Why Using Music Therapy as a Learning Tool Can Help Students of Various Learning Abilities
For a long time, music therapy in classrooms has been an effective method of enhancing mood and creating a learning experience that builds comprehension, especially with children. Research supports the connection between music and speech, motor behavior, and memory language acquisition. Students are likely to become more attentive in classroom settings and show more involvement with their peers.
Music Therapy Helps with Memory
According to clinical psychologist, Don MacMannis, Ph.D., music acts in a way that sparks various regions of the brain related to language, hearing and motor control. He also states that when listening to songs, most people tend to compare new images with memories, which involves the association cortex – this is the part of the brain that is essential for mental functions that are more complex than detecting basic dimensions of sensory stimulation.
Music therapy is used to motivate and support learning, and many teachers feel strongly that it is helpful as a memory aid for students with working memory issues, especially when it comes to subjects like math. The working memory is the part of short-term memory that deals with immediate conscious, perceptual and linguistic processing.
Music Therapy Helps with Social Skills
Music provides an effective way to engage your kids with influential lessons which will teach them social and emotional skills. Recent studies have shown that these types of skills aid in boosting academic performance, while improving problem-solving and decision-making, and reducing conduct problems and emotional issues.
Music Therapy Helps with Mental & Spiritual Health
Experts define music therapy as skillful use of music that uses musical fundamentals to encourage, maintain, and restore mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual health. With its nonverbal, creative, structural, and emotional qualities, music can be utilized to contribute to the development of healthier interactions, self-awareness, learning, self-expression, and communication.
Like other health professionals, music therapists work with people of diverse age groups and abilities within organizations, community, and private practice settings. Integrating music-assisted learning practices allow individuals to enjoy learning and retain it while addressing the visual, auditory, and kinesthetic senses in a multisensory format that is relatable to many types of learners.
The wonderful thing about music therapy is that it allows people to develop creative self-expression and promote a more meaningful social interaction with others.
Believe it or not, some people may not consider music as their favorite “thing,” but for the majority, music can be one of the most effective tools to help process patterns of remembering important details. As research has consistently shown, people often relate music to special times during our lives, and it can be the major factor in building an opportunity for effective learning and enjoyment.