Monday, Monday!~~ by Stephanie

Hey blog followers and fellow music therapy enthusiasts!

I see that Channing filled you in on our wonderful all-nighter/bonding experience that ultimately got us here to Grand Cayman.  What an exhausting 24 hours that was...!

Today was our first day with the kids.  We got up bright-eyed and bushy tailed (not really, we are still quite exhausted), and Jeniris made eggs for the group.  We loaded up Julianne's car with a ton of instruments and cleaning supplies.  I have to say, we are really beginning to master the art of squishing into cars and shuffling around guitars.  We got to the Lighthouse School at about 8 this morning and set up for everyone to come join us for music!

Our structure is a team/rotation format.  We broke the 25 kids into three teams of 8-9.  Then, amongst the the six of us, we split into pairs and adopted a focus.  Mariza/Jeniris became the Singing Group,  Ranjana/Channing the Movement Group, and me/Seneca were the Rhythm Group.   We met as a large group first thing in the morning, and then broke into teams to rotate throughout the morning.

I think it would be safe to say our first day was difficult at times, as we're getting to know the kids, each other, our routine, and a new country.  Everything was foreign.  That said, everything was new.  I think we were able to establish as a group what kind of leadership needs to take place and what kind of schedule will best fit the kids' needs.  Also, our team had a little awakening to the musical details like which songs work best and which instruments work best.

The diversity in the group is also really wonderful.  Our youngest is 4 and our oldest is 18.  Some of the children have special needs, and some do not.  I particularly was struck by the fact that although we had a list of the children and their particular diagnoses/special needs, I did not really have any recollection of it during the sessions.  I thought it was amazing that we were able to approach the children without any preconceived ideas and start fresh as a group.  Also, kids have such an innate ability to care for each other, and I find it really inspiring to watch the ways that they are able to treat each other unconditionally.

This all said, I think it's important to say again that the day went well and the kids expressed that they enjoyed themselves.  At the end of the day, they had an opportunity to say what their favorite part of the day was, and they seemed eager for tomorrow.

More to follow! 

~~Steph