Music Therapy

What Is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is the use of music in a therapeutic relationship to work toward nonmusical goals.

A music therapist assesses the individual (or group) and designs musical experiences to help the client improve in physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and/or communicative areas.

Some examples of goals in music therapy:

• To improve expressive language skills
• To increase self expression
• To increase relational and social skills
• To improve motor planning skills 

Music Experiences:

In music therapy, most music experiences are interactive and shared music-making.  Some examples are:

• singing - familiar songs, made-up songs, songs about what we are doing, songs about what will happen next
• instrument playing - collaborating or soloing using guitar, piano, xylophones, drums, small percussion, harmonicas or harp
• listening - relaxing or drawing during recorded or live music
  
• improvisation - making up music in the moment
• moving and dancing - sensory-based games and exercises, play with scarves and other props