Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind,
flight to the imagination
and life to everything.”
―
Plato
The power of music and its significant healing properties are
well-known. According to psychologist
David M. Greenberg, writing for
Psychology
Today, “Music is much more than mere entertainment. It has been a
feature of every known human society—anthropologists and sociologists have yet
to find a single culture throughout the course of human history that has not
had music. In fact, many evolutionary psychologists today make the argument
that music predated language. Primitive tribes and
religious practices have
used music to reach enlightened states for thousands of years,
and Pythagoras used music to heal different psychological and physical
ailments. Currently, cutting-edge scientific research has shown the
effect that music has on the
brain, the individual, and
society.”
Like their non-disabled peers, people with physical and
developmental disabilities can benefit tremendously from interactions with
music. While listening to music improves quality of life for just about everyone,
some people with disabilities can also experience profoundly positive effects
from taking part in adapted music lessons and/or music therapy. While these
terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same. In this week’s
post, we outline the differences between these two modalities and note the
benefits of each.
What are adapted
music lessons?
Adapted music lessons have the same goal as conventional
music lessons: to teach the musical skills necessary to play an instrument. Yet
adapted lessons are taught by teachers or music therapists skilled in providing
an especially individualized approach to learning. Trained to evaluate the learning
needs and styles of each student, adapted music teachers can tailor their
lessons to the strengths and weaknesses of their students. They utilize a
variety of strategies to help students to accomplish their goals.
According to Jennifer Hezoucky, a therapist at
Life Song Therapy,
adaptations for music students with physical disabilities may include: “Color-coding
or large-print/chord music; learning songs using color or number codes;
over-sized guitar picks; alternate tunings for guitar; adapted equipment for
specific needs (such as
switch-adapted
instruments available through
enablingdevices.com).
Adaptations for students
with developmental or intellectual disabilities may include the use of “visual aids to structure the
lesson and reduce frustration; non-verbal communication; a focus on preferred
songs and music genres; communication devices; [the incorporation of] music
games, rhythm instruments, movement and singing to maintain and maximize
learning,” says Hezoucky.
What is music
therapy?
In music therapy, music proficiency isn’t the goal. Rather,
music is a means to achieving other goals. According 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. Music Therapy is an established health profession in which
music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional,
cognitive, and social needs of individuals.”
For example, notes music therapist Geoffrey Keith of
Success Music Studio,
“a music therapist may teach a student a song to help him to remember how to
tie his shoes, or sing a song with him so he can work on saying a particular
consonant that he struggles to say more clearly, or to help get out strong
feelings attached to a traumatic experience.”
