Tag: PARENTS

HOW YOU CAN TEACH A SPECIAL NEED CHILD WITH NO Background in music

Posted on by Escape Global

I have no background in music and I want to teach a/my child with special need.
I know the previous post may have got you wondering how you can teach your child music with no music inclination. I will be sharing few simple steps on how to teach your young one in such a way that it is beneficial to both you and them.


The first thing I’ll like to mention which I mentioned in my previous post is to OWN YOUR JOURNEY, I apologize for reiterating it but if you must make the most of this journey then you will part ways with impatience, comparison, ingratitude and be companions of gratitude any day any moment.


Focus on knowing your CHILD(REN): When preparing to teach music to your child(ren), focus on knowing them, understanding their personalities, what they love and will tend to. Knowing them means you will have to recall the times when they engaged in music, what their response was like, if they love calm or fast music, if they enjoy rhythm, whether they have ever been fascinated by a musical instrument, if there is any genre of music that makes them aggressive or feel frustrated. All these are to let you know that you must be a keen observer, it will help you know which to tone down on and which to elevate. Ask them questions and don’t feel bad if they don’t like what you envisaged them liking.


Focus on learning a musical instrument, be it Voice, Piano, Guitar and so on. Do not dabble into too many musical instruments, you can download videos online to learn, explore yourself and all other spontaneous ideas that might come in the process and as you learn, try engaging your child with it. The goal is to learn while they learn.


Keep things simple with your child. your child isn’t an adult that you would want to please by being prim and proper, you can say things like “Honey you know mummy or daddy is just learning to figure this out so let’s just go with the flow”. Your child will appreciate the commitment, vulnerability and simplicity you put into it. I remember when I just started playing the guitar and was visiting the hospital, because I didn’t know much I always wanted to cringe, then I realized from my interactions with each kid that they didn’t care, they just wanted the simple thing I could play then.


As you grow in teaching them, avoid being rigid, kids love to play and explore a lot and sometimes you might have a bucket list of how you want to teach music but they are just concentrating on one. I used to ‘overprepare’ and then when I begin sessions, they just always have something else they love to do. Do not rush them, give grace and watch how they explore just the one you’ve taught them. the joy is not in how many lessons you can pump down their brain but in the journey that is moving steadily. Be grateful!


Watch sessions on YouTube where children with special needs are engaged in Music Therapy, it will boost your confidence and you’ll have lot of innovative ideas on how to utilize music in helping your young one.


Paste colourful postcards containing illustrative affirmations in your music space. Affirmations like; I am smart, I am well-behaved, I sing well, I play my musical instruments well and so on. Just be creative about it.


Finally, as you teach them the little you’ve learnt, don’t stop learning also. It’s never bad to learn on the job, some days might seem frustrating but please do not give up, give grace.
You are doing so well and I am rooting for you!


Do let me know in the comment box if this post was helpful.
Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.
Thank You.

HOW TO UTILIZE THE GIFT OF MUSIC IN HELPING CHILDREN LIVING WITH AUTISM- FOR CAREGIVERS (Parents especially).

Posted on by Escape Global

I have worked with a couple of autistic children and one common thing I have noticed is that caregivers wish children will just respond using force. Force has never guaranteed response from anyone, it might work when you are present with them but when you are not with them, they will follow what they feel is cool. Here are ways to utilize the gift of music;

 Own your journey; this is the most important point in everything I’ll be sharing with you today. Many caregivers, parents especially have a pattern in their mind of how things ought to be based on a number of information they have read, seen or heard. They are quick to forget that every child is unique and how they are related with is key in healing. Owning your journey means taking it a step at a time and being thankful all the way. Be thankful for your child, be thankful that you are their parent and above all be thankful that Jesus has beautiful plans for them no matter the disability.

 Engage them in music at every instance: Studies show that children with autism can understand both simple and complex emotions in music and are more responsive to sensory stimulation compared with other children especially in music, even over speech or noise.
Music can positively impact children with autism in diverse ways. You can use songs to emphasize speech in children with autism who struggle with language. One technique is to sing with vocabulary cards in order to teach vocabulary skills, you can also play music videos like COCOMELON that teach all these using music. Singing can considerably enhance language skills in students with a type of autism that has language delays.
Music can be used to help a child with autism recollect important information when it is linked with a musical sound, like a melody or rhythm.
One critical study found that music can be used to focus students’ attention, keep those with disabilities on track and decrease their anxiety from stress. I once had an autistic patient who could hardly focus but would pause at the sound of a rhythm made, master it and give you the exact way he heard it.

 If you are musically inclined, try engaging them using music elements in the simplest form.
Music elements such as pitch, melody, harmony, rhythm and so on. When children listen to a piece of music, the combination of musical elements are in it. However, some children with autism are auditory sensitive and it makes them experience a lack of forbearance for sounds.
You can help them by using separate musical elements to simplify their music. For example; start with a song, you as the caregiver can try teaching in stages by isolating pitches on the piano first. As they get comfortable with it, you can slowly introduce the other elements one at a time. be sensitive to know when they are not interested in one element and when they are interested in another.

 Compose songs with the child’s name as song title, it has a way of building self-confidence. For example, in this part of the world, many people have native names. If your child has a native name, you can make use of the name interpretation to compose a song and still mention his or her name in it. It gives a feeling of being loved, being known and all the god feeling.

 Employ music to help the aggression they feel. Autistic children are most times frustrated because of the difficulty they experience in expressing themselves but music can help as it can keep them calm by lessening their feelings of anger. Try different genres of calming and sensory music, see what works best for your young one.

This is not an exhaustive list on how to utilize music in helping children living with autism and like I mentioned earlier, it’s a journey you should take at your own pace encouraging yourself and your child as you walk through it. This journey will be both beneficial to you and your child.
You are doing a great job and I’m rooting for you always.

Need counsel? Need help or have questions? Feel free to drop them here or if for confidentiality’s sake you don’t want to, kindly write to me; mercykayt@gmail.com.


Thank You.

LINKS:

M U S I C A L D E C L A R A T I O N

Posted on by Escape Global

You know when they say your words are weapon and you can either use it to your favour or use it to the detriment of yourself.
I was yet again in the company of parents who we normally care givers at the Emergency Paediatric Ward of the hospital.
They were a mix of tribe, largely Igbo and few northerners. I wasn’t nervous per say doing this with them even though I didn’t envision it while leaving for the hospital.
I think one of the things this journey is teaching me is to expect the unexpected and be prepared to deliver value at anytime.

I sat in the middle of the ward, strumming my guitar so the lyrics could pour forth, gradually the lyrics were on my lips and I had their attention.
If you’ve been following me, you’d know that I love short spontaneous music and I use it a lot in the hospital because I know it’s easy to remember few lines than lengthy lines and since one of my target is memory, having them remember the music when they hit despair then I know doing spontaneous music will work.

So the first song I did was on Peace and Health because lately I’ve been so endeared to the importance of always being at peace, I decided to gift them with a spontaneous music on Peace. These were the lyrics;
Peace to your body
Peace to your soul
Peace to your mind.

It initially took a while for them to learn this because they didn’t feel good enough to sing so I encouraged them by singing one line then patiently wait for them to sing the next. They were doing so well and at each point they did, I made statements like Fantastic! Awesome! Just so they’d be encouraged. I made sure they declared these lyrics over their kids.

They finally perfected this and then I thought to do another spontaneous that had the fusion of Nigerian Pidgin, Igbo and Hausa language so I asked for the meaning of peace in both languages and I got them.
Here is the Lyrics;
You no go beg!
You no go borrow
Zaman Lafia, Udo!

This was really the most interesting for them because they felt like someone could do a song in their language, there was this sense of belonging.
I made them declare this over themselves and family, making them realize that there’s life in the words they speak and situations should not determine what they speak, little did I know that there was a mother among them who had been declaring very negative words. One of the mothers pointed to her saying ‘You see what we were saying! Just try not to speak negative when things go bad’.

We sang these words again deliberately and the joy! So pure. I feel this moment with these parents changed me more than it changed them because I have become so conscious of what proceeds from my mouth.


I’m thankful that I do this, I leave wards feeling very fulfilled each week and the fact that I bring light, hope, joy, peace to lives humbles me.


This is #TheDiaryofAnAspiringMusicTherapist Episode 7

I’m sure you know by now that reading from you gives me much joy and I always look forward to it!