Music Therapy Goals
So what does a music therapist actually work on and how?
Music therapists can work on a large area of goals and objectives depending on client needs, family needs, and what other professionals are addressing. Below is just a short list of goals.
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Social/Behavior Goals:
Increase eye contact
Show appropriate social space
Increase turn taking skills
Increase conversational skills
Communication skills:
Increase sign language
Increase vocalization skills
Increase verbalizations
Cognitive skills:
Follow one or two step directions
Attending to tasks
Memory
Imitating movements
Visual tracking
Motor Skills:
Increase finger dexterity
Palmar/Pincer grasps
Cross midline
Gait pattern
Moves body in unison/bi-lateral movements
In order to work on these goals the therapist may write songs for the client to remember their address, phone number, spelling words, colors, etc. The therapist may have clients play instruments to work on turn taking skills, finger dexterity, or crossing midline. Therapist may help clients write songs for social skills or emotional skills. Therapist can also work on emotional skills through song analysis. Therapist may have client walk around the room to a song in order to work on toe-walking. Sometimes clients may have sound sensitivities (i.e. not like loud noises, not like the sound of the vacuum cleaner, etc.). The therapist can work with the client to help decrease these sensitivities.
Clients do not need musical abilities, just an overall joy for music.