Benefits of Music Therapy

Music therapy uses music to promote positive changes in the wellbeing of an individual. These positive changes may be changes in physical development, social development, emotional or spiritual wellbeing or cognitive abilities.

Children with developmental and learning difficulties, children and adults with autism or special needs as well as the elderly and dementia sufferers have all been shown to benefit from music therapy.


 Music is universal and connects across language barriers. Most people can respond to music in some way regardless of illness or disability.

 Music has the natural ability to generate an emotional response in the listener. It has a calming and relaxing affect of the body. Music is known to reduce stress, which in turn can lower blood pressure, improve respiration, reduce heart rate, and reduce tension in muscles.

 Music is processed in both halves of the brain and this stimulation has been shown to help in development of language and speech functions. It promotes socialization and development of communication, self expression and motor skills. Children and adults with autism have been found to respond very positively to music and many of them display high levels of musical skill.

 Music encourages verbal as well as non verbal communication and promotes social interaction and relatedness. It's a valuable outlet for self expression and creativity. Music has also been successfully used in pain management by providing a distraction from the painful stimulus as well as for relaxation and stress alleviation.