The MUSIC Approach™ empowers parents and caregivers with the knowledge and confidence to support their child's communication journey.
It's not about doing more... it's about meeting your child where they are and inviting communication with evidence-based strategies that work with the way they learn and communicate.
Meet your child where they are by following their interests and building on the ways they already communicate.
Understand how communication develops before words so you can build a strong foundation for connection and communication.
Share musical moments throughout your day to encourage joint attention, engagement, and imitation.
Invite communication by modeling, pausing, and making space for your child to communicate in whatever way they can.
Celebrate meaningful progress and build upon it.
You don’t need to be a professional to support your child’s communication. Inside this FREE guide, you’ll learn how to support imitation of actions, gestures, and words by using music intentionally for speech and language success. Get your FREE guide and song choice cards and start boosting your child’s communication by dinner time!
Every child's communication journey is unique. Start by discovering why music is such a powerful tool for supporting communication, then explore evidence-based resources for speech delay, autism, gestalt language processing, and AAC (augmentative and alternative communication).
Choose a topic to explore, or visit our complete guide to why music works in speech therapy.
First Words Dance Party® helps make speech and language support feel more natural with easy strategies built into music and everyday routines.
If your child isn’t talking yet and you want simple ways to support communication at home, this is a great place to begin.
If your child is on the autism spectrum and is naturally drawn to music, this pathway shows how to use that strength to build connection and communication.
First Words Dance Party® combines the predictability and structure that can support autistic children with functional language opportunities built directly into the songs.
Some children easily repeat lines from favorite songs or videos but have a harder time using words with people. This is common for gestalt language processors, who learn language in larger, meaningful chunks rather than individual words.
First Words Dance Party® uses melody, rhythm, and functional phrases that can feel more accessible and meaningful for gestalt language learners.
Getting started with AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) can feel overwhelming at first. Many parents wonder where to begin and what to focus on.
First Words Dance Party® helps simplify the process by building songs around beginner core words that children can use every day. If you’re just getting started and want to focus on simple, powerful words like go, more, help, and stop, a beginner-friendly guide is on the way.
Hi! I'm Sarah.
For more than 15 years, I've partnered with families in early intervention, helping young children with receptive and expressive language delays to communicate.
I was inspired to create resources and music for speech therapy to help children and their parents after working with so many different kiddos over the years who have all shared one thing in common– an absolute love of music.
That's why I created First Words Dance Party®.
First Words Dance Party® combines over 15 years of early intervention experience with evidence-informed strategies and original music created specifically to support communication through everyday interactions.
My hope is that every parent leaves feeling more confident, more connected, and better equipped to support their child's communication journey.
Whether you're just beginning your child's communication journey or looking for fresh ideas along the way, I'd love to stay connected. Join my email list for practical tips, encouraging support, new resources, and simple music-based strategies you can use at home.
Get your FREE guide, 5 Easy Steps to Kickstart Communication with Music for Speech Therapy, when you sign up. You'll discover powerful strategies you can use today to help your child communicate.