2026 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 15-17, 2026 • Jacksonville, FL
3/11/2025 | 1:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Brain Building Through Music & Singing | 301
Brain Building Through Music & Singing
Early wiring of the brain shapes the way children think, learn, and behave for the rest of their lives. Research supports the use of music and singing with young children who have hearing loss to enhance their listening, language, and speech skills during the crucial window of language development. With optimal access to sound and early intervention, children with hearing loss are able to create neural connections and strengthen synapses through a rich environment of sounds, rhythms, language, emotions, and movement, just as effectively as their hearing counterparts. In the words of Daniel Ling, “Our own experience confirms that stories and verse learned in songs can usually be remembered and repeated word for word many years later, but such material is often recalled vaguely, if a all, when it is learned with no musical content.” Through this presentation participants will recognize how acoustic and melodic elements of singing promote the suprasegmentals of speech, impact listening skills, foster language development, improve auditory memory, increase attention, and impact physical development. Singing and music create a bond between children and their parents, as well as cultivating self-confidence as they perform the movements in rhythm, match the tones, and remember the words to songs. A review of research and the sequential progression of a child’s development and participation in music and singing will be explored beginning with parents’ use of a musical voice capturing a child’s attention and providing a rhythmic structure for practicing speech sounds and patterns. Original and adapted songs and activities will be shared through a variety of case studies along with strategies for creating song routines.
The format for this presentation will include lecture, video demonstrations, and group discussion.
- 1. The participant will recognize the positive relationships between singing, music, enhanced brain plasticity, and relevance to the development of auditory processing and spoken language.
- 2. The participant will examine the sequential progression of a child’s development through participation in music and singing experiences.
- 3. The participant will apply music and singing opportunities demonstrated and incorporate listening and spoken language strategies when planning music and singing experiences for daily routines.
Presentation:
3545975_18185BarbaraMeyers.pdf
Handouts:
3545975_18185BarbaraMeyers.pdf
Transcripts:
CART transcripts are NOT YET available, but will be posted shortly after the conference
Presenters/Authors
Barbara Meyers
(Primary Presenter), St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, bmeyers@sjid.org;
Barb Meyers is a listening and spoken language therapist for St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf. Barb sees families in their homes in the state of Missouri, as well as, coaches caregivers, professionals, paraprofessionals, and school age students from birth through high school via the iHear Internet Therapy Program. Barb has licensures in Missouri, Indiana, Nebraska, and Kansas. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Special Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Deaf Education from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. Barb has been teaching deaf and hard of hearing children for over 50 years. Her previous experience has been teaching 3–9-year-old students with St. Louis County Special School District and 3-4-year-old students in the preschool program at SJI. Barb has supervised undergraduate and graduate students from Fontbonne University and Washington University. As Professional Learning Coordinator at SJI, Barb mentors staff and is responsible for parent education.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
Alexandria Puckett
(Co-Presenter,Co-Author), Maryville University, apuckett@maryville.edu;
Alexandria Puckett is an Assistant Professor of Speech-Language Pathology at Maryville University, and also serves as an early intervention speech therapist for the Missouri First Steps program. With several years of experience as a speech-language pathologist in early childhood, Alexandria is dedicated to supporting young learners. She holds a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology, specializing in working with children who are deaf and hard of hearing, as well as a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Fontbonne University in St. Louis, Missouri. As a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA) with two Deaf parents, Alexandria is fluent in American Sign Language. She is also a devoted mother to a son born with Microtia and Atresia, which has resulted in unilateral conductive hearing loss.
In addition to her professional responsibilities, Alexandria volunteers on the Board of Directors for St. Joseph Institute for the Deaf, contributing her expertise and passion to help ful
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.
AAA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
No relevant financial relationship exists.
Nonfinancial -
No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.