Chances are music has positively impacted your emotional or mental health at one time or another. Maybe your favorite song uplifted your spirit when you were going through a tough time. Or a song from your childhood made you smile from ear to ear. Or perhaps you took up an instrument as a hobby and […]

Music therapy has a myriad of different uses and people approach music therapy with many different outcomes in mind. Maybe you are looking into music therapy to help you deal with anxiety or depression, or maybe you are interested in how music therapy can help people dealing with post traumatic stress. Music therapy can be

“Sarah” was a 9-year-old African-American female with a history of sexual abuse, neglect and abandonment. The focus of her music therapy treatment addressed self-regulation and prosocial skill development. Music therapy sessions included improvisation, lyric analysis, live music production and songwriting. The structure of the sessions was activity-based and included use of visual aids to create

Music therapy is defined as “the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems” (American Music Therapy Association, 2003). While music therapy is closely aligned with the behavioral sciences, it is distinct in that it bridges

Meeting the benchmarks for social communication skills is a core challenge for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In typical development, young people often learn these skills by observing others in interactions with adults and peers, or through their own interactions. For children on the spectrum, learning appropriate social skills usually requires direct intervention. As

Music is all around us from the rhythm of the cars on the streets, the melody birds tend to chirp, or even the music we choose to listen to in the car, commuting to school or work, or in our homes. Maybe you even create music yourself by playing an instrument, singing, or experimenting with

Why is attention so important in lessons and sessions? In both music therapy and music education, attention is at the forefront. No music therapy goals could be attained if attention isn’t held. Similarly in music education, no musical elements would be learned without attention as the foundation. However small these moments of focus may be,

Music therapy builds up a child’s self-esteem and feeds their spirit. With all the struggles special needs children face, it is incredibly important to support them with this form of therapy. In fact, music therapy can reach children with special needs in ways that other practices cannot, which is one reason why music therapists are

Music therapy can help to relieve pain and reduce stress and anxiety for the patient, resulting in physiological changes, including: improved respiration, lower blood pressure, improved cardiac output, reduced heart rate and relaxed muscle tension. This form of therapy has been shown to have a significant effect on a patient’s perceived effectiveness of treatment, including

There is a wide variety in the content of music therapy sessions, including how long they last and how many sessions a client will require because music therapists tailor their work to each person. Thus each person is in a different situation with unique needs and goals. Sessions can include both active music-making and more