Tomorrow evening I present to a group of families who have a child with Down syndrome. I am excited for the experience. The first portion (maybe even half) of my presentation will be engaging the children in experiences on a 1:1 basis as well as in a group. I do not know how many people will be in attendance at this meeting. But, I do know that most of the parents aren’t too aware of music therapy (as was told to me by the family who invited me to speak).
For this reason, I will be breaking the presentation into these pieces:
- Mini music therapy session with the group of children (complete with the therapeutic arc)
- Repeated mini music therapy session with the children’s parents taking the place of the children
- Explanation of some goals I’d have for children in this population
- Explanation of how the experiences I implement targets those goals
- Instruction for parents of one experience that will help generalize and build skills, that they may utilize in the home
I’m looking forward to the event. I’m even looking forward to the fact that there are many mysteries involved.
Wish me luck. 
That’s great, Erin! Nice program. I always am challenged by a mix of children and adults in the room. Please report back on how it goes. Good luck!
Good luck – you’ll be GREAT!
Emily,
Thanks for the comment. I’ve just returned home from the presentation. I had a lot of fun– roughly 12 children, half of them being infants! Their parents were there, and I was asked some specific and good questions. I loved the experience, and I think they had fun. I was surprised by the group dynamic, in that the older kids (who mostly weren’t older than three) did really well with a sharing/passing experience I led. None of the parents were aware of music therapy. Two families seemed really interested in pursuing care. So! That’s my report! I had a good time. I hope you’re well. 🙂
Rachel,
Thank you so much for your good wishes! I’d been pretty excited about the experience, and feel very good about its outcome. I believe I shed some light on the benefits of music therapy, and engaged some very young children in a handful of experiences. All in all, very fun.