Music Therapy helps a young adult with developmental delays find his voice

Music therapy can be so exciting when a break through happens.  I have been working with a young adult with developmental delays in a group for about a month.  This young man is able to speak a few words, but I have never heard him say to words in the correct context.  Last session while working with him in the context of the song we were doing he answered a question with an appropriate response.  It was awesome.  I saw the look of suprise on his mother's face and I got so excited.  It is moments like this that make me so thankful to be a music therapist.

Music Therapy with a Nonverbal Adult in Boise

Sometimes it is interesting the things that excite me during a music therapy session.  One of the great things about music therapy is that it is personal to each individual.  Everybody has different things that we are working on through music therapy.  I got really excited about a seemingly small thing because it was a huge step with the person I was working with.

I have been working with a nonverbal young adult woman for a while, and she has a real difficulty connecting with people and especially with playing an instrument by herself.  This week I kept encouraging her to play my keyboard.  I held it out to her, and she started reaching her hand out.  That was a big step in and of itself for her.  But I kept the keyboard there and she reached her hand closer and closer to the keys until she played a note.

After she played the note she got the biggest smile on her face.  She got out of her chair and gave me a big hug. Who knew that one note on the keyboard could bring that much excitement and connection.

Unexpected music therapy outcome in Meridian

Music therapy can address specific needs, and sometimes it can have positive effects without having specifically addressed them.  There is a young man that I am working with in Meridian who is nonverbal and also has a lot of difficulty swallowing.  One of the goals that I am doing with him is working on using his voice more.  He is doing singing (though he doesn't form words) and he is beginning to verbalize when I ask him questions.  That in and of itself is great.  We want to see him using his voice as much as we can, and his verbalizations are getting more clear so that family is saying that they are understanding him more.

There is another effect that has occurred because he is using his voice more.  The family has noticed that his incident of choking has gone down most likely because he is using his voice more and strengthening the muscles.  One of the things I love about music therapy is that like anything there is side effects.  However, music therapy's side effects are positive rather than negative.

Smiles through music therapy

Great things in life happen in small moments.  One of my favorite things while doing music therapy is seeing the smiles.  Smiles for most people is a regular occurrence, but for some people smiles rarely happen.  They are stuck in confusion through dementia or frustration because of a stroke.  Sometimes it just difficulty connecting with people.  It is amazing when I see these people smile.  I just love being able to see a change from frustration, confusion, pain, or disconnection to eye contact and a big smile.  Smiles are a thing that most people take for granted, but I have seen smiles that were miraculous.

Experience of Music Therapy in Boise, Idaho

I love being a music therapist. I have been able to see some amazing things. It really is true what the tagline to my company says, "music makes connections when nothing else can." Yesterday while working with someone that idea really came home.

I was working with an individual who has limited speech. By working with her, I have got her to sing quite a bit with me. Although she sings, it is very difficult to get her to play any instruments. That is kind of an unusual thing with people I work with. I try almost every session to get her to play some instrument and most sessions she will shake a tambourine maybe once or twice. She is progressively doing more, and we had a breakthrough yesterday.

I brought a djembe, an African drum, with me. I've brought it before and she has showed some interest so I was hoping she would engage more than other sessions. It took a little bit of encouragement, but she began to play a little bit. I would play and then she would take a turn. After a few turns, I did a rhythmic pattern and to my surprise she then did the same rhythmic pattern. My eyes grew wide and she gave me a big smile. I started playing more complex rhythms and she would do them all the way to two measure rhythms. She began laughing at the end and I was so happy to make that connection.

It was a small experience, but it was so exciting to be able to connect in a different way with the client.

Boise - Music Therapy for Children with Special Needs

Music Makes Connections has Partnered with Idaho Parents Unlimited/VSA to provide music therapy for children with special needs!

Our two groups at IPUL/VSA's downtown Boise location include:

Fundamental Skill-building (including nonverbal participants) 

This group is for youth 11-17 and is held Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Through fun musical exercises, these youth will have the opportunity to learn critical communicative skills including verbal initiation, turn-taking, and social reciprocity. 

Social Skill-building and Behavior Redirection

This group is for youth ages 5-12 and is held Fridays 4:30 to 5:30 pm. Music in this group will be used as a means to help the children learn positive mood expression, respect for others, and listening skills.  

Location: 

IPUL/VSA facility at:

500 S 8th Street
Boise, ID 83702

Please call (208) 405-9454 or email info@musicmakesconnections.com for more info.