IMPROVEMENT IN:	SPECIFIC
Emotional health	- Decrease tension - Decrease level of anxiety - Increase tolerance for frustration - Increase sense of security - Elicit appropriate emotional responses - Recognize moods and emotions - Experience and express emotions
Communication skill	- Increase ability to self-express - Increase level of creativity - Initiate and maintain communication - Music as mode of communication - Projective technique to tell about self
Social skill	- Increase social awareness & cooperation - Improve ability to relate to others - Increase appropriate social behaviors - Increase on-task and cooperative behaviors - Increase reciprocal interaction - Decrease disruptive behaviors
Cognitive skill	- Improve attention span - Improve attention and learning - Increase academic achievement
Educational skill	- Improve pre-academic skill - Improve Academic skill
Physical skill     Physical skill (Medical needs)	- Improve sensory-motor coordination - Improve perceptual-motor skills - Increase fine/gross-motor skills   - Enhance deep breathing - Support breathing control - Increase relaxation - Support pain-management

HOW DOES MUSIC THERAPY PROCEED?

Music therapy begins with an assessment. The better the therapist understands the child, the better the results music therapy interventions will be. At Bell Arti, the music therapy sessions begin as follows:

1: After the child’s enrollment in the music therapy program, the therapist conducts a general assessment (intake counseling) with the child’s caregiver. It is completed either in-person or over the phone. The therapist asks several questions regarding the child’s functioning skills, presented problems, precautions when communicating to the child, as well as the caregiver’s expectations for music therapy. This must be done before the first session. All the information obtained will be kept confidential. Also, completion of this assessment is not a requirement for therapy.

2: In the first music therapy session, the therapist will, then, conduct a music therapy assessment of the child through his/her musical responses and the child’s general participation for the session.

3: Based on the intake counseling and music therapy assessment of the child, the therapist will determine the goals and objectives for therapy. Then, the therapist designs musical activities and structures to address those goals.

4: Throughout the semester, the therapist observes and assesses the child’s progress. Goals and objectives may be modified and/or adjusted, if necessary.


WHAT DO MUSIC THERAPISTS DO?

In the music therapy sessions, children are involved in singing, listening, moving, dancing, playing, and creative activities to help them become better learners. Music therapist work on developing a child’s self-awareness, self-esteem, readiness skills, coping skills, social behavioral skills, and also provide breathing-associated relaxation techniques if need be. They examine, observe, and explore which styles and elements of music, techniques and instruments are most effective and/or motivating for each individual child and expand the child’s natural, spontaneous, and musical nature in order to address areas of need.

Music therapists also develop rapport with children. They observe the child’s behavior and interactions and assess communication, cognitive/academic, motor, social/emotional, and musical skills. They design musical activities and structure to address each individual’s needs. Music therapists document responses, conduct ongoing evaluations of progress, and often make recommendations to the family regarding progress and ways to include successful music therapy techniques in other aspects of the child’s life.


WHO IS A QUALIFIED MUSIC THERAPIST?

Music therapists must finish undergraduate or graduate level music therapy programs approved by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Students in these programs are required to complete rigorous program coursework, which usually takes 4-5 years for undergraduate completion. The coursework includes music performance, music theory, psychology, research, anatomy and physiology. A series of music therapy courses are accompanied by clinical training in health and educational settings. Following the coursework, students must complete a supervised music therapy internship for 6 to 9 months as a requirement to obtain a degree in music therapy. Finally, music therapists are eligible to take national board examination administrated by Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT), to obtain music therapist credential, MT-BC.

THERAPEUTIC PIANO LESSON

Therapeutic piano lesson is piano lessons taught by a certified music therapist who has deep knowledge, understanding, and experiences in teaching piano to children with learning difficulty. In therapeutic piano lessons, the therapist focuses on improving the student’s musical skills as well as non-musical skills such as attention skill. The therapist realizes and understands unique needs of each student. The contents of lessons and teaching approach are tailored to each individual student’s needs. Students can successfully learn music skills in a non-threatening and encouraging environment on their own paces. In order to improve the student’s musical skills as well as increase the student’s self-discipline, an adequate amount of assignment will be given to each student in every lesson. Participation in the exam and the recital is not required for the students in therapeutic piano lessons. They may be able to participate in those opportunities only by the therapist’s recommendation and the student’s request.