Music therapy is a creative modality for all ages, but especially children. For children, music therapy is facilitated in fun, interactive, musical games and activities that motivate and engage the child. Music therapy as a treatment is often used when other methods are less successful, due to the nature of the interventions. A child can engage in the music activities and be wholly unaware that they are improving on their therapeutic goals. They participate because they want to interact with the music.
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Where does it take place?
Where does it take place?
Special Education Programs in Schools
Private Practices
Therapeutic Service Facility
Hospital
Inpatient or Outpatient Clinics
Children receiving music therapy services will have a referral for music therapy services. Once connected to the facility or individual, the music therapist will conduct an assessment and devise a treatment plan with specific therapeutic goals and objectives that will be addressed in their sessions together. In a school setting, the music therapist will have access to the child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that have academic and life skill goals decided on by a treatment team.
Goals that are addressed with children diagnosed with disabilities:
Goals that are addressed with children diagnosed with disabilities:
Social
Communication
Motor (gross or fine)
Cognitive
Sensorimotor
Behavioral
Emotional
Academic
In order to address these goal areas with children, the music therapist develops a session plan for each meeting that include music interventions or activities that address each of these goals. When designing interventions, the music therapist will always use client preferred songs, music that children will recognize or enjoy. Some common music interventions might include:
Songwriting to promote communication and social skills.
Rhythm sticks to recorded music to address fine and gross motor skills.
Improvisation on the drums or other percussion instruments for emotional expression.
Music therapy is beneficial to children for a variety of reasons. Aside from working toward
and achieving therapeutic goals, music therapy provides a positive and inclusive environment
for the child to learn and grow while being creative. Music therapy also works to improve
overall musicality by working with playing instruments, singing, replicating rhythm, and
making their own music. Achieving musical goals aids in increasing self-esteem and self-
efficacy that has to the ability to transfer to other life skills.
To learn more about music therapy with children with disabilities, here are some resources:
To learn more about music therapy with children with disabilities, here are some resources:
Music Therapy in Special Education by the American Music Therapy Association
Early Childhood Music Therapy and Autism Spectrum Disorder
Music Therapy Assessment for Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Survey Study
Learn more about the benefits of Music Therapy:
Learn more about the benefits of Music Therapy:
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