The benefits of Music Therapy and Art Therapy. Includes links!

[PreemiesPooh]

According to Brynjulf Stige author of the article "Aesthetic practices in music therapy" printed in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 1998, Music therapy is a specialized use of music to improve and maintain functioning in the social, cognitive, sensory and communiactive areas.

Stige(1998) summarizes values of music therapy:

-Music is a social thing.
-Music is closely related to everyday experiences.
-Spontaneous elements are given high value
-Personal expression is more important than technical
proficiency.

Music therapy helps individuals with learning disabilities and ADHD relieve anxiety, focus attention and develop strengths

In Art therapy, writes Robert Miller, for the Dallas Morning News 4/4/99, Children can paint within and express feelings often associated with learning disabilities and ADHD.

Art develops visual-motor skills and has been found to be benificial to children with learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional problems.

Click here for the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy website


Here are some websites for music therapy and art therapy for young children with special needs. Tim and I are currently using music therapy in the home for our son Michael.

www.musictherapyconnections.com
provides parents of special needs children with information about music therapy and gives practical ideas on ways to use music at home.

www.musictherapy.org
Provides information for parents on"what is Music therapy?" Also gives information on case studies and the benefits of music therapy in young children.

http://anata.synflux.com.au/pg2.html
What is Art therapy? How does Art therapy work?

Sandra
Moderator of Children with Special Needs

A preemie's pooh to Michael 12-01-99
Visit Michael's webpage!
www.babiesonline.com/babies/t/tigerpup

[AnnieQ]

Thanks for the information. I agree, music and arts are good for these children and a lot of them go on and persue this as they get older, for it is smoething they feel comfortable with and they love it and it is not work to them. This is one way of expressing all thier feeling bottled up inside.

[PreemiesPooh]

I know that music has a positive effect on my health. I feel less stressful when I listen to relaxing music, I know that Michael is more calm when he listens to soft lullaby music. When we have playtime or homeschooling time, I play his Baby Beluga tape.

I usually play music that will help Michael's mood so that he will work on his picture book as we go over words that he can learn.
I made him a music center with the following items:
a used casio keyboard I bought for five dollars at a thift store
a toy tamborine, macaras that I made out of paper mache, and I made egg shakers from the musical therapy connections website.

I really believe that using music therapy has helped Michael.

I started reintroducing coloring and watercoloring with Michael to help him develop his fine motor skills with his fingers and hands. We had stopped for awhile because all he wanted to do was eat the crayons.

Sandra
A preemie's pooh to Michael 12-01-99

Moderator of Children with Special Needs

Visit Michael's webpage!
www.babiesonline.com/babies/t/tigerpup