Baby & Me
We are glad to introduce our new drop-in service of music workshops for babies and their parents.
As you may have heard, we have recently acquired the Baby & Me program from the Music Hive, and and we welcome you to Harmony Music Therapy.
Baby & Me
What is it?
Baby & Me music workshop is designed to promote healthy growth and development as well as to provide a supportive space for parents and caregivers.
Cuddle, play, move and groove together with your infant. Fun and interactive musical activities to promote healthy growth and development for baby. Discover songs and music adapted for babies, as well as advice on how to optimize baby's development with music. Facilitated by a certified Music Therapist.
We strongly believe that every baby can benefit from music, especially those living with difficulties and special needs.
Workshops are 45 minutes and bilingual, at Melons & Clementines in NDG.
Workshops will resume as soon as public health and safety allows.
Promoting Healthy Global Development
Gross & Fine Motor Skills
Health benefit: supports normative development and stimulates babies to practice these skills.
Music and movement activities stimulate gross motor skills such as: sitting up, kicking legs, crawling, rolling over, moving/flapping arms, hopping, jumping and dancing. Exploring and playing a variety of music instruments stimulates fine motor skills such as: picking up and setting down an object, and manipulating an object.
Communication Skills
Health benefit: stimulates verbal and nonverbal communication skills.
The group setting gives baby the opportunity to communicate with others through the exchange of facial expression and smiling. The use of the voice is incorporated into any activity through clinical improvisation. For example, if a baby is making a squealing noise, this sound is automatically echoed in the song. Babies will often increase their verbal expression and frequency of facial expressions by the end of a single workshop.
Social skills
Health benefits: promotes healthy social interaction for baby and peer support for parents
Parent-child interaction
Health benefit: healthy bonding and attachment contributing to long term healthy emotional development for baby.
Activities are hands on and are structured to required hands on touch, hand-over-hand manipulation, and interaction between caregivers and their baby through movement, playing instruments, singing and touch. Workshops are held in a breastfeeding positive environment so babes can be fed as needed in a safe and comfortable space.
Peer support and intellectual stimulation for parents
Health benefit: reduces possible feelings of isolation or loneliness reducing risk of depression for parents.
Parents often share their common experiences of raising children and have formed friendships outside of the class time. Movement and music activities, new songs and singing in rounds can help to stimulate caregivers and be helpful in increasing energy levels and overall mood. The class time helps to structure a caregiver’s day, offering the opportunity for a stress free and comfortable outing. Class leaders take care to learn everyone’s name and send regular reminders about upcoming classes.
Sensory Stimulation
Health benefit: increases awareness of body in the context of the environment, develops the ability to discriminate/direct attention toward various stimuli.
Musical activities with instruments or movement stimulate multiple senses at once, such as: visual, auditory, touch and proprioception. This is woven into each experience throughout the entire 45-minute class.
Cognitive Development
Health benefit: promotes normative cognitive development.
Musical activities will often include storytelling, counting, naming colours, following instructions, and opposites.