Music Therapy is different for every person because every person is different.
Whoever we are, music can affect the way we feel in a particular situation. It can be a way of communicating, sharing how we feel, having a shared interaction between others or bring you back to a place or time. A Music Therapist is a trained musician with an understanding of the challenges people face on a daily basis and uses music to help support the individual to help make a positive impact in their life. Music Therapy can give children and adults with any special need or difficulty the opportunity to enjoy and express themselves through music in order to reach their full potential.
The purpose of Music Therapy is not necessarily to teach music, but to help support the development of interaction, communication and skills. Emily Grimes is a qualified Music Therapist, trained in the Nordoff Robbins approach to Music Therapy; this is a music focussed and person centred way of working with a client to increase awareness, help develop motor skills, interaction and social skills as well as building confidence and self-esteem through the use of instruments, singing and songwriting.
Interactive music making combines using communication skills with cognitive skills such as attention and listening, social skills such as turn-taking, physical skills such as grasping and co-ordination, as well as self-awareness and self-confidence.
Group sessions focus more on social communication skills whilst individual sessions allow for a greater focus on developing musical communication. Clients are encouraged to sing and play a variety of tuned and un-tuned instruments as well as using their voice, whilst the therapist uses music to both support and encourage change.
During sessions, the therapist may use structured, pre-composed music (e.g. pop/rock songs or nursery rhymes for younger children) to give an element of familiarity to the client to help hold and develop concentration, anticipation, memory, turn-taking etc., as well as improvised music which helps encourage self-expression, exploration, decision making and develop a sense of identity.