Music Therapy

WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY?

Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions by a credentialed music therapist to address the communication, cognitive, physical, emotional, social, and educational needs of individuals of all ages.

While music education and music lessons focus on improving students’ musical skills, music therapy focuses on improving individuals’ non-musical skills. Music therapy involves relationships between a qualified therapist and a child; between one child and another; between child and family; and between the music and the participants. Music therapy provides a non-threatening environment where children can freely explore themselves through fun and success-oriented musical activities. A Music therapist utilizes a child’s interest and appreciation of music to improve his/her non-musical skills.

Music therapy focuses on individuals and each individual’s specific needs. Based on careful assessments and observations, a music therapist formulates specific goals and objectives for each individual. The therapist then, selects and composes therapeutic musical activities designed to address those goals. Therefore, the contents of music therapy are diverse: singing, instrumental playing, music improvisation, structured musical activities, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion and so. As such, it can be seen that music therapists “prescribe” music and musical activities for each individual.

WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM MUSIC THERAPY?

Music therapy can be effective for almost any population if it is designed appropriately and works with people throughout different life spans; children, adolescence, adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental and learning disabilities, physical disabilities, medical problems, and acute and chronic pain. Today, the populations music therapists often work with are; children with physical disabilities, developmental delay, autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, ADD, behavioral issues, emotional problems, trauma, and medical problems such as Asthma.

Autistic children are considered as one of the best candidates for music therapy because music serves as a means of creating structure and order and a tool to communicate with others to express one’s self verbally and non-verbally.

HOW DOES MUSIC THERAPY MAKE A DIFFERENCE WITH YOUNG CHILDREN?

Music stimulates all of the senses and involves children at many levels. This facilitates many different kinds of personal developmental. Music therapy offers children enjoyable and success-oriented musical activities. Through these activities, children’s participation increase to maximum, eventually leading to successful experiences enhancing self-esteem. Also, music is highly motivating, yet it also has a calming and relaxing effect. Furthermore, since the brain processes music in both hemispheres, music can stimulate cognitive functioning and may be used for remediation of some speech/language skills.

WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF MUSIC THERAPY?

Research in Music Therapy has shown effects of music therapy as:

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.