Music Therapy

Music

Kids love music and music therapy is a great way to engage and teach all kids, but especially kids with special needs. Theraputic music works great with autism therapies, adhd kids, bipolar, anxiety and many other emotional and developmental disabilities.

One of the many challenges working with kids who have problems with social situations, is that most learning environments are social situations. What better way  to engage their attention than through music? You can use music to actually teach your kids (teachers – parents) especially the ones who respond well to auditory learning. Remember “Grammer Rock” from “Schoolhouse Rock”? OK – how do you think I remember what a conjunction is to this day? It works great for all kids! This is a way to use music as a direct teaching method. Next you will see how music can benefit your child as theraputic music and what they are learning indirectly.

Music Therapy

Music therapies teach a child to play an instrument and to make their own music. How else can music benefit your child? Learning to play an instrument and producing their own music provides opportunity for success and new skills they can demonstrate. It helps promote self esteem and self confidence, as well as providing an outlet for expression, both emotional and artistic. Music therapy also helps improve communication, attention, and both gross and fine motor skills. It helps improve listening skills, patterning and sequencing abilities as well as reading and tracking skills. And you thought it was all just for fun!

Finding a Teacher

This is probably the most difficult part of the whole process because not only does the teacher have to be willing to work with your child, but your child has to be willing to work with the teacher! How are you going to do that? I suggest first finding the teacher (OK – if available locate a couple alternates – always have plan B ready!) and then a little at a time, get your child comfortable with the teacher.

First decision is class-type group instruction, or one-on-one individual instruction. There is no wrong answer here – this is where you need to know your child. How does your child respond to groups of people? For my daughter,  the anxiety starts building days before that by the time a lesson rolled around she would be in such a tizzy (sorry, had to use the medical term) that she wouldn’t get anything out of the lesson at all! For her, individual instruction would work best for learning this type of lesson, but your child may be different.

If you can find a music therapy teacher willing to work with your child would be the best! Check with local colleges and universities to see if they have a music therapy program and if your child can participate. They used music therapy as a component in a social group setting through our local university - it was very successful.

Another good place to look is for a special education teacher who also teaches music. Check with your local school district to see if they know of any who matches a description like that. You may also find a conventional “mainstream” music teacher, who although may have little or no experience with special kids, is willing to learn and work with you and your child. WOW! Sounds like a lot, but it happens, and you won’t know until you ask. Look for someone who is patient, and is definitely willing to work at getting to know your child – oh and someone with whom your child does not run away screaming would be best.

Here your child may need to visit the class location several times, even before the lessons begin. The instructor will need to understand that it may take longer for your child to be comfortable with the environment, and to respond and learn. Have an understanding of how sensory issues affect your child and especially with kids on the autism spectrum, the sometimes rigid and very literal thought processes. This would be a great time to use your Child Information Sheet from Telling Your Story to help the music therapy instructor get to know your child.

Teaching Strategies

These are some things you can ask the instructor if they are using (or familiar with), and, if you know the method that your child responds to, you can request and /or instruct the teacher about it. Here are three fairly common approaches:

Suzuki Style – very successful teaching younger children and works well with kids and autism therapy and are great for auditory learners. Start teaching with the hand-over-hand process, and then move to the teacher plays – child plays approach. Start simple, maybe just a note or two, and work from there.

Color Coded Style – works well with visual learners. Use color coded strips applied to the instrument to help teach the notes. Take them off one by one as the child learns the notes.

Traditional – many kids on the autism spectrum and other developmental and emotional difficulties benefit from the traditional rote style of instruction. There is structure and repetition, an established pattern of progression that builds on small successes, and a basic rigidity to the schedule. My daughter would love it!

Consider music therapy as a way to help your child learn things that will last a lifetime. Whether instruments, such as piano or flute, or expression through song and dance, not only will your child enjoy the experience but you and your child will benefit in so many ways. (And now they have something to perform at your next family reunion!)

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