At Bloom we believe in a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach, that teams with parents and care givers to best support each person. Through love and acceptance we embrace each person as they are, meet them in their world, and help them to function as the best version of themselves. We think “out of the box” to achieve goals.

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We understand that each person is unique, and therefore so should be their plan of care. A flower blooms in it’s own time. Our job isn’t to force it. It is to love and nurture it. Our job is to be patient. When it is ready, that flower will bloom and we will be there to enjoy it’s beauty.

Thank you for growing alongside us, and subscribing to our Bloom Monthly Music Newsletter.

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Teaching Kindness Written by Megan Coltoniak, MT-BC​

Kindness and empathy is a major theme in my life. I express it to the children I teach, to my own kids at home, or to perfect strangers! It sometimes feels like I reference kindness 100 times a day!

“Be Kind!” “Don’t forget about Kindness” “How do you think that makes her feel?” It can sometimes feel like I am talking to the wall or that the only one who is hearing me is Mickey Mouse.

But this is a huge concept…Way bigger than washing hands after using the potty.

Kind: “of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person”

Empathy: “the psychological identification with or vicarious experiencing of the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of another”

The psychological identification with feelings, thoughts or attitudes of another… That’s quite a lot to ask of a 4 year old, much less a 2 year old. So why do we even bother? Recent studies show that the more empathy a child displays, the less likely they are to engage in bullying, online and in real life. Empathic children and adolescents are more likely to engage in positive social behaviors, like sharing and helping others. They’re also less likely to be antisocial and exhibit uncontrolled aggressive behaviors.

As a music therapist I am blessed to be the cool teacher! The one who comes into the classroom where kids are chanting her name. I feel like a rockstar most of the day! Music is fun. It’s full of energy and life- and kids LOVE MUSIC. Therefore, kids love me. (Yay! Life is good!) A wise man once said “With great power comes great responsibility”.

I truly feel it is my responsibility to use music to help children with social/emotional concepts like kindness and empathy. In one of the many conversations on kindness with my daughter and her cousin I explained “If you give a lot of kindness, you get a lot of kindness. If you give a lot of love, you get a lot of love”. We chanted this rhythmically over and over again until a song was born.

(Quote above written by Megan's daughter during a video recording for Monday Music Minute in 2020.)

One specific memory, among many, was when I introduced a new song called “You get what you give” to preschool classes at Care-A-Lot Childcare who utilize out Music Rocks! program within their early learning centers. After I taught this concept in preschool I passed out instruments for the next activity. One kiddo accepted his instrument but looked very clearly upset. When I asked him what was bothering him he said “I really wanted the yellow sticks’. I shook my head and acknowledged this as I watched the little girl next to him who was holding yellow sticks. The wheels started turning. She looked at his face. She looked at her sticks. She looked at his face again….and BAM! She reached out and gave him her sticks with a huge smile on her face. He looked at her stunned and smiled! This was a great moment. I told her how kind that was, and asked her how she felt. She said “happy” and seemed to be shaking with pure joy.

If you give a lot of love, you get a lot of love. If you give a lot of kindness you get a lot of kindness. Giving love makes your heart feel happy. The great thing about that experience was the domino effect. Kids began turning to one another and seeing if they wanted the color they had. They wanted to feel that joy of giving kindness and love. Once again music taught something bigger and was applied to everyday life. Below is an excerpt from the chorus of “You get what you give”. Enjoy!

“You get what you give in this world. You get what you give to each other. You get what you give in this world. So, give a lot of love, and give a lot of kindness. It will come right back to you” -Megan Coltoniak

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Hooray For Summer! Written by Sarah Crates, MT-BC​

As we close out the school year, it is time to start thinking about summer! One of my favorite things to do is make s’mores, and in true music therapist fashion I, of course, have a song for that! I found this adorable song on Pinterest and have been using it with my students ever since. This song is to the melody of “On Top of Spaghetti” or “Old Smoky” and is a super fun song to sing around the campfire. I hope everyone has a safe and FUN summer!

You can print the S'mores Song PDF here: The S'mores Song (to the tune of Old Smokey).pdf​

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In The Good Ole' Summertime! Written by Kristen Percival, MT-BC​

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Happy summer!

It’s the time of year where we can enjoy the warm weather, go on picnics, swim in the pool, go camping, and all other summer fun activities! I have a song writing I like to do with older adults at the beginning of summer. Start off asking them what their favorite summer activities are and write them down on a big white board so everyone can see. Then sing the song “In The Good Old Summertime.”

In the good old summertime

In the good old summertime

Strolling through a shady lane

With your baby mine

You hold her hand and she holds yours

And that's a very good sign

That she's your tootsey-wootsey

In the good, old summertime.

You can fill in the blanks using this PDF (In the good old summertime.pdf ) with the activities your older adults have come up with! This is a great way for music-aided reminiscing and socialization with your older adult groups!

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​​Music Rocks Curriculum and Program​

Music Rocks! is an energetic, motivating, musical journey including instrument play, dancing, books, and super fun songs that teach important skills like counting, colors, hygiene and more! The icing on the cake is the program is facilitated by a Board Certified Music Therapist who offers support to the classroom and staff.

Imagine ROCKING OUT on a drumset with your best friends, while composing your own meaningful music... we call that a typical Tuesday in the Music Rocks world! Our "Little Rockers" are having so much fun, they don't even realize they are learning important skills like recognizing social cues of peers, counting (rhythm=math), and creating and recognizing patterns!

Our childcare collaborators love that we focus on age appropriate social/emotional, motor, language/communication, and pre-academic skills. Groups separated by age beginning at 4 months up to 3 years for 30 minute sessions in each group.

Schedule your FREE intro session by calling the location nearest you!

(716) 422-0070 Buffalo and Rochester, NY

(412) 223-7711 Pittsburgh, PA

(813) 421-1405 Bradenton, FL

​Music Rocks! Flyer Final 2021.pdf​
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Research shows that an early introduction to meaningful music experiences improves speech development, allowing children to learn to read more easily. Learning music helps to develop the left side of the brain (related to language and reasoning), and assists with sound recognition, teaching rhythm and rhyme. Research has also shown that participation in a music program not only accelerates brain development, but it also builds self confidence.

A few collaborators that we visit and share our Music Rocks! curriculum are Care-A-Lot Childcare Center Inc, Doodlebugs USA, Holly's Dolly's, Just 4 Fun Kids Buffalo, Parent Network of WNY, Vive Shelter, and of course, Bloom Creative Arts Preschool!

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​Whole-Child Music Lessons​

Whole-child music lessons are different from tradition music lessons because they introduce several different instruments such as piano, guitar, and drums and use rhythmic instruments such as shakers, sticks, triangle, etc. to learn the basics of music theory. Children will learn about musical components such as pitch, rhythm, and the musical staff through an interactive session that sees them moving their bodies, standing on chairs, and rolling on the floor. Older children with ADHD benefit from this type of session as they practice impulse control through following auditory cues. Using muscle memory, these skills transfer to the classroom!

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Our lessons also include beginner piano, vocal, and guitar lessons to help increase self-confidence, attention span, and language abilities. Research shows that children who enroll in music lessons at an early age improve their ability to learn how to read and write, and also display increased success in math.
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Whole-Child music lessons also incorporate a social emotional expression component. As rapport develops, children are invited to express themselves through original compositions created with the music therapist. These songs may be as simple as expressing their favorite things or as complex as expressing difficult feelings during uncertain times. Whole-Child music lessons offer a safe and supportive environment for self expression.
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We now are offering whole child music lessons in person, virtually, or a mix of both with our Board Certified Music Therapist. We will guide your child to discover their creativity as we explore new sounds and create new songs through their instrument of choice!

Register Here: http://bit.ly/WholeChildMusicLessons​

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​Rock Pod​

Pod (/päd/): a detachable or self-contained unit

Rock Pod (/räk/ /päd/): a self contained group where kids create a Rock Band with friends they already know and interact with.

As children and families begin to meet up with friends again, our Rock Pod was created with you in mind! We have created a safe and clean learning environment where rockers can grab 3 of their closest friends and ROCK OUT. Parents love it, because we do our best to work around your time preferences with our availability!​

Rockers will learn piano, drums, guitar, and vocal skills. They create their own music and record an album all while fostering self-expression. Call or email today with your list of friends.

Rock Pods are typically scheduled in 8 week sessions for 30 minutes, however some of our older Rockers opt for 45 or 60 minute sessions over 12 weeks.

8 Weeks at 30 minutes per week: $129/child for the entire session.

Learn more by calling each location

Bradenton, FL: (813) 421-1405

Blasdell, NY: (716) 422-0070

Email: info@bloomcreativearts.com

​Enroll in Rock Pod today!​

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​Brainy Beats​

Want to prevent the summer slide, or study up on subject matter your child is struggling with? This past year, students learned in new and unprecedented ways. We created a new program called “Brainy Beats” where we use musical mnemonics to help your child with their most challenging subjects in school.

Sessions can happen in-person, online, or a mix of both depending on your scheduling needs. Your child will work with a Board-Certified Music Therapist who most certainly holds the skill set of “creative, thoughtful, patient, multi-taskers who can anticipate road blocks and adapt their approach in an instant”.

We create songs for your child and more importantly teach them how to use musical mnemonics on their own, giving them the tools to succeed when we are not there to help.

At Bloom we have always worked hard to support families where they are at and meet their needs through a loving, accepting, and thoughtful approach. We hope we can help you with musical mnemonics this year whether you are taking your own journey with them or you are joining brainy beats.

​Please contact us to learn more, schedule a time, or talk about how we can support your learner.​

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Current COVID-19 Policies

We always want to remain fully transparent in everything we do here at Bloom Creative Arts, and have decided to share our current COVID-10 policies in the newsletter as we progress throughout 2021. These are specific to our main offices in Blasdell, NY and Bradenton, FL for music therapy sessions, whole-child music lessons, and all of our small group music enrichment programs.

Waiting area: During this time we are encouraging parents to wait in their vehicles while their child is in session. If you need to run errands please be sure to have a valid Emergency contact number on file. If weather does not permit for you to wait in your vehicle please let us know if you would like to reserve a space in the waiting room prior to your scheduled time. We will make sure you have a designated area that is within social distancing guidelines. We are asking that only 1 person per child reserves a space during this time. You are required to wear a mask at all times in our building. You must use hand sanitizer and answer the Covid-19 questions below before entering the building. You must have your temperature checked with our no-contact forehead thermometer. Your temperature must be below 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Arrival for Lessons/Therapy: Please arrive no more than 2 minutes early for your child’s scheduled session. We have scheduled additional time between lessons to disinfect the lesson room and instruments and spaced out sessions to avoid contact between families. You are required to wear a mask at pick up and drop off. Children under the age of 2 are not required to wear masks at this time. Children will get a squirt of hand sanitizer as they enter the building. Children must have their temperature checked before they enter the building with our no-contact forehead thermometer. Their temperature must be below 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit order to stay for their session.

Arrival for Rock Band: Please arrive no more than 5 minutes early for your child’s Rock Band session. We have scheduled additional time between lessons to disinfect the lesson room and instruments. Please wait in your vehicle if there is another family dropping off at the door. You are required to wear a mask at pick up and drop off. Children under the age of 2 are not required to wear masks at this time. Children will get a squirt of hand sanitizer as they enter the building. Children must have their temperature checked before they enter the building with our no-contact forehead thermometer. Their temperature must be below 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit order to stay for their session.

Social Distancing: We have always supported small group learning at Bloom. Therefore, our large rooms already accommodate social distancing guidelines. Our therapists will attempt to remain 6 feet away from children as they teach, however hands on teaching is sometimes necessary. Our therapists will always wear a mask.

Cleaning and Disinfecting: We have scheduled additional time between sessions to clean and disinfect the music room and instruments. In addition to disinfectant, we use a UV sterilizer to disinfect hard to clean items.

Staff Safety: Our Bloom team is dedicated to the health and safety of all bloom families. Staff attest daily to the Covid-19 questions below and fill out a health log upon entering the building. We adhere to temperature checks, and wash hands thoroughly upon arrival. Hand sanitizer and disinfectant is readily available and is used in between lessons and hands-on learning in group environments. Our staff wear masks at all times when children are in the building.

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Dear Bloom Creative Arts Families,

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Thank you so much for standing by us throughout this pandemic and trusting us to nurture your child along their musical journey! We are so grateful for you, and your child. We have been thrilled to see your reviews on google and shares on social media, and we want you to know that little gestures like that go a long way for our small business. When you tell your friends and family that your child is thriving with us, we see the impact with new followers and sometimes even new students that join our Bloom Family! As a small business working to bring our services in unique and fun ways, we could not be more grateful for you!

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Sincerely,
Megan Coltoniak and the Bloom Creative Arts Team

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Love. Nurture. Grow. Bloom.

Bloom Creative Arts

We teach the way your child learns.