Music and Special Needs Music can connnect people throughout the world, no matter the race, gender, or national origin. Music can make a big diffrence in the lives of every one, especially the special needs. Though many people do not know it, one of the best ways for special needs children to understand and communicate with the outside world is through music therapy.
Music Therapy for special needs children works by capturing their attention. Music is a way to help special needs children make progress in developmental and educational goals. Music therapy can be used in many different ways and in different areas of a childs life. Behavioral, social skills, and speech and communications are just a few used by music therapists. As defined by the American Music Therapy Association, “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” Group music therapy has proven to facilitate self-expression and provide a channel for transforming frustration, anger, and aggression into the experience of creativity and self-mastery. Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) as defined by The Center for Biomedical Research in Music at Colorado State University is “The therapeutic application of music to cognitive, sensory, and motor function due to neurologic disease of the human nervous system. Neurologic Music Therapy is research-based. Its treatment techniques are based on the scientific knowledge in music perception and production and the effects thereof on nonmusical brain and behavior function.” Examples of music therapy interventions for children with autism and other special needs, drawn from the fields of Neurologic Music Therapy and Applied Behavior Analysis include Developmental Speech and Language Training Through Music, Therapeutic Singing, Symbolic Communication Training Through Music, and Musical Attention Control Training.
There are so many benefits