Well, one last blog from Cayman...
We are sitting in the airport, just about ready to head back to Boston with all of our experiences and memories. We did a little wrap up this afternoon, and we all agree that this trip changed our lives. We've all got a new little music therapy spark that we will continue to pass on. :)
Again, we are eternally grateful for all the support from friends, family, classmates, MT professionals, and others that made this trip a reality.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Channing Friday/Saturday
This week has quite honestly been one of the best weeks of my entire life. I feel so blessed to have been surrounded by such beautiful caring people. Not only have I grown from this experience but I have gotten to witness six other lives change. We truly have become a family. Stephanie is our loving caring mother on this trip, keeping us in check from our own "blog about it" moments. Jeniris, our peppy sister who consistently finds the joy in every moment. Seneca our brother, protecting us and bringing his fun spirit. Ranjana, our youngest sister, with a heart of gold, bursting with energy, willingness, and love. Mariza, our crazy aunt that never fails to make us laugh. And of course Julianne, our fearless leader and wise mentor who has put up with all of our "clitch" moments and continues to help us strive to be better music therapists. We have become closer than I ever would have imagined, and I am so proud, honored, and humbled by the love I am surrounded by.
Yesterday I was able to see all of the hard work that we have put into fundraising, spreading the word, and working with the children, accumulate in an amazing concert. At the end of the concert, we were met by tears of joy from parents who had never seen such focus from their children, or parents who were so proud of what their child had accomplished. The children who had literally kicked, hit, bit, and punched us in the beginning, had embraced us by the end of the week and would not let us go. It is at times like these that I know I am where I am supposed to be.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our amazing experience, whether it was money or good wishes, our hearts are overflowing with love for each of you.
Today, I think we will relax :)
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our amazing experience, whether it was money or good wishes, our hearts are overflowing with love for each of you.
Today, I think we will relax :)
Ranjana Srinivasan-Friday August 19th 2011
As it has been said many times before, all good things must come to an end. Today we had the kids perform in a final concert, and it was a truly amazing experience. During the day we had a dress rehearsal and after the camp at twelve we had all the parents come in to watch the kids show off their many talents. We had each group perform a number. They also entered the concert singing our theme song “Beat The Heat” to the tune of “Stir It Up.” Following this the group as a whole performed a movement song called “ I’m So Excited” which was written by our own Channing Shippen. After this the first group, the yellow team, performed. Over the week they created their own band called “J.J. and the pink berets” and today they sang the song “La Bamba.” The next group, the red group, was our toughest one this week. They performed a song called “ Play The Drum” and each had a drum solo. This went surprisingly well and we were all so proud of them! The last group that performed was the blue team. They played song “ Hound Dog” on the drums and did an amazing job. After this a little drum team and dance team performed routines. To end the concert Team Cayman performed a song that we wrote together called “The Beat Of My Heart” and dedicated it to the kids. Many parents in the audience were very touched by our performance and almost all of us were in tears. I saw one of the mothers in the audience shedding some tears and I immediately started to as well. I think this whole process was very emotional because we all worked hard to raise the money and make sure this camp happened, and after it was all done we finally got to be proud of our hard work. What also made it an emotional process was the fact that these children will special needs in the Cayman Islands are treated poorly on a regular basis. Instead of learning about their needs, many parents are embarrassed by their children and discipline them by hitting them and hiding them from the community. It broke our hearts to find this out and we were so glad that our camp gave them a chance to express themselves in a positive way through music. We really tried to explain to each parent the progress their child has made and how proud we are of them. The parents seemed very grateful that their children were able to come. Many kids became very upset when they realized it was the last day. It was sad to see but now we know that this camp has made a difference in their lives. For many kids they became passionate about certain instruments such as the guitar and the drums, and now their parents are working to enroll them in music lessons. Our goal coming to Grand Cayman was to promote music therapy and show how it positively effects children with special needs. I believe that we accomplished this and I am very proud to be apart of such an amazing team. I will end this blog by quoting Mariza in saying, “ If we can put on a concert with the kids in one week, imagine what we could do in a year.”
Friday, August 19, 2011
Friday-- Steph
I can't even believe the week with the kids is over...
Today was absolutely unbelievable. During the first part of the day, we did our little dress rehearsal for the show, and most of the time, I was honestly wondering how we were going to pull it off. The change in the structure of the day was a lot for the kids and there was some general confusion/hyperactivity that was taking place. However, we had just experienced the whole week with them, so we had some tricks up our sleeves and were able to keep the chaos at a moderate level.
The amazing part was the show, of course, and it was really moving to see many of the parents showed up to watch their kids perform. As we began, I did feel we were taking a little leap of blind faith. Our dress rehearsal had been quite iffy, so we hadn't exactly had a real run-through. I had to remind myself that most of the real work had occurred over the course of the week, and this was just icing on the cake.
However, the kids totally stepped up to the plate and impressed everyone in the room. The singing, dancing, and drumming were incredible, and the kids were eager to participate in their own ways. Our line up was pretty solid:
Beat the Heat-- (to the Stir it Up tune), intro song, all the kids came in dancing
I'm So Excited-- (Channing's movement song), the entire group moved along with the song
La Bamba featuring "J.J. and the Pink Berets"
Drumming tune
Hound Dog with drum solos
Boy's drumming group
Girl's dancing group
Our team's song "Beat of my Heart"
Goodbye song
So, that was it. Of course, I had so many touching moments over the course of the week, and I think I've received more hugs from little kids than I've received in my whole life. One of my favorites was when the group of us were singing "Beat of my Heart." One of the little girls, who has had difficulty staying engaged with the group, came right over to join us and sat in my lap. She was totally proving she was part of the whole group.
As we said goodbye to everyone, so many parents came up to thank us, giving generous hugs and kind words. One of the representatives from the Ministry of Education on Grand Cayman came to our show and gave us a special thank you as well. It was absolutely amazing to hear parents say their kids were raving about the music at home and their new friendships.
All the hard work certainly has paid off, and now we have 2 final days here on Cayman to explore and take a break from music therapy (at least, in the formal sense).
ciao for now!
Today was absolutely unbelievable. During the first part of the day, we did our little dress rehearsal for the show, and most of the time, I was honestly wondering how we were going to pull it off. The change in the structure of the day was a lot for the kids and there was some general confusion/hyperactivity that was taking place. However, we had just experienced the whole week with them, so we had some tricks up our sleeves and were able to keep the chaos at a moderate level.
The amazing part was the show, of course, and it was really moving to see many of the parents showed up to watch their kids perform. As we began, I did feel we were taking a little leap of blind faith. Our dress rehearsal had been quite iffy, so we hadn't exactly had a real run-through. I had to remind myself that most of the real work had occurred over the course of the week, and this was just icing on the cake.
However, the kids totally stepped up to the plate and impressed everyone in the room. The singing, dancing, and drumming were incredible, and the kids were eager to participate in their own ways. Our line up was pretty solid:
Beat the Heat-- (to the Stir it Up tune), intro song, all the kids came in dancing
I'm So Excited-- (Channing's movement song), the entire group moved along with the song
La Bamba featuring "J.J. and the Pink Berets"
Drumming tune
Hound Dog with drum solos
Boy's drumming group
Girl's dancing group
Our team's song "Beat of my Heart"
Goodbye song
So, that was it. Of course, I had so many touching moments over the course of the week, and I think I've received more hugs from little kids than I've received in my whole life. One of my favorites was when the group of us were singing "Beat of my Heart." One of the little girls, who has had difficulty staying engaged with the group, came right over to join us and sat in my lap. She was totally proving she was part of the whole group.
As we said goodbye to everyone, so many parents came up to thank us, giving generous hugs and kind words. One of the representatives from the Ministry of Education on Grand Cayman came to our show and gave us a special thank you as well. It was absolutely amazing to hear parents say their kids were raving about the music at home and their new friendships.
All the hard work certainly has paid off, and now we have 2 final days here on Cayman to explore and take a break from music therapy (at least, in the formal sense).
ciao for now!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Mariza Thursday 8/19
The camp went by pretty smoothly today. Four kids were absent and it really made a difference in the dynamics of the whole group. Especially in our session, the children were sitting in their chairs, listening and being focused for the majority of the session, which was something phenomenal compared to the previous day. That also allowed us to work towards music therapy goals and focus on the children that could benefit from extra one on one time.
I am proud of our group and how much we are growing as therapists and people. Today at the beach we each talked about one thing that we like about each other and it was a very bonding experience. Also at night, we practiced our theme song that we wrote for the trip and it was really intense and emotional. I will definitely be very sad when I leave these islands... :(
I am proud of our group and how much we are growing as therapists and people. Today at the beach we each talked about one thing that we like about each other and it was a very bonding experience. Also at night, we practiced our theme song that we wrote for the trip and it was really intense and emotional. I will definitely be very sad when I leave these islands... :(
Channing Thursday August 18th
I think one of the most important lessons I have learned on this trip is that nothing is predictable, especially children. Today was one of the best days we have had in group. We decided that we would institute the use of the parachute, given the children would behave appropriately, and it worked. There was far less chasing today, as the children entered the sessions in what seemed to be a far more centered energy. In case you are not familiar as to what a music therapy session can entail, or maybe you and are interested in what we are doing, here is what Ranjana and I used as our outline today. I say outline very loosely as it is nearly impossible to predict the emotional stability of these children.
Welcome Jam
I've got the Joy - Parachute activity
Simon Says
Twinkle Twinkle
Goodbye
Ranjana and I composed a welcoming song to be sung a capella with parachute movements. We established this at the beginning of the week to establish a sense of stability in the beginning of the sessions. At this point, most children have begun picking up some of the words and singing along, aside from picking up the movements.
I mentioned previously that Ranajana and I had a hard time focusing the children, due to their varying disabilities After some great advice from Julianne, our supervisor, we decided we would institute more structure forms of activity. Today we began by easing them out of the parachute with an activity I had learned in a christian camp I attended as a child. Because of the religious demographic on this island, we have been encouraged to implement christian songs. This song offers a call and response between two sides of the parachute, Ranjana would lead one side and I would lead the other echoing each others movements. The structure of this activity allowed the children to feel more in control of themselves making them less likely to act out.
As the movement room, we also make it a point to really get the kids moving to the best of their abilities. Keeping along the lines of structural continuity, Ranjana and I wrote a song that plays the game Simon says with musical and physical instructions. These instructions range from fine motor movements such as finger wiggling, to gross motor movements including running or rolling around the room. This echos the feel of the first song where the children feel more in control of themselves as they make the decisions to actively follow the instructions. The children also offered suggestions which Ranjana implemented into the song using their names instead of Simon. She also echoed the choices made by the children in her active music making, supporting the actions of run and hop with appropriate musical choices, increasing tempo, or decreasing dynamics.
After playing simon says for a decent amount of time, the children were actually asking if they could rest or lay down. This was the first time this had happened, previously the children had been begging for more running activities. So today instead of having our active scarf activity with twinkle twinkle little star, we had each of the children lay down with their feet tucked under the parachute as if they were tucking themselves into bed. While laying down we gently ruffled the parachute to create a "night time breeze" effect, and sang twinkle twinkle little star. This provided the appropriate calm atmosphere we wanted the children to have when transitioning to the goodbye song and leaving with before heading onto their next session.
----------------
In other news!
We went to a recording studio today called Hopscotch Productions to meet a traditional Caymanian band called Swanky. They play a style of music called kitchen band, comprised of kitchen instruments, a fiddle, guitar, and percussion. This experience was absolutely incredible. They were so knowledgeable about the history of the island and the music on the island. I felt incredibly blessed to have this opportunity! We ended up jamming with them with their Caymanian music and they recorded us!
Welcome Jam
I've got the Joy - Parachute activity
Simon Says
Twinkle Twinkle
Goodbye
Ranjana and I composed a welcoming song to be sung a capella with parachute movements. We established this at the beginning of the week to establish a sense of stability in the beginning of the sessions. At this point, most children have begun picking up some of the words and singing along, aside from picking up the movements.
I mentioned previously that Ranajana and I had a hard time focusing the children, due to their varying disabilities After some great advice from Julianne, our supervisor, we decided we would institute more structure forms of activity. Today we began by easing them out of the parachute with an activity I had learned in a christian camp I attended as a child. Because of the religious demographic on this island, we have been encouraged to implement christian songs. This song offers a call and response between two sides of the parachute, Ranjana would lead one side and I would lead the other echoing each others movements. The structure of this activity allowed the children to feel more in control of themselves making them less likely to act out.
As the movement room, we also make it a point to really get the kids moving to the best of their abilities. Keeping along the lines of structural continuity, Ranjana and I wrote a song that plays the game Simon says with musical and physical instructions. These instructions range from fine motor movements such as finger wiggling, to gross motor movements including running or rolling around the room. This echos the feel of the first song where the children feel more in control of themselves as they make the decisions to actively follow the instructions. The children also offered suggestions which Ranjana implemented into the song using their names instead of Simon. She also echoed the choices made by the children in her active music making, supporting the actions of run and hop with appropriate musical choices, increasing tempo, or decreasing dynamics.
After playing simon says for a decent amount of time, the children were actually asking if they could rest or lay down. This was the first time this had happened, previously the children had been begging for more running activities. So today instead of having our active scarf activity with twinkle twinkle little star, we had each of the children lay down with their feet tucked under the parachute as if they were tucking themselves into bed. While laying down we gently ruffled the parachute to create a "night time breeze" effect, and sang twinkle twinkle little star. This provided the appropriate calm atmosphere we wanted the children to have when transitioning to the goodbye song and leaving with before heading onto their next session.
----------------
In other news!
We went to a recording studio today called Hopscotch Productions to meet a traditional Caymanian band called Swanky. They play a style of music called kitchen band, comprised of kitchen instruments, a fiddle, guitar, and percussion. This experience was absolutely incredible. They were so knowledgeable about the history of the island and the music on the island. I felt incredibly blessed to have this opportunity! We ended up jamming with them with their Caymanian music and they recorded us!
Thursday-- Steph
Hi blog followers--
We have adopted a new phrase around here... "well, why don't you blog about it?" Mainly, it's pertaining to things completely unrelated to this blog, but it's totally catchy. In particular, Mariza loves to pour cups of water on us at the beach and say, "blog about it, blog about it." It makes us smile! :)
I'm feeling a little sun-zapped right now. I definitely think today was our best day in the sun (although we've been fortunate to have nice weather the whole time we've been here). We spent our afternoon on the beach, as per usual, and practiced some music while floating in the water.
After the beach, we were quite busy planning for our final performance tomorrow. Mariza, Jeniris, and I are planning a mini in-service on music therapy for the parents. The kids while then be performing a series of songs that we've prepared with them over the week.
Today we also went to a recording studio and learned about traditional Caymanian music from the local band Swanky. It was AMAZING. We jammed with them, learned about the musical history of the island, and Ranjana totally rocked the guitar in the key of F. Samuel, the band's leader, was a really amazing and interesting man, who also really believes in the power of music therapy. It is really inspiring to see the different ways people use music to build a community.
Seneca's improving guitar right now and Channing and Ranjana are doing some vocal improv on "Ain't No Sunshine." I have to say, the music around here never stops, and I love it. :)
We have adopted a new phrase around here... "well, why don't you blog about it?" Mainly, it's pertaining to things completely unrelated to this blog, but it's totally catchy. In particular, Mariza loves to pour cups of water on us at the beach and say, "blog about it, blog about it." It makes us smile! :)
I'm feeling a little sun-zapped right now. I definitely think today was our best day in the sun (although we've been fortunate to have nice weather the whole time we've been here). We spent our afternoon on the beach, as per usual, and practiced some music while floating in the water.
After the beach, we were quite busy planning for our final performance tomorrow. Mariza, Jeniris, and I are planning a mini in-service on music therapy for the parents. The kids while then be performing a series of songs that we've prepared with them over the week.
Today we also went to a recording studio and learned about traditional Caymanian music from the local band Swanky. It was AMAZING. We jammed with them, learned about the musical history of the island, and Ranjana totally rocked the guitar in the key of F. Samuel, the band's leader, was a really amazing and interesting man, who also really believes in the power of music therapy. It is really inspiring to see the different ways people use music to build a community.
Seneca's improving guitar right now and Channing and Ranjana are doing some vocal improv on "Ain't No Sunshine." I have to say, the music around here never stops, and I love it. :)
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