When I tell people that I am a music therapist, I am usually asked if I work with children in schools or older adults in nursing homes. Rarely do people assume that I provide music therapy services for adolescents. An article published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy aimed to research and report how music therapists from around the world are clinically trained to work with adolescents as well as how they are currently working with this population. The researching music therapists at the helm of this report sought out to answer these questions and review the current literature available for music therapy and adolescents. The music therapy…
The benefits of music therapy for people living with dementia have been studied time and time again. Music therapy can facilitate mood elevation and relaxation, maintain motor skills, promote increased socialization and engagement, and provide opportunities for reminiscence. Reminiscence is defined as recalling memories from your past, either actively or passively. Music therapists who work with this population have always used a participant’s preferred music to evoke memories and emotions that may arise from hearing a beloved song. Music therapists can use a variety of interventions with individuals with dementia to work on the goal of reminiscence, including song discussion, therapeutic singing, and therapeutic songwriting. Music therapy groups in an…