What Is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. It is administered by a board-certified Music Therapist who has completed an approved credential program.
After assessing the needs of each patient, the board-certified Music Therapist provides the personalized treatment that includes creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, a patient’s abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of his or her life.
Music Therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words.
Research in Music Therapy supports its effectiveness in overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people’s motivation to become engaged in their medical treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for the expression of feelings.
Music Therapy Helps Medical Conditions, Disorders
We work with our CMF Kids to empower them to manage chronic and acute pain, anxiety and depression, chronic illness and terminal diseases, emotional crisis, developmental disorders, psychiatric disorders, psychological trauma, neurological disorders, sensory impairments, stress, and more.
Research Supports Music Therapy
Misconceptions About Music Therapy
Music Therapy Sessions and Services
After an assessment of the patient, our Music Therapist individualizes each session to specifically help the needs of the child. The Therapist may select exercises to teach techniques for such things as self-calming, expression of emotion, easing the pain experienced, or one of the countless other benefits of Music Therapy. Session duration is typically one hour in-person or through Telehealth sessions. Currently all Music Therapy sessions are being held online (virtually). Parental or guardian participation is required. Services offered by Children Music Fund are provided at no cost to a child with a medical need for music therapy.
Children’s Music Fund has also built mobile recording studios for use at select hospitals in Southern California to capture the Music Therapy session, so that patients and families can replay those recordings and relive the joy, teachings and empowerment they experienced with their music therapist. We also provide musical instruments of a patient’s choice and gift instruments to sick children to fulfill a special wish.
Instruments Used For Music Therapy
Here are the most commonly used instruments that our Music Therapists use during session with our CMF Kids: guitars, keyboards, shakers, drums/percussion, HAPI drums, meditation instruments, music engineering software and laptops/midi controllers, singing bowls, bells, tone chimes, ocean drums, and rainsticks.