Music is all around us. We listen to music to relax, to help us think, to celebrate and to grieve. Music has the power to shift and direct the consciousness of people and the power to evoke emotional responses, as seen by its use in advertising and film. Early education teachers have long known the power of music and rhythm as tools for learning language and building memory. Music is also used as therapy for children with learning disabilities.

Music therapy (MT) is a psychotherapeutic approach that uses music to help achieve specific changes in behavior, feeling or physiology. It can be either passive (listening) or active (playing). There is a rich history using MT in the rehabilitation settings in the U.S., starting with treating soldiers returning from World War II for traumatic brain injuries, neurological conditions and posttraumatic stress disorder.

Research demonstrates that MT improves communication, fine motor, visual spatial, verbal, memory and mathematical skills, as well as attention and motivation, all common deficits to children with learning disabilities. In addition, researcher Kamile Geist from Ohio University reports that music is an enjoyable medium that emphasizes the rhythmic and intonational aspects of language and improves receptive and expressive language skills. Electroencephalography (EEG) studies show improved learning abilities and an increased organization in learning networks following MT.

Music activates both hemispheres of the brain by transferring information from one side to another. When a person listens to music, the sound first enters the cochlear nuclei and then moves into the brain stem and the cerebellum where it then travels up the auditory cortices on both sides of the brain. Lucille M. Foran, M.Ed., M.A., notes that, "music exercises more parts of the brain than almost any other single activity."

This is especially important for children with learning disabilities, as music appears to help students access parts of their brains that function poorly or not at all. In addition, there is a special connection between music and language. Music pathways are rich and multiple and may have preceded the development of human speech; giving music the ability to help people with aphasia or stroke develop language skills. In addition, MT trains the auditory system, which helps children with language-based learning disabilities improve phonics skills.

Although MT is a safe, noninvasive medium to enhance learning potential, it is not meant to be a stand-alone intervention or an alternative to other learning disability interventions. MT should be used as an additional therapeutic approach. Used in conjunction with other interventions, MT can activate neural connections, stimulate brain systems, and accentuate and accelerate the benefits of current interventions.

For more information on MT and learning disabilities, please call Wired2Learn at (208) 699-6232.