Music Therapy
Music Therapy is an established healthcare profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals of all ages. Music therapy improves the quality of life for persons who are well and meets the needs of children and adults with disabilities or illnesses.
Benefits of Music Therapy
- Develops Cognitive Abilities, Attention Span, and Memory Organizational Skills
- Improves Communication, Receptive/Expressive Language, and Range of Expression
- Enhances Social Skills, Peer Interaction, and Group Cooperation
- Supports Physical Development, Fine and Gross Motor Skills, and Rehabilitation Goals
- Fosters Emotional Growth, Personal Insight, and Self Esteem
- Promotes Wellness, Stress Reduction, and Alleviation of Pain
Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in a wide variety of healthcare and educational settings. For further information, please go to www.musictherapy.org.
Why Music Therapy?
Music provides a positive and exciting medium for learning, healing, and transforming. Music therapy can greatly enhance the quality of life of the individual and his or her family. For children, music is often the first thing to which they relate. It is a "universal language" that crosses all cultural lines. For both children and adults with disabilities, music is a highly engaging activity which can also be used to achieve non-musical goals.
Music occurs naturally in our common environment-it is a socially appropriate activity and leisure skill, ideal for people who normally have difficulty with such skills. Music provides a predictable time-oriented and reality-oriented structure while offering opportunities for participation at one's own level of functioning and ability. Most people, adults and especially children, enjoy music-therefore, music therapy can be the primary therapy or the therapy that reinforces all other therapies.