Community Therapy Services, P.C.

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Music therapy is a profession that uses music activities and concepts to achieve predetermined therapeutic goals in ways that ensure the success rate of the participants. One of the key components of music therapy is ensuring that everyone involved is able to make positive contributions during the session -- for the basic reason that if someone is not successful, then they will not participate, and if one does not participate, he or she will gain nothing from the experience. Music therapy is effective and is enjoyed by a variety of populations because of its versatility, flexibility, and overall appeal. By creating and adapting age-appropriate music and music activities, a board-certified music therapist can help people achieve a variety of social, communication, motor, and self-help goals. Music therapy can be applied in individual, group, and family settings.

Music therapy has been around as a licensed profession since the 1940's. It got its start in veterans' hospitals following World War II as an effective tool to help soldiers deal with shell shock (post traumatic stress syndrome), amputations, grief, death, and loss of self-esteem. As the benefits of systematic music interventions with veterans were realized and studied, the music therapy profession grew and developed to include other populations. University programs were created to educate people on how to use music as a tool to effect positive change. There are now board-certified music therapists throughout the world, using their skills to help a vast amount of people learn, grow, and heal in music environments.

Music activities are ideally suited to fostering the development of language in young children. The rhythm and intonations of language are often similar to the sounds of music.
Birth to 6 months: Sing soft songs with a slower rhythm (for example, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star) to your infant. It can calm him down or make him more alert for learning activities. Try stopping mid-song to see if you can get a reaction indicating that he wants more. He may turn his body or push with his feet to communicate that he wants to continue.
6 to 12 months: Music can help teach your child about the give and take of communication. Sing simple songs to her, leaving a "space" for her to respond: "And on his farm he had some ____." Try using simple syllables for each beat: "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba ____." "Ba," "ma," and "da" are some of the first sounds that babies can make. She may or may not respond, but giving her the space to respond lets her know that she has an important part in this game.
1 to 3 years: Keep musical instruments for your 1 to 3 year-old to play with. There are some nice commercial sets you can purchase, but he will have just a fine a time with an old oatmeal container and wooden spoon. Pots and pans make great drums, too. You may want to keep them on a low shelf that is accessible to him. Fill a sippy cup with dried beans to make a shaker. Toddlers delight in being in control of producing these great noises. Get down on the floor with him as often as possible. Play follow the leader -- you bang the pan three times, then leave a space for him to beat the pan three times. Pound out the syllables of a song as you sing.
Start teaching finger plays (Where is Thumbkin, The Eensy Weensy Spider) to you child. Play CDs of children's music often and sing along. Raffi has some excellent CDs for very young children which have a slightly slower pace so the words and music are easier to understand.
If your child is agitated, try putting on fast music to match his mood, and then gradually play softer and slower music. It will help calm him gradually. The opposite can work, too. If he is too lethargic, start with slow music and gradually increase the tempo.

Most important, remember that you don't need to be a musician to enjoy music with your child. Meet your child at his or her level and HAVE FUN!

From the day we are born until our last breath, we react to music. It is something we hear every day but seldom notice. Music motivates us and moves us. It is inviting, organized, flexible, and universal. Music has the ability to change our moods, challenge our thoughts, and relax our bodies. Music has a power that can be harnessed to help people reach goals.

Music makes good things happen........

• Music therapy is a successful, rewarding, and enjoyable experience for all ages and abilities that can be applied to individuals. group settings, and in co-treatment with other therapies.
• Instrument playing improves coordination, muscle development, strength, fine and gross motor skills, independent movement, crossing the midline, and listening and rhythmic skills.
• Improvisation is used to develop creativity, language, verbal and non-verbal communication, and social interaction.
• Musical activities are original music creations that meet the specific needs of clients in order to promote social interaction, cooperation, learning, auditory processing, and focusing on a task.
• Singing improves breathing and breath control, speech, memory, learning, and social imitation.
• Relaxations techniques develop muscle control, reduce stress, and increase patience.
• Music creates neuro-pathways to greater cognition, communication, social interaction, muscle strength, and motor coordination.

Music Therapy Workshops and Presentations

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