Music therapy

[bssage]

I'm just beginning to research it. Anyone have any experience with it?? I have heard some very positive things about it

[mom2many]

Not music therapy per-say, but I know when Ted hit the 6th grade and could do band I made him take it, I really believe in the benefits of learning music, and there was some improvement in his ability to stay on task, his teachers noticed it also.

[Jordy]

not as therapy but i think music is VERY important for children.. children learn through music.. thats why children's bands are so successful

[IADad]

having attended an institution that offered degrees in music therapy, I don't put a whole lot of stock in it. I mean it's a nice idea and a good concept, I'm just not sure of the quality of the people practicing it. The addage in school was, "Those who can, do, those who can't teach, and those who can't teach go into music therapy."

So, I guess I'm just warning that if you find one, do your homework and find a good one, otherwise you're going to end up with some fool baning rhythm sticks for 30 minutes or whatever else the book told them to do.

[Dadu2004]

So...here's the deal. Despite me being in the computer industry, I have a Bachelors degree in music. I have taken a course on music therapy along with the standards of theory, history, etc.

Music therapy when done correctly by someone who knows what the heck they are doing can be a helpful additive to standard therapy. Notice I said additive. I wouldn't advocate it as a sole form of therapy, just as I wouldn't for art therapy. I think it's a great compliment and can help be a calming and directive influence.

The other thing is...there aren't a whole heck of a lot of schools out there that have a good music therapy degree path. It's just not that popular. So, I often question (as IADad does) the quality of the "therapists" and the training backing them.

[bssage]

I am being told it open pathways in the brain and assist in cognitive thought Blah, Blah,... I guess it has been around for a very long time. Its accepted enough that it a medicare approved therapy. I think we are going to force the issue with the school.

[IADad]

yeah, I think there can be some benefits, if you go that route, don't just accept the first therapist they throw at you. I hope I didn't come off negative about the therapy, just that I saw too many lost soouls wandering into music therapy as a degree and don't think they really had much of a clue about the value of what they were doing.

[Mom2MLB]

It's been around for awhile. I'd definitely give it a try. Besides, you can almost never go wrong with anything music related. It did wonders for my DD, who suffers from auditory defensiveness.