Music therapy in children in Latin America

Ana María Molina

Presented to: Abed-Navandi, Susanne

April 2022

MUK

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 INTRODUCTION

In the present work it is intended to expose the important impact that music therapy has on children

for the treatment of different disorders or alterations at a psychological level, or simply to enhance

the different physical, social and motor skills of the infant. The great advantage of this therapy is

that you can find various techniques that adapt to the characteristics, needs and tastes of each child.

The origin of music therapy dates back to many past centuries, used by therapists and healers of all

times, however, it was recently considered a discipline in the 20th century; our research is focused

on the various benefits that this brings.

 JUSTIFICATION

The theme of music therapy was chosen in order to make known the great number of benefits that

the practice of this technique brings and how it works. In addition to expanding the knowledge of

those who do not know beyond what the use of music for psychotherapeutic purposes is, if not to

explain the different variables that it presents according to the characteristics and capacities of the

children.

To conclude, we want to recognize the importance of the application that music therapy can have on

a day-to-day basis, since it can be applied in the field of the home in the members of our family, we

can serve in the development and growth of our brothers, cousins, nephews, etc
 OBJECTIVES

- Know the benefits that music brings in cognitive functions, body expression, learning and

development in children

- Know the different techniques of children's music therapy and understand the contribution that

each one has in the development of the children

- Understand the various benefits of music therapy in children, to treat certain alterations, deficits or

disorders.

- Recognize the role of music in enhancing the development of physical and mental skills in

children

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

-How can music be a great tool in order to improve development, body expression, interpersonal

relationships in children?

- What are the main music therapy techniques used in children does each of them contribute to the

development and/or evolution of the children

- How does music contribute to the treatment of disorders and alterations in children?

- What benefits does the execution of music therapy bring in the development of the physical,

psychological, cognitive and social skills of an infant?

 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Theoretical foundations of Music Therapy

1. Definition of Music Therapy

The International Association of Music Therapy defines music therapy as the use of music and/or

its elements (sound, rhythm, melody and harmony) by a qualified Music Therapist, with a patient or

group, in a process intended to facilitate and promote communication , learning, mobilization,

expression, organization or other relevant therapeutic objectives, in order to attend to physical,

mental, social and cognitive needs; On the other hand, the Catalan Association affirms: “Music

therapy is the scientific application of the art of music and dance with therapeutic and preventive

purposes, to help increase and restore the mental and physical health of the human being, through

the action of the professional music therapist.”

Serafina Poch Blasco, Doctor of Philosophy and Music Therapy and member of the AMTA

(American Music Therapy Association), defines music therapy as “The scientific application of the

art of music and dance for therapeutic purposes to prevent, restore and increase both physical and

physical health. as mental and psychic of the human being”

In general, music therapy could be defined as the use of music and/or its elements (sound, rhythm,

melody, harmony) performed by a qualified music therapist with a patient or group, in a process

created to facilitate, promote communication , relationships, learning, movement, expression,

organization and other relevant therapeutic goals, in order to meet physical, emotional, mental,

social and cognitive needs. (The World Federation of Music Therapy)

 2.Characteristics of music therapy

To finish defining the meaning of music therapy, it is important to highlight some characteristics of

this therapy and discipline. (According to Silva María Sánchez Arjona-Music Therapist) in Musical

Experience: Music Therapy. Educational Digital Magazine Teaching Enclave

 Music is used as a means to bring about change.

 It is an open, experimental, interactive and evolutionary process.

 The objectives that are established are individual and particular.

 The contents are dynamic and are created throughout the process.

 In the activities, only the therapeutic value is considered in the executions.

 Its evaluation takes into account the value

3. History of Music Therapy

The use of music as therapy has its roots in prehistory, since it is known that music was present in

magical, religious and healing rites[citation needed]. However, the first writings that allude to the

influence of music on the human body are the Egyptian papyri discovered by Petrie in the city of

Kahum in 1889. These papyri date from around 1500 BC. C and in them the use of music is already

rationalized as an agent capable of healing the body, calming the mind and purifying the soul, thus,

for example, music was attributed a favorable influence on the fertility of women, even with music

from the voice of the god Thoth. In the Hebrew people music was also used in cases of physical and

mental problems. The first account of a music therapy application dates back to this time.

Later, in Greece, music generates positive effects in the education of the personality and has

religious power. Likewise, Plato and Aristotle were the forerunners of music therapy. On the other

hand, in Rome music is beginning to focus on helping mental illness and insomnia problems.
Seneca, Spanish philosopher of the Middle Ages said the following: "Whoever does not know

music does not know anything that makes sense."

In the Middle Ages, 2 theoreticians stand out, first of all Saint Basil, who wrote a work entitled

Homily, where he emphasized that music calms the passions of the spirit and models its disorders.

The 2nd theoretician is Severino Boecio, his most important work is called On Music Institutions.

In the Renaissance era, educating and establishing scientific criteria on musical theories became the

main basis so that through different musical elements the pain of the patient would begin to be

relieved.

At the beginning of the Renaissance, one of the most important music theorists was the Flemish

Joannes Tinctoris, who developed his activity in the 2nd half of the Cuatroccento. His most

important work regarding the effects that music causes on the subject that perceives it is entitled

Efectum Musicae. On the other hand Gioseffo Zarlino defended the healing power of music through

musical elements.

Bearing in mind that in the Baroque the most important thing are feelings such as love, hate, fear

and anguish, the awakening of passions, affections and feelings thanks to music and its use as

simple enjoyment or pleasure, getting closer to music therapy as “ remedy". Greek mythology is

taken up as an argument where the theory of affections arises, giving it as a basis for a new musical

style: opera. "At this time the English physician Robert Burton wrote a book now called The

Anatomy of Melancholy, where he speaks of healing powers."

Later, in the eighteenth century, Richard Brown stood out by writing a work in which he studied the

application of music in respiratory diseases, showing that singing helped in chronic diseases, by

stopping the time of its attacks. On the other hand, in the 19th century, thanks to Rafael Rodríguez

Méndez, a Spanish doctor and politician, the first musical thesis was created in which music was
related to medicine, using it as a therapeutic method, and later the French psychiatrist Esquirol and

the Swiss doctor Tissot showed that music kept the sick away from their ailments.

Taking into account that the greatest advance and boom in music therapy has been since the last 40

years, we must bear in mind that it laid its foundations in Argentina, this being the first country

where it began to be taught as a university career in 1967. The model called "Benzon Model" is also

created by the director and professor Rolando O. Benenzon, which is based on "musical sound

improvisation" which is used with patients with little capacity for verbal expression.

However, in other Latin American countries, university training began to be created, with the doctor

and musician Rolando O. Benenzon as a pioneer, who during the 1960s and 1970s worked on the

development and exercise of music therapy in other countries. Therefore, America became one of

the most consolidated continents in this discipline, adding that not only Latin American countries

stand out in this discipline, but also the United States, which is the country with the most music

therapists in the profession.

At present, music therapy is one of the disciplines with great importance and relevance in the area

of medicine, having a wide educational and therapeutic panorama, since throughout history music

became a way to relieve and help to people in different aspects, as well as having a great boom in

specialized training.

4. Types of Music Therapy

 Passive music therapy: it focuses mainly on regulating problems such as stress or anxiety, it

is based on listening to melodies that vary according to the patient and serves to harmonize

mind and body.

  Active music therapy: focuses on the expression of the patient, is used especially in children

with communication and learning problems, is based on the use of sound as language and

helps improve creativity, communication and decision making.

5. Methods and models of music therapy

There are several different psychological theories for music therapy, which define the different

types as we know them, among these we find:

1. Bonny method of guided imagery and music

Mental imagery is used to help patients with physiological and psychological problems they may be

experiencing. The patient is asked to focus on an image, using this as a starting point for thinking

and discussing any related issues. Helen Bonny added music to this technique, helping patients to

heal and find solutions with greater awareness.

2. Dalcroze Method

It is a method used to teach music to students and can be used as a form of therapy.

It was developed by Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and focuses on the rhythm, structure and expression of

movement in the learning process.

3.Kodaly

Zoltan Kodaly uses a foundation of rhythm, notation, sequence, and movement to aid in patient

learning and healing.

This method has been found to help improve intonation, rhythm, and musical literacy and has also

had a positive impact on perceptual function, concept formation, motor skills, and learning

performance in a therapeutic setting.

4. Neurological Music Therapy (NMT)

NMT is the therapeutic application of music in motor, sensory and cognitive dysfunctions,

secondary to neurological alterations. NMT is based on a neuroscientific model of music perception

and production, and the influence of music on functional changes in non-musical brain and

behavioral functions. Treatment techniques are evidence-based, with standardized terminology and

application, and are applied to therapy as therapeutic music interventions, which are tailored to the

patient's functional needs, treating patients with diseases such as traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's,

Alzheimer's, among others.

5. Nordoff–Robbins

It is a music therapy association dedicated to transforming the lives of vulnerable children and

adults across the UK.

- They use music therapy and other music services to help a number of people with a wide range of

challenges such as autism, dementia, mental health problems, stroke, brain injury, depression and

life-threatening or terminal illnesses, like cancer. All people who help have a unifying factor -

music dramatically improves their quality of life.

. They provide professional training Masters for Music Therapists, along with various short courses

and workshops that are open to all interested in learning more about music and wellness.

- They investigate the construction of the evidence of music therapy and help to inform and train the

professionals of the future.

6. Orff-Schulwerk

Helps children with developmental delays and disabilities, after realizing that medicine alone was

not enough.

This emphasizes education ("schulwerk" translates from German to "school work") and uses music

to enhance children's learning ability. It also gives importance to humanistic psychology and uses

music as a means to improve the interaction between the patient and other people.
7. Benenzon model

This model is based on free musical sound improvisation, which is used in patients who have little

capacity for verbal expression, such as Alzheimer's.

Benenzon justified that music is the means that provides the relationship between the patient and

the therapist, defined as a psychotherapy, that is, a non-verbal relational therapy that has to do with

the man and not necessarily with the patient.

And so Benenzon's model opened a new horizon in music therapy that until now had been retained

as a therapeutic technique for sick people.

6. Purpose and benefits of music therapy

Taking into account the growth that Music Therapy has had throughout history, it is important to

highlight its objective and how it helps to improve the development and quality of life of many sick

and "healthy" people.

Music can be a pleasure that generates emotions and a treatment for healing. In the same way, it is a

companion in the moments of life; In turn, it brings benefits such as increasing brain activity and its

use in various areas of science and therapy have served as a tool for suffering from disorders.

Listening to music is important, as it helps us keep stress levels low and helps develop creativity.

Therefore, music therapy aims to promote physical, intellectual and social knowledge of the

individual. Also develop perception, expression and improve interpersonal communication, deepen

personal integration and comprehensive development. But it still has much to offer in the preventive

and therapeutic field.

Rolando Benenzon, pioneer of music therapy in Argentina and Latin America said "Music therapy

does not cure, but it improves the quality of life" being this a treatment that uses non-verbal
communication to open channels of communication between the patient and the therapist and that

not only involves the ear, but other senses.

Below we will limit the benefits of music therapy:

1. Positive changes in mood.

2. Improves socialization with others.

3. Reduces stress.

4. Reduces anxiety.

5. Decreases anxiety.

6. It allows us to have more capacity to solve problems.

 At a cognitive level, it increases learning capacity, improves orientation, increases attention

and concentration capacity and stimulates communication and language.

 On a physical level, it generates the maintenance of joint mobility and muscle strength,

relaxation and a decrease in anxiety levels.

 At the socio-emotional level, it increases social interactions, improves social skills and self-

esteem.

7. Music therapy in early childhood

"Music is the main part of education because it is introduced from the first moment of the child's

soul and familiarizes it with beauty and virtue" Plato

Music, in addition to being an artistic expression, is being introduced in the education of preschool

children due to the importance it represents in their intellectual, auditory, sensory, speech and motor

development as a pedagogical resource that favors the strengthening of cognitive processes. such as

memory, attention, perception, and motivation.

Music therapy acts on the areas of development, stimulating the process of nervous maturation of

the child at the brain level, also improves their ability to memorize, attention and concentration by
remembering both lyrics and melodies and rhythms. Likewise, music therapy uses the beneficial

effects of music to treat certain childhood disorders and disorders and is frequently used in the area

of psychology.

3.2.1 Importance of music in early childhood education

Knowing the term Music Therapy, the importance of this in the field of early childhood education

should be highlighted.

Music is an essential key for the development of the capacities of boys and girls, for this reason it

must be present in their growth and be accessible and a privilege in their lives, not only in their

educational training, but also in their daily life.

Therefore, it is transcendental to understand that talking about Music Therapy for children, is to

lead the infant to imagine, create and have fun, since music is a pleasure and from when the boy or

girl is born.

According to Gaston Thayler, an American psychologist, Early Childhood Education students must

develop skills related to the first manifestations of communication and language and with the sound

discovery of the immediate environment in which they live, form a positive and adjusted image of

themselves and acquire a some degree of personal autonomy. Therefore, music at this stage helps

the integral development of capacities because its main objective is the integral development or the

personality of the boy or girl.

In the stages of infancy and childhood, it is convenient to promote the development of the innate

ability of the human being to explore sounds, sing and make music (Stellacio

McCarthy, 1999).(The New Handbook of Research on Music Teaching and Learning

Likewise, the role of music in early childhood should include the promotion of emotional and

cognitive development, communication, skills

language and socialization, coordination, motor skills and changes in activities during the day.
 8.Main fields of application of children's music therapy

Music therapy is aimed at different facets of the human and fields of application such as education,

which is applied in musical and non-musical fields. (Music therapy in Pediatrics, Elena Cascón

Criado)

 Special musical education: techniques that enhance the musical learning of disabled students in a

school setting.

 Developmental music: using age-appropriate musical experiences to stimulate general growth

development in preschool children without disabilities

 Music therapy in special education: use of music to help disabled people acquire non-musical

knowledge and skills.

 Developmental music therapy: use of musical experiences to help achieve a degree of

development that has been frustrated in a certain period of life.

The psychotherapeutic field includes all the applications of music and music therapy, both in

individual and group settings, to produce emotional or interpersonal changes.

On the other hand, in the medical field, applications that aim to prevent, treat or recover from

medical conditions are included:

 Music in medicine: use of music to influence the emotional, mental and physical state before,

during or after medical treatment.

 Music therapy in medicine: the therapist uses music and the therapeutic bond with the patient to

produce changes in their emotional, mental and physical state during or after medical treatment and

to help them adjust to the disease and recovery process.

 9. Benefits of music therapy in early childhood children

Music therapy is of great importance in the development of both children and adults, as it

contributes to comprehensive development. Helps enhance cognitive functions, emotional

problems, strengthens body expression and promotes socialization. Some of its advantages are those

enunciated by Lago (2016):

• Singing: Singing songs helps children learn the correct structure of words and sentences, making it

an excellent tool to enhance language. In addition, it stimulates the phonatory apparatus,

• Musical listening: This type of therapy is perfect for encouraging attention and recognition of

sounds, while helping to relax or activate the little ones, depending on the type of music. It also

serves to stimulate language and develop association memory.

• Musical games: These are activities based on an instrument or a musical action, in which certain

rules are followed. The best thing is that they can be applied in any treatment as they favor the

development of thought, creativity, concentration and memory. They also stimulate motor

coordination, making them perfect for children with motor problems.

• Song composition: This technique encourages children's creativity and imagination. It also

stimulates word association, language development and recall memory. Basically, the child must

compose a song by changing a letter that they already know or creating a new melody.

• Playing instruments: Playing a musical instrument requires not only knowledge but also motor

skills, making it a good exercise for children with physical disabilities or coordination problems. It

is also an excellent tool for developing listening ability and fixation memory.

9.1 The Mozart effect

In 1991, researcher Alfred A. Tomantis created the Tomatis method, which consisted of using

Mozart's music in his therapy sessions with patients, stating that such music helped in the process.
With this method, created in the middle of the 20th century, he realized that stimulating the ear

improved the aspect of human behavior. This was called: the Mozart effect, and it refers to the

benefits of listening to music by the famous Austrian composer and it was determined that with

only ten minutes of one of his works, positive effects were obtained in reasoning tests.

Today parents are advised to play Mozart music to their babies, which is known as the 'Mozart

effect', to develop their brain

Although doing this will not turn children into geniuses, it is proven that music has a close

relationship with the cognitive development of children's psychomotor, emotional and social skills.

There are many studies that prove it. For example, at the end of 2017, the journal of the

International Society for Music Education published the article 'Benefits of music training in child

development, a systematic review'. In it, Argentine researchers say that music education in

preschool has experienced greater relevance in recent decades in the global arena.

(The Time,2018)

In turn, according to the author Don Campbell in his book "The Mozart Effect" states that research

has shown that Mozart's music stimulates and relaxes children, from an early age.

9.2 Children's music therapy techniques

1. Singing: Singing songs helps children learn the correct structure of words and sentences, making

it an excellent tool to enhance language. In addition, it stimulates the phonatory apparatus, while

improving memory and neural association.

2. Listening to music: This type of therapy is perfect for encouraging attention and recognition of

sounds, while helping to relax or activate the little ones, depending on the type of music. It also

serves to stimulate language and develop association memory.

3. Musical games: These are activities based on an instrument or a musical action, in which certain

rules are followed. The best thing is that they can be applied in any treatment as they favor the

development of thought, creativity, concentration and memory. They also stimulate motor

coordination, making them perfect for children with motor problems.

4. Songwriting: This technique encourages children's creativity and imagination. It also stimulates

word association, language development and recall memory. Basically, the child must compose a

song by changing a letter that they already know or creating a new melody.

5. Playing instruments: Playing a musical instrument not only requires knowledge but also motor

skills, so it is a good exercise for children who have physical disabilities or coordination problems.

It is also an excellent tool for developing listening ability and fixation memory.

10. Conclusions

Music therapy allows the development of motor activities, the development of the language of

minors, that this practice is necessary when the minor has some cognitive deficit, stress problems,

insomnia, in addition to that it influences the emotions of minors .

To conclude, I suggest that, for future research related to music therapy in minors, that the

population to be studied be studied in great detail, delimit the main problems that minors have, their

social realities, their family environment and that more interaction with the population to study.
Sources and evidence:

 https://www.divulgaciondinamica.es/blog/musicoterapia-beneficios/

 https://www.lamusicoterapia.com/definiciones-de-musicoterapia/

 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/es/terapia-musical-musicoterapia

 Pereyra, Gabriel, Musicoterapia: Iniciación, técnicas y ejercicios (Taller de música)