Music speaks to the children in a language they seem to understand which is self evident in the joy of the children! Included below are three articles on music therapy. The first two prepared by Wikipedia and Cathleen A. Coleman respectively address music therapy in general. The third article by the Autism Research Institute addresses autism and music therapy. Hope you enjoy reading these articles and are encouraged to go to their web sites to learn more!
MUSIC THERAPY
Music therapy
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized
goals within a therapeutic relationship by a qualified professional who has completed an approved music
therapy program. In other words, music therapy is the use of music by a trained professional to achieve
therapeutic goals. Goal areas may include, but are not limited to, motor skills, social/interpersonal
development, cognitive development, self-awareness, and spiritual enhancement.
Music therapists are found in nearly every area of the helping professions. Some commonly found
practices include developmental work (communication, motor skills, etc.) with individuals with special
needs, songwriting and listening in reminiscence/orientation work with the elderly, processing and
relaxation work, and rhythmic entrainment for physical rehabilitation in stroke victims.
The idea of music as a healing modality dates back to the beginnings of history, and some of the earliest
notable mentions in Western history are found in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers. Robert
Burton wrote in the 16th century in his classic work, The Anatomy of Melancholy, that music and dance
were critical in treating mental illness, especially melancholia. [1] [2] [3]
Music Therapy is considered one of the expressive therapies.
Contents
• 1 Music therapy in the United Kingdom
• 2 Important Music Therapists and writers on Music Therapy
• 3 Notes
• 4 Bibliography
• 5 External links
Music therapy in the United Kingdom
Live music was used in hospitals after both of the World Wars, as part of the regime for some recovering
soldiers. Clinical Music therapy in Britain as it is understood today was pioneered in the 60s and 70s by
French cellist Juliette Alvin, whose influence on the current generation of British music therapy lecturers
remains strong.
The Nordoff-Robbins approach to music therapy developed from the work of Paul Nordoff and Clive
Robbins in the 1950/60s. It is grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music, no matter how
ill or disabled. The unique qualities of music as therapy can enhance communication, support change,
and enable people to live more resourcefully and creatively. Nordoff-Robbins now run music therapy
sessions throughout the UK, US, South Africa, Australia and Germany. Its head quarters are in London
where it also provides training and further education programmes, including the only PHD course in
music therapy available in the UK. Music therapists, many of whom work with an improvisatory model
(see clinical improvisation), are active particularly in the fields of child and adult learning disability, but
also in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, geriatrics, palliative care and other areas. Practitioners are
registered with the Health Professions Council [3] and from 2007 new regisrants must normally hold a
masters degree in music therapy. There are masters level programmes in music therapy in Bristol,
Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London, and there are therapists throughout the United Kingdom.
The professional body in the UK is the Association of Professional Music Therapists [4] while the British
Society for Music Therapy [5] is a charity providing information about music therapy.
In 2002 the World Congress of Music Therapy was held in Oxford, on the theme of Dialogue and
Debate. See[6]
In November 2006, Dr. Michael J. Crawford [4] and his colleagues again found that music therapy helped
the outcomes of Schizophrenic patients. [5]
Important Music Therapists and writers on Music Therapy
• Juliette Alvin
• Kenneth Bruscia
• Leslie Bunt
• Rajasree Mukherjee - see Rajasree
• Paul Nordoff - see Nordoff-Robbins
• Mercedes Pavlicevic
• Mary Priestley
• Clive Robbins - see Nordoff-Robbins
• Celine Dewy
• E. Thayer Gaston
• Michael H. Thaut
• Concetta M. Tomaino
• Lisa Summer
• Helen Bonny
• Tony Wigram
• Jeff Engel
Notes
1. cf. The Anatomy of Melancholy, Robert Burton, subsection 3, on and after line 3480, "Music a
Remedy":
But to leave all declamatory speeches in praise [3481]of divine music, I will confine myself to my proper
subject: besides that excellent power it hath to expel many other diseases, it is a sovereign remedy
against [3482] despair and melancholy, and will drive away the devil himself. Canus, a Rhodian fiddler, in
[3483]Philostratus, when Apollonius was inquisitive to know what he could do with his pipe, told him,
"That he would make a melancholy man merry, and him that was merry much merrier than before, a
lover more enamoured, a religious man more devout." Ismenias the Theban, [3484]Chiron the centaur,
is said to have cured this and many other diseases by music alone: as now they do those, saith [3485]
Bodine, that are troubled with St. Vitus's Bedlam dance. [1]
2. "Humanities are the Hormones: A Tarantella Comes to Newfoundland. What should we do about
it?" by Dr. John Crellin, MUNMED, newsletter of the Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of
Newfoundland, 1996.
3. Aung, Steven K.H., Lee, Mathew H.M., "Music, Sounds, Medicine, and Meditation: An Integrative
Approach to the Healing Arts", Alternative & Complementary Therapies, Oct 2004, Vol. 10, No. 5: 266-
270. [2]
4. Dr. Michael J. Crawford page at Imperial College London, Faculty of Medicine, Department of
Psychological Medicine.
5. Crawford, Mike J.; Talwar, Nakul, et al. (November 2006). "Music therapy for in-patients with
schizophrenia: Exploratory randomised controlled trial". The British Journal of Psychiatry (2006) 189:
405-409.
[edit] Bibliography
• Gold, C., Heldal, T.O., Dahle, T., Wigram, T., "Music therapy for schizophrenia or schizophrenia-
like illnesses", Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2006, Issue 4.
What is Music Therapy?
Down Syndrome Amongst Us, Issue 5/1997, p. 30-2. Copyright © 1997
Kathleen A. Coleman, RMT-BC
Registered Music Therapist, Board Certified
Prelude Music Therapy
3360 Spruce Lane
Grapevine, TX 76051
(817) 481-2323
Music therapy is the prescribed, structured use of music and music strategies by a trained music
therapist to influence changes in the learning or behavior patterns of a child. It is one of the related
services listed in both the federal and state laws pertaining to the education of individuals with disabilities.
Parents often choose to seek out a music therapist because they notice that their child is particularly
responsive to or motivated by music. Parents wonder if music would be a tool to help the child learn
needed skills. Indeed, music can be an effective learning tool for many children with disabilities. The
effectiveness of this tool varies from child to child and music therapy is definitely not a miracle cure for
any type of disability. However, since music is processed by a different area of the brain than speech
and language, a child may be able to more easily absorb information and skills presented with music.
Music is also motivating and fun, which is useful when working with a child who demonstrates low
motivation to learn.
Music therapists working with children who are developmentally disabled select objectives from the IEP
(or from whatever education plan is in place, if the individual is not school age) that can be reinforced
and supported through the use of music strategies. The music therapist then selects and designs songs,
instrumental activities, movement activities and other types of related musical approaches that will help
address the designated IEP objectives. For example, a music therapist might have a child who has the
following objectives on his/her IEP:
• recognizing numbers from one to ten
• saying the days of the week in order
• using a short phrase to request items
• reading 5 safety and survival signs
The music therapist might use number flashcards paired with a song about numbers to encourage
number recognition. She might also utilize instruments with numbers taped to them to further develop
number recognition. A song that lists the days of the week could be used to develop the skill of saying
the days of the week in correct order. The music therapist consistently encourages the student to use a
short phrase to request items. Often, when a student sees something he or she really wants, then a
phrase can be more easily encouraged. Pairing the reading of safety and survival signs with a particular
song assists the student in retaining this information more successfully.
Why Does Music Therapy Work?
• The brain is a musical brain. The rhythms of sound have a powerful impact on cognition. The
information most adults consistently recall from childhood is songs and rhymes.
• Emotional engagement is the key to effective learning. Music therapy engages the emotions; thus
unlocking the brain and preparing it for learning.
• People have at least seven distinct intelligences. One of these intelligence areas is the musical
area. Often people with special needs learn best through music because that part of the brain is an
older part of the brain and less likely to be damaged from birth defects, accidents, etc.
• Enriched environments literally change the brain. Intelligence is not static. Students can lose brain
cells in impoverished classroom environments; i.e., classrooms that are barren and unchallenging. Music
therapy provides a way to enrich the educational environment of a student with special needs.
• Singing and chanting relaxes students which puts them in the optimal state for language learning.
• The rhythms of sound have a powerful effect on cognition skills. For students with special needs,
retention of cognitive skills may be more consistent when music therapy strategies are used.
• Memorizing songs and rhymes is a helpful step towards developing literacy skills.
• The rhythm and repetition of the texts of songs help students internalize the sounds and patterns
of language.
• Long term word for word accuracy in recall often comes if something is set to words and melody. (i.
e., A-B-C song)
• Connecting song, language and movement dramatically increases learning.
• Rhythm, rhyme and music are powerful hooks to memory. Adults remember songs from childhood
and the emotional context surrounding them.
• Research studies have shown that 80 - 90% of individuals with autism respond positively to music
as a motivator.
• Research has shown that music is a valued tool for stimulating the right side of the brain; and also
is helpful in encouraging bilateral activity between the brain hemispheres.
• The area of the brain that responds to music is located in a different area than the speech and
language area.
• Music can be paired with primary reinforcers (food!) to help a student develop a reaction to a
secondary reinforcer and reduce dependency on food rewards.
• The sounds and vibrations of music can be a temporary replacement for self-stimulating behaviors
exhibited by a student.
• Music is an easy reinforcer to deliver; it doesn' t require heavy duty equipment!
• Music used as a reinforcer does not tend to cause satiation, which is a common problem
associated with food reinforcers.
The following profile illustrates the ways in which music therapy can be of value in assisting
children with Down syndrome to learn
Colby Bannister
Colby is seven years old and is a gregarious, personable young boy. He thoroughly enjoys all life has to
offer including his dance lessons, camping, fishing, playing with his friends and reading books. He attends a
regular first grade class with help from the resource room teacher. Colby has Down syndrome, which
causes him to learn more slowly than the average child his age. He learns best when concepts are
introduced repetitively in various ways. Math skills, such as number concepts and addition are more difficult
for Colby, while letter skills and reading come more easily. Colby' s excellent memory helps him retain skills
once he is able to master them.
Colby' s parents decided to pursue music therapy because Colby had always liked music and was in need
of a therapeutic avenue to work on language and academic skills. Although private speech therapy had
been helpful in the past, he had benefited all he could from this avenue learning. Music therapy offered a
different way to reinforce goals on his Individual Education Plan. Pairing specific learning skills with music
seemed to help Colby concentrate and retain information.
Colby' s current Individual Education Plan (IEP) prioritizes primarily academic skills in the areas of language
arts, mathematics, science, health, physical education and fine arts. In addition, he does receive speech
therapy through the school district. Speech therapy objectives include: choosing the picture that does not
belong, identifying an object or picture by function, telling the function when an object is named, answering
questions from an oral story, giving personal information in sentence form, and understanding and
responding to "wh" questions. Speech therapy also addresses articulation of the "K", "G" and "F" sounds.
Colby began receiving music therapy in the summer of 1990. Initially, he attended a group music therapy
session offered during the summer. At the end of the summer, his parents decided to enroll him in private
music therapy. When Colby first began music therapy, he spoke primarily in single words and a few
phrases. He was always willing to try any task presented with music, so motivating Colby was quite easy.
Initial focus of music therapy was on expanding Colby' s vocabulary and length of utterance. Colby rapidly
learned the names of instruments, even unusual ones such as the cabasa, and began to request his
favorite instruments with longer phrases and sometimes simple sentences. Academic concepts, such as
color, shape and letter identification were addressed through music therapy by using various songs and
instrumental strategies which reinforced these concepts. Providing a tape for Colby to listen to at home or
in the car was additional reinforcement.
Currently, Colby receives private music therapy once a week for thirty minutes. His music therapy objectives
include such skills as completing a rhyme with a rhyming word, sounding out words by using beginning and
ending consonants of a word, acquiring a basic sight word vocabulary related to music (i.e., names of
instruments), demonstrating understanding of number quantity to 10, stating his address and phone
number and several other skills. One of Colby' s favorite songs, The Riddle-Rhyme Song, encourages him
to complete each verse with a rhyming word. He quickly mastered the eight verses, which left the therapist
with the task of writing more verses!! Colby enjoys one strategy in particular which involves choosing a card
with the printed name of an instrument from a stack of cards. When he correctly reads the name of the
instrument, he has the opportunity to play that instrument. He is always able to identify the word drum!
His parents think that music therapy has been particularly helpful in reinforcing the goals from Colby' s
Individualized Education Plan (IEP). In their words, "music therapy provides a different and fun avenue for
learning, and provides the additional repetition that Colby needs to learn and retain specific skills."
Please visit our new web site www.autism.com
MUSIC THERAPY AND LANGUAGE FOR THE AUTISTIC CHILD
Written by Myra J. Staum, Ph.D., RMT-BC
Director and Professor of Music Therapy
Willamette University, Salem, Oregon
Music Therapy is the unique application of music to enhance personal lives by creating positive changes in
human behavior. It is an allied health profession utilizing music as a tool to encourage development in
social/ emotional, cognitive/learning, and perceptual-motor areas. Music Therapy has a wide variety of
functions with the exceptional child, adolescent and adult in medical, institutional and educational settings.
Music is effective because it is a nonverbal form of communication, it is a natural reinforcer, it is immediate
in time and provides motivation for practicing nonmusical skills. Most importantly, it is a successful medium
because almost everyone responds positively to at least some kind of music.
The training of a music therapist involves a full curriculum of music classes, along with selected courses in
psychology, special education, and anatomy with specific core courses and field experiences in music
therapy. Following coursework, students complete a six-month full time clinical internship and a written
board certification exam. Registered, board certified professionals must then maintain continuing education
credits or retake the exam to remain current in their practice.
Music Therapy is particularly useful with autistic children owing in part to the nonverbal, non threatening
nature of the medium. Parallel music activities are designed to support the objectives of the child as
observed by the therapist or as indicated by a parent, teacher or other professional. A music therapist
might observe, for instance, the child's need to socially interact with others. Musical games like passing a
ball back and forth to music or playing sticks and cymbals with another person might be used to foster this
interaction. Eye contact might be encouraged with imitative clapping games near the eyes or with activities
which focus attention on an instrument played near the face. Preferred music may be used contingently for
a wide variety of cooperative social behaviors like sitting in a chair or staying with a group of other children
in a circle.
Music Therapy is particularly effective in the development and remediation of speech. The severe deficit in
communication observed among autistic children includes expressive speech which may be nonexistent or
impersonal. Speech can range from complete mutism to grunts, cries, explosive shrieks, guttural sounds,
and humming. There may be musically intoned vocalizations with some consonant-vowel combinations, a
sophisticated babbling interspersed with vaguely recognizable word-like sounds, or a seemingly foreign
sounding jargon. Higher level autistic speech may involve echolalia, delayed echolalia or pronominal
reversal, while some children may progress to appropriate phrases, sentences, and longer sentences with
non expressive or monotonic speech. Since autistic children are often mainstreamed into music classes in
the public schools, a music teacher may experience the rewards of having an autistic child involved in music
activities while assisting with language.
It has been noted time and again that autistic children evidence unusual sensitivities to music. Some have
perfect pitch, while many have been noted to play instruments with exceptional musicality. Music therapists
traditionally work with autistic children because of this unusual responsiveness which is adaptable to
non-music goals Some children have unusual sensitivities only to certain sounds. One boy, after playing a
xylophone bar, would spontaneously sing up the harmonic series from the fundamental pitch. Through
careful structuring, syllable sounds were paired with his singing of the harmonics and the boy began
incorporating consonant-vowel sounds into his vocal play. Soon simple 2-3 note tunes were played on the
xylophone by the therapist who modeled more complex verbalizations, and the child gradually began
imitating them.
Since autistic children sometimes sing when they may not speak, music therapists and music educators can
work systematically on speech through vocal music activities. In the music classroom, songs with simple
words, repetitive phrases, and even repetitive nonsense syllables can assist the autistic child's language.
Meaningful word phrases and songs presented with visual and tactile cues can facilitate this process even
further. One six-year old echolalic child was taught speech by having the therapist/teacher sing simple
question/answer phrases set to a familiar melody with full rhythmic and harmonic accompaniment. The child
held the objects while singing:
Do you eat an apple? Yes, yes. Do you eat an apple? Yes, yes. Do you eat an apple? Yes, yes. Yes, yes,
yes. and Do you eat a pencil? No, no. Do you eat a pencil? No, no. Do you eat a pencil? No, no. No, no, no.
Another autistic child learned noun and action verb phrases . A large doll was manipulated by the
therapist/teacher and a song presented:
This is a doll. This is a doll. The doll is jumping. The doll is jumping.This is a doll. This is a doll.
Later, words were substituted for walking, sitting, sleeping, etc. In these songs, the bold words were faded
out gradually by the therapist/teacher. Since each phrase was repeated, the child could use his echolalic
imitation to respond accurately. When the music was eliminated completely, the child was able to verbalize
the entire sentence in response to the questions, "What is this?" and "What is the doll doing?" Other
autistic children have learned entire meaningful responses when both questions and answers were
incorporated into a song. The following phrases were sung with one child to the approximate tune of
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star and words were faded out gradually in backward progression. While attention to
environmental sounds was the primary focus for this child, the song structure assisted her in responding in
a full, grammatically correct sentence: Listen, listen, what do you hear? (sound played on tape) I hear an
ambulance. (I hear a baby cry.) (I hear my mother calling, etc.)
Autistic children have also made enormous strides in eliminating their monotonic speech by singing songs
composed to match the rhythm, stress, flow and inflection of the sentence followed by a gradual fading of
the musical cues. Parents and teachers alike can assist the child in remembering these prosodic features of
speech by prompting the child with the song. While composing specialized songs is time consuming for the
teacher with a classroom full of other children, it should be remembered that the repertoire of elementary
songs are generally repetitive in nature. Even in higher level elementary vocal method books, repetition of
simple phrases is common. While the words in such books may not seem critical for the autistic child's
survival at the moment, simply increasing the capacity to put words together is a vitally important beginning
for these children. For those teachers whose time is limited to large groups, almost all singing experiences
are invaluable to the autistic child when songs are presented slowly, clearly, and with careful focusing of the
child's attention to the ongoing activity. To hear an autistic child leave a class quietly singing a song with all
the words is a pleasant occurrence. To hear the same child attempt to use these words in conversation
outside of the music class is to have made a very special contribution to the language potential of this child.
For more information about music therapy, contact National Association for Music Therapy
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 930, Silver Spring, MD 20910, U.S.A.
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