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Music Therapy Observation Paper

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This article described music therapy observations between two children, 3-year-old Jason and 9-year-old Sophie, who were both diagnosed with Down Syndrome (DS). The observations were taken over a music therapy session in the Creative Learning Centre at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Sessions lasted around approximately over a month, but more specifically, a course of six weeks; Jason attended approximately five music therapy sessions, while Sophie attended six. What also assisted in the process of this observation was the environment of the therapy rooms, ranging from different colors on the walls which stood for distinctive and significant symbols. The color blue was for music, red for regular playing, and yellow for art. In addition …show more content…

Nursery rhymes initiate the participation component, along with movement songs, instrument practice, and tranquil (but not entirely quiet) songs covering cognitive human functions like gross motor skills, instruction, and something physical touch (if necessary). Jason was, initially, tearful on arrival, both tearing up and biting on his tongue on the same time due to nervousness. In addition, he was mostly (and still) reserved to himself and was really protective, not permitting anybody to get close to him. Sophie, however, was opposite: she acted more shy than ever and resisted to her preference of staying with her mom; she also was reluctant and turned herself away from the music. However, as each music therapy session progressed, both Jason and Sophie started to improve in their own individual ways. Dedication and involvement levels slowly started to increase; eye contact between the parents and them started to happen more frequently. For instance, Jason attempted to copy his mother’s actions during one of the shaker songs, and had a strong reaction when the mom praised Jason for his right

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