More than Music Time

Emma and I give music classes three days a week, four 20-30 minute classes a day to 2-5 year old classes.  Our first class starts at 10am, and the last ends at around 1:30pm.  In between we have a bit of hang-out time with the kids and teachers, or time to fine tune our plans for the next class.  Then, after our last class, we have about an hour and a half to hang out with the kids and teachers before we go home.

Israel ready to play, with my guitar and "cinta" (guitar strap).

A couple months ago, I started working with kids individually after my last music class, giving guitar lessons  and private music therapy sessions.  It started out because of Israel. 

There had been a couple kids with home/behavior issues I had been hoping to work with in music therapy.  But these were also the same kids that wanted nothing, or little, to do with the music classes Emma and I were already giving.  So, how do you do music therapy with a kid that does not seem motivated by music?

Enter Israel.

Israel is 4 year old in love with the guitar.  He was always asking me questions about my guitar, and especially the exact name of the store where he could buy a guitar strap ("cinta" to him) just like mine.  He wanted to tell his grandma the name of the store so that she could buy him one.  Then he learned if he asked, he could play my guitar.  Then, one day, with much excitement, he brought in his guitar.  More decorative than anything else, he sat down with me one day after class and we had a jam session.  Him playing with nearly perfect rhythm and so much gusto, singing at the top of his lungs "Feliz Navidad," complete with hand-stops (though in odd places).  Just like I had when we taught the kids the song in December.  

Soon, there were a bunch of kids around us wanting to know, "What are you doing?" and "Can I/we play with you too?"  Among them was the little boy I had been praying most to work with.  We will talk about him in another story.  So, now I have between 4-6 kids that I work with after the end of the school day.  Only 2 or 3 a day, and then afterwards we have about a half hour each day or more where I read to the kids or have them read for me/the other kids.  I am getting to know more about the kids' home life/interests through the songs we make up together and having some fun while trying to work through some of the issues in each of their lives.  

Another one of my students :)