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Developing music activities

The earliest communications between primary carer and baby are often highly musical. You can build on, and develop, this communication in your music sessions.

For children who are non-verbal, shared vocalisation can be a powerful musical communication. The voice is a very personal instrument, and shared vocalisation can provide a valuable avenue for emotional expression for a child who has profound communication problems.

Even when a child produces a sound by chance, it can be taken and built upon in a musical way – imitated and extended. Eye contact, facial expression, and body language/posture can also be incorporated and used to develop the relationship, trust, and mutual shared creativity. This encourages the child to respond in turn with a further sound or phrase, and a 'song' is improvised.

When the child is able to sustain or repeat vocal sounds, or to imitate a musical contour (high and low pitches, as in a melodic phrase), the improvised music can be recorded (on tape, or written on manuscript paper) and further developed by you into a song.

Effective and meaningful song lyrics can then be based on simple topics that are relevant to the child, such as:

• their name
• unique things about them
• stages of their day
• a favourite person or activity
• a classroom or home routine
• a family pet.

'Song parody' (modifying an existing song) can also be used. Take a song that is familiar to the child and change the words to make it special to/for them.

If you are able to play another instrument, you may be able to accompany the singing. Of course, this is not essential, but it can be used as a way of reinforcing and enhancing the child's efforts. Instruments such as the autoharp can easily be played by you or the child to produce accompanying chords. (Make sure it is in tune before you start – a music store may be able to help if you are not able to tune it.)

It is important to listen for, and to recognise, when the vocalisation takes the form of a familiar melody or children's song. For example, if a child is singing or humming to themself while playing, you might be able to quietly join the play and share the musical experience with them. Take care not to impose or interrupt.

Singing rhythmically while on the see-saw or swing, while marching, or while hammering at the woodwork bench, can be far more meaningful than structured sessions in a music room due to their immediateness and creative spontaneity.

It might be possible to develop this interaction into a spontaneous music session, by moving into another song that is similar or relevant to the play. It is important to realize that the 'music session', especially for pre-schoolers and younger, primary-aged children, does not have to take place in the classroom or music room. Instead, you can make it part of their day.

Having said that, a defined therapeutic music space and a predictable/regular schedule is also important. Children who have special needs often respond well to structure, and are comforted and gain confidence from knowing when and where music will happen, who will take part in the session, what they will be doing, and how things will be done.

Unless you are following their lead and working with them in their own play situation, as described above, you may find it difficult to engage them in musical interaction. There are several ways that you can 'structure' the music session to provide the desired security. These include the session plan, the arrangement of the physical space, and the music itself, as discussed in the next sections.

next: Structuring a session