We at Three Rivers Community Care are looking forward to launching school-aged music therapy groups this upcoming fall! Learn about the many benefits group music therapy has to offer children.
What is it?
Music therapy at its core utilizes different modes of music-based activities–such as, music making, music listening, songwriting, and improvisation to achieve goals across all domains, physical, emotional, social, cognitive, etc.
Music can provide motivation for children to help them achieve their goals. It can offer alternative modes of communication for those who are non-verbal or prefer alternatives to speaking. Music also can break down barriers and serve as a catalyst for interpersonal relationships. For those who have difficulty grasping abstract concepts, music can be a very helpful tool. These are just a few of the many benefits of music therapy.
Here are a few examples of music therapy activities specifically with school-aged groups:
Goal(s): Increase emotional awareness through an understanding of healthy coping skills
Activity: Rewriting one of their favorite songs into a tool about coping skills and how to use them.
Goal(s): Increase spatial awareness and impulse control
Activity: Playing freeze dance to increase their active listening skills and demonstrating appropriate impulse control when the music stops.
Goal(s): Increase appropriate peer-to-peer interactions
Activity: Engaging in an activity where the objective is to pass around instruments within the group to facilitate sharing and turn taking.
What to expect?
Prior to the group, each child interested in joining will have an individual music therapy session to assess the child’s needs, interests, and possible goals, as well as make sure the individuals would be able to work well in a group together. Music Therapists often provide services through IEPs as we do here at Three Rivers Music Therapy. From there, we’d assemble the groups and find common goals from the assessments to work towards in music therapy sessions.
Music therapy is so expansive and contains so much possibility, and it’s wonderful to see kids’ love for music being utilized to meet their goals. It’s a joy to watch these children having fun with music while also progressing towards meeting their goals!
Reach out to us with any questions or to receive these services at:
Comments