Over the last few weeks parents and guardians have been exploring their “new normal” in the light of sudden school closures due to the coronavirus. While doing their very best to set up spaces in their home where their school age children can continue learning, many parents are also balancing the needs of their preschool age children. This is just one of the challenges that families are dealing with since the middle of March. With the mandated #stayhomestaysafe order in most states and the loss of jobs for many families we began to consider the part we can play in response to these unexpected circumstances. Offering our talents, knowledge and resources to those in need when the unimaginable arises is the American way. We are inspired by the many encouraging stories of masks being sewn, hand sanitizer being produced, and people reaching out through teleconferencing platforms or phone calls to friends and family who are finding themselves isolated and lonely.
The question before us is how can we help? What role can we play in the coming days to support others and yet do so in a safe way? We believe the answer is to find creative ways to use our skill set to meet needs that come to our attention. We all can lend a hand and lift a spirit, it’s just in this case we need to consider how that can be accomplished while still practicing social distancing.
We have identified our part in paying it forward. Upstate Music Therapy Center is getting ready to launch a Free Online Music Opportunity for Preschoolers in April and May using Facebook Live. Each week we will create a fun and engaging session for the children and their parents to watch, comment and participate as we sing, move and play instruments. The children and their parents will be invited to send chat messages to our Music Therapist to express their enjoyment or respond to a question. This will create a fun new community for the parents and children.
There’s no better feeling than to Pay if Forward. We are doing our part in hopes that it will encourage many families over the coming months. If you know a family with young children, we invite you to share this new opportunity with them and mention to follow us on Facebook to receive updates on our launch date, fun resource suggestions, and music that they can watch later if they miss the Facebook Live event. We hope to see you there!