How Can Music Therapy Support My Clients

& Help My Organization?​

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SPEECH

Music therapy can be an effective modality to help maintain and/or slow the regression of speech and language skills in the areas of expressive and receptive communication, choice-making, oral motor, sequencing, motor planning, answering questions, phonemic awareness, speech intelligibility and patterns of language.

 

With older adults, as dementia or Alzheimer’s disease progresses, an individual loses his or her ability to speak, though many people are still able to sing favorite songs or hum.

 

Rhythm-based exercises paired with words can enhance speech intelligibility for the stroke patient or person with Parkinson’s disease.

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COGNITIVE

Music can be used to maintain memory organization and thought processing. For instance, songs from an individual’s dating years may bring back memories and stimulate conversation.

 

A technique called Reality Orientation utilizes music-based experiences to help those clients who may be disoriented and confused by providing them with accurate and consistent information about their surroundings (e.g. helps them to remember the date, names of people, place of residence, etc.).

 

Specific music experiences can be designed to incorporate music and visuals (such as clocks, calendars, and seasonal items). Sensory Training, another technique, helps to restore a person’s contact with the environment through the senses (visual, auditory, tactile and sometimes even taste and smell).

 

When music (auditory) is combined with another sense, for example, visual, through holiday decorations, often memories can be triggered. Music experiences can also provide the acquisition of a new hobby (such as learning how to play the piano) which studies show helps maintain health.

 

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SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

Music therapy can increase bonding with others, cooperation with family members and support staff. By connecting with others and participating in a meaningful activity, many can alleviate feelings of isolation and loneliness.

 

Studies show that group bonding and interaction with others may be more important in determining our overall health than any other health parameter such as diet, exercise or our genes.

 

Group activities can promote positive, successful experiences with music while interacting with others. Successful experiences lead to increased self-esteem and foster self-express and creativity.

 

Music therapy sessions can be a way for family members to spend meaningful time together in a creative, caring, and relaxing way either in the home or in a health care setting. It can bring intimacy for families through verbal and nonverbal interaction.

 

Singing, songwriting, and playing musical instruments facilitate the expression of emotions even for someone who is not able to verbalize how they feel. Participating in meaningful music- making or listening to music can help bring about changes in a person’s mood or the way they feel.

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PHYSICAL/MOTOR SKILLS

Music, dancing and movement activities can aid in maintaining walking endurance, improve range of motion, strength, functional hand movements and finger dexterity and improve limb coordination.

 

For instance, using instruments (such as drums) can be a motivating way to purposefully improve hand use, cross midline, and reach high/low.

 

Co-treatment with an occupational or physical therapist may also enhance the effectiveness of music therapy strategies.

 

Relaxation with music, toning (singing with vowels focused on a certain area in the body), and other techniques may help reduce the perception of pain and the need for pain medication.