March 21 is 3:21! In honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Day, here is a three-part series on Music Therapy for Children with Down Syndrome. This first post describes music therapy, and what it is. From there. we will go on to talk about how music therapy can benefit children with DS, how you can find a therapist, and what to expect from music therapy.
Part I: Music Therapy? What, Who, and the Beginning of How It’s Done
Music Therapy, as defined by the American Music Therapy Association, 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.”
So what does that mean to the new parent, or parent of a school-age or older child/adult with special needs, who is already on information overload?
Simply put, Music Therapy is a real, clinical profession. It’s so much more than going in, playing nice music, and making people happy (although if that is a side effect, great! ). But what does “clinical” mean? What about “evidence-based?
When we say that Music Therapy is a clinical discipline, we mean that music is applied for therapeutic purposes, rather than music education, or solely for the purpose of pleasure. There is always a reason behind the interventions that a music therapist presents in a music therapy session. Evidence-based means that the therapist is using the best research available in the field (this applies to all therapeutic/health professions, not just music therapy). It also means that the music therapist brings his or her own clinical expertise to the table, and uses it accordingly; and finally, we take the needs, desires, and values of our clients (and families) into serious consideration in the course of treatment. It’s the respectful, ethical thing to do.
We are indeed professional musicians, but our training goes beyond the instrument. Here is a brief synopsis of how we are trained. Music therapists have at LEAST a bachelor’s degree; most go on to obtain master’s degrees and beyond. In addition to collegiate musical training, we study psychology (general, educational, abnormal), anatomy and physiology. Internship follows…1200 hours worth, or about six months. New grads are supervised by a clinical training director, and like other internships, we get our hands-on, full-time experience in the field here. After that comes the Board Certification exam…and then we are ready! Yes, we constantly take continuing education courses…and YES, we are board-certified—because really, would you want to trust your child to someone who didn’t have the credentials behind his or her name? I don’t mean to speak ill of musicians who might go into hospitals and play for patients (that is how music therapy began—but that’s another post)—but if one is going to work with individuals with very special, sometimes complicated needs—one absolutely, positively, needs the training and the certification.
Now that you know what a music therapist is, what do we do, and where do we work? We work in schools, hospitals, psychiatric facilities, day treatment programs, in community music schools, and in private practice. We provide assessments and direct services to our clients, we in-service staff and allied professionals, and we sometimes get to co-treat with other therapists (my favorite thing to do!!). We are members of treatment teams, we are consultants to schools and other facilities, and occasionally we get to coach music educators who are learning how to include children with disabilities into their regular music classes. These are places in which you may find music therapists.
But what is a music therapy session like? The answer is there is no single type of music therapy session. It is as individual as your child. Music therapy is administered individually, and/or in small or large groups. In both individual and group settings, though, a music therapy session begins with some kind of greeting or Hello song/exercise, made to greet the child and orient him or her to the session, followed by music and activities that will address the goals and objectives defined in the music therapy assessment (that will be covered in our NEXT post this week!). Some therapists will structure the session so that the activities/exercises get progressively more challenging, but once they’ve reached the height of difficulty, then the demands made on the child will lessen, like a cool-down period in a workout. The session ends with a closing, or Goodbye song/activity that lets the child know that music time is done, and helps with the transition from music therapy. Obviously a 1:1 music therapy session is going to be more intensive than a group session, since the therapist can focus in on the client’s individual needs. However, group sessions are great for those who enjoy and/or need to practice social interaction. In a perfect world, my clients would have both individual AND group music therapy, because there are so many different benefits to each type of therapy.
Okay, now, let’s say you don’t have a music therapist just yet…but you know your child loves music and sound, and you’re just itching to do something creative with him or her. Here are some tips on what you can do at home to encourage your child’s love for music, and boost their development. You may be doing most of them instinctively, because we are neurologically hard-wired to respond to music and sound. Really we are! See how many of these things you may already do with your child. True, you may not be a music therapist, but I want to encourage you to do these things with your child, and see how much fun it can be. You may even find that music is another way to bond with your little one.
• Rock your baby. It’s comforting, it’s organizing to their nervous systems, and the rocking motion is helping their brains develop, even laying the groundwork for future motor and social development. Add a soft lullaby (and YES, your baby LOVES the sound of your voice, even if you think you sound like Scuttle from The Little Mermaid) and you’re on the road to developing some parent-child quality time activities.
• Again, sing to your kiddo. Make silly voices and faces, add movement and just be plain silly and playful. Your baby/child is no different than any other little one. They love this kind of interaction with you.
• As your child gets older, introduce them to musical instruments. Sit at a piano or keyboard, and take turns playing on the keys. Imitate their attempts to play—let them lead you. This kind of call-response music develops social awareness, and of course, playing on the keyboard develops fine motor skills {oh—don’t worry if they “bang” or only play with their fists. That’s developmentally normal. However, it is a great way to start teaching the difference between “too loud” and “pretty music!”}
Next time we meet—we’ll look at a brief case study of a child with DS in music therapy, and how you can find a music therapist in your area. Until then, sing, dance, play and create!
Inside the Music (Therapy) Studio 