AMI Talks – Montessori and Music as Healing Instruments for Children with Trauma
On 15 October 2024 Liza Davis and Susan Shea presented the AMI Talk on Montessori and Music as Healing Instruments for Children with Trauma.
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Maria Montessori’s work with underprivileged children and orphans from the massive Messina earthquake (1908) only reinforced her ideas on how important structured educational strategies were, whilst offering children safe environments where independence and responsibility were cherished and observed. In her book ….. In The Secret of Childhood, Maria Montessori writes, “… here were orphans who had survived one of the greatest catastrophes, the Messina earthquake (1908), sixty small children discovered among the ruins. No one knew either their names or their social status. This terrible shock had reduced them to near uniformity; they were numbed, silent, absent-minded. It was hard to make them eat, hard to get them to sleep. At night they could be heard screaming and crying.” These were children living with trauma and Montessori describes how the environment, the exercises, the guides, all in unison contributed to the healing process.
In this AMI Talk we hear from two Montessori experts on how Montessori principles continue to serve traumatised children in their healing process. AMI trainer Liza Davis, who in her 6 August contribution to Voices of AMI Training, referred to science that recognises that while trauma can impact brain development this can be mitigated by supportive environments. Our Montessori teachers need to be well-prepared to address complex trauma and develop competencies and resilience. Maria Montessori developed many of the principles of our approach working with children who were exposed to trauma and adversity.
Her presentation is followed by Susan Shea speaking on the healing power of music when working with children with trauma. She shares anecdotes and ideas on how the Montessori community can benefit from using music as a means to cultivate positive and uplifting learning environments for every child, and especially for children who have endured stress or hardship of any kind.
Speakers
Liza Davis is an AMI 3-6 Trainer and currently serves as Interim Executive Director and Co-Director of Pedagogy and 3-6 Training at the Montessori Center of Minnesota (MCM). With extensive experience across the public and private sectors, Liza has worked as an administrator, guide, assistant, mentor, and consultant. She holds a Master of Arts with an emphasis on Trauma and Resilience from Concordia University, alongside an AMI 3-6 Diploma from MCM. Liza is dedicated to advancing Montessori education while integrating insights (many of which are present in Montessori principles) from trauma and resilience research to create environments that support all learners.
Susan Shea has been making music since her early childhood in Dublin, Ireland. Over the past thirty years she has incorporated her love of music into her professional life as a Montessori 3–6 guide in both North America and Europe. Beyond the classroom Susan has also enjoyed making music in various capacities. She is a music coach for children and adults from the refugee community. Susan embraces music as a universal language that helps unite us in community gatherings of all kinds! She will share anecdotes and ideas on how the Montessori community can benefit from using music as a means to cultivate positive and uplifting learning environments for every child, and especially for children who have endured stress or hardship of any kind.
