Using a Music Therapy Collaborative Consultative Approach - World ...

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We believe your work with the kids is a tremendous success. When Carmen first
notified us that she was going to record a CD, we said, "Carmen, what are you
talking about?” She responded, “We are going to record a CD with Petra.” You
should have seen the joy that was exuberating from her. After we heard the CD, we
thought “WOW, these kids did a great job,” and how wonderful it was that you and
the teachers explained to the kids what the instruments were and how to play them.
We were so in awe that we made copies of the CD and gave them to our parents and
close relatives. Everyone enjoyed them and said how great the CD was. Every now
and then, when I talk with my parents they recite some of the songs on the CD, ‘play
the cymbals, play the cymbals.’ We all just laugh and reflect on how well this song
was sung on the CD and how the kids seemed to enjoy it so much. I feel that the
songs and the instruments were more than just singing and playing but were also a
lesson on how to work together and how music is for everyone. We definitely
appreciate what it has done for Carmen. Thanks.
And, Justin’s mother responded in an Email with the following comment:
After receiving the CD, I slipped it into the CD player in the car on the way home
from school without telling Justin. When the music came on, he got very excited and
yelled, "Hey that's my class!" When the track of him singing "I want to play the drum
with you" came on, he yelled, "Hey that's me!" and "Hey, that's Petra!" He was
fascinated with hearing himself sing on the CD and asked me to play it about a
hundred times. It sparked great conversations about his experience in the Music Hut
and he taught me, my husband, and his little brother how to sing the song. I kept the
CD in the car and for the first few weeks, he asked to listen to it over and over again
on the way to and from school. Each time he heard "his song," his face would light
and he'd yell, "Hey that's me!” And "Hey that's Petra!" It became known in our house
as "Justin's song" and even his brother would request that I play "Justin's song,"
Having the CD was a great way for him to share his experience with us.
Teachers embedded the intervention successfully in the ongoing playground routine
as evidenced by the target children’s skill improvements. This finding is consistent with the
results of Experiment I and II, and expand upon earlier studies related to other disciplines
(Garfinkel & Schwartz, 2002; Kaiser et al., 1993; Kemmis & Dunn, 1996; Sewell et al.,
1998; Venn et al., 1993; Wolery et al., 2002) by showing that teachers can successfully
implement interventions based on music therapy principles and guidelines in ongoing
childcare routines when staff training and ongoing consultation is provided. As the