Establishing Relevant Goals in Music Therapy

Establishing Relevant Goals in Music Therapy The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as “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”.   What happens during a music therapy assessment? During a music therapy … Read more

What to Expect in a Music Therapy Session

Just how no two children are alike, music therapy sessions vary from client to client. What goes on inside a session depends greatly on your child’s/client’s needs and preferences. A typical session will include a hello song to indicate the start of the session, music interventions to work on social/emotional, perceptual/motor, language/communication, preacademic, and musical … Read more

How To Become a Music Therapist

Step one: Get a music therapy degree You can get a Bachelor’s or Equivalency Degree, but it has to be music therapy specifically. A combination of music and psychology is not enough, because there are required courses specific to the practice music therapy that you won’t get anywhere else. Step two: Complete an internship Most internships take … Read more

5 Essential Practicing Tips

Here are a few tips to help your music practice (or any other practice, for that matter) become more efficient and helpful, rather than discouraging and upsetting.   Slow down When you’re learning, it takes time for your brain and body to synchronize. Give plenty of space for synchronization to happen by taking things very, … Read more

Life Skills Learned in a Music Lesson

Anyone who studied music knows that learning an instrument is so much more than meets the eye. The discipline and perseverance involved ultimately make you a better person in life, and here’s why: Learning How to Learn Research has shown that the best way to learn is through spaced repetition–repeating a few times across several … Read more

Checklist: Is it Music Therapy?

  You saw a post about the benefits of music. It was an article or maybe a video about how much music is helping people in a school, hospital, nursing facility, etc. You immediately thought of the music therapist you know and sent it to them! On behalf of all music therapists, thank you so … Read more

Learning with Music Can Change Brain Structure

Using musical cues to learn a physical task significantly develops an important part of the brain, according to a new study. People who practiced a basic movement task to music showed increased structural connectivity between the regions of the brain that process sound and control movement. The findings focus on white matter pathways — the … Read more

National Institute of Health Teams Up with Music Therapy

Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health, Deborah Rutter, Director of the Kennedy Center, and renowned soprano, Renée Fleming, serving as an artistic ambassador for the Kennedy Center,  sponsored an historic research workshop, “Music and the Brain: Research Across the Lifespan,” on January 26-27, 2017.

Attended by some 100 participants, the NIH workshop included 25 panelists, of whom eight were music therapists: Joke Bradt, Christian Gold, Deforia Lane, Sheri Robb, Ed Roth, Elizabeth Stegemoller, Michael Thaut, and Connie Tomaino.

Dr. Robb’s opening keynote, “Advancing the Science of Music Therapy in Healthcare,” established a strong foundation about music therapy as a profession and provided an overview of the state of music therapy research. A second keynote was presented by Dr. Nina Kraus, “Making Sense of Sound for Communication and Brain Health.” AMTA national office staff, Dr. Andi Farbman, Barbara Else, and Judy Simpson collaborated with planners to provide a comprehensive picture of music therapy research.

Dr. Collins summed up the meeting by stating that it was an “amazing outpouring of information and a wonderful body of knowledge on music therapy and the neuroscience of music.” He acknowledged that music therapists and neuroscientists have been working on parallel paths; it is now time, however, for them to work in much closer proximity and collaborate to advance the science. A trans-NIH working group, which is quite unusual, to explore the topic of music and the brain on a variety of questions including therapeutic applications and music therapy, is a possible next step.

source: musictherapy.org

How Drumming Relieves Stress

Click Here to Register for our Drumming Group Saturday, July 22nd at 5:30pm in Mission Viejo $15.00 (address provided with RSVP) Email meghan@playyourpartmusic.com to RSVP!   Dr. Barry Bittman, MD and his collaborators from the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California tested the blood chemistry of 111 healthy men and women. The participants … Read more

What is Autism?

Disclaimer: The following article uses identity-first language. To read about why the Autistic community prefers identity-first language, click here. This information is adapted from the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s resource “What is Autism?” for Autism Acceptance Month. What is autism? Autism is a developmental disability which affects language and communication, sensory processing and motor skills, cognition, … Read more