Inviting Participation: Voices from Practice
In this special imagine 2026 podcast episode, Erin Shina curates and weaves together reflections from ten music therapy professionals exploring how young children can be welcomed as active participants in music therapy from the very first encounter. Drawing from contributors featured in imagine 2026: Early Childhood Music Therapy With and For Children, the episode highlights rights-based, relationship-centered, and developmentally responsive approaches that support children’s agency, curiosity, expression, and shared decision-making.
The episode centers around three guiding questions:
- How do you invite children into their first music therapy session in a way that helps them feel safe, seen, and curious?
- In what ways can young children be active participants in shaping their music therapy experience and making decisions during sessions?
- What are developmentally appropriate ways for children to reflect on or share their music therapy experiences—with peers, families, or broader communities?
Across the episode, Erin Shina highlights several shared themes emerging from the contributors’ reflections:
- participation begins in the very first interaction;
- safety and agency are co-constructed through responsive relationships;
- music offers an accessible pathway for communication and expression; and
- children’s spontaneous ideas, preferences, and choices meaningfully shape therapeutic experiences.
Featured contributors include Rachel Rambach, Ciele Knox, Sophie Edoukou, Rose Anzel, Todd Schwartzberg, Julie Guy, Callie Cowart, and Amy Furman, and Petra Kern.
Resource
imagine 2026: Early Childhood Music Therapy With and For Children, pp. 93–103
Suggested Citation
Shina, E. (2026). Inviting participation: Voices from practice [Audio podcast]. imagine. www.imagine.musictherapy.biz