For my service-learning project, I hope to work with preschool aged children in a school in Lexington, KY. I hope to assess and address the academic and social-emotional needs of the class by providing access to music and explore music within their setting. A second option to use if the safety of the community is at risk is a virtual music experience to be shown asynchronously to the preschool students.

I am interested in learning more about music with preschool aged students because it is a specific age group that I am interested in working with through music therapy in my future practice. In partnering with preschool educators and experts, I believe I will be able to deepen my knowledge of developmentally appropriate materials for this age. This idea is relevant to inclusive music principles because of the use of universal design for learning concepts to create accessible and supportive music materials. The skills I bring to this project include passion for using music with children, experience working with children inside and outside of musical environments, organizational skills, and strong desire for community engagement though music.

In the past, I have provided preschool music classes in person in collaboration with a community engagement initiative. The classes benefitted various local preschool for students of all abilities and occurred once a week for 30 minutes. I was also able to create and deliver synchronous music experiences for preschool/early elementary aged students virtually through Facebook Live during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently, I work with mainly elementary aged students. I provide music therapy in a group classroom setting for one preschool aged student.

Interview:

·  Samantha Brown- preschool teacher