A Decade of Harmony: ABC Academy and Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services
Celebrating a decade of collaboration in 2024, ABC Academy (ABC) and Harmony Garden Music Therapy Services (HGMTS) have strong roots that have woven together within this community. Our philosophies meet with love and compassion for children. This partnership has evolved and grown due to our collective commitment to our most important resource – children!
Elevating Learning with Music Therapy
Music therapy, a beloved service at ABC Academy, offers a refreshing break in the classroom routine. The teachers and children engage together in this experience. This supports and instills a love for music in our children. Introduced through a trial session with GSRP in 2014, its success was evident as children engaged in hands-on musical exploration. Over the past ten years, we have seen the impact that music therapy brings to the children starting in infancy. Music helps the children learn, pretend play, engage with peers, and work on communication skills both verbally and non-verbally.
Blending Music with Classroom Teaching
Teachers enjoy learning and incorporating songs from the music therapists into daily routines. Some favorite songs used by teachers came from ASL music training done with Jaime Lawrence, MT-BC (owner of HGMTS). Creative adaptations, like using a modified goodbye song for preschool graduation, showcase the deep integration of music into this collaborative educational setting.
Harmony Garden’s contribution extends beyond the children to our dedicated staff. The staff join music and engage directly with their class in every music session. This helps staff learn songs, techniques for engaging kids with music, and more! Staff training sessions also empower ABC teachers to seamlessly integrate music into their teaching methods. The accessibility of Harmony Garden’s YouTube channel further facilitates the use of familiar educational content in the classroom.
“Harmony Garden’s music has been part of my classroom for 10 years! Each staff member who has come into my room has been absolutely amazing. The children always become excited when they hear we have music and they often ask when we will have music again. We recently had Denise take over our classroom music time. She did awesome with our children. Each child was acknowledged throughout the entire session and she met each child at their current level. Denise explained each part with enthusiasm that engaged each child and made them even more excited for what was coming next. I am beyond thankful for Denise, Jaime, and all of the staff at Harmony Garden!”
– Kacey Mohon – Lead Teacher with ABC Academy Lansing Ave GSRP
Focus on Families
Family Days with Harmony Garden extend a warm invitation to Jackson’s community, fostering a sense of togetherness. Whether it’s enjoying a musical atmosphere on an ABC playground or participating in smaller group music activities, these events create cherished memories for our community and ABC Academy families. Parents readily embrace music therapy as a valuable asset within the ABC Academy program. ABC Academy does not charge families extra for programs such as music or yoga. They believe in the benefits of providing children with multiple outlets for expression and growth. If you have never been to ABC Academy and are interested in their services for your little ones, you can schedule a tour with their facilities any time.
Looking Ahead
As we project into the next 10 years, both ABC Academy and Harmony Garden envision music therapy to remain an active part of their journey. ABC’s staff and administrators see and feel the benefit and value the service it brings to the children. The possibility of expanding this musical influence to our summer camp for school-age children is currently under consideration.
Why Music Therapy Matters
In choosing a music therapy provider over traditional music education services, ABC Academy underscores its commitment to inclusivity. Music therapy caters to the diverse needs of all our children, fostering engagement, participation, and socialization skills—an approach that aligns seamlessly with our ethos of creating an inclusive learning environment for children with varying abilities and backgrounds.
Discover ABC Academy
For those eager to learn more about our philosophy and services, visit ABC Academy’s website. Explore how we’ve been serving the Jackson area and schedule a tour to experience the enriching environment we provide for our community’s children.
