reduction for children include reduced pain perception and improved behaviors.

Thompson (2018) conducted a phenomenological study that explored the long-term benefits of family-centered music therapy as perceived by mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Five themes emerged from a descriptive analysis: mothers gained confidence in engaging their child; experiences that mother and child could enjoy together were rare; children had improved social communication skills and a better quality of life; mothers gained understanding of their child’s interests and strengths; and families sought more opportunities to extend the child’s interest in music. Overall,

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the mothers believed there were long-term benefits that improved the quality of life for the entire family unit.

In another qualitative study, the effect of music therapy on a mother-preterm infant dyad was investigated through a case study with thematic analysis (Palazzi, Meschini, & Piccinini, 2017). Music Therapy Intervention for the Mother-Preterm Infant Dyad-MUSIP was created for this study with the purpose of teaching a mother the importance of singing to her infant. The intervention was administered during nine weekly music therapy sessions with only the mother present during the first session for coaching. In sessions 2-5, the music therapist worked with both mother and child, who remained in the incubator in the NICU. During sessions 6-8, the music therapy intervention was presented during “kangaroo care,” in which the mother and child experienced skinto-skin contact. Palazzi and colleagues found that music therapy strengthened the mother-child relationship by promoting singing, which in turn increased face-to-face contact and expressions of affection.

Similarly, O’Donoghue (2017) observed two dyads consisting of a caregiver with their child with Down syndrome. The dyads participated in sessions based on the Australian Sing & Grow program. Each session consisted of greeting songs, familiar songs and nursery rhymes, movement songs, instrument play, and lullabies.

O’Donoghue reported increased responsiveness from the caregivers during interactions and observed that the children learned to engage with their caregivers through musical activities.

Tuominen, Husu, Raitanen, Kujala, and Luoto (2017) studied whether a movement-to-music video program could decrease sedentary behavior and promote physical activity in mother-child pairs while in their home environment. This randomized controlled trial included 228 mother-child pairs placed in either the music intervention group or the control group. The intervention group did not have a significant increase in physical activity, nor did they have a decrease in sedentary behavior when compared to the control group. Of note is that the researchers created their video to be aimed towards five-year-old children, while the average age of child participants was 6.5 years, and the video could not be modified for preferences/age.

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References Hernandez-Ruiz, E. (2018). Music therapy and Early Start Denver Model to teach social communication strategies to parents of preschoolers with ASD: A feasibility study. Music Therapy Perspectives, 36(1), 26-39.

Millett, C. R., & Gooding, L. F. (2018). Comparing active and passive distraction-based music therapy interventions on preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients and their caregivers. Journal of Music Therapy, 54(4), 460-478. doi:10.1093/jmt/thx014 O'Donoghue, J. (2017). The observed experiences of music therapy on parent-child interaction for families with children with Down syndrome. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 17(2). doi: 10.15845/voices.v17i2.892 Palazzi, A., Meschini, R., & Piccinini, C. (2017). Music therapy intervention for the mother-preterm infant dyad: Evidence from a case study in a Brazilian NICU. Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy, 17(2). doi:10.15845/voices.v17i2.916 Thompson, G. A. (2018). Long-term perspectives of family quality of life following music therapy with young children on the autism spectrum: A phenomenological study. Journal of Music Therapy, 54(4), 432-459. doi:10.1093/jmt/thx013 Tuominen, P. P. A., Husu, P., Raitanen, J., Kujala, U. M., & Luoto, R. M. (2017, August 31). The effect of a movement-to-music video program on the objectively measured sedentary time and physical activity of preschool-aged children and their mothers: A randomized controlled trial. PLoS ONE, 12(8), 1-21. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0183317

About the Authors Andrew Knight, Ph.D., MT-BC is Associate Professor of Music Therapy at Colorado State University (CSU) and a Music Together Within Therapy provider. Carly Flaagan and Daniel Goldschmidt are board-certified music therapists and graduate teaching assistants at CSU. Contact: Andrew.knight@colostate.edu

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PRACTICE

Understanding Perceptions of Play Nicole R. Rivera, Ed.D., MT-BC North Central College Naperville, Illinois

Music Therapy and Play Early childhood music therapists typically engage young children through play-based music making. Past issues of imagine provided numerous examples of intervention ideas that use instruments, songs, movement, props, and other tools in play-based approaches to foster the development of skills. Music therapy research with young children also highlights the importance of play-based interventions. Kern and Wolery (2001) integrated music adaptations on a playground to support social interaction, increase in play and engagement, increase movement, and decrease stereotypic behaviors of a child with visual impairments. Allgood (2005) engaged children with autism spectrum disorder and their families in music play as part of a treatment case study of family-based music therapy.

Given the focus on play as a mechanism for learning, it is helpful to consider play in terms of definition, variability, and sociocultural context just as music therapists actively consider these factors about music and therapy (Bruscia, 1998).

Play is a complex topic with multiple definitions,

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Play is widely recognized by early childhood professionals as a primary mechanism for children to learn about the world around them. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)’s position statement about developmentally appropriate practice states, “Play is an important vehicle for developing self-regulation as well as promoting language, cognition, and social competence” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 14).

approaches and contextual influences. Children engage in various type of play including, “physical play, object play, pretend or dramatic play, constructive play, and games with rules” (NAEYC, 2009, p. 14). The nature of children’s play is further shaped by their cultural and family context.

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Learning About Play Through the Children’s Museum Sector For the past five years, research has been completed at the DuPage Children’s Museum (DCM) to examine how children and their adult partners engage with the museum’s exhibits and programs. DCM is also one of the founding members of the Association of Children’s Museums Research Network (CMRN), which is actively exploring field-wide research. Play is a topic that has taken center stage at both the local and national level.

Studies completed by the CMRN have revealed tensions around play in the children’s museum sector. A study analysis of learning frameworks of partner children’s museums showed variability in the ways that children’s museums talk about play. For some museums, play is central to their approach while others are more focused on other mechanisms for learning (Luke, Letourneau, Rivera, Brahms, & May, 2017). A follow up study with children’s museum professionals revealed that while people state they highly value play, there is a lack of clear definitions and tools for assessing play (Letourneau & Rivera, 2017). When asking caregivers about how they observed learning during a visit to a children’s museum, they highlighted the importance of the built environment, materials that invite play, and opportunities to interact with other visitors.

At the local level, research has focused on developing an understanding of what parents and caregivers believe about play. A focus group study was completed in 2016 followed up by a survey in 2017. All participants were recruited through the children’s museum. Parents and caregivers overwhelmingly believe that play is important for children, but tensions around play were also revealed.

During the focus groups, some parents expressed that they do not always feel comfortable engaging in play with their child or confident in their ability to engage in play.

One parent stated, “I am not super engaged or active in [my children’s] actual play. For better or worse, it doesn’t come naturally to me.” Additionally, caregivers noted factors that are barriers to play such as busy family schedules, concerns about safety, the availability of other children as play partners, and distraction from technology.

It is important to understand parents’ and caregivers’ beliefs when engaging in play-based music therapy practices. Service models often support natural environments and parent engagement, but parents may not feel comfortable as play partners or they may feel the pressures of busy family schedules, concerns about safety, or a lack of opportunity for their children to engage with same-age peers. These concerns are likely more challenging for parents of children with disabilities.

References Allgood, N. (2005). Parents' perceptions of family-based group music therapy for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Music Therapy Perspectives, 23(2), 92-99.

Bruscia, K. E. (1998). Defining music therapy. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.

Kern, P., & Wolery, M. (2001). Participation of a preschooler with visual impairments on the playground: Effects of musical adaptations and staff development. Journal of Music Therapy, 38(2), 149-164.

Letourneau, S., & Rivera, N. (2017). Research network update: Results form a nationwide survey of play in children’s museums. Hand to Hand, 31(1), 19-20.

Luke, J. J., Letourneau, S. M., Rivera, N. R., Brahms, L., & May, S. (2017). Play and children's museums: A path forward or a point of tension? Curator: The Museum Journal, 60(1), 37-46.

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved from https:// www.naeyc.org/sites/default/files/globally-shared/ downloads/PDFs/resources/position-statements/ PSDAP.pdf

About the Author Nicole R. Rivera, Ed.D., MT-BC, worked as a music therapist for 17 years serving children with autism spectrum disorder and their families. She is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Central College.

Contact: nicolelrivera@hotmail.com

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Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG Music Therapy Consulting Santa Barbara, California

Outdoor Play: Making a Playground Accessible for Children With Multiple Disabilities Ruth Brocqueville Director of Clair-Bois Chambésy, Switzerland

Access to outdoor play and exploration is important to the health, development, and well-being of young children. Spending time outdoors improves a child’s physical health, immune system, Vitamin D production, sleep patterns, vision, and protects against life stressors and anxiety. Developmental benefits from outdoor play include opportunities for increasing creativity and imagination, peer interactions and collaborations, decision-making and problem solving, and language and communication skills as well as improving awareness, observation skills, and the ability to focus on tasks. Going outside also builds a child’s connection with, attitude about, and appreciation for nature.

Therefore, children of all abilities should participate in active outdoor play on a daily basis (Early Head Start National Resource Center, 2013).

Vanessa von Richter Co-Director at Anouk Foundation Geneva, Switzerland

The Division for Early Childhood’s recommended environmental practices (2014) highlight that children who have or are at risk for developmental delays/disabilities should learn, play, and engage with peers and adults in a multitude of environments. Practitioners should modify environments with consideration of physical (e.g., space, equipment, and materials), social (e.g., interactions with peers, siblings, family members), and temporary (e.g., sequence and length of routines

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and activities) attributes to promote children’s access to and participation in learning experiences while ensuring their safety. For children with multiple disabilities, the outdoor environment provides opportunities to discover the world through sight, sound, taste, smell, touch, vestibular, and proprioceptive experiences that are different from indoors. This article describes a collaboration between the Anouk Foundation, Music Therapy Consulting, and Clair Bois-Chambésy that transformed a playground into a sensory garden with musical elements for children with multiple disabilities.

Site and Services Clair Bois-Chambésy is a residential school located at a village close to Lake Geneva that welcomes children with multiple disabilities from infancy to age 12. Educational and therapeutic services (i.e., small classroom teaching, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language pathology) consider each child’s individual needs and abilities when planning for personal care, educational projects, and interventions. Educators, specialists, and staff are committed and motivated to provide the highest quality of care and services by implementing evidence-based practices and using the latest technology and equipment that allows children to learn and function as independently as possible.

Although the school had typical play structures that were wheelchair accessible, prior to this collaboration children, educators, and staff described it as a “sad place” where “nobody wanted to be” as there was “nothing to do.”

During this meeting, the consultant (first author) discussed the questions outlined in Figure 1 with the director of Clair Bois-Chambésy (second author) and provided research-based information as well as practical examples. Questions related to the budget (e.g., costs of materials and labor), possible funding (e.g., facility budget, community grants, sponsors), and local support (e.g., staff, facility manager, landscape professionals, artists, and businesses) were addressed by the representative of the Anouk Foundation (third author).

Finally, the director was charged with: a) forming an onsite project team, b) considering the four aspects of developing outdoor play spaces below, and c) creating a preliminary blueprint and budget, a therapeutic concept, and a sustainable program plan by the next joint review meeting.

Figure 1.

Questions for Initial Project Meeting

• • •

Initial Project Meeting Inspired by previous playground modifications such as the Sound Path (Kern & Wolery, 2001) and Music Hut (Kern & Aldridge, 2006), the Clair Bois-Chambésy program leader decided to partner with the Anouk Foundation (2018) and Music Therapy Consulting to redesign its outdoor environment. The intention was to alter aspects of the space, materials, equipment, routines, and activities to create a stimulating place that supports each child’s learning across developmental domains. An initial project meeting was scheduled to develop ideas and a plan for the new space.

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• • •

•

Why is outdoor play important for young children of all abilities? How often does your curriculum allow for children to play outside?

What are some challenges for children with disabilities when playing outdoors? How do you currently address these issues?

What should be considered in facilitating successful outdoor play for children with multiple disabilities? What is already being implemented in daily activities and routines?

Which outdoor learning opportunities are currently offered? How do plan for them?

What are your children's favorite things to do outside? How do adults support their play?

What would be your ideal outdoor play space for children with multiple disabilities?

Which talented and motivated educators, specialists, and staff could contribute to this idea?

How do you engage families, caregivers, and volunteers in outdoor play? What else could you do?

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Teamwork and Planning Two educators, an occupational therapist, and two facility technicians joined the director of Clair BoisChambésy in exploring: 1. best practice guidelines, policies, and regulations for outdoor spaces in their area; 2. which materials/equipment/technology fit the size, shape, and physical features of the space and climate of their site; 3. what they wanted children to experience and learn in the outdoor environment and how everyone could be meaningfully involved over time; and 4. which resources and funding would be needed and could be mobilized for project development, implementation, and maintenance.

After considering these four aspects, the team proposed an innovative, feasible, and practical plan for improving their outdoor space with musical elements. To contain costs, many components were manufactured and assembled by onsite staff while others were created by experts in the community and adjusted for the specific purpose. The team was highly motivated to provide input, took ownership of installing the sensory garden, and recognized the concept of maximizing outdoor learning opportunities for their young clients.

The Sensory Garden After two years, the Clair Bois-Chambésy Sensory Garden was inaugurated during a family summer gathering. The following five core elements transformed playground structures and areas into accessible and participatory spaces that invited children with multiple disabilities to explore and learn in the outdoor environment. Each area now offers safe and creative activities appropriate for the age and developmental level of the children and nurtures their peer and adult interactions.

➡Aquarium. An arched tunnel-like rose trellis was transformed into an aquatic underwater world that gives children an opportunity to discover all senses by entering through shell curtains (touch). LED

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garlands and spotlights reflected on mirror-fish give an effect of dancing sunlight (sight). Walking by a light barrier activates a humpback whale song (sound). Two smooth humps on the floor imitate waves (vestibular). A box with three holes filled with sand, shells, and stones invite exploration of different materials (touch). Diamond-shaped tuned metal tubes allow for playing tunes or improvising music (touch, sound). The whale harp is the centerpiece of

Watch video of a walk through the Aquarium at https://youtu.be/8gp1olawfAc

the aquarium; it encourages cooperative play and music making due to the large strings that simulate the teeth of the whale (touch, sound). A scent diffuser manipulated by staff and specific food offerings provide a “sense and taste of the sea” (smell, taste). Fish in various shapes, sizes, and colors painted on the walls and hanging from the ceiling (visual) complete the walk through the aquarium tunnel (proprioceptive). The video gives an impression of the Aquarium’s sensory experiences.

➡Percussive Climbing Wall. An existing carport was turned into a climbing structure that enables children to explore mobility (standing upright, swinging, height) while being strapped into and lifted with a climbing harness. The structure includes a percussive element. Colorful pots, bowls, and buckets invite the creation of rhythms or interactive pieces by following rhythm sequences of visual cards.

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➡Musical Cow. A preproduced plastic cow that was customized by the addition of musical elements became the children’s mascot and emotional support animal in the garden. A typical Swiss cow bell hangs around its neck; the violin on the bottom of its belly can be played with a bow; drawing a stick across the carved notches in its tail produces a distinctive "rasping" sound. Fabrics of different sizes, colors, and textures are attached to its body. All interactions with the cow are associated with stroking, patting, or tickling the cow. Wheels allow the mascot to be moved around the garden and participate in social gatherings of families.

➡Garden of Scents. Potted flowers, vegetables, and herbs used for decorating rooms and cooking meals were made accessible for all children and labeled with pictures explaining how to cultivate them. Necessary equipment and step-by-step routines for watering and taking care of the plants were also added.

➡Path. Existing paths were marked with colorful boxes to play the “Game of Goose.” By rolling a large dice, children move along a designated number of boxes. The box on which they land determines the areas of the playground where they will play during playground time.

All children at Clair Bois-Chambésy have access to the Sensory Garden several times per week. Staff members have been trained in using and maintaining the equipment. The playground was once considered an unusable space for learning. Educators, specialists, and staff now report, “Everyone spends time in the garden,” “It’s a happy place that is joyful and adapted to our children,” “Our playground is now accessible for children of all ability levels and provides many opportunities for learning.” However, the most convincing statement of the impact of the Sensory Garden comes from a little girl who wants to become a veterinarian so she can take good care of her friend, the musical cow.

References Anouk Foundation. (2018). Our projects. Retrieved from https://www.anouk.org/en/projects/ Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. Retrieved from http:// www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices Early Head Start National Resource Center. (2013).

Supporting outdoor play and exploration for infants and toddlers. Technical Assistance Paper No. 14.

Washington, DC: Author.

Kern, P., & Aldridge, D. (2006). Using embedded music therapy interventions to support outdoor play of young children with autism in an inclusive community-based child care program. Journal of Music Therapy, 43(4), 270-294.

Kern, P., & Wolery, M. (2001). Participation of a preschooler with visual impairments on the playground: Effects of musical adaptations and staff development. Journal of Music Therapy, 38(2), 149-164

About the Authors Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG, editor-in-chief of imagine, adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Louisville is the business owner of Music Therapy Consulting. Ruth Brocqueville, an occupational therapist, is the Director of Clair Bois-Chambésy, the facility where this project was implemented. Vanessa von Richter is the Co-Director of the Anouk Foundation, a nonprofit organization located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Contact: petrakern@musictherapy.biz

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Indoor Play: Creating an Environment That Enhances Learning Katie Myers, MM, MT-BC Howard University Alexandra, Virginia

There are many different ideas regarding the creation of indoor play environments for young children. While individual factors may warrant different recommendations, there are generic guidelines that remain consistent across early childhood settings. Early childhood and mental health experts recommend that environments are safe, provide a variety of learning experiences, contain developmentally appropriate objects for exploration, foster thinking and interaction, and allow young children the freedom of movement (Division of Early Childhood, 2014; Kaplan-Sanoff, 2002).

This article offers some environmental suggestions for music therapists to consider when creating inviting spaces that support children's learning.

➡

prevent over-lighting, minimize glare, and to provide appropriate contrast. Children with autism spectrum disorder may show a sensitivity to fluorescent lighting, while children with vision impairments may need individual task lighting.

Acoustics may influence awareness. Children can be disturbed by reverb and sudden, loud noises.

Effective environmental acoustics to reduce sound and noise levels can be achieved through placing rugs or carpeting in the room, placing tennis balls on the feet of chairs and desks, or sound-dampening tiles. Other individualized strategies may be necessary for children with sound sensitivities or hearing impairments.

Temperature, Lighting, and Acoustics

Learning Environment

According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education (n.d.), temperature, lighting, and acoustics can influence comfort and access to learning: ➡ Temperature may influence alertness. Children with disabilities can be sensitive to fluctuations in temperature and may not be able to communicate their discomfort. Indoor spaces should be regulated to a comfortable temperature according to the location and weather. ➡ Lighting may influence attention. Children with disabilities can be distracted by certain types lighting. An ideal learning environment contains natural lighting and adjustment of artificial lighting to

Altering play spaces to make them more flexible to a variety of needs can be accomplished in many ways. For instance, include space for mobility aids, modify furniture and equipment, mark boundaries to designate the space, and label objects. Considerations include space for mobility aids, modified furniture and equipment, boundaries for space designation, and label objects.

Music therapy session spaces should be located to children's natural learning environment such as the circle time area in preschool settings (Humpal & Kern, 2012).

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Tips for Creating a Music-Based Play Environment The following tips are drawn from Humpal and Kern (2012) and supplemented with information from the environmental guidelines created by Hamrs, Clifford, and Cryer (2014). ➡ Designate a music area. Separate a space that allows children to engage in music making, individually and with others. Instruments can be homemade or store-bought and should represent a variety of sounds. Enough instruments should be provided for at least half of the children to play together at the same time. Ensure enough space for children using mobility devices to be able to participate. ➡ Indicate a seating spot. For group activities, mark boundaries to show children where to sit in the circle.

This can be done using carpet squares, pillows, masking tape shapes, hula hoops, or placemats. For children with physical disabilities, consult with a physical therapist to determine appropriate adaptive seating, such as a corner chair, so that the child can be on the same level as his or her peers. ➡ Organize and label objects. Use containers to organize instruments and props and label them with photographs and words. Place matching pictures on shelves to show children where to place the containers when their play is over. ➡ Cover materials. Place materials out-of-sight when not in use to avoid distraction. Items can be placed in non-transparent containers, stored in a cabinet, or covered with a large cloth. ➡ Provide visual supports. Visual supports can be used to show children how many can be in the music center at the same time and to demonstrate appropriate usage of materials. Visual schedules can help minimize distress during transitions by showing children when music time will occur during their daily routine as well as the order of activities during group music sessions. Picture cards can be provided to assist with making choices during music play. ➡ Create a quiet listening space. Designate a space for children to go to when they need to calm down.

Create a barrier from the rest of the classroom by draping a sheet over a table or using a small tent.

Provide a CD or mp3 player with headphones and a variety of calming music.

In Summary Setting up a play environment that stimulates the development of social, communication, and cognitive skills is an integral part of early childhood learning. Music therapists can incorporate the same principles of environmental arrangements in their group sessions.

Environments that are intentional, creative, and accessible provide all children a way to achieve their maximum potential.

References Harms, T., Clifford, R. M., & Cryer, D. (2014). Early Childhood Environments Rating Scale®, Third Edition–ECERS-3. NY, NY: Teachers College Press.

Kaplan-Sanoff, M. (2002). Stimulating environments. In M. Jellinek, B. P. Patel, & M. C. Froehle (Eds.), Bright Futures in Practice: Mental Health—Volume II, Tool Kit. Arlington, VA: National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health.

Division for Early Childhood. (2014). DEC recommended practices in early intervention/early childhood special education 2014. Retrieved from http:// www.dec-sped.org/recommendedpractices Humpal, M. & Kern, P. (2012). Strategies and Techniques: Making it happen for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. In P. Kern & M. Humpal (Eds.).

Early Childhood Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Developing Potential in Young Children and Their Families (pp. 162-180).

Philadelphia and London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Ministry of Education. (n.d.). Teaching and learning environments to support students with special education needs or disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.education.govt.nz/assets/Documents/ Primary-Secondary/Property/School-propertydesign/Flexible-learning-spaces/ MLESpecialEdFactsheet.pdf

About the Author Katie Myers, MM, MT-BC is an adjunct professor at Howard University and works at Levine Music where she serves special learners, at-risk youth and young adults.

Contact: Katie.myers@howard.edu

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Michael R. Detmer, M.M.E., MT-BC University of Louisville, Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital Louisville, Kentucky

Orff-Based Music Therapy: A Play-Based Approach to Enhance Developmental Skills in Young Children

Orff is Play!

Orff Schulwerk is based on the child’s natural instincts to play. One of the key elements of Orff Schulwerk pedagogy is to tap into the elemental characteristics of children—playing, exploring, and discovering. Playing with the elements of music and movement is essential to this type of interaction with children and adults. By using poetry, folk tales, songs, and games, the Orff-trained teacher and therapist facilitates a playful environment leading to exploration by the individual child as well as building community with children in a particular group.

Orff Schulwerk facilitating learning processes through child-centered exploration and discovery—via playing with sound and movement. Orff-based music therapy derives some of its practices from the Orff Schulwerk philosophy of learning by doing (Colwell, Achey Pehotsky, Grillmeister, & Woolrich, 2008) and exploring.

The Orff Schulwerk music and movement pedagogy was created to foster, and is believed to successfully extend far beyond, the development of artistic skill (Detmer, 2018). This wider development encompasses intellectual, social, emotional, and aesthetic skill building, uniquely preparing students to solve problems in many other

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Robert A. Amchin, Ph.D. University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky

contexts outside of a traditional classroom (American Orff-Schulwerk Association, 2014a). Rhythm, the foundation of the elemental music used in Orff Schulwerk, allows everyone—regardless of ability or disability—to participate (Colwell et al., 2008). Further, active music making is central to the Orff approach, which incorporates singing, chanting, playing instruments, movement, and dance in a process-oriented method (Colwell, 2014).

Orff-Based Music Therapy Since 1962, music educators have recognized the benefits of using the Orff approach in reaching functional goals with many populations whom music therapists also serve. These include individuals with Down syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, behavioral challenges, physical disabilities, and neurological disorders (Colwell et al., 2008). Colwell (2005) summarized the aspects of the Schulwerk approach that naturally support music therapy, including: allowing everyone to participate in the music; beginning where the individual is currently functioning developmentally (i.e., the isoprinciple);

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using a multisensory approach; moving from the experiential (sound) to the conceptual (symbol); designing experiences that are success-oriented; using culturally specific material; using rhythm as the underlying foundation of elemental music; and focusing on the process rather than the musical product.

Researchers have demonstrated that Orff-based music therapy interventions can be used to address a variety of goals. Hilliard (2007) investigated the effects of Orffbased music therapy with grieving children and documented significant benefits for behaviors including anger issues, physical aggression, lying, strange actions, and grief symptoms. A later study by Colwell, Edwards, Hernandez, and Brees (2013) with hospitalized children confirmed improvements in facial affect, on-task behavior, and anxiety. Within the population of students with disabilities, clinical use extends beyond these areas and may address goals across multiple domains including socialization, behavioral regulation, impulse control, greetings, sequencing, emotional expression, choice-making, movement, and memory (Detmer, 2015).

Orff-based music therapy interventions are individualized and designed to address a specific target behavior, however, they all follow a process and include Orff media. The Orff process refers to the series of exploratory steps through which the teacher/therapist guides the student to reach the short or long-term goal (Shamrock, 1986). This often includes the gradual layering of musical lines to increase complexity based on the abilities of the people at hand. The process may be developed from a small germ of an idea or by taking a larger idea and breaking it down into manageable steps (Scott, 2010). In a true Orff pedagogical ideal, the teacher/therapist is a facilitator of the process rather than a director (Shamrock, 1986). Media in Orff pedagogy include chants or poetry; singing, such as call and response songs, singing games, folk songs, or composed songs; and movement including body percussion or dance: interpretive, improvisational, folk, or choreographed (American Orff-Schulwerk Association, 2014b; Colwell et al., 2008). Instruments in the Orff Instrumentarium include xylophones, metallaphones,

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glockenspiels, unpitched percussion, recorders, and other available instruments and sound sources such as ukuleles and ethnic instruments (Colwell et al., 2008).

Overall, Orff is a play-based approach to music and movement experiences. Orff pedagogy taps into the natural instincts of the child’s world through exploring and manipulating the sounds and kinesthetic stimulus she sees and feels in her environment as guided by the therapist/teacher/facilitator. Through this structured, yet dynamic and exploratory play, parents, teachers, and therapists can develop and facilitate easy to implement, practical, and engaging activities to support the development of their child.

Putting it to Practice Designing a quality Orff-based music therapy intervention requires a multi-step and well-thought out plan (Detmer, 2015). It requires the facilitator

•

• •

• •

to identify the target behavior(s) to be addressed (e.g., an academic skill such as counting or rhyming, a social skill such as appropriate greetings or sharing, or a behavior within the other domains including communication, sensorimotor, or physiological); to determine which Orff techniques will be used and what media will be necessary; to identify how the music, or other media, will be structured in a therapeutic manner to facilitate optimal change; considerations include rhythm, tempo, melody, dynamics, lyrics, form, and harmony (Hanson-Abromeit, 2015); to create a task analysis, or detailed step by step process/procedure for how to implement the intervention; and to consider adaptations that may be necessary, or potential extensions that could be employed to enhance the intervention.

An example to map out this design is provided in Figure 1.

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Figure 1.

Orff-Based Intervention Planning Tool

Watch video of an Off-based music therapy activity at https://youtu.be/I4KonBOyx5o

In the video, an Orff-based music therapy activity is implemented to improve children’s ability to hastily get in a line and maintain impulse control during transitions.

The activity begins with a discussion about animals at the zoo, which sets up the reading (chanting) of the

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storybook Down By The Station by Will Hillenbrand (1999). First, movement is introduced to mimic the animals, followed by identifying a lyrical cue in the story’s chant. This cue prompts the children to get in a single-file line - the primary target behavior of this activity. Another lyrical cue is taught to get the children back in a seated position on the floor, allowing the facilitator to give the next set of instructions. Various instruments are then introduced. The children's instrumental exploration and improvisation are then layered into the storybook reading. Some bars of the xylophones and metallaphones are removed to create a pentatonic scale in order for the improvisation to better fit into the melody of the book’s chorus. An adaptation for getting in a seated line is taught, adhering to the previously taught cue phrase. Finally, the chorus is used as a transition for removing instruments and move on to the next activity.

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Conclusion Children learn from play and exploration. Music-based play, particularly that achieved through Orff pedagogy, is one way to engage children in music making while simultaneously enhancing their developmental growth.

Orff-based music therapy activities can be multi-faceted, highly engaging, and easily adapted to address children’s abilities and skills across all developmental domain areas.

References American Orff-Schulwerk Association. (2014a). More on Orff Schulwerk. Retrieved from http://aosa.org/ about/more-on-orff-schulwerk/ American Orff-Schulwerk Association. (2014b). The teaching process. Retrieved from http://aosa.org/ about/what-is-orff-schulwerk/the-teaching-process/ Colwell, C. (2005). An Orff approach to music therapy.

The Orff Echo, 38(1), 19-21.

Colwell, C. M., Achey Pehotsky, C., Grillmeister, G., & Woolrich, J. (2008). The Orff approach to music therapy. In A. A. Darrow (Ed.), Introduction to approaches in music therapy (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association, Inc. Colwell, C. M., Edwards, R., Hernandez, E., & Brees, K. (2013). Impact of music therapy interventions (listening, composition, Orff-based) on the physiological and psychosocial behaviors of hospitalized children: A feasibility study. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 28(3), 249-257.

Colwell, C. (2014). Early Childhood Music Programs: American Orff-Schulwerk Association. imagine, 5(1), 97-98.

Detmer, M. R. (2018). Music therapy in educational settings. In O. S. Yinger (Ed.), Music therapy: research and evidenced-based practice (pp. 29-45).

St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

Detmer, M. R. (2015). Orff-based music therapy: Addressing anxiety and beyond. Paper presented at the American Music Therapy Association Conference, Kansas City, MO. Hanson-Abromeit, D. (2015). A conceptual methodology to define the therapeutic function of music. Music Therapy Perspectives, 33(1), 25–38.

Hillenbrand, W. (1999). Down by the station. San Diego, CA: Voyager Books, Harcourt, Inc.

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Hilliard, R. E. (2007). The effects of Orff-based music therapy and social work groups on childhood grief symptoms and behaviors. Journal of Music Therapy, 44(2), 123-138.

Scott, J. K. (2010). Orff schulwerk teacher educators’ beliefs about singing (Doctoral dissertation, University of Rochester). Retrieved from http:// hdl.handle.net/1802/19349 Shamrock, M. (1986). Orff Schulwerk: An integrated foundation. Music Educators Journal, 72(6), 51-55.

About the Authors Michael R. Detmer, M.M.E., MTBC (NICU-MT) co-founder of Innovative Therapeutix, Inc. is a NICU music therapist and adjunct professor at University of Louisville and Norton Women’s and Children’s Hospital in Louisville, KY. He is a fellow for the National Institute for Infant & Child Medical Music Therapy and an active music therapy clinician and researcher with infants and young children.

Contact: michael.detmer@louisville.edu

Robert Amchin, Ph.D. is a distinguished teaching professor of music education and coordinator of the Music Education concentration at University of Louisville in Kentucky. He is an internationally recognized Orff teacher whose training includes studies at the Orff Institute (Salzburg), New England Conservatory of Music, Memphis State University, Hofstra University, Hamline University, and the University of Michigan.

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The Significance of Culture in Developmental Play

“In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and – SNAP! – the job’s a game!”

– Spoonful of Sugar, from Mary Poppins Jonathan Tang, MT-BC Florida Hospital Orlando Orland, Florida

Play is an integral part of everyday childhood activities in most cultural communities around the world. The role of play in society, however, is still a matter of contention amongst scholars. Some assert that play is a universal characteristic of human development (Göncü & Gaskins, 2006), while others argue that play is a socially-situated cultural activity (Pufall & Pufall, 2008; Roopnarine, 2011; Russ, 2014; van Oers, 2012). Nevertheless, scholars recognize the importance of play to the developing child.

The purpose of this article is twofold: 1) to discuss the significance of culture in developmental play; and 2) to offer suggestions for culturally competent music therapy practice in developmental play.

Culture and Play Before discussing the significance of culture in developmental play, one needs to understand what is “culture” and “play.” Defining culture is a complex process as it is not a uniform phenomenon that can be characterized by one essential element. There are many forms of culture, each with its own beliefs, ideas, values, moral rules, symbols, and rituals (Cohen, 2009). One definition of culture is a “unique meaning and information system, shared by a group and transmitted across

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generations that allows them to meet basic needs of survival, pursue happiness, and derive meaning from life” (Matsumoto & Juang, 2007, p. 12). For the purposes of this discussion, van Oers's (2012) conception of culture as a “family of historically developed expectations in the members of a community about acceptable varieties of acting in their community” (p.

940) is more applicable.

Defining play is an equally challenging task. That is because play is situated within constantly evolving social and economic circumstances, cultural beliefs and practices, family structural arrangements, and modes of production. These factors have a tremendous impact on the expressions of play, the determination of play partners, and the settings in which play occurs.

Accordingly, Roopnarine (2011) defined play as “both culturally framed and unframed activities that are subsumed under the umbrella of ‘playfulness’” (p. 20).

Playfulness encompasses childhood and parent-child play activities that co-occur during caregiving. Moreover, playfulness happens in children’s encounters with different individuals and objects within specific developmental niches. Therefore the impact of culture on developmental play cannot be understated.

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Culture and Beliefs about Play Culture influences beliefs about play that are intricately connected to attitudes and behaviors of parent-child interactions. In the U.S., play is thought to be a central component of the parental role, and parents are engaged as active partners to promote cognitive and social skills (Russ, 2014). Mothers attempt to establish a sense of independence and autonomy by feeding their infants on demand, insisting on a regular routine for their infants to sleep alone, and encouraging their infants’ independence in exploring. In the Italian context, play is considered to be the child’s own activity. Play is considered a “natural” thing more than a way of promoting competence. Italian mothers also engage in more social interactions such as frequent looking at and talking to their young infants.

These behaviors are likely linked to cultural values of interpersonal interdependency and relatedness. In East Indian, Guatemalan, Mayan, and Mexican cultures, mothers do not consider themselves appropriate play partners for their children, and are therefore much less involved and engaged in playing with their children (Vandermaas-Peeler, 2002). These differing attitudes demonstrate how cultural beliefs about play are intricately connected to attitudes and behaviors of parent-child interactions.

Culture and Play Behaviors Culture also influences the expression of play behaviors in children. Göncü, Mistry, and Mosier (2000) examined differences in the social play of toddlers from Guatemala, Turkey, India, and the U.S. Social play occurred in all cultures, suggesting that play occurs universally.

However, they found cultural variations in the frequency and partners of social play, as well as cultural variation in the types of play. Toddlers from Turkey and the U.S. engaged in more dyadic play than toddlers from Guatemala and India who engaged in more group play.

Regarding types of play, toddlers from Turkey and the U.S. engaged in more pretend and language play as well as games while exploring novel objects and during free activity than did toddlers in the other communities.

Edwards (2000) performed a comprehensive reanalysis of the Six Cultures data on children’s play collected in the 1950s. She found that children from Kenya and India scored lowest overall, those from Philippines and Mexico scored intermediate, and those from Japan and the U.S.

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scored highest as engaging in creative-constructive play, fantasy play, role play, and games with rules. These studies demonstrate how cultural norms and opportunities interact with physical and social environments in determining play behaviors in children.

Culture and Neuroscience The pervasiveness of cultural influences on development is evident in the burgeoning field of cultural neuroscience in developmental psychology. Coll (2004) asserted the importance of culture and biology interactions in developmental processes. Brain development, such as neuronal sculpting, neuronal death, and synaptic pruning, is contingent on cultural interactions with the environment. Brain imaging studies revealed that different cultural groups use different parts of the brain to achieve the same goal, as well as the same part of the brain in different ways (Miller & Kinsbourne, 2012). For instance, Westerners employed the medial prefrontal cortex to represent only the individual self, whereas Chinese participants utilized the same brain area to represent both the self and close others. These examples indicate a pervasiveness of cultural influences on brain development.

Conclusion In conclusion, play is essentially a cultural phenomenon.

Universal claims about play may fail to recognize the contrasting realities of childhood experiences and the cultural forces that may help shape caregivers’ ideas about play and early learning, and children’s role in their own play. Being a socially-situated cultural activity, the impact of culture on developmental play cannot be understated. All in all, culture plays an important role in developmental play.

References Cohen, A. B. (2009). Many forms of culture. American Psychologist, 64(3), 194-204.

Coll, C. G. (2004). The interpenetration of culture and biology in human development. Research in Human Development, 1(3), 145-159.

Edwards, C. P. (2000). Children’s play in cross-cultural perspective: A new look at the Six Cultures study.

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Cross-Cultural Research: The Journal of Comparative Social Science, 34(4), 318-338.

Göncü, A., & Gaskins, S. (Eds.). (2006). Play and development: Evolutionary, sociocultural, and functional perspectives. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.

Göncü, A., Mistry, J., & Mosier, C. (2000). Cultural variations in the play of toddlers. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 24(3), 321-329.

Matsumoto, D., & Juang, L. (2007). Culture and psychology (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing.

Miller, J. G., & Kinsbourne, M. (2012). Culture and neuroscience in developmental psychology: Contributions and challenges. Child Development Perspectives, 6(1), 35-41.

Pufall, P. B., & Pufall, E. (2008). The relationship between play and culture. Human Development, 51(5-6), 390-398.

Riojas-Cortez, M. (2011). Culture, play, and family: Supporting children on the autism spectrum.

Young Children, 66(5), 94-99.

Roopnarine, J. L. (2011). Cultural variations in beliefs about play, parent-child play, and children’s play: Meaning for childhood development. In A. D. Pellegrini (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of the development of play (pp. 19–37). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.

Russ, S. W. (2014). Play, culture, and the modern world. In Pretend play in childhood: Foundation of adult creativity, (pp. 153-171). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. van Oers, B. (2012). Culture in play. In J. Valsiner (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of culture and psychology (pp. 936-956). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Vandermaas-Peeler, M. (2002). Cultural variations in parental support of children’s play. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 6(1).

Clinical Applications and Suggestions

About the Author

• • • •

Jonathan Tang, MT-BC is a music therapist at Florida Hospital Orlando, serving patients from birth through end of life. His research interests include multicultural issues in music therapy and music therapy in rehabilitation.

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Given these insights, two suggestions are offered for culturally competent music therapy practice in developmental play. First, music therapists should explore their own cultural attitudes regarding beliefs about play and parent-child interactions before working with culturally-diverse families. Awareness of one’s personal biases may prevent erroneous assumptions and misleading assessments of parentchild relationships and child development within the context of play. Additionally, personal insight may facilitate cultural humility when interacting with culturally-diverse families.

Second, music therapists should utilize families’ “funds of knowledge” to devise culturally appropriate interventions. “Funds of knowledge” refers to skills, traditions, and the practices that help children develop and grow using the family’s cultural knowledge (Riojas-Cortez, 2011). Examples include musical materials (both songs and instruments), culturespecific games and activities, culturally-appropriate terms of endearment, and culturally-consonant ways of interacting with peers and adults. Dialoguing with parents about expectations regarding music therapy can also help guide the therapeutic process.

Finally, music therapists can consult online resources such as those listed below to bolster one’s knowledge of world music and traditions. However, there are several caveats: The client and family should be respected as the experts of their culture, music therapists should be cautious of potential cultural appropriation, and these resources should not the beall and end-all of cultural knowledge. Culture is dynamic and fluid; cultural competency is an active, developmental, and ongoing process.

The Children’s Music Network International Children’s Digital Library: A Library for the World’s Children Mama Lisa’s World: International Music and Culture The World Federations of Music Therapy: International Library of Music

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R AM A D Setting the Scene: Dramatic Play in Inclusive PerformanceBased Music Therapy

Katie Martin, MT-BC Amy Kurowski-Burt, MOT, OTR/L West Virginia University Morgantown, West Virginia Developing and maintaining friendships is a crucial, but diďŹƒcult element of childhood. Research has shown that all children may have diďŹƒculty developing meaningful connections and will experience rejection by their peers at some time during early childhood (Odom, 2002). This diďŹƒculty is magnified when children have disabilities, particularly with inclusive relationships with peers without disabilities. Hestenes and Carroll (2000) examined play interactions of young children with and without disabilities, and found that children needed to have the skills to initiate and maintain an interaction, as well as the desire to do so, in order to develop friendships. They also found that typically-developing children were more likely to play with other typical peers, and those who did interact with children with disabilities had previous experience with children with special needs.

This article describes the DreamCatchers program which was designed as a peer-mediated intervention involving musical and dramatic cooperative play to build relationships between children with and without disabilities.

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The Program

The DreamCatchers program was developed by an interdisciplinary team of music therapists, occupational therapists (OT), special education teachers, and college students at West Virginia University (WVU). Participants included 29 children, ages 5 to 16 years, with and without disabilities. The disabilities represented in the program included autism spectrum disorder, Usher syndrome, visual impairment, selective mutism, spina bifida, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and emotional/behavioral disorders. Each participant had a college student buddy (ages 18-27) from academic programs including music therapy, occupational therapy, and other related healthcare fields, and several also had a peer buddy of similar age. During the first meeting, an ice cream social, participants, parents, and siblings engaged in active music making and pretend play through drumming, improvisation, and group cohesion games. Each subsequent meeting during the first semester included three elements presented in large and small group formats: 1) a music therapy intervention, 2) an OT intervention, and 3) performance learning.

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Music Therapy Interventions Music therapy interventions were designed to facilitate interactions and connections. Activities such as improvisation, instrument play, and movement to music allowed for non-verbal interactions and supported the exploration and expression of emotions. Simple songwriting encouraged individuals to express themselves within the large group and provided an opportunity for control and leadership. Greeting songs offered necessary structure and support for transitions.

Occupational Therapy Interventions The OT interventions addressed fine and gross motor skills, sensory processing, attention, following directions, and social skills, all necessary to engage in age-appropriate play. Examples of interventions included coffee filter flowers craft, obstacle courses, and farm animal group crafts. During these activities, the children were encouraged to request items from their peers and assist those who needed it.

Therapeutic use of self, a set of strategies that uses the self as a therapeutic tool to promote play (Parham & Fazio, 1997), was included in all aspects of the program.

Some common methods used include initiation of play and playful attitudes by the adults, support for focused attention, assistance for task completion with encouragement and positive feedback, support for peer interactions, and use of cues to ensure the child’s level of comfort and security.

Watch video of the DreamCatchers program at https://youtu.be/9cp3m0da3Bc

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Performance Learning The final element of the program was performance learning.

Participants worked together to stage a musical about inclusion, culminating in a performance of the show.

Learning new songs, dance numbers, and staging required participants to engage in cooperative play to create a successful final product. Exploring ways to move across the stage, imitating different reactions to character conversations, and finding peer partners to socialize with took purposeful joint effort by the entire cast of young children.

The interdisciplinary team used structured and unstructured dramatic play throughout the program.

There are many benefits of dramatic play including creative problem solving, improved language skills, opportunity for emotional expression, developed literacy skills, and abstract thinking (Cecchini, 2007).

Unstructured activities, such as charades and pretend play, gave the children opportunities to demonstrate their emotions and creative thinking. Children were challenged to express their ideas through these activities with little pressure or expectation. Structured activities, such as working the scenes of the show, provided opportunities for the participants to understand how to appropriately react to others and what is happening around them.

Group leaders often discussed the meaning of the scenes and what the characters were doing to help the children gain understanding into the actions and words of the characters of the story.

Another important aspect of dramatic play is social behavior. Stepping into the shoes of a character and imagining what they would do, say, or feel may help children to develop an understanding of other people around them (Hughes, 1999; Goldstein & Bloom, 2007).

Dramatic play during the program allowed participants to practice expressing emotions such as doubt, anger, fear, and grief in a safe and supportive environment. During rehearsals, children were encouraged to not only say

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their lines, but also to convey the meaning and emotion.

For children with and without disabilities, self-regulation of these complex emotions can be very important.

The Story On the Other Side of the Fence is a story of two feuding farmers whose properties are literally and metaphorically separated by a large fence. Because of their stubbornness and obvious differences, Farmer Franklin and Farmer Fred have forbidden their animals to communicate with one another. Despite the animosity between the farmers, two pigs from the opposing farms become good friends and decide to run away as they do not understand why the farmers find their friendship unacceptable.

Adaptations The staff of DreamCatchers frequently incorporated accommodations and adaptations to ensure that each child was able to interact with their environment and their peers appropriately. The use of the buddy system demonstrated effective therapeutic use of self for all the participants. Buddies also provided physical cues and 1:1 assistance for those with physical limitations.

Children with sensory processing and attention difficulties were provided with individualized modifications (e.g., weighted stuffed animal, fidget necklace, individualized scripts) to help them engage more fully, especially during the large group activities.

Visual cues ranged from diagrams of blocking, marks on the floor, and use of mirrors for dancing. Children were encouraged to be themselves. Parents reported feeling grateful their child could be who they are without strict behavior expectations.

Closing the Curtain Throughout the DreamCatchers process, parents, siblings, therapists, and students observed and recognized the connections made between children of all abilities when meaningful play interactions are encouraged. The value of inclusive play activities for children with and without disabilities is of utmost importance for quality of life, healthy participation, and development.

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References Cecchini, M. E. (2007). How dramatic play can enhance learning. Retrieved from http:// www.earlychildhoodnews.com/earlychildhood/ article_view.aspx?ArticleID=751 Goldstein, T. R., & Bloom, P. (2007). The mind on stage: Why cognitive scientists should study acting. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 15(4), 141-142.

Hughes, F. P. (1999). Children, play, and evelopment (3rd ed.). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Kavanaugh, R. D., & Engel, S. (1998). The development of pretense and narrative in early childhood. In O. N. Saracho & B. Spodek (Eds.), Multiple perspectives on play in early childhood education (pp. 80- 99).

Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Kopp, C., Baker, B., & Brown, K. (1992). Social skills and their correlates: Preschoolers with developmental delays. American Journal on Mental Retardation, 96, 357-366.

Law, M. (2002). Participation in the occupations of everyday life. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56(6), 640-649.

Odom, S. L., Brown, W. H., Schwartz, I. S., Zercher, C., & Sandall S. R. (2002). Classroom ecology and child participation. In S. Odom (Ed.), Widening the circle: Including children with disabilities in preschool programs (pp. 25-45). New York: Teachers College Press Parham, L. D., & Fazio, L. S. (1997). Play in occupational therapy for children. St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

About the Authors Katie Martin, MT-BC is the music therapist at the Center for Excellence in Disabilities (CED) at West Virginia University. She developed the CED’s music therapy clinic in 2017 and is the director of the DreamCatchers Program.

Contact: katiemartin.mtbc@gmail.com Amy Kurowski Burt, MOT, OTR/L is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Occupational Therapy at West Virginia University. Her primary area of focus is pediatrics, specifically autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing, and community participation.

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L P AY Playfulness in Music Therapy Sessions Julie Andring Ph.D., MT-BC Lesley University Northfield, Cincinnati

When describing what a musician does, one might say that the person “plays music.” It is a short jump from there to describe what children might do in a music therapy session—engage in playful activities with a therapeutic goal. Given a positive attitude by the music therapist, the encouragement to explore, and a carefully planned structure of activities, music therapy sessions can easily incorporate numerous moments of playfulness. This article provides ideas for music therapists to embed the following play-based strategies into early childhood music therapy group sessions: ➡ Structured Group Tasks ➡ Making Choices ➡ Music Games ➡ Playing Instruments

Structured Group Tasks

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Social Interaction and Play. Carefully planned music activities can encourage playful interactions between children. For example, choose songs that lead to sharing of favorite foods or places to go to learn more about each other; invite children to partner up in dancing together or playing an instrument.

Work Together. Jump rope drumming can motivate children to work together. Gather one jump rope per child, and tie them all together at one end in a large knot. Have the children stand in a circle, each holding one end of a jump rope, with a children’s

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gathering drum placed under the knot. Have the children work together to move the knot up and down to play the drum.

Making Choices

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Provide Choices. Offering choices increases children’s ownership of the activity. Think of playful ways to give choices! For example, display picture cards with activities in a cube with clear pockets and roll it to children; have children pick picture cards out of a drum; or use a spinner displaying various activities.

Toss the Bean Bag. A useful game to determine the sequence of activities is a bean bag toss. Place large circles with assigned music activities on the floor (see example in Figure 1). Have children take turns tossing a bean bag, attempting to have it land on a given colored circle.

Play Instruments

Sing A Song

Move To Music

Listen to Music

Figure 1.

Bean Bag Toss Display

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➡

Find the Egg. A playful variation of making choices and determine the sequence of activities is the egg search. Attach picture cards of activity choices to egg shakers and hide them around the room.

Support each child to find an egg and put the activities in order of the eggs found.

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➡ Music Games

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Name the Tune. A universally known music game is “Name that Tune.” Sing the first phrase of a wellknown children’s song and ask children to guess its name. Sing the song together after the correct name is determined.

Play Song Bingo. A favorite game played in the U.S. is Bingo. Create Bingo cards with pictures representing a predetermined selection of familiar songs. Play or sing the beginning line of one of the songs. Once the song is identified, have the child find the corresponding picture and mark it off on the Bingo card.

Fill the Blank. Another well-known music game is “Fill in the Blank.” Sing the first part of a line of a song, leaving off the last phrase or word. Let children fill in the word individually or as a group.

Playing Instruments

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Pass Around the Circle. Playing instruments offers a variety of ways to give and take. For example, each child chooses an instrument to start; at intervals throughout the song, give a cue to pass the instrument to the left, then to the right; at the end each child gives and takes an instrument.

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Play in the Circle. Playing instruments gives children the opportunity to be temporary leaders. Create a circle and have one child in the middle playing the tambourine. Determine how long each turn will be, then cue the child to trade places and give the tambourine to someone else for their turn to play.

Freeze in the Circle. Playing instruments allows children to be in control of a group’s action. Choose one child to play a drum and have all others move to the beat. Freeze in position when the drummer stops playing.

In Summary Music and play go hand in hand. Whether embedded in structured group tasks, choice making games, music games, or instrument play, playful activities are beneficial for children of all abilities. Music therapists are encouraged to develop creative play ideas to support children’s learning and development.

References Andring, J. (2017, November). Facilitating social interaction for individuals at interactive or cooperative level of play. Paper presented at the AMTA National Conference, St. Louis, MO.

About the Author Julie Andring, Ph.D., MT-BC has been a music therapy clinician for more than 30 years. She works with individuals with intellectual disabilities of all ages.

Contact: jamusictherapy@optonline.net

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Music-Based Play Interventions for Young Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

A traumatic experience is "a frightening, dangerous, or violent event that poses a threat to a child’s life or bodily integrity” (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d.). Medical/surgical procedures, resettlement, interpersonal violence, and neglect are all types of traumatic events experienced in early childhood.

Children need safe, stable, and nurturing relationships with a primary caregiver; without these the child becomes vulnerable to effects of trauma (Turner et al., 2012). For children under age five, the risk of long-term effects due to traumatic events is particularly high.

Initial symptoms of trauma may include disturbed sleep, increased irritability, difficulty concentrating, exaggerated startle responses, increased physical aggression, changes in eating and sleeping patterns, separation anxiety, not reaching developmental milestones, and poor academic performance. Children may also avoid triggers, maintain a constant state of alertness, have diminished interactions with people, and have a

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Margaret R. Scheppmann, MT-BC, Taylor Chapman, MT-BC, Emma Powers, MT-BC, and Olivia Swedberg Yinger P.hD., MT-BC University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

diminished interest in play or other activities.

Misdiagnoses and a lack of appropriate or adequate help for the victim can lead to PTSD, anxiety, behavior disorders and substance abuse in later life. Further physical symptoms like autoimmune disorders, headaches, heart disease, and cancer have also been linked to early childhood trauma (Buss, Warren, & Horton, 2015).

One of the main goals of many evidence-based treatment modalities for childhood trauma (e.g., traumafocused cognitive behavioral therapy, child-parent psychotherapy, and attachment and biobehavioral catchup) is to foster a secure attachment between the child and the primary caregiver (Dozier, 2003). Positive, secure attachments with caregivers have been linked to increased social skills, greater self-esteem, a more positive outlook, greater ability to regulate stress, and positive health and lifestyle choices (World Health Organization, 2009). In light of this research, music therapy may play an important role in promoting secure attachments between caregivers and children who have experienced trauma. This article describes how musicbased play can be used to help reduce the effects of trauma from medical/surgical procedures, resettlement, and interpersonal violence or neglect.

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Medical/Surgical Trauma Experiencing invasive surgical or medical interventions during early childhood can be particularly frightening when a child is unable to fully comprehend the necessity of a procedure. Common goals a music therapist will address in this setting include improving or maintaining a child’s emotional state and increasing the incidence and opportunities for positive social interaction between parent and child (Gooding, Yinger, & Iocono, 2016).

Included here are two examples of objectives along with music-based interventions that could be used by music therapists to address the needs of young children and their caregiver(s) in preoperative care.

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Objective A: Child will exhibit positive interactions with a caregiver by the conclusion of the session.

Music therapists can normalize an unfamiliar environment by facilitating music-based play interactions between child and caregiver that are familiar and communicate safety. By providing positive interactions between caregiver and child, music therapists can reduce the possibility of a child associating an unpleasant situation with their caregiver.

Objective B: Caregivers will provide effective comfort measures to child by the conclusion of the session. When possible, encouraging a caregiver to hold their child is a simple way to facilitate caregiver-to-child comfort measures. Music therapists may also provide a small “song menu” for caregivers to pick a song to sing to their child. Lyrics can be provided if needed, and the music therapist can play musical accompaniment if desired.

Suggested songs include a) I Love You by Barney and Friends, b) Skiddamarink by Feist and Piantadosi, and c) You are My Sunshine by Davis and Mitchell with lyrics changed to improve the overall message of the song.

Trauma of Resettlement Young children and families who have relocated to a new country face numerous stressors, which may include a lack of fulfillment of their basic needs, learning a new language and new customs, and separation from their social networks (Birman et al., 2005). When working with children experiencing trauma during resettlement,

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addressing a child’s needs for attachment and belonging encourages the development of “positive social and cultural identities” (NGO Committee on Migration, 2016, p. 3). Music-based play interventions can help to create a safe and accepting environment that is culturally appropriate (Davis & Pereira, 2014). Music therapists can create opportunities for caregivers and children to bond, while choice-making opportunities and caregiver education help develop a sense of self-advocacy and empowerment for children and adults. The following two potential music therapy objectives target social interactions and independent music play of the caregiver and child.

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Objective A: Child and caregiver will exhibit positive social interactions with each other while participating in music-based play interventions.

Musical experiences could include making egg shakers by filling toy eggs with beans, participating in fingerplays, or clapping games. For instance, teaching the caregiver and child the motions to a song like A Ram Sam Sam (Moroccan traditional children song), which could involve clapping each other’s hands, provides opportunities for positive touch.

Objective B: Caregiver will independently lead the child through a music-based play intervention at least one time by the end of the session. Enabling the caregiver to lead a music experience themselves provides a meaningful way to connect with the child and develop a deeper relationship. By employing coaching strategies such as joint interaction, demonstration, guided practice with feedback, and caregiver practice with feedback, music therapists can scaffold interventions during sessions to build the caregiver’s capacity to guide interactions on their own (Communication and Early Childhood Research and Practice Center, n.d.).

Complex Developmental Trauma Young children who have been in foster care or an orphanage have often experienced complex developmental trauma, defined as “the experience of multiple, chronic, and prolonged, developmentally adverse traumatic events most often of an interpersonal nature” (van der Kolk, 2005, p. 402). Three important goals within trauma-informed care are a) increasing the

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child’s feelings of safety, b) promoting connections with nurturing caregivers, and c) teaching emotion and impulse management (Bath, 2008). Establishing routines is one way to help children with complex developmental trauma feel safe and secure (Kinniburgh, Blaustein, & Spinazzola, 2005; Purvis, Cross, Dansereau, & Parris, 2013). Music-based interventions can be used to help reach each of the three primary goals of trauma-informed care. Here are two examples of music therapy objectives related to trauma-informed care, along with music-based interventions for use with young children and their caregiver(s).

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Objective A: Caregiver and child will engage positively in music-based interventions that include demonstrations of affection for each other and can be incorporated within their daily routine.

Caillat) or When You Feel so Mad You Want to Roar from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Safe and Strong displayed in Figure 1 is a short musical mantra that young children can learn to sing when they are scared or anxious (melody by Olivia Yinger, lyrics adapted from the Song of Resolve by Echterling & Stewart, 2014, p. 228).

Figure 1. Song example for deep breathing technique.

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI; see a Routine Song Ways to Incorporate Play and Demonstrate Affection Purvis et al., 2013) and Getting This is the Way the Attachment, Self• Invite the child to sit in the caregiver’s lap while putting on dressed We Get Dressed the child’s clothes.

Regulation, Competency (Super Simple • Rock from side to side while singing and dressing, Songs) allowing the child to tell you when to “stop” (singing and (ARC; see Kinniburgh et rocking) and “go.” al., 2005) framework Brushing teeth Brush your Teeth • Take turns brushing the child’s teeth. While the child (Raffi) brushes during verse 1, the caregiver dances; roles provide two wellswitch on verse 2. This can allow toddlers or young respected, evidencechildren to learn to brush independently while allowing the caregiver to ensure that teeth are adequately cleaned. based approaches to Bath time Chorus from • Teach the child to wash different parts of their body and Scrub-a-dub-dub then play “Simon Says” (e.g., “Simon says wash your working with children who (Mother Goose arms, Simon says wash your legs,” etc.). have complex Club) • When bath time is over, wrap the child in a towel and cradle and sing to them while smiling. Children who developmental trauma. missed out on these experiences as an infant may benefit Music therapists working from pretending to be a baby with a nurturing caregiver. with children who have Some children who have been abused or neglected may not initially be able to tolerate certain types of touch from caregivers or been in foster care or may startle if they are touched unexpectedly. Not all of these strategies will be appropriate for every child. orphanages and their

families will find that Table 1. music-based interventions Interventions to Address Felt Safety and Promote Healing Relationships (Objective A) can readily be incorporated within these and other approaches to help promote healing in children who have ➡ Ojective B: Caregiver and child will practice experienced complex developmental trauma. music-based coping strategies (e.g., a song to a

promote deep breathing). There are music videos appropriate for toddlers and young children that teach deep breathing techniques and anger management strategies, like Belly Breathe from Sesame Street (with Elmo, Common, and Colby

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Suggestions for Further Research Research on music therapy as a treatment for trauma in early childhood is currently limited. Further research is needed to investigate the use of music therapy

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interventions with young children who have experienced trauma. Lacking music therapy research, music therapists, caregivers, and other professionals are encouraged to become familiar with literature from other fields, including developmental psychology and social work. Literature on play therapy includes numerous evidence-based interventions that can be adapted for use in music therapy. Regardless of the type of trauma or setting, music therapists can create interventions that foster secure attachment between caregivers and children, thereby mitigating the negative effects of childhood trauma.

References Bath, H. (2008). The three pillars of trauma-informed care. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 17, 17-12.

Birman, D., Ho, J., Pulley, E., Batia, K., Everson, M., Ellis, H., . . . Gonzalez, A. (2005). Mental health interventions for refugee children in resettlement: White paper II. Retrieved from https:// www.nctsn.org/resources/mental-healthinterventions-refugee-children-resettlement-whitepaper-ii Buss, K. E., Warren, J. M., & Horton, E. (2015). Trauma and treatment in early childhood: A review of the historical and emerging literature for counselors. The Professional Counselor, 5, 225-237. doi:10.15241/ keb.5.2.225 Communication and Early Childhood Research and Practice Center. (n.d.) Coaching strategies.

Retrieved from http://fgrbi.fsu.edu/approach/ approach5.html Davis, E. S., & Pereira, J. K. (2014). Child-centered play therapy: A creative approach to culturally competent counseling. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 9, 262-274. doi:10.1080/15401383.2014.892863 Dozier, M. (2003). Attachment-based treatment for vulnerable children. Attachment and Human Development, 5, 253-257.

Echterling, L. G., & Stewart, A. L. (2014). Creative crisis intervention techniques with children and families. In C. A. Malchiodi (Ed.), Creative interventions with traumatized children (pp. 213-234). New York: The Guildford Press.

Gooding, L. F., Yinger, O. S., & Iocono, J. (2016).

Preoperative music therapy for pediatric ambulatory surgery patients: A retrospective case series. Music

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Therapy Perspectives, 34, 191-199. doi:10.1093/ mtp/miv031 Kinniburgh, K. J., Blaustein, M., & Spinazzola, J. (2005).

Attachment, self-regulation, and competency: A comprehensive intervention framework for children with complex trauma. Psychiatric Annals, 35, 424-430.

Purvis, K. B., Cross, D. R., Dansereau, D. F., & Parris, S. R. (2013). Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI): A systemic approach to complex developmental trauma. Child & Youth Services, 34, 360–386. doi: 10.1080/0145935X.2013.859906 National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d). What is a traumatic event? Retrieved from https:// www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/about-childtrauma NGO Committee on Migration. (2016). Positive effects of innovative early childhood development programs on refugee youth resilience. Retrieved from http:// www.unhcr.org/584696994.pdf Turner, H. A., Finkelhor, D., Ormrod, R., Hamby, S., Leeb, R. T., Mercy, J. A., & Holt, M. (2012). Family context, victimization, and child trauma symptoms: Variations in safe, stable, and nurturing relationships during early and middle childhood. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 82, 209-219. doi:10.1111/j.

1939-0025.2012.01147.x van der Kolk, B. A. (2005). Developmental trauma disorder: Toward a rational diagnosis for children with complex trauma histories. Psychiatric Annals, 35, 401-408. doi:10.3928/00485713-20050501-06 World Health Organization. (2009). Preventing violence through the development of safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers. Geneva: World Health Organization.

About the Authors Margaret R. Scheppmann, MT-BC, Taylor Chapman, MTBC, and Emma Powers, MT-BC are currently pursuing their master's in music therapy at the University of Kentucky under the mentorship of Olivia Swedberg Yinger, Ph.D., MT-BC. Their interest in this topic stems from their clinical work and Dr. Yinger’s personal experience as a foster parent.

Contact: maggie.scheppmann@uky.edu

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R A T S ➡

Parenting is hard. Even if the child has the easiest temperament and the parents have all of the knowledge and resources they need, it is still hard. But what if there are more challenges, such as being a new immigrant or refugee family or a teen parent? What if there are even more challenges: Adverse childhood experiences, an unemployed or incarcerated parent, a family in poverty, or becoming homeless? Focusing on effective parenting becomes even more difficult. In these situations, a supportive community, with resources to meet parents’ individual needs, is crucial. This article describes Arts-In-Play, a playgroup that uses art, music, and dance to strengthen family bonds and build resilience.

Adverse Childhood Experiences Effective parenting is a key element of child mental and physical health, brain development, and the mitigation of effects of toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences. Positive relationships that must be built and nurtured are the cornerstone of effective parenting.

Shared, fun, and enriching play experiences build relationships and increase a parent’s capacity to parent.

However, many factors have reduced children’s access to free play, such as community safety concerns, passive entertainment with technology and media, and an increased emphasis on academic pursuits (Milteer, Ginsburg, & Mulligan, 2012). Moreover, for children living in poverty, access to play both during school and after

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Arts-In-Play: Playgroups to Build Family Resilience Julia Richerson, MD, FAAP Family Health Centers Louisville, Kentucky

school is disproportionately negatively impacted (Ginsburg, 2007).

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study identifies childhood experiences that are major risk factors for illness, death, and poor quality of life in the United States (CDC, 2016). Childhood adversity in states such as Kentucky is significant, with one in five children in the birth to age 5 range having experienced two or more adverse childhood experiences, compared to one in eight children nationally. The most common adverse childhood experiences among Kentucky’s children are economic hardship, divorce or separation of a parent or guardian, living with someone who has a problem with substance abuse, and living with a parent or guardian who is incarcerated (Kentucky Youth Advocates, 2017). Experts suggest that toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences should be prevented, and when they occur, the effects must be mitigated (Garner et al., 2012).

Resilient Families Helping families build resilience is essential (Center on the Developing Child, 2018). To achieve that goal, families say they often rely on their close community of family, friends, and faith community for support, while accessing social and medical services when needed.

Parents gave multiple responses when asked what was lacking in this framework and the supports and services they would like to see (Richerson, Pendleton, & Davis, 2016): They do not want parenting classes or workshops.

They want playgroups and fun activities to share with their families, to create memories and

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bonds, and to learn about each other in new ways.

They want shared family experiences in their communities, so their children will see familiar faces and the families can build a supportive group of peers.

Knowing that the arts is a excellent vehicle for play experiences, community arts-based playgroups were created to help parents develop positive parenting skills, build resilience and receive support in the community to be the best they can be.

Art-In-Play Groups The playgroups were structured around the Strengthening Families: A Protective Factors Framework.

Parental resiliency, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of child development, and the social and emotional competence of children are five protective factors that are essential to a strong family (CSSP, 2018). A key element of the playgroups is using music and movement to address each of these factors, while building in access to community resources for concrete support for families. The Nurturing Pathways (2016) curriculum has been a central element of the playgroups, using music and movement to build bonding and attachment as well as support healthy brain and body development. The importance of parents being their child’s first and best teacher, understanding concepts of early brain development, and recognizing the role of play, music, and movement in early brain development and bonding are major tenets of the curriculum. The following session outline describes the basic structure of the playgroup.

Arts-In-Play Sample Session Outline

10:00 am

Families gather, get settled, enter play area of room, and are welcomed by the instructor and group facilitator.

10:15 am

Instructor formally greets the group. For new families, and as a reminder for prior attendees, the instructor reviews the tenets of Nurturing Pathways®.

10:1511:00 am

Instructor leads arts activities, using props and other tools as desired, while providing ongoing instructional dialogue about the elements of the play and the positive impact on the growing brain. The instructor fully participates with hands-on demonstrations, while the facilitator participates and models positive adult-child interactions. A supportive environment is created to foster maximum participation.

11:00 am

Instructor and facilitator close group with instructions on home carryover for the activities throughout the week and invite families to attend again the next week.

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Overall, the Arts-in-Play playgroups have received positive attention in the local media (watch WHAS11 News Story) and have proven to be an effective way to build the bond between parents and their children.

References Center for the Study of Social Policy. (2018).

Strengthening families. Retrieved from https:// www.cssp.org/young-children-their-families/ strengtheningfamilies Center on the Developing Child. (2018). Resilience.

Retrieved from https://developingchild.harvard.edu/ science/key-concepts/resilience/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016).

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/ acestudy/ Garner, A. S., Shonkoff, J. P., Siegel, B. S., Dobbins. M. I., Earls, M. F., Garner, A. S.,...Wood, D. L. (2012).

Early childhood adversity, toxic stress, and the role of the pediatrician: Translating developmental science into lifelong health. Pediatrics, 129(1), e224e231. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-2662 Ginsburg, K. R. (2007). The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bonds. Pediatrics, 119(1), 182-191. doi: 10.1542/peds.2006-2697 Kentucky Youth Advocates. (2017). 2017 Kentucky Kids Count county data book. Jeffersontown, KY: Author.

Retrieved from https://kyyouth.org/kentucky-kidscount/ Milteer, R. M., Ginsburg, K. R., & Mulligan, D. A. (2012).

The importance of play in promoting healthy child development and maintaining strong parent-child bond: Focus on children in poverty. Pediatrics, 129(1), e204-e213. doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2953 Nurturing Pathways. (2016). Home page. Retrieved from https://www.nurturingpathways.com/ Richerson, J., Pendleton, A., & Davis, D. W. (2016). A community arts-based parent program. Clinical Pediatrics, 56(12), 1135-1141.

About the Author Julia Richerson, MD, FAAP is a general pediatrician serving families in Louisville, KY. She believes in the power of play in building strong families.

Contact: jricherson@fhclouisville.org

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Music Therapy and Child Life Co-Treatment: Reaching Medical Goals through Guided Play

Kelsey Lownds, MM, MT-BC Camille Fraser, MS, CCLS Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt Nashville, Tennessee

The Importance of Play in a Medical Setting Hospitalized children are given very few choices about their surroundings, treatment, or schedule. When play is introduced, the environment becomes familiar and comforting. Play is universal, spans many languages and cultures, and allows children to express emotions they may not be able to verbalize. It gives children the ability to explore the world they live in and find opportunities for control. It allows the hospitalized children to gain a sense of control and reenact events that were stressful or scary (Burns-Nader & Hernandez-Reif, 2016).

During hospitalizations, professionals such as child life specialists help patients and their families “cope with the stress and uncertainty of illness, injury and treatment” (Association of Child Life Professionals, 2018, para 1). Coping support is provided through normalization, developmentally appropriate preparation, education, and play. Medical play gives children the opportunity to become the doctor or the nurse who can care for stuffed animals or perform procedures they have experienced themselves. Medical play familiarizes

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patients with the medical supplies they see each day in hopes of decreasing anxiety and increasing positive coping skills by using medical equipment as props for play – anesthesia masks become bubble catchers, syringes become water guns, and stethoscopes become excellent elephant trunks.

A Music Therapy and Child Life Collaboration Case Study In many children’s hospitals, music therapists and child life specialists successfully collaborate on patient referrals and direct patient contact to provide the best care for patients and families. Goforth (2008) surveyed music therapists and child life specialists and found that normalization, decreasing anxiety, and decreasing emotional stress were the most common goals identified for collaboration. The following case study describes how a music therapist and a child life specialist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt (MCJCHV) worked together using music interventions and play techniques to meet medical goals, achieve developmental milestones, provide caregiver support, and ensure safety.

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Meet Jacob Jacob was a 4-year-old boy who had been admitted to the hospital for 6 months awaiting a heart transplant. His mother was present at the hospital with him during the day. Throughout his hospitalization, Jacob used imaginary play with his mother daily. He enjoyed having hockey tournaments with other patients and staff, taking trips to the “zoo,” golfing, performing the national anthem before “sporting events,” and being a doctor.

Jacob participated in both solitary and group play. He had previous experience with both the child life specialist (CCLS) and the music therapist (MT-BC).

The CCLS had supported him through procedures and provided normalization opportunities through play. She used a cardiac teaching puppet named Hank to provide opportunities for socialization, encourage Jacob to eat new foods and take medicine by mouth, and process hospital experiences. Jacob had expressed that the puppet was his best friend and frequently relied on him for social support. The MT-BC had used various music therapy interventions such as active music making, songwriting, relaxation, music-facilitated dramatic play, and procedural support throughout Jacob’s hospitalization. She addressed various goals with Jacob including emotional expression, coping, developmental support, anxiety management, and normalization. She assessed that Jacob learned and maintained information through song during his hospitalization and had previously written songs to help Jacob cope.

Collaboration for Success Jacob’s speech language pathologist referred him to child life as he was pocketing his food in his cheeks causing concern for choking. She had assessed that Jacob had the muscular ability to eat correctly and use his tongue to remove food from his cheek and stated that Jacob was choosing not to swallow his food and displayed frustration when asked to do so. After referral, the CCLS brought the teaching puppet and a mirror to Jacob’s room. As usual, he was thrilled to see the puppet and immediately requested to play. The CCLS engaged Jacob in recreational play before addressing the food pocketing. She used the puppet to talk to Jacob about his tongue and the ways that it moved: up, down, to the left, to the right, and really fast! Jacob attempted to

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move his tongue too, giggling at first, but quickly becoming frustrated when he tried to follow along. He only moved his tongue to the right side of his mouth. The CCLS used the mirror so that Jacob could see his tongue move side to side, but Jacob still did not move his tongue to the left and was nearing the point of becoming overly frustrated, so they went back to recreational play.

After this interaction, the CCLS consulted the MT-BC to discuss co-treatment options. The two professionals had never co-treated using the teaching puppet with Jacob before, but thought this would be the most successful way to work with Jacob on a frustrating skill. Both music therapy interventions and the teaching puppet could use elements of play, while also feeling familiar to Jacob, in hopes of meeting the goal faster to ensure his safety. The MT-BC determined the best way to incorporate music to address Jacob’s food pocketing was to write two original songs with repetitive lyrics, silly noises, and opportunities for movement, all of which were developmentally appropriate for Jacob’s age and effective for learning a new skill. The MT-BC taught these songs to the CCLS so that the puppet could sing along and further encourage Jacob to participate. Their plan for the collaborative session included the following play/music interventions: puppet play, music-facilitated dramatic play, and movement to music.

Child Life/Music Therapy Session The CCLS and MT-BC arrived the next day at Jacob’s room with the teaching puppet and guitar in hand. Jacob was thrilled to see them all, stating, “Are we all going to do music together?!” Jacob’s mother also joined in, and everyone sang the hello song. The MT-BC then introduced the Mouth Exercise Song (see Figure 1) while the CCLS used the puppet to sing along and demonstrate the “exercises.” The purpose of this song was to promote a familiar and comfortable environment while also bringing attention to Jacob’s mouth. Jacob and his mother readily participated, singing, laughing, moving their tongues, and commenting on how silly the puppet looked.

Next, the CCLS had the puppet state that sometimes food got stuck in his cheeks, and he wanted to hear a song that helped him eat, swallow, and move the food

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Figure 1.

Mouth Exercise Song (To the tune of All Around the Mulberry Bush by James Orchard Halliwell) This is the way we pucker our lips, pucker our lips, pucker our lips.

This is the way we pucker our lips to give a kiss.

Mouth Exercise Song

This is the way we stick out our tongue, stick out our tongue, stick out our tongue This is the way we stick our tongue to be silly.

This is the way we puff our cheeks, puff our cheeks, puff our cheeks.

This is the way we puff our cheeks like a chipmunk.

This is the way we move our tongue side to side, side to side.

This is the way we move our tongue side to side.

out of his cheeks. Jacob stated, “Me too!” The MT-BC sang the Eating Song (see Figure 2), pausing for Jacob and the puppet to practice each step together and encourage one another. Jacob continued to laugh and engage with the therapists and the puppet. Jacob’s mother then requested to use real food to practice the song, and Jacob and the puppet practiced with real food while everyone else sang the song together. They observed Jacob removing pocketed food from lunch earlier that day, and Jacob was very excited when everyone celebrated his success.

The MT-BC provided Jacob’s mother a recorded version of the Eating Song for Jacob to use outside the music therapy sessions. Throughout the reminder of Jacob’s hospitalization, Jacob’s mother played the “Eating Song” CD after Jacob ate a meal. Jacob’s mother also stated that he requested to listen to the song when he was finished eating. The MT-BC continued to play the song upon request in future sessions with Jacob, and by the end of Jacob’s hospitalization, he was no longer pocketing food.

End Note

desired skill, they decided to combine their expertise and work together, using Jacob’s favorite elements of each. Through the use of play, bringing Jacob’s “best friend,” and incorporating developmental music elements to promote learning, Jacob was able to accomplish a previously challenging goal while having fun and participating in play.

References Association of Child Life Professionals. (2018). About ACLP. Retrieved from http://www.childlife.org/ about-aclp Burns-Nader, S., & Hernandez-Reif, M. (2016).

Facilitating play for hospitalized children through child life services. Children's Health Care, 45(1), 1-21.

Goforth, K. E. (2008). Collaborating goals and interventions to effectively promote psychosocial development of pediatric patients during hospitalization: A survey of music therapists and child life specialists (Doctoral dissertation).

Retrieved from https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/ object/fsu:182382/datastream/PDF/view

Both music therapy and puppet play with child life had worked in the past to teach Jacob new skills, promote positive coping, and provide normalization. When one discipline alone was unsuccessful in eliciting the

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About the Authors Kelsey Lownds, MM, MTBC is a board certified music therapist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. She has experience working with children with special needs, in early childhood intervention, and in the pediatric medical setting.

Contact: kelsey.m.lownds@vumc.org

Camille Fraser, MS, CCLS is a certified child life specialist at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

She works with the cardiology population covering the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit, cardiac step down unit, and cardiac clinic.

Figure 2.

Eating Song Recorded 2018 by Kelsey Lownds

Eating Song

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Eating Song (Music and Lyrics by Kelsey Lownds) Chorus It’s our eating song To help us grow big and strong.

Verse 1 Chew and swallow, Chew and swallow, Chew and swallow, It’s what I like to do.

With a munch, munch, munch, and a munch, munch, munch, Munch, munch, munch, MUNCH, MUNCH ,MUNCH. Verse 2 Drink some water, Drink some water, Drink some water, It’s what I like to do.

With a gulp, gulp ,gulp, and a gulp, gulp, gulp, Gulp, Gulp, Gulp, GULP, GULP, GULP. Verse 3 Move our tongue, Side to side.

My tummy is hungry.

Find where it hides.

Move our tongue.

Side to side.

My tummy is hungry.

Find where it hides.

Chorus It’s our eating song to help us grow big and strong.

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A MI Y F l Music Therapy and Blended Families

Lorna E. Segall, Ph.D., MT-BC University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky

Today’s Families

Challenges Facing Blended Families

The landscape of today’s families has drastically changed. The once traditional family consisting of two parents married for the first time and living with their biological children is no longer considered the norm.

Currently, only 46% of children in the U.S. under the age of 18 live in homes with two married heterosexual parents in their first marriage (PEW Research, 2018). This number is in stark contrast to the 73% who lived in the traditional household in 1960 and in 1980 when 61% lived in the traditional household (PEW Research, 2018).

This re-configuration of the American family can be attributed to several factors: higher rates of divorce, remarriage, and co-habitation.

Blended families are becoming such a prominent part of the family landscape that experts suggest one in three American children will likely spend part of their childhood with a step-parent (Zeleznikow, 2015). Many step-families agree that a need for resources to navigate the sometimes-treacherous landscape of blended family life is desirable but may be difficult to find. Seventy-five percent of blended families lament the absence of supportive resources (Stepfamily Foundation Survey, 2000).

Many of today’s children live with step-parents. Stepparents can be defined as an individual that a child’s mother or father marries after the marriage to, or relationship with, his or her biological parent has ended (Merriam-Webster). Since nearly 50% of marriages end in divorce (American Psychological Association, 2018), these reconstructions of families result in step-families, or blended families.

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Furrow and Palmer (2007) identified four primary themes that may arise for blended families working toward unity and inclusion: conflicting loyalty – children feel torn between their biological parents and may show difficulty in accepting new members into their family; clarification and establishment of boundaries for the married couple and their children; grief over the loss of their previous family and of the hope for reconciliation; and conflict regarding developmental needs.

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Role of Therapy

Music Therapy and Play Therapy

Therapists can offer parents and children emotional support, assistance with clarifying problems, and secure spaces for emotional expression and validation (Furrow & Palmer, 2007). Therapists also can strengthen the relationship of the parents, directly enhancing the quality of life for the entire family unit. Happy parents are typically influential in creating happy families (APA, 2018).

Participating in therapy to ameliorate the degenerative effects of divorce and establish the successful creation of new family systems can impact the future development and well-being of children (Pasiali, 2012).

Children at each phase of life respond differently to the formation of a new family. For those in early childhood, a dramatic shift in family dynamics has psycho-social and physical implications such as: separation anxiety, fear of abandonment, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, difficulty sleeping, and increased episodes of temper tantrums and general aggressiveness. Music therapy may show promise in addressing the unique needs of this population.

Research directly pertaining to music therapy’s effects with young children of blended families is limited.

However, music therapy has been beneficial in the closely related areas of childhood resilience, coping with adjustment, managing conflict, processing divorce, and experiencing grief and loss; each of which is firmly connected and relevant to the issues associated with the needs of children (Abad & Edwards, 2004; Hilliard, 2007; Meono, 2015; Kelly & Emery, 2003). Pasiali (2012) speaks to the idea of resilience in children and how music therapy not only can provide a solution to an existing problem but also can identify the ‘root cause’ of an issue and focus on exploring its manifestations in current behavior. Implementing music therapy as a preventative treatment may ameliorate the negative outcome entirely and eliminate need for future re-treatment.

Play therapy is another discipline closely related to addressing the needs of children. Play provides a vital role in childhood development. Children easily identify with the process of play and easily relate to their environment and engage in emotional expression. Play’s feasibility and adaptability make it a natural complement to related therapies and can be integrated to enhance patient outcomes. Brandt (2001) showed that play therapy reduced challenging behaviors along with parental stress in families of children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Whole Family Theraplay (WFT) was shown to improve family communication, relationships, and behavior in adoptive families (Weir et al., 2013).

Music therapy techniques such as instrument play, movement, and improvisation naturally lend themselves to play therapy techniques (Hochreutener, 2016).

Incorporating appropriate musical instruments and presenting them as toys in a non-directive format may encourage creativity within a structured context. For example: hand-bells must be shaken to produce various sounds, a drum must be hit before it produces rhythm, and a recorder must receive air to produce a pitch. This non-directive, yet structured, play therapy approach promotes creative parameters for the client (Carmichael & Atchinson, 1997). Figure 1 identifies goals and techniques used by music therapists to address clientdirected goals when working with blended families.

Goals and Techniques Figure 1.

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Goals, Interventions, and Transfer Concepts for Blended Families Many of the goals related to this process are valuable tools needed to enable success throughout a child’s life.

Learning to process grief, manage feelings, and enhance communication skills are especially necessary skills for blended families. They also transfer to all stages of a human lifespan. Flexibility, adaptability, and tolerance for change are meaningful tools for children, adults, and family systems alike. Table 1 displays primary goals for children and families, how music therapy can enhance their development, and how these skills might be generalized outside of the therapy session.

Table 1.

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Conclusion The growing number of blended families presents exciting new challenges for music therapists. The music therapy community would benefit by implementing existing evidence-based research in early childhood development to this area. Families are looking for support mechanisms to enhance their lives; music therapy may offer meaningful intervention outcomes (Stepfamily Foundation, 2000). To meet the needs of family requests for resources, the creation of group music therapy sessions for children and their families as part of an interdisciplinary team may offer valuable results. Music’s ability to provide meaningful expression in situations when words alone may not suffice enables evolving families to heal and grow throughout challenging life circumstances.

Goals, Music-Based Play Interventions, and Non-Musical Interventions

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References Abad, V., & Edwards, J. (2004). Strengthening families: A role for music therapy in contributing to family centered care. Australian Journal of Music Therapy, 15, 3-17.

American Psychological Association. (2018). Marriage and divorce. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ topics/divorce/ Brandt, M. A. (2001). An investigation of the efficacy of play therapy with young children. Dissertation Abstracts International Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, 61(7-A), 2603.

Carmichael, K. D., & Atchinson, D. H. (1997). Music in play therapy: Playing my feelings. International Journal of Play Therapy, 6(1), 63-72. doi: 10.1037/ h0089414 Furrow, J., & Palmer, G. (2007). EFFT and blended families: Building bonds from the inside out. Journal of Systemic Therapies, 26(4), 44-58. doi: 10.1521/ jsyt.2007.26.4.44 Hilliard, R. (2007). The effects of Orff-based music therapy and social work groups on childhood grief symptoms and behaviors. Journal of Music Therapy, 44(2), 123-138. doi: 10.1093/jmt/44.2.123 Hochreutener, S. L. (2016). Play in music therapy with children. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 25(1), 104.

Kelly, J. B., & Emery, R. T. (2003). Children’s adjustment following divorce: Risk and resilience perspectives.

Family Relations, 52(4), 352-362.

Meono, L. (2015). Using music-based interventions with adolescents coping with family conflict or parental divorce: A resource manual (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://

pqdtopen.proquest.com/doc/1702158855.html?

FMT=AI Merriam-Webster. (2016). The Merriam-Webster dictionary new edition. Merriam-Webster, Inc.: Martinsburg, WV. Pasiali, V. (2012). Resilience, music therapy, and human adaptation: Nurturing young children and families.

Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 21(1), 36-56. doi: 10.1080/08098131.2011.571276 PEW Research Center. (2018). The American family today. Retrieved from http:// www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/12/17/1-theamerican-family-today/ Stepfamily Foundation. (2002). Stepfamily statistics.

Retrieved from http://www.stepfamily.org/ stepfamily-statistics.html Weir, K. N., Lee, S., Canosa, P., Rodrigues, N., McWilliams, M., & Parker, L. (2013). Whole Family Theraplay: Integrating family systems theory and Theraplay to treat adoptive families. Adoption Quarterly, 16(3-4), 175-200. doi: 10.1080/10926755.2013.844216 Zeleznokow, L. (2015). Supporting blended families to remain intact: A case study. Journal of Divorce and Remarriage, 56(4), 317-335. doi: 10.1080/10502556.2015.1025845

About the Author Lorna E. Segall, Ph.D., MT-BC is director and assistant professor of the music therapy program at the University of Louisville. Her extensive work as a hospice clinician drives her interest in helping children experience the grieving process in a healthy and meaningful way.

Contact: lornasegall@yahoo.com

Join us at the American Music Therapy Association's National Conference exhibit hall as we introduce the Early Notes Network! This consortium of experts seeks to improve care and welfare of children by conducting music therapy research, creating evidence-based procedural manuals, curricula, and training programs, and disseminating accessible information through web-based tools and social media.

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Intervention For Foster Families with Young Children

Kirsi Tuomi, MPh, BCMT, Theraplay and DDP Therapist Palvelukeskus Luovat Tuulet Hämeenlinna, Finland

The Nurture and Play (N&P) intervention combines elements of music therapy and Theraplay, a form of child and family therapy designed to enhance family relationships (Tuomi, 2017). N&P can be used to address multiple goals for parents and children.

Parents are empowered, while parental sensitivity and emotional availability increase.

Parents learn mentalization-based treatment and reflective skills to strengthen their understanding of their child. N&P can also aid in developing emotional regulation for children. Poutiainen and Salo (2015) studied N&P as a group intervention for pregnant women, however, the research concerning children from age 1 to 5 is lacking. Recently, N&P was used to facilitate attachment between foster parents and their young children. The purpose of this article is to describe how the N&P intervention promotes joyful engagement and trust between foster parents and children, thereby enhancing and supporting the development of attachment.

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Program Outline The N&P program for foster families was provided in a group setting consisting of 4-6 foster children with their foster parent(s). Altogether, the intervention consisted of 15 sessions, broken up between an intensive period and a follow-up period. The intensive period took place over the course of one term (August-December or JanuaryMay) and included seven weekly or bi-weekly sessions led by two tutors. For the first 45 minutes, children and their foster parent(s) were together for the intervention, followed by another 45-minute discussion group for the parents while the children could play in another room.

Four additional meetings with the parents were provided, two in the beginning, one in the middle, and one at the end of the whole process. After the intensive period, there were three follow-up sessions, one every other month during the following term. During the follow-up, families also received individual meetings with their social worker to discuss their child’s unique situation.

Intervention Protocol Each group meeting was structured as follows: Arrival song Hello song

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Massage with lotion (including a song) Three play activities (e.g., blowing bubbles or cotton balls, playing with balloons, playing with egg shakers, engaging in action songs including clapping and other motions) Calming down (stroking with a cotton ball/ feather/by hand while singing gently) Snack time (offering small cookies and juice suitable for small children while singing each child’s own song) Goodbye-song Departure song (same as in the beginning but with different words).

Varied activities were incorporated into a familiar and predictable routine. The tutors observed each family and the group as a whole throughout each session to allow for immediate changes to the plan to sensitively and safely address any situations that arose.

In many cases, the children had been exposed to violence or their need for physical care was neglected.

For this reason, positive physical touch was an integral part of the intervention, along with at least three caring activities in every session: stroking for calming down, massage with lotion, and feeding. Teaching caregivers how to sensitively engage their child in healthy interactions is a powerful way to begin the healing process for abused and neglected children.

The play activities were chosen to support positive interaction between the child and the parent. Mutual,

shared joy and experiencing success encouraged children to interact with their parents freely and in a relaxed manner.

➡ ➡ ➡

Activities were chosen that would be challenging, but not frustrating.

The children received praise when they were successful during activities, leading to their increased self-confidence.

Play activities also helped with assisting the emotional regulation of the children by providing stimulation and calming as needed.

At the final session, each family received a bag of the items used in sessions to use at home for generalization and maintenance of the intervention.

Parents’ Perspective To evaluate this pilot program, a questionnaire was created to gain insight into the parents’ perspectives of the N&P intervention. The questionnaire was adapted from attachment-based interviews such as the Parent Developmental Interview (PDI, Aber et al., 1999) and the Working Model of the Child Interview (WMCI, Zeanah et al., 1994). Seventeen families completed the questionnaire before and after the intervention, answering questions regarding mental management, interaction and attachment between the child and adult, the parents’ level of capacity for parenting their child, and the amount of play and music activities used at home. Table 1 displays the outcome of the questionnaire.

Table 1. Results from Parent Questionnaire

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Based on the parental feedback, the N&P intervention was a success. There was an increase in every area evaluated as well as a decrease in the perception of their children being less of a burden to them. Play activities and songs in the home showed the greatest improvement indicating that the N&P intervention can be implemented in the family’s everyday life. While the preliminary results are based on subjective parental perspectives, they encourage further development of the intervention.

Future Developments The N&P intervention for foster families has received approval from the University of Jyväskylä and the city of Hämeenlinna to conduct a research study with 3-5 dyads to further examine the effects of the N& P intervention.

The study will include pre- and post-intervention questionnaires for parents and a video assessment of the dyad’s interaction before and after the intervention (Marschak Interaction Method - MIM). Data will be taken from the video recordings of each session along with reflective notes from the tutors. Data collection began in March 2018, with a target publication date in 2020. It is hoped that the study will increase the understanding of the effectiveness of the N&P intervention for foster families, particularly in regards to developing attachment and the reflective capacity of the parent.

infants are concordant with infant attachment classifications. Developmental Issues in Psychiatry and Psychology, 1, 1-14.

About the Author Kirsi Tuomi, PhM, BCMT, Theraplay and DDP Therapist works with foster and adoptive families and as a supervisor for therapists, foster care professionals, and families. She regularly trains music therapy students, is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Jyväskylä, and served as the past executive manager and President of the Finnish Society for Music Therapy.

Contact: luovat.tuulet@gmail.com

References Aber, J. L., Belsky, J., Slade, A., & Crnic, K. (1999).

Stability and change in maternal representations of their relationship with their toddlers. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1038-1048.

Poutiainen, T., & Salo, S. (2015). Hoivaa ja leiki.

Ryhmäinterventio raskaana oleville äideille (Nurture and play. Group intervention for pregnant mothers).

Lahti: Lahden diakoniasäätiön julkaisuja.

Tuomi, K. (2017). Music therapy and theraplay. Creating, repairing and strengthening the attachment bond in foster and adoptive families. In S. Lindahl Jacobsen & G. Thompson (Eds.), Music Therapy with Families.

Therapeutic approaches and theoretical Perspectives (pp. 173-198). London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Zeanah, C. H., Benoit, D., Hirshberg, L., Barton, M. L., & Regan, C. (1994). Mothers´ representations of their

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INFOGRAPHICS

MUSIC PLAY WITH

INFANTS

POSITION

your baby when actively awake to where he

or she can comfortably see and react to your facial expressions (such as smiling or making silly faces).

SING

upbeat songs in your primary language, preferably in

a comfortable, higher key, as your baby can hear higher pitches better.

RESPOND to any of your baby’s cues or vocalizations such as coos or babbles by mimicking the sound, making eyecontact, smiling, or speaking in a sing-song voice (you may need to allow your baby a few seconds to respond to you).

PLAY

music instruments such as rattles or shakers to promote visual tracking, moving the instrument around your baby’s visual field (approximately 12 inches from his or her face).

HUM or

sing soothing songs such as lullabies while rocking or gently patting your baby to soothe and promote sleep.

AUTHOR

Madison Whelan, MT-BC. Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL. Contact: madison.whelan@hotmail.com

IMAGES

All images licensed under CC0. Retrieved from nappy.co, unsplash.com, pexels.com, & canva.com.

Created by Rowan Schaefer for imagine 2018, the early childhood online magazine published by de la vista publisher

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EARLY LITERACY

PLAY

THROUGH

MUSIC MUSIC EXPOSE CHILDREN TO LANGUAGE AND PRINT MATERIALS Children’s books and songs can make reading enjoyable.

USE SILLY SONGS AND NONSENSE SYLLABLES WITH PICTURE BOOKS Songs that include animal or environmental sounds make children practice sound production.

SELECT ‘SINGABLE’ BOOKS Books based on song lyrics can help children memorize the written words.

CREATE SOUND STORIES Instruments or sounds enhancing the characters in a book can support children’s language comprehension.

CONSIDER MULTIPLE LANGUAGES For children who are dual language learners, songs in their home language can promote engagement and understanding.

AUTHOR

Dena Register, Ph.D., MT-BC. West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV. Contact: Dena.Register@mail.wvu.edu

IMAGES

All images licensed under CC0. Retrieved from unsplash.com, pexels.com, & canva.com.

Created by Rowan Schaefer for imagine 2018, the early childhood online magazine published by de la vista publisher

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PLAY WITH SOMEONE WHO USES AN

AAC SYSTEM

MAKE SURE MY SYSTEM IS ACCESSIBLE AND WORKING PROPERLY. I may not be able to tell you that I need my communication system. Please check to see that it is in reach.

PRE-PROGRAM WORDS OR PHRASES FOR ME COMMONLY USED IN THIS PLAY ACTIVITY. Thinking ahead saves frustration and confusion later. I am limited to the language programmed into my system, so please anticipate what you think I might like to say. We can work together to select language to input.

SPEAK TO ME AS YOU WOULD TO SOMEONE WHO USES SPEECH AND EXPECT ME TO RESPOND. I communicate. I understand. I just use a different mode of communication.

ALLOW ME TIME TO PROCESS AND RESPOND. It usually takes me a bit longer to respond since I use an external communication system. Please be patient. I have things I want to say to you.

WATCH FOR MY COMMUNICATIVE ATTEMPTS. Sometimes I am trying to communicate, but it doesn't work the way I want it to. Encourage me. Model for me. Watch and listen.

AUTHOR

Anita L. Swanson, Ph.D, MT-BC/L. University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota. Contact: anitaleighs@gmail.com

IMAGES

The Picture Communication Symbols ©1981-2018 by Tobii Dynavox. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. Used with permission. Boardmaker© is a trademark of Tobii Dynavox.

Created by Rowan Schaefer for imagine 2018, the early childhood online magazine published by de la vista publisher

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PARENTS CAN

It’s for you!

parentscan The 2018 parentscan series offers parents tips for using rhythm and drumming games to support their child’s development and growth in both musical and non-musical areas.

Music Beat Australia offers five intentional drumming tips that can shift children's cognitive, physical, and social-emotional states. Music therapy students from the University of Louisville share six drumming activities that they successfully implemented with families at UofL’s Early Learning Campus. Finally, Rhythm Kids points out four essential considerations when looking for a community-based rhythm play program for your child.

Catch the beat and have some drum fun with your family!

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parentscan Tips for Parents

2. Learning Use drumming to learn about pre-academic concepts. For example, count beats from 1 to 10 with your child. As a variation, alternate the counting between yourself and your child or do simple additions such as 1 beat + 1 beat = 2 beats.

3. Creativity Explore various ways to play your drum. For example, play it with one hand, both hands, and finger tips. Try scratching the head using a mallet, or tapping the side. All produce different sounds and foster curiosity and creativity in your child.

1. Social Interaction Gather around a drum and play rhythms that match the names of a family member. For example, drum out, “Hello [Child’s Name], hello [Family Members’ Names]” and invite your child to answer with, “Hello [Mum] or “hello [Dad].”

4. Movement Use rhythm to anticipate and encourage movement. For example, choose a song like Grand Old Duke of York or The Ants Go Marching and walk in a circle while playing the drum. Make the beat go faster and move the drum up for running up an imaginary hill, then make it go slower and move the drum down when marching down hill again.

5. Social Awareness Share the beat with family members. For example, count and play 1, 2, 3, 4 beats. Then pass the mallet on to your child to repeat the 1, 2, 3, 4 beats before sharing the mallet with another family member.

Written by Vicky Abad, Ph.D., RMT Founder and Managing Director; and Ivana Iliev, RMT group facilitator at Music Beat Australia in Brisbane, Australia.

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parentscan Tips for Parents 1. Teach new words.

Work on speech or reading goals by teaching words rhythmically. Use a drum or a hard surface to pat out each syllable of a new word as you speak it with your child, emphasizing accents on syllables.

Adding a rhythmic element to vocabulary exercises, along with a steady pulse, can help children speak more fluently and recall words faster.

3. Play “hot and cold.”

Work on attention and listening skills by playing musical “hot and cold.” Hide an instrument somewhere in the room and have your child search while you play a steady pulse on a drum. Play faster as they get closer, and slower as they get farther away.

Play the instruments together once your child has found the one that was hidden.

2. Adapt the classics.

Music can function as a reward and motivator to keep children engaged while learning new skills. Borrow the rhythm and melody of Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star or your child’s favorite TV show theme song and rewrite the words to teach new skills such as counting, identifying body parts, naming colors, identifying emotions, and so much more.

4. Read a rhythm-based storybook.

Reading a book with your child that includes a repeating phrase such as Chicka Chicka Boom Boom can improve attention and receptive communications skills. Choose a simple pattern for you and your child to play when the repeating phrase is mentioned in the book.

The pattern can follow the natural speech rhythm of the phrase.

6. Foster curiosity.

Encourage musically curious children to explore sounds; discourage them from exclusively banging on pots and pans.

Written by Rowan Schaefer and MUTH432-18 music therapy students as part of their Early Learning Campus Family Drumming assignment, Louisville, Kentucky.

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parentscan Tips for Parents 1. Look for a rhythm play or drumming class with an instructor experienced in working with special learners.

Find people who are willing to collaborate with you! You are the expert on your child and your child’s needs for accommodation.

3. Get a sense of behavioral expectations.

Don’t be afraid to ask about behavioral expectations and classroom management techniques. For example, does the instructor have the knowledge and skills to discriminate between sensory overstimulation and sensory understimulation? Make sure he or she knows your child's needs.

2. Be aware of your child's specific accommodation needs.

Does your child need a visual schedule, enlarged or high contrast printed material, or noise canceling headphones?

Make sure that the instructor you choose is aware and can assist if needed.

4. To practice or not to practice….that is the question.

Even in a non-formal approach to drumming, children may be excited to explore and experiment. Ask what ageappropriate support materials are available and whether children are expected to practice.

Written by Carol Ann Blank, Ph.D., MT-BC & Tom Foote, founder and developer of Rhythm Kids® Music Together in Hopewell, New Jersey.

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INTERVENTION IDEAS

Photo courtesy of Elaine Slusser

Sycamore Swing Elaine Slusser, Music Therapy Student University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Description The purpose of this song intervention is to practice pre-academic skills.

her animal until everyone has introduced their picture page.

Adaptations Invite children to write the names of their animals on the pictures.

Ask children to spell the letter of their animal’s name.

Goals to increase self-expression to enhance pre-writing skills Behavior Observation The child will choose an animal and create a picture story draw, color, and write using a crayon Materials Image of a sycamore tree Paper and crayons to create a picture book Glockenspiel or metallophone with a mallet Directions 1. Show children a picture of a sycamore tree and explore which animals could swing in this tree; create a story together.

2. Have each child draw a picture of her or his selected animal in the tree, and put together a self-made picture book.

3. Accompany each child singing about his or

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Sycamore Swing Recorded 2017 by Elaine Slusser

About the Author Elaine Slusser is completing her undergraduate degree in music therapy at the University of Louisville. She successfully implemented this song in a university-based childcare program.

Contact: eoslus01@louisville.edu

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Photo courtesy of Petra Kern

3. Group children into fast/slow players.

4. Switch the groups so that everyone has the opportunity to play at both tempos.

5. Repeat with one group playing soft and one loud.

Adaptations Combine the four basic musical concepts into one verse.

Have one group play the guitar along with the song and the other group move fast/slow.

Ask children for other ways to play the guitar and build the ideas into the song.

Use other instruments (e.g., drums) to practice the basic musical concepts.

Let’s Play the Guitar Rachel Barber, Music Therapy Student University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Description The purpose of this song is to teach basic musical concepts such as fast/slow and soft/loud in a group setting.

Let’s Play the Guitar Recorded 2017 by Rachel Barber

Goals to learn about tempo and dynamics to improve impulse control to support social interaction Behavior Observation The child will play fast/slow and loud/soft change the tempo and dynamics according to the song lyrics play along with her or his group Materials MOXI’s Giant Guitar (see image) or regular size guitar Directions 1. Begin by singing the first verse to gain the children’s attention and invite them to play.

2. Ask children how they would like to play the guitar (i.e., fast/slow, soft/loud).

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About the Author Rachel Barber is studying music therapy at the University of Louisville.

One of her course assignments was to write a song for MOXI’s Giant Guitar and try it out with young children at the university’s Early Learning Campus.

Contact: rhbarb01@cardmail.louisville.edu

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Photo courtesy of Cheyenne Norris

4. Play the song and instruct children to find the strings as they are referenced.

5. Mix up the verses and have children find the corresponding strings.

6. Have children support each other in identifying the strings.

Adaptations Have children pick the strings of the accompanying bass notes (i.e., G, E, C, G...).

Choose simple children’s songs to play along the bass notes.

Invite children to write their own song about the strings of the guitar.

Strings of The Guitar Cheyenne Norris, Music Therapy Student University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Description The purpose of this song is to introduce children to the strings of the guitar and to encourage social skills.

Goals to support letter identification to enhance musical skills to encourage peer support Behavior Observation The child will name the six letters of the guitar strings correctly identify each string help others to successfully play the strings Materials MOXI’s Giant Guitar or regular size guitar (see image) Labels on the guitar strings Directions 1. Select six children, one for each of the six strings.

2. Introduce the letters of the guitar strings (i.e., E, A, D G, B, E) and point out the labels.

3. Have each child choose a string and practice picking quarter notes.

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Strings of the Guitar Recorded 2017 by Cheyenne Norris

About the Author Cheyenne Norris is a music therapy undergraduate student at the University of Louisville. During the Music Therapy Techniques course, she wrote this song and implemented it successfully with young children at the Early Learning Campus.

Contact: cjnorr03@louisville.edu

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Directions 1. Play the introduction to the song while gathering children in a circle.

2. Ask the first child the questions “How are you today?” and “What would you like to play?”

3. Give the child time to respond and choose an instrument.

4. Invite all children to play along during the chorus.

Adaptations Offer a selection of emojis representing feelings for children who are nonverbal.

Engage children in jumping and dancing during the chorus.

Good Morning Song Ann-Morgan Conway and Ruthie Walton Music Therapy Students University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Judyta Patoka, Marta Kryston, and Konstancja Tyton Music Therapy Students The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Katowice, Poland Description The purpose of this song intervention is to address appropriate social skills through a greeting song.

Goals to improve conversation skills to enhance decision-making skills Behavior Observation The child will offer a matching answer when prompted with a question choose an instrument Materials Guitar for accompaniment Percussion instruments Emojis representing feelings

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Good Morning Song Recorded 2018 by the authors

About the Authors During a study abroad trip to the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland, AnnMorgan Conway, Ruthie Walton, Judyta Patoka, Marta Kryston, and Konstancia Tyton partnered up in writing this catchy children’s song.

Contact: annmorgan.conway@louisville.edu

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Directions 1. Engage the toddler in the song by singing with an animated voice and facial expression.

2. Use least-to most prompts (i.e., verbal, gestural, physical).

3. Pause in the music to allow the toddler to respond.

4. Provide repetition to practice the new skill.

Adaptations Adjust the lyrics to count backwards to one (e.g., “3, 2, 1, we play the guitar just for fun”).

Use an augmentative and alternative communication device if the toddlers use it during daily activities and routines.

One, Two, Three Elise Scullin and Jensen Self Music Therapy Students University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Justyna Kwaśniok and Sara Knapik-Szweda Music Therapy Students The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Katowice, Poland

One, Two, Three Recorded 2018 by the authors

Description The purpose of this simple song intervention is for toddlers to practice pre-academic skills.

Goals to learn basic counting skills to pay attention to a joint activity Behavior Observation The child will sing or sign 1, 2, 3 with prompts and eventually without prompts sing or sign “you and me” Materials Guitar for accompaniment Verbal, gestural, and physical prompts

About the Authors Elise Scullin, Jensen Self, Justyna Kwaśniok, and Sara Knapik-Szweda met in Katowice, Poland, during a study abroad trip where they developed this song intervention together.

Contact: elise.scullin@louisville.edu

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Directions 1. Sing the first verse of the song while children listen.

2. Ask children if they know any of the five senses or can give examples that relate to the senses.

3. Invite children to explore the objects.

4. Instruct children to point along to each of the body parts related to the senses.

Adaptations Hold up visual card and let children identify the related senses.

Create a matching activity with at least five visual cards of multiple objects and have the child place pictures under all appropriate senses.

Five Senses Serita Lagos and Kirstin Wolgast Music Therapy Students University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Amalfi Urbanek, and Kinga Urzędowska Music Therapy Students The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Katowice, Poland Description The purpose of this song intervention is to experience and identify all five senses.

Goals to learn about five senses to increase identification of the senses Behavior Observation The child will explore five senses identify examples for each of the introduced senses Materials Keyboard for accompaniment Objects that allow exploration of the senses (e.g., banana for looking, smelling, touching, and tasting) Visual cards representing senses (e.g., ears, eyes, nose, hands, tongue)

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Five Senses Recorded 2018 by the authors

About the Authors Serita Lagos, Kirstin Wolgast, Amalfi Urbanek, and Kinga Urzędowska met in Katowice, Poland, during a study abroad trip where they teamed up to develop this song intervention.

Contact: Sjlago01@louisville.edu

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Visual cards displaying breakfast, lunch, and dinner (e.g., pages 5, 9, and 13 of the story book).

Directions 1. Gather children in a circle and ask them what they had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

2. Read the picture book and point out the words breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

3. Add the song and pause in the music to give children a chance to fill in the name of the meals.

4. Have children sort the visual cards for meals provided in the morning, middle of the day, and evening.

It’s Time to Eat

Adaptations Discuss with children activities they do before transitioning to meal times.

Create an individualized story book using children's own drawings.

Madison Mohr and Bethany Wilker Music Therapy Students University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Laura Tyrala, Magdalena Bryla, Marta Naumiuk, and Aleksander Meryk Music Therapy Students The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Katowice, Poland Description The purpose of this singable story book is to make children aware of meals provided at different times of the day.

Goals to identify names of meals to identify times of meals Behavior Observation The child will name the correct meal identify what time each meal is Materials Guitar or piano Picture Book “It’s Time to Eat”

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It’s Time to Eat Recorded 2018 by the authors

About the Authors Madison Mohr, Bethany Wilker, Laura Tyrala, Magdalena Bryla, Marta Naumiuk, and Aleksander Meryk teamed up during a study abroad trip to Katowice, Poland, to write this story and song.

Contact: madison.mohr@lousiville.edu

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Directions 1. Gather toddlers in a circle.

2. Sing the first part of the song and point to the body parts (i.e., nose, ears).

3. Provide physical prompts for toddlers who need more support.

4. Sing the refrain and engage toddlers in clapping, stomping, and waving their hands up in the air.

5. Play with the tempo (i.e., fast-slow) and volume (i.e., loud, soft) of the song.

Adaptations Add other body parts Use visual cards for choices Engage parents to participate and encourage singing the song at home with siblings

Clap, Stomp, and Wave Marypaige Taylor and Allie Hagan Music Therapy Students University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky Ewa Banachiewica and Olga Czech Music Therapy Students The Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music Katowice, Poland

Clap, Stomp, and Wave Recorded 2018 by the authors

Description The purpose of this song intervention is to enhance body awareness and gross motor skills.

Goals to identify body parts to enhance gross motor skills Behavior Observation The child will point to the corresponding body part imitate clapping, stomping, and waving Materials Guitar for accompaniment Visual cards representing body parts (e.g., nose, ears, eyes, mouth, knees, shoulders)

About the Authors Marypaige Taylor, Allie Hagan, Ewa Banachiewica, and Olga Czech met in Katowice, Poland, during a study abroad trip where they teamed up to develop this song intervention.

Contact: mary.taylor.1@louisville.edu

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Adaptations Adapt verses as needed to include different movements and/or body parts.

Ask children for ideas of movements that can be included in the song.

I Can Make Music With My Body Debora Tillman, Music Therapy Intern Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to promote body movements and following directions.

Goals to encourage gross and fine motor movements to practice following directions Behavior Observation The child will clap, stomp, wiggle, snap, tap, jump, or dance follow the cues outlined in the song Materials Guitar or piano for accompaniment Directions 1. Ask children to stand up and start singing the song.

2. Model the movements in the song and encourage children to move and sing along.

3. Make sure that all children participate according to their abilities.

4. Play the song in different tempi and repeat until everyone is familiar with the song and its movements.

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I Can Make Music With My Body Recorded 2018 by Debora Tillman

About the Author Debora Tillman, a graduate of Southern Methodist University is completing her internship at Lewisville ISD, Texas. She is passionate about teaching Music Together® classes and working with children of different ages and abilities.

Contact: drtillman@smu.edu

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visual cards or a clock.

4. During the instrumental interlude, encourage children to continue brushing their teeth. Note, the song is about 2 minutes long, which is the advised amount of time for tooth brushing.

5. Encourage children to listen to this song while they are brushing their teeth.

Adaptations Have children use dolls to practice the tooth brushing song during free play times.

Share the song with parents for at-home use.

Let’s Brush Your Teeth!

Grace Kuang, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to encourage children to practice healthy oral hygiene.

Goals to promote good oral hygiene to improve identification of tooth brushing times Behavior Observation The child will brush teeth up/down, side to side, back/forth, and round and round. indicate morning and night Materials Guitar and cabasa for accompaniment Clean toothbrushes Visual cues or a clock indicating morning and night Directions 1. Present the song and model the tooth brushing motions.

2. Have children following along with their own toothbrushes.

3. Introduce times of the day for brushing teeth using

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Let’s Brush Your Teeth!

Recorded 2018 by Grace Kuang

About the Author Grace Kuang is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She loves music therapy for its ability to create long-lasting, positive change in the lives of young children and their families.

Contact: gkuang@smu.edu

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Adaptations Invite children to draw a picture book of the song story.

Create simple dinosaur costumes with the children and act out the story.

The Dinosaur Song Kevin Bock, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this story song is to create an opportunity for collaborative music-making.

Goals to enhance sustained attention to increase cooperation and positive socialization Behavior Observation The child will listen to the song and sing/move along as cued by the lyrics independently follow cues and contribute to music making Materials Guitar for accompaniment Tyrannosaurus rex (T-Rex) and stegosaurus toy Directions 1. Introduce the song as the story of two dinosaur friends, Stacy and Tony, who have special abilities.

2. Sing the song and have children act out the story song by using the toys.

3. Invite children to either play the role of Stacy, the singing dinosaur or Tony, the stomping dinosaur

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The Dinosaur Song Recorded 2018 by Kevin Bock

About the Author Kevin Bock is a student of Southern Methodist University currently completing his internship at a psychiatric hospital. He loves songwriting, languages, and dinosaurs.

Contact: kbock@smu.edu

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Adaptations Assign each child a coin and have the children hold up the coin when it is referenced in the song.

Ask children to count the coins.

Give children simple math tasks (e.g., How many quarters make a dollar?).

The Coin Song Stephanie Cham, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas

The Coin Song Recorded 2018 by Stephanie Cham

Description The purpose of this song intervention is to support daily academic skills such as money identification.

Goals to improve coin identification to enhance identifying coin value Behavior Observation The child will list the names of the coins to improve coin value identification Materials Guitar for accompaniment U.S. coins or play money About the Author Directions 1. Gather children in a circle and sing the song while holding up the coins.

2. Once the children are familiar with the song, leave blanks in the song for children to fill in as you sing (e.g., “We’re counting one for a ________”).

3. Present children with different coins and have them match the coin value with the name of the coins.

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Stephanie Cham is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She works as an editor, author, and pianist.

Contact: yutingcham@gmail.com

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Adaptations Ask nonverbal children to point to the appropriate animal pictures.

Play recorded animal sounds during the song or use instruments that imitate animal sounds (e.g., duck call, gobbler).

Animals on the Farm Malley Morales, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to identify dierent farm animals and the sounds they make.

Goals to improve animal identification to increase sound production Behavior Observation The child will stick the Velcro animal pictures onto the poster board and name it correctly respond with correct animal sounds Materials Guitar for accompaniment Poster board and laminated pictures of farm animals with Velcro on the back Directions 1. Ask children which animals might live on a farm.

2. Invite children to select an animal picture, name the animal, and stick the picture onto the poster board.

3. Sing the song and pause so that children can fill in the animal sounds.

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Animals on the Farm Recorded 2018 by Malley Morales

About the Author Malley Morales is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She attended the performing arts magnet high school in Dallas and is now pursuing her music therapy degree.

Contact: malleym@smu.edu

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3. Invite the child to listen to the song and participate.

4. Cue the child to show each emotion in the lyrics either through facial expression or a visual card.

Adaptations Practice other emotions with the child and use them in the bridge of the song: “How does it look when someone feels ______?”

Discuss daily life situations when one is happy, sad,” scared, and mad.

Happy, Sad, Scared, or Mad Caitlyn Etter, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to learn how to identify four primary emotions.

Goals to differentiate between happy, sad, scared, and mad to express emotions appropriately Behavior Observation The child will correctly identify emotions with a visual prompt demonstrate appropriate facial expressions for the given emotions Materials Guitar or ukulele for accompaniment Visual aid with pictures representing the emotions Directions 1. Introduce the topic of emotions to the child.

2. Present the visual cards, showing each emotion in the song, and practice facial expressions with the child.

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Happy, Sad, Scared, or Mad Recorded 2018 by Caitlyn Etter

About the Author Caitlyn Etter is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas currently interning at Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, Florida.

Contact: cait.etter@gmail.com

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their method of transportation is sung about.

4. Include the sounds of children’s transportation vehicles and encourage vocalization.

5. Invite children to sing along emphasizing each iteration of the word “go.”

Adaptations Add verses about specialty vehicles such as emergency vehicles, farm equipment, or sailing boats.

Discuss with children where they want to travel and point out the places on a map.

Let’s Go! Courtney Morgan, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to teach children about transportation methods and sounds.

Goals to increase knowledge of modes of transportation to improve speech sounds Behavior Observation The child will identify cars, boats, trains, or planes articulate the “g” sound in “go” Materials Accompanying sound track of Let’s Go Transportation toys (e.g., cars, boats, trains, planes) Map Directions 1. Have children choose their favorite transportation toy.

2. Sing the song and have all children move with their transportation toy during the chorus.

3. Ask children to hold up their transportation toy when

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Let’s Go! Recorded 2018 by Courtney Morgan

About the Author Courtney Morgan is a music therapy major at Southern Methodist University. She hopes to go on to practice music therapy in children's hospitals.

Contact: cnmorgan@smu.edu

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4. Have children move around the room and stop and go according to the song and visual cues.

Adaptations Ask one child to gesture “stop” for the red light and another child “go” for the green light.

Introduce additional street safety rules and come up with new verses.

Stop and Go! Elizabeth Carr-Jones, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to teach children street safety rules.

Stop and Go! Recorded 2018 by Elizabeth Carr-Jones

Goals to identify the traffic lights colors and its accompanying rules to increase impulse control Behavior Observation The child will differentiate between red and green traffic lights stop and go accordingly

About the Author Elizabeth Carr-Jones is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She is a member of the Student Association of Music Therapy (SAMT), plays bassoon in the university’s wind ensemble and orchestra, and is passionate about working with young

Materials Guitar for accompaniment Visual cards of red and green traffic ligths Directions 1. Have children gather in a circle and introduce the theme of the song.

2. Sing through the song asking children to differentiate the action between the two light colors.

3. Use the visual cards along with the song to indicate the red and green light.

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children.

Contact: ecarrjones@smu.edu

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3. Pause and have the child respond with “Hello [teacher]!” on the 2nd and 4th iterations.

4. Repeat for the “Goodbye, [caregiver]!” part.

5. Share song with the child’s caregiver for use in the car when riding to preschool.

Adaptations Have children who are nonverbal respond with gestures indicating “hello” and “goodbye.”

Extend the song by adding live instrumental recordings to the soundscape that remind children of sounds they hear in school.

Today’s Your Day Misty Birchter, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this intervention is to ease children’s transition from home to preschool.

Goals to enhance the morning transition from home to preschool to reduce separation anxiety by making expectations clear Behavior Observation The child will actively listen to the song participate in greeting the teacher and saying goodbye to their caregiver Materials Recording of the song or lyric sheet for use on the way to preschool Directions 1. Discuss the morning arrival time with the child including the greeting and goodbye routine.

2. Introduce the music and speak the words of the song rhythmically over the music while the child listens actively.

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Today’s Your Day Recorded 2018 by Misty Birchter About the Author Misty Birtcher recently graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degree in Music Therapy and Voice Performance. She enjoys using music technology in her work.

Contact: mistybirtcher@gmail.com

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Adaptations Introduce culturally-based greeting behaviors (e.g., bowing, cheek kissing).

Use pictures of various ways to greet others. Have children point to one and then incorporate their choices into a verse of the song.

Photo from www.vecteezy.com

Saying Hello Hanna Shin, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to learn different nonverbal ways to greet peers.

Goals to increase nonverbal communication to support social interaction Behavior Observation The child will wave for “hello” apply various greeting gestures with peers Materials Guitar for accompaniment Picture of various way to greet each other Directions 1. Gather children in a circle.

2. Sing through the song, modeling and practicing waving “hello” with all children.

3. Encourage children to wave “hello” to a friend.

4. Ask children for other ways to say “Hello” (e.g., shaking hands or giving a fist bump).

5. Repeat using additional verses.

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Saying Hello Recorded 2018 by Hanna Shin

About the Author Hanna Shin is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She desires to use music therapy to reach the unreachable and provide this service to those children who genuinely need a touch of love through music.

Contact: hashin@smu.edu

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their tambourines and sing along when they hear their part.

3. Switch the teams around so that each child gets the opportunity to learn the order of morning, afternoon,” and night.

4. Ask the children to share what types of activities they engage in at different times of the day.

Adaptations Write a unique text by embedding the children’s activities at different times of the day. Use a whiteboard to collect and organize ideas.

Add picture cues to designate times of the day.

Copies could be laminated and attached to the heads of tambourines to indicate when each group should play.

Friendly Greetings Yooboo Park, Music Therapy Student Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas Description The purpose of this song intervention is to guide children in the process of learning the concept of time.

Goals to practice appropriate greetings across the day to improve sense of times Behavior Observation The child will sing “good morning,” good afternoon,” and “good night” at appropriate times share what activities he/she engages in at different times of the day Materials Guitar for accompaniment Tambourines Whiteboard and dry erase marker Directions 1. Divide children into three groups and assign each team a time of the day (i.e., morning, afternoon, and night).

2. Hand out tambourines, and ask each group to play

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Friendly Greetings Recorded 2018 by Yooboo Park

About the Author Yooboo Park is a music therapy student at Southern Methodist University. She enjoys writing songs that support children’s learning and growth.

Contact: yooboop@smu.edu

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Adaptations Let children take turns choosing movements and following others.

Introduce new situations and ask children what movements could be used.

Put children's suggestions to music.

How Can You Dance?

Lorissa McGuire, MME, MT-BC Gardner Edgerton School District Gardner, Kansas

How Can You Dance?

Recorded 2018 by Lorissa McGuire

Description The purpose of this intervention is to follow motor directions through a playful song while practicing early literacy skills.

Goals to imitate and create movement patterns to improve pre-literacy skills Behavior Observation The child will bounce and explore other ways to move follow the text of the story book Materials Book: Walton, R. (2001). How can you dance? New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Directions 1. Introduce the book’s title “How Can You Dance?”

2. Sing the four bar stanza using the melody provided.

3. Chant the second four bar stanza.

4. Model movements for the children to imitate.

5. Encourage children to demonstrate their own movement that matches the content of the text.

6. Repeat the chant with the movements.

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About the Author Lorissa McGuire is a music therapy clinician working in a public school district in Gardner, Kansas. She has a passion for using children’s literature in therapy, and this is one of her first favorites.

Contact: lorissamt@gmail.com

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4. Ask the child to turn around, listen, and indicate if they are the same or different.

5. Repeat with the song and introduce a variety of instruments.

Adaptations Have a child choose which sounds to play for the group to discriminate.

Have the child sing phonemes or words and match them with instrument sounds (e.g., shakers= /sh/ and bells= ring).

Music is Fun! Katherine Lantigua, M.M., MT-BC University of Miami Miami, Florida Description The purpose of this song is to discriminate between same or different sounds.

Music is Fun! Recorded 2018 by Katherine Lantigua

Goals to improve listening skills to improve auditory discrimination Behavior Observation The child will turn around and listen verbalize whether the sounds are the same or different Materials Guitar for accompaniment Variety of instruments (e.g., cabasas, hand drums, xylophones, bells) Directions 1. Gather children around a table.

2. Introduce the different instruments and their sounds.

3. Play two different instruments within view of the child (one after the other) and asking if the sounds are the same or different.

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About the Author Katherine Lantigua, M.M., MT-BC is a NICU-MT and works with children who have hearing loss. She has implemented this intervention with children ages 4 to 7 who have cochlear implants and hearing aids.

Contact: katlantigua@gmail.com

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4. Speak the lyrics of the melody and again, leaving a blank for the target word while displaying the visual card for the child to speak the word.

5. Share the song with the preschool teachers and caregivers to create opportunities for generalization across environments.

Adaptations Use sign language or AAC devices if the child is nonverbal.

Expand the song to include a different target word and applicable lyrics for each phrase of the song.

Target Words Melody Marisa Hahn, Music Therapy Student Cleveland State University Cleveland, Ohio Description The purpose of this song intervention is to increase children’s functional vocabulary words and to generalize the appropriate use of them.

Goals to improve functional vocabulary to increase use of the vocabulary with contextual accuracy across environments Behavior Observation The child will sing the target word speak the target word in different settings Materials Visual cards for target words (e.g., hello, goodbye, stop, go, and help) Directions 1. Sit across from the child at eye level.

2. Sing the melody once while displaying the visual cue when the target word is sung.

3. Omit the target word while displaying the visual cue for the child to sing the word.

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Target Words Melody Recorded 2018 by Marisa Hahn

About the Author Marisa Hahn is a senior music therapy student at Cleveland State University. She wrote this melody when working with a child with autism spectrum disorder at Olmsted Falls Early Childhood Center.

Contact: mshahn22@gmail.com

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4. Have children with instruments pass them to the asking children.

5. Sing the song and repeat the asking process and the “It’s okay” response.

Adaptations Divide children into pairs who sit across from each other rather than having all children sit in a circle.

Teach passing/sharing by practicing play....stop.....pass before introducing the entire song.

I Can Play Meryl Brown, MM, MT-BC, DT Developing Melodies Bloomington, Illinois Description The purpose of this song intervention is to encourage children asking for a turn and demonstrate positive turntaking skills while also addressing that “it’s okay to share.”

Goals to enhance asking for an item to practice sharing items

I Can Play Recorded 2018 by Meryl Brown

Behavior Observation The child will ask a peer “Can I play?” take and return a musical instrument About the Author Materials Small instruments (e.g., shakers, hand drum, bells) Directions 1. Invite children to sit in a circle and hand out an instruments to every other child.

2. Invite children to play along as song is sung; children without instrument may pat on their lap.

3. Direct children without instruments to ask the peer “Can I play?”

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Meryl Brown, MM, MT-BC, DT is Founder and Director of Services at Developing Melodies Music Therapy Center located in Bloomington IL. Her clinical caseload primarily consists of children in early intervention, ages birth to three.

Contact: MBrownMTBC@gmail.com

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4. Invite children who are waiting for their turn to pat their legs to the music.

5. Repeat until all children get a turn to play and pass the instrument.

Adaptations Adjust the lyrics to “We play the instrument. It’s our turn� and have children pass on their instrument to the right at the end of the song.

Hand out a mallet to each child and let them play their turn when the hand drum is presented to them.

Play and Pass Michaela Meland, Music Therapy Student University of North Dakota Grand Forks, North Dakota Description The purpose of this song intervention is for children to practice turn-taking and follow directions.

Goals to enhance turn-taking to increase impulse control

Play and Pass Recorded 2018 by Michaela Meland

Behavior Observation The child will play the instrument and pass it on wait for her or his turn to play Materials Guitar for accompaniment Small percussion instrument(s) Hand drum with multiple mallets Directions 1. Have children sit in a circle and hand a small percussion instrument to one child.

2. Sing the song and invite one child to play along with the instrument by embedding her or his name in the song.

3. Ask the child with the instrument to pass the instrument on to a peer.

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About the Author Michaela Meland is a music therapy student at the University of North Dakota. She enjoys working with young children and seeing them grow.

Contact: michaela.meland@und.edu

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Adaptations Remove more than one fish at a time at the end of the song and count.

Do the same action for each verse or change up the actions and words for each verse.

Fish in a Lake Christine Nance, Music Therapy Intern Bridgeway Academy Columbus, Ohio

Fish in A Lake Recorded 2018 by Christine Nance

Description The purpose of this song intervention is to address preacademic skills such as counting.

Goals to improve one-to-one correspondence to increase following one-step direction following Behavior Observation The child will count fish with one-to-one correspondence imitate actions in the song Materials Guitar for accompaniment Pictures of fish Directions 1. Place a set number of pictures of fish in front of the children, then sing the song.

2. Imitate the actions sung about in the song.

3. Remove one fish at the end of the verse.

4. Count and touch each remaining fish and the repeat song.

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About the Author Christine Nance finished her music therapy coursework at the University of Kansas with an emphasis in percussion. She wrote this song during her practicum at a daycare program.

Contact: cnance94@gmail.com

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Adaptations Add more verses with varying tempi and dynamics.

Incorporate multi-step movement directions into the song.

Quiero Tocar Christine Nance, Music Therapy Intern Bridgeway Academy Columbus, Ohio Description The purpose of this song intervention is to follow directions in English and Spanish.

Goals to improve following one-step direction to increase dual language skills

Quiero Tocar Recorded 2018 by Christine Nance

Behavior Observation The child will play instruments according to instructions in the song sing along with words in English and Spanish Materials Guitar for accompaniment Small handheld percussion instruments Directions 1. Sing the song as written and prompt children to play their percussion instruments.

2. Sing the second verse, playing guitar to match the tempo indicated in lyrics.

3. Sing the third verse, prompting children to sing along in English and Spanish.

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About the Author Christine Nance finished her music therapy coursework at the University of Kansas with an emphasis in percussion. She wrote this song during her internship at Bridgeway Academy, a school for children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Contact: cnance94@gmail.com

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COLOR OF US

Playlists for Young Children Seen in Music Therapy Worldwide Compiled by Petra Kern, Ph.D., MT-BC, MTA, DMtG Music Therapy Consulting Santa Barbara, California Early childhood music therapists worldwide write songs for their clients addressing various developmental goals. The 2018 color of us series provides country-specific playlists of 10 songs featuring original children songs composed by music therapists in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia. Feel free to contact the authors to learn more about the songs.

USA: Petra Kern INDONESIA: Kezia Putri JAPAN: Keiko Shiokawa THAILAND: Punchong Chimpiboon TAIWAN: Fue-Nien Hsieh AUSTRIA: Thomas Stegemann IRELAND: Jason Noon POLAND: Ludwika Konieczna Nowak SPAIN: Melissa Mercadal-Brotons AUSTRALIA: Vicky Abad

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y.biz rn@musictherap

Contact: petrake

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@yahoo.com

nila Contact: keziakar

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Contact: k.shioka

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wa.mt@gmail.com

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tmail.com

p@ho Contact: napak_

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00@gmail.com Contact: funien20

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ann@mdw.ac.at

Contact: stegem

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na@yahoo.com

Contact: lkoniecz

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om

oone.mt@gmail.c Contact: jasonn

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com

s@compuserve.

Contact: broton

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om.au

boppinbabies.c

Contact: vicky@

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PODCASTS

Mary DiCamillo, EdD, MT-BC, ET/P Sound Birthing Music Dove Canyon, California Prenatal Music Bonding: Building Family Relationships Before Birth This podcast introduces prenatal music bonding and ways that siblings can interact and play with their siblings before birth.

Melissa Reinhardt, MSEd, MT-BC Piedmont Music Therapy, LLC Charlotte, North Carolina Ukulele and Baby: Involving Families in Music Therapy This podcast introduces a group music class, Ukulele and Baby, designed to promote parent/child bonding through the use of music and music activities.

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Michele Ritholz, MA, LCAT, MT-BC Make Therapy Musical-Creative Arts Therapy New York, NewYork Raising the Bar on Our Clinical Music This podcast explores the musical legacy of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins and the meaning of play songs.

Carol Ann Blank, Ph.D., LCAT, LPC, MT-BC Music Together Worldwide Hopewell, New Jersey But My Sister Can’t Play With Me….Structuring Music-Play Experiences for Siblings who are Developing Differently This podcast describes how music therapy can support sibling play.

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Being Playful in a Pediatric Hospital: Music Therapy and Child Life Perspectives Can sick children play? Two music therapists and a child life specialist from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco discuss the importance of supporting play in the hospital.

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Rachel Rambach, MM, MT-BC Listen & Learn Music Springfield, Illinois Winter Play Songs: Repertoire and Applications for the Holiday Season This podcast addresses the challenge of planning repertoire for the holiday season and how to write and adapt playful songs that are appropriate across cultures, religions, and traditions.

IN THEIR WORDS...

ONE CLICK AWAY!

Matt Logan, MA, MT-BC, Brianna Negrete, MM, MT-BC, and Chloe Kelleher, MA, CCLS UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, California

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RESOURCES

Free Play Resources to Support Each and Every Child Camille Catlett, M.A. Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Recent headlines have called attention to some of the alarming results of less time for young children to play. Sensory challenges, hyperactivity, and obesity are only a few of the findings that researchers have connected to reduced play time.

Having easy access to resources that offer great ideas and document the effectiveness of using play as the vehicle for learning and development can support the rebounding Stuart Brown: priority of establishing time each day Play Is More Than Just Fun A pioneer in research on play, Dr. for young children to play. Resources Stuart Brown says humor, games, are available that offer an roughhousing, flirtation and understanding of the cultural fantasy are more than just fun. parameters of play and ways to This video makes the case that support playful learning for children plenty of play in childhood makes who are diverse in terms of culture, for happy, smart adults — and language, ability, and circumstances. continuing to play can make us smarter at any age.

Here are some examples of free materials that can help educators, specialists, administrators, and families to understand and support opportunities for what Maria Montessori called “the work of children.”

Play as the Learning Medium for Future Scientists, Mathematicians, and Engineers This article examines the importance of reminding educators that play is the learning medium that can best develop these abilities and motivate students to pursue careers in science, mathematics, and enginieering.

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Supporting Outdoor Play and Exploration for Infants and Toddlers This technical assistance paper explores the benefits of outdoor time for infants and toddlers and provides suggestions for creating outdoor play spaces, safety considerations, and strategies and policies that support this important part of quality infant–toddler programming.

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What About Play? The Value of Investing in Children’s Play This 10 minute video explores the value of play, playful inquiry and the role of adults in supporting, advocating for and investing in children’s play. A companion fullcolor, 42 page book is available to purchase from the Portland Children’s Museum.

More Resources If you’re interested in more free resources – evidence, articles, videos, and websites – related to play, go to http://fpg.unc.edu/ presentations/vermont-resourcecollections and look for Play Resources – March 2018. Let the play begin!

Overview of Play: Its Uses and Importance in Early Intervention/ Early Childhood Special Education This publication presents a review of the importance of play in early intervention, early childhood special education and early childhood education and how play is regarded and used within these contexts.

Children, Free Play and 60 Homemade Musical Instruments This video shows a class of 4-5 year-olds exploring my 60 homemade musical instruments through free hands-on play. It's loud, it's amazingly educational and it's fun!

Camille Catlett’s work focuses on intentional strategies that build the capacity of early childhood and early intervention professionals to be confident and capable in supporting families and young children who are culturally, linguistically and ability diverse. She is a frequent presenter at state, national, and international conferences who also coordinates four national listservs, two state listservs, and authors a regular column on implementing evidence-based practices in Young Exceptional Children.

Contact: camille.catlett@unc.edu

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PUBLICATIONS 2017

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Early Childhood Music Therapy Publications Brown, L. S. (2017). The influence of music on Compiled by facial recognition in children with autism Christopher R. Millett, M.M., spectrum disorder and neurotypical children.

MT-BC Journal of Music Therapy, 54, 55-79. doi: Florida Hospital 10.1093/jmt/thw017 Orlando, Florida Calabro, J. L. (2017). Music therapy for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome. Music and Medicine, 9(1), 37-44.

Carpente, J. A. (2017). Investigating the effectiveness of a developmental, individual difference, relationship-based (DIR) improvisational music therapy program on social communication for children with autism spectrum disorder. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(2), 160-174. doi:10.1093/mtp/miw013 Christenbury, K. R. (2017). I will follow you: The combined use of songwriting and art to promote healing in a child who has been traumatized. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(1), 1-12. doi: 10.1093/mtp/miv005 Ettenberger, M. (2017). Music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit: Putting the families in the centre of care. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(1), 12-17. doi:10.1177/1359457516685881 Ettenberger, M., Rojas Cárdenas, C., Parker, M., & Odell-Miller, H. (2017). Family-centred music therapy with preterm infants and their parents in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Colombia - a mixed-methods study. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 26(3), 207-234. doi: 10.1080/08098131.2016.1205650 Halliday, K. (2017). An exploration of an integrative approach to working with a child with conduct difficulties in music therapy. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(2), 97-104. doi: 10.1177/1359457517725893 Huisman Koops, L. (2017). The enjoyment cycle: A phenomenology of musical enjoyment of 4- to 7-year-olds during musical play. Journal of Research in Music Education, 65(3), 360-380. doi: 10.1177/0022429417716921 Kim, S. J., Kim, E. J., & Yoo, G. E. (2017). Music perception training for pediatric cochlear implant recipients ages 3 to 5 years: A pilot study. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(1), 50-57. doi: 10.1093/mtp/miw009 Knight, A., & Rabon, P. (2017). Music for speech and language development in early childhood populations. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(2), 124-130. doi:10.1093/mtp/mix014 Lander, J. (2017). ‘BabySounds’: Promoting bonding and attachment, pre- and post-natally, with vulnerable first time parents. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(1), 18-25. doi: 10.1177/1359457517700638 Loombe, D. (2017). Long-term music therapy at a child development centre: Changing and growing with Harry and his family: A case study. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(1), 32-38. doi: 10.1177/1359457517700639 Loth, H. (2017). Cacophonies of discord, moments of harmony: Managing multiple needs in shortterm music therapy with triplets and their mother. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(1), 26-31. doi:10.1177/1359457517695273

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Marsh, K. (2017). Creating bridges: Music, play and well-being in the lives of refugee and immigrant children and young people. Music Education Research, 19(1), 60-73. doi:10.1080/14613808.2016.1189525 Mitchell, E. (2017). Music therapy for the child or the family? The flexible and varied role of the music therapist within the home setting. British Journal of Music Therapy, 31(1), 39-42. doi:10.1177/1359457516688695 Millett, C. R., & Gooding, L. F. (2017). Comparing active and passive distraction-based music therapy interventions on preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients and their caregivers. Journal of Music Therapy, 54(4), 460-478. doi: 10.1093/jmt/thx014 Ortiz, G., O’Connor, T., Carey, J., Vella, A., Paul, A., Rode, D., & Weinberg, A. (2017). Impact of a child life and music therapy procedural support intervention on parent perception of their child’s distress during intravenous placement. Pediatric Emergency Care. Advance online publication. doi:10.1097/PEC.0000000000001065 Tan, E. Y. P., & Shoemark, H. (2017). Case study: The feasibility of using song to cue expressive language in children with specific language impairment. Music Therapy Perspectives, 35(1), 63-70. doi:10.1093/mtp/miv039 Thompson, G. A. (2017). Long-term perspectives of family quality of life following music therapy with young children on the autism spectrum: A phenomenological study. Journal of Music Therapy, 54(4), 432-459. doi:10.1093/jmt/ thx013 Ullsten, A., Hugoson, P., Forsberg, M., Forzelius, L., Klässbo, M., Olsson, E., Volgsten, U., Westrup, B., Aden, U., Bergqvist, & Eriksson, M. (2017). Efficacy of live lullaby singing during procedural pain in preterm and term neonates. Music and Medicine, 9(2), 73-85.

Chin, J. T., Hayes, R., Orchard, L., Smith, C., Sutton, N., & Walters, K. (2018). Art and music therapy with adopted children under five. International Journal of Birth and Parent Education, 5(2),11-14. ISSN 2054-0779 (Print); 2054-0787 (Online) Ehrlin, A., & Tivenius, O. (2018). Music in preschool class: A quantitative study of factors that determine the extent of music in daily work in Swedish preschool class. International Journal of Music Education, 36(1), 17-33. doi:10.1177/025576147689920 Hernandez-Ruiz, E. (2018). Music therapy and early start Denver model to teach social communication strategies to parents of preschoolers with ASD: A feasibility study. Music Therapy Perspectives, 36(1), 26-39. doi:10.1093/mtp/mix018 McLeoad, R., & Spence, K. (2018). Clinical observations of live improvisational harp music in neonatal intensive care.

Music and Medicine, 10(2), 63-70.

Schreck, B., & Economos, A. (2018). Perinatal music therapy: Using doppler recordings to connect and create.

Music and Medicine, 10(1), 22-25.

Shoemark, H. (2018). Time together: A feasible program to promote parent-infant interaction in the NICU. Music Therapy Perspectives, 36(1), 6-16. doi:10.1093/mtp/mix004 Stubbs, R. M. (2018). A review of attachment theory and internal working models as relevant to music therapy with children hospitalized for life threatening illness. The Arts in Pscyhotherapy, 57(2018), 72-79. doi:10.1016/j.aip.

2017.10.001 Vaiouli, P., & Andreou, G. (2018). Communication and language development of young children with autism: A review of research in music. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 39(2), 323-329. doi:10.1177/1525740117705117 Van der Heijden, M. J. E., Jeekel, J., Rode, H., Cox, S., van Rosmalen, J., Hunink, M. G. M., & van Dijk, M. (2018).

Can live music therapy reduce distress and pain in children with burns after wound care procedures? A randomized controlled trial. Burns, 44(4), 823-833. doi:10.1016/j.burns.

2017.12.013 Yurkovich, J., Burns, D. S., & Harrison, T. (2018). The effect of music therapy entrainment on physiologic measures of infants in the cardiac intensive care unit: Single case withdrawal pilot study. Journal of Music Therapy, 55(1), 62-82. doi:10.1093/jmt/thx017

2018

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REVIEWS Trivette, C. M., & Keilty, B. (Eds.) (2017).

Family: Knowing families, tailoring practices, building capacity. Washington, DC: Division of Early Childhood. 151 Pages. Cost: $30 Family: Knowing Families, Tailoring Practices, Building Capacity is based on ten recommended family practices utilized by the Division for Early Childhood. These practices are centered around three themes: Family-centered practices, family capacity-building practices, and family and professional collaboration. The book includes eighteen chapters written by various authors.

Professionals working with children will find a plethora of applicable information for better serving families. The divers topics include adoption and bonding, supporting military families, dual language learning families, and more. Families can also utilize the techniques outlined in the book with their own children. Each chapter is uniformly arranged to provide clarity to the reader through tables and client scenarios. In addition, bold faced titles, Listen to our short chapter summaries, audio bookmarks and side quotations will help readers locate specific information when using this book as a reference source.

Throughout the book, professionals are challenged to address their judgments, expectations, and biases when working with

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families. To overcome these challenges, the authors suggest that practitioners use various techniques. In the technique of reframing, a negative idea is approached from an alternate perspective. For example, instead of thinking that the parents do not want to learn English, the professional can reframe the thought and consider that the parents may deeply value their own language and culture as an important part of their lives. In another technique, the practitioner spends time with the family in the natural environment to investigate its strengths and values. When therapy goals are subsequently based on these strengths and values, the family might be more willing to incorporate what is being targeted in sessions into their daily lives.

These techniques can be helpful reminders for music therapists consider how their thoughts about a family may be hindering the services being oered. This is the main theme of the book.

The book also encourages teaching this philosophy to future professionals. In the chapter, “Families as Mentors,� the authors describe a study conducted at the University of Washington.

Pre-service teachers accompanied families of children with a disability during their daily activities at least five times during the year.

Mentors and mentees both reported that the visit resulted in a greater understanding of families with children with disabilities and how to serve them. Observing a skilled mentor engaging with other practitioners, having a parent co-instruct a class, or completing fieldwork that emphasizes family practices are other situations professionals might undertake. Music therapist could implement similar programs when working with families.

About the Authors Julianne Heany and Meghan Hanley, students at the University of Alabama, are interns at the Palmetto Health Baptist and Key Changes Music Therapy Services in South Carolina.

Contact: jmheany@crimson.ua.edu

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and benefits of singing to the child in the womb. These chapters focus on prenatal sound perception and the child's response to music in utero. The author also introduces the benefits of mindfulness-awareness and the importance of self-care for the mother, the use of music as distraction to reduce pain perception, and the biological importance of mom-preferred music for listening.

Federico, G. F. (2017). A Musical Journey Through Pregnancy: Prenatal Music Therapy. Tenerife, Spain: Obstare. 228 Pages. Cost: $7.70 (Kindle); $27.90 (Print) It is not news that happy, healthy mothers have easier pregnancies; research has long shown that a mother’s stress and anxiety can affect the child in the womb, and even play into his or her temperament after birth. But how can we help mothers be happier and healthier, when our current model of maternity care is focused primarily on the physical aspects of pregnancy? Despite growing awareness and support for mothers experiencing postpartum depression, there is still a lack of holistic preventative care for mothers' health during pregnancy.

A Musical Journey Through Pregnancy explores how these unfulfilled needs can be met through music therapy. Drawing from both contemporary prenatal research and a rich culture of psychoanalytic therapy in Argentina, the author introduces a holistic model of maternity care that aims to support the individual not only physically, but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Each chapter references current research in prenatal medicine, ties in concepts from attachment theory, and gives recommendations for both families and clinicians.

The first half of the book may be interesting for new parents who are curious about everyday concerns such as safe volume levels, effects of environmental noise,

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The second half of the book describes different music therapy interventions in practice, and illustrates results through short case studies. This section is a great collection of client experiences for readers wanting a deeper look into the full range of needs and concerns in prenatal care. The author calls for therapists to be discriminative in selecting interventions, discusses potential effect of parents’ intentions on therapeutic outcomes, and advocates for the use of humanistic interventions that will nurture the baby, the parents, and the bond between all members of the family.

Overall, this book is an insightful read Listen to my for anyone working audio bookmark. in prenatal care, for music therapists seeking to move towards wellness models or family practice, and for those interested in the role music therapy can play in early attachment. The author provides a unique perspective on what holistic therapy means for the mother and child, both together and apart, and how the maternal bond can be strengthened through music – even before birth.

About the Author Rowan Schaefer is a music therapy student at the University of Louisville.

She enjoys keeping up with current research and its influence on clinical practice.

Contact: rgscha01@louisville.edu

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imagine 9(1), 2018

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