What does the Center for Music Therapy do?

At the Center for Music Therapy here in Austin, we see a lot of patients with developmental disabilities, Parkinson's disease, and head injuries. Many of the patients we see with developmental disabilities have diagnoses of mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy or several impairments. We work with both children and adults. With these sorts of patients, we often focus on addressing goals related to communication and motor skills. Depending on their individual skills levels, we address skills such as improving eye contact and/or communicating preferences. Many patients are non-verbal and are working on using signs, gestures or limited verbal responses to express wants and needs during the session. Being able to sustain attention to a specific task for a set duration of time is also a significant goal of the cognitively impaired. Patients are encouraged to choose between musical activities and to remain engaged in a musical experience for a set duration. Because music is such an enjoyable experience, patients are motivated to participate and stretch their usual ability to focus on one specific task. Keeping a severely cognitively impaired patient engaged is difficult; music provides a much needed stimulation. Additionally, participating in a music making experience fosters the development of fine and gross motor skills, whether it is using fingers to manipulate small percussion instruments or moving the entire body with the rhythm of the music. For higher functioning patients, taking a leadership role in the music making can help build skills in self-direction, social interaction, and developing verbal communication skills. Patients participate in a variety of activities such as moving to music, playing small percussion instruments, drumming, playing the piano, and singing or imitating vocalizations in the context of a song depending on a patient’s abilities.