He came for three years with songs and laughter and dancing, and Wade followed him like the Pied Piper of music therapy.
His teaching was a mixture of rhythm and glissandi, listening and counting, beach balls and swirling scarves, piano and castanets.
And for everything there was a song.
But now he's gone and we don't have a song for that.
And Wade doesn't understand the meaning of no David.
"David sick?" he says. "David in hospital?"
And I don't know what to say.
So we sit together and sing the "Good-bye Song" as we did so many times at the end of a session.
"Good-bye, David, good-bye.
Good-bye is what we say.
Good-bye, David, good-bye.
We'll see you again another day."
But somehow it seems all sad and wrong.
And then suddenly I know why.
It's the wrong song. David would have known that. Because his music isn't ending; it's only beginning. Today he is singing new songs more beautiful and golden than any he sang on earth.
And so we sing again, the right song this time, to David who lives today as he never did before.
"Hello, hello to David;
Hello, hello to David;
We'll sing and laugh and move and play;
It is music time today,
Hello, hello to David, hello."
Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. John 11:25
For a child, play begins in delight and ends in wisdom.(from Music Together)
The brain that engages in music is changed by engaging in music. Rhythm helps the brain take the most direct route to a goal.
Through the kind invitation of Wade's music therapist I was able to spend the weekend at the American Music Therapy Association Convention in Atlanta. With a gathering of over 1300 music therapists, the inspiration, talent, and expertise were abundant.
I was interested to discover someone there from North Dakota (my home state). Andrew Knight, a professor of music therapy at UND in Grand Forks, has been instrumental in working with legislature to enable North Dakota to pass the nation's first music therapy licensing law under the State Board of Integrative Health Care. Other states are now following their example. UND has a great article here about the licensure law and about music therapy. It also has a good description about half-way down the page about the rigorous requirements for a music therapist.
The concept of using music to retrain the brain is a very attractive one, not only because music makes work seem like play, but also because there is a much greater advantage in utilizing medical advancements which will reshape the brain to work better rather than depending on drugs which may be able to have similar results, but which also carry with them the price of unknown side effects and continual dependency.
Music therapy has played a significant role in U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Gifford's recovery from a gunshot wound.
These videos show sessions of Gifford's music therapy and explain how music can be used to help form new paths in the brain to take over from the part that is injured or non-functioning.
In the world we live in today, sometimes it seems that everyone wants to be a star, to be discovered, to become a singer on a world stage with the millions applauding.
I'll save my applause for the talented stars who humbly sit on my living room floor.....
........and perform for one little boy with Down syndrome.
I've been working on time concepts with Wade. Every evening before he goes to bed we talk about what the next day will be and what he will be doing at what time during the day. One of his music therapists taught us a great little song that talks about yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and every morning we sing that while talking about the day's schedule. That great printable above is from School Sparks.
I have his monthly schedule written out on a calendar page, and each evening Wade draws an X across the day that is all done. Last year I just did a weekly schedule because each day of every week was the same. This year though his schedule is not the same each week so it was better to write (in pencil!) the month's activities.
So this week I'll tell a bit about what he does each day in therapy or school and also one or more activities we do at home.
This morning he had Yellow Time with Mommy. Don't ask me why it's called Yellow Time; that's what he named it and so that's what it is. But he looks forward to it as much as if it would be Ice Cream Time.
We tossed balls into a container.
These little balls are easy to make and easy to throw. One of Wade's ot's gave me the idea. Randall made these for Wade's Christmas gift one year, but you can just use a handkerchief and stuff it with plastic bags or with quilt batting. Tie it shut with a ribbon or with a tight rubber band and you have a great therapy toy!
In the afternoon, Wade had music therapy with Andrea. They were talking about fall things today, so there were lots of new and old vocabulary words, which led to my favorite quote of the day.
Andrea: Wade, what do you eat on Thanksgiving Day?
"It's easy to play any musical instrument: all you have to do is touch the right key at the right time and the instrument will play itself."- J.S. Bach
Wade began music therapy with a Kindermusik class when he was 3 years old. After that class was completed, we continued with one-on-one music therapy over the summer. We have kept on with music therapy ever since except for a break this summer. He now has music therapy twice a week with two different music therapists.
One of the first benefits of music therapy that I saw in Wade was an improvement in rhythm. Because rhythm is included in the backbone of speech, as a child's rhythm improves, so also does his vocabulary. I had thought that it would take much hand-over-hand tutoring to accomplish the art of staying in rhythm, but Wade was soon tapping to the beat, inspired by observing and imitating (what seemed to be) playful games with the music therapist. And along with a better sense of rhythm came new words and longer sentences.
Another huge benefit of music therapy for Wade is that the music therapist is able to take any of the child's other pt, ot, or speech goals and incorporate them into the music. Because music has always been a passion for Wade, it provides the key to unlock the doors of fundamental learning by seducing his attention and holding it. Music becomes an invisible schoolhouse in a natural setting enabling him to learn and meet his goals without ever realizing that he is working. Music has helped to stretch his attention span until now he is able to put small puzzles together independently and to complete tracing pages mostly on his own. Days of the week, months of the year, weather, abc's, and numbers have all been learned through music. When he was younger, music was the best way to teach him sign language. Additionally, isolating problematic letter sounds and putting them to music also helped to make him aware of remembering to say them the correct way.
Music therapy's incorporation of movement and learning corresponds well to the explosion of current research on the connection between movement and cognition, whose findings imply that education should involve movement to enhance learning. When Wade manipulates learning mediums with his hands, or moves with purpose related to mental activity, he processes and retains new information much better. It stretches his ability to complete sequencing activities correctly and aids in the process of permanently downloading new vocabulary into his brain.
When Wade turned 4, the music therapist began to do adaptive piano along with the other mt activities. Once again, I have been amazed at the performance of cognitive skills this has showcased that I might otherwise have missed. This is a great picture of order in the environment creating order in the mind. Now, at almost 5, Wade is playing simple songs on the piano (by reading color-coded music) and is isolating the appropriate fingers to use with the coordinating keys. He is also best able to follow a sequence when it involves the keyboard, leading me to believe that music has enhanced his listening skills and helped him to focus with much greater clarity. Research again backs up this theory by showing how brains can organize themselves in response to sensory input. An interesting study was done in 1980 by M. C. Piper and M. K. Ramsay on the effect of early home environment on the mental development of infants who had Down syndrome. In this study, organization in the home was a direct factor in predicting the IQ of these children.
More recent research reported by Oliver Sacks in Musicophilia reveals the fact that a professional musician's occupation can be identified by simply seeing a picture of his brain. In other words, the study of music has given him more connections between the hemispheres of his brain than most other people have. If that is true, then it seems likely to me that a well-ordered introduction and guidance to music beginning when my child is very young will have long-lasting impact on his cognitive development throughout life.
* And do take a look at this clip about Bryann Burgess who will be singing the national anthem for our Buddy Walk in a couple of weeks. Bryann is currently a junior at the University of South Carolina where she is participating in their non-degree program, living on campus, and attending classes on her own without a tutor. Her passion for teaching and her talent for music come together in the work she is doing in assisting with a Kindermusik class.
Saturdays are music therapy time with David. Wade loves Saturdays and David and music.
The Hello Song
He's got rhythm!
When Nevin runs the sound systems for various events, he's always complaining that people don't get close enough to the mic. Do you think Wade is close enough to his mic?
Parachute time--can you shake it up and down and walk in a circle at the same time?
David started Wade on the piano in the fall. The notes of the song are printed in color and there are corresponding colored stickers on the keys. He has also now learned which fingers to use on what keys. I have been amazed at his capabilities on the piano and have to thank David for keeping my expectations high enough.
Wade also plays the same song on colored hand bells, using the correct fingers. The ring finger is a difficult one.
The rest of today we spent with more Beloved People, celebrating Grandma Evelyn's birthday with a picnic.
A birthday party wouldn't be complete without Grandpa.
And then there were more Beloved Aunts and Uncles...
and cousins.....
.....and cousins......
.......and more cousins!
And what about a grubby little boy kiss for a sweet girl. Awwwww!
The weather was perfect, the turtles were charming, and the alligator tried to ignore us.
