Why music therapy is all about musical connection

As Sound Spectrum gets off the ground, I wanted to talk about some things that make Music Therapy special! I’m excited to talk about this craft and what it brings, especially for disabled and Neurodivergent kids!

Today, I’m going to talk about musical health. Lots of this is inspired by Brian Abrams and John Carpente’s work, so you can check that out here.

“Music is essentially useless, as life is“

-George Santayana

A lot of therapy aims to improve non-musical areas using music as a motivator (stimulus-response). It sees music as useful, fun, or non-threatening. But music, like life, is much deeper and richer than its usefulness or the end results!

In music therapy, music therapists use music AS therapy. While other therapists can use music the same way as a sticker chart or a candy after a successful try, music therapists create a musical space to allow therapy to happen through the musical relationship!

The Musical Relationship

Music Therapists work really hard to be able to build musical relationships. What that means is developing organic connections in the music that allow real bonding and shared joy! This might look like writing a song in the moment, strumming right when a kid hits a drum, using silly voices to maintain engagement, and responding in the moment when something is challenging. It runs the gamut of human emotion, and builds a real therapeutic bond.

Tying it together

At Sound Spectrum, we try to build real, lasting relationships! We try to get to know kids using our assessment process and real in the moment adjustments. We know music has potential to be fun, engaging, and silly as well as challenging, frustrating, and heartbreaking. We are here to be with you and your child through all of it. Music therapy is more about the journey than the result (although the results speak for themselves as well!) and we want to join you and your child on yours! Schedule an assessment today if you’d like to know more!

Thanks for reading and happy musicking!

Musically,

Landon