Music Makes the World Go Round!
© Mary Pantazis
I believe that all children benefit from music education. I also believe that special needs children will benefit from listening to music.
My children LOVE music. They take voice lessons and piano lessons with a wonderful music teacher. The school does not provide enough music education for my children so I go outside of the school to find it. I am glad that I do.
I think that if Special Needs children were given more opportunites to be exposed to music education and enrichment that we would see a lot of improvement in their overall education.
The teacher who works with my children, also works with students with cerebral palsy. These two boys that she is teaching to play piano are doing great! They have increased their handstrength through reaching the piano keys. This is a skill they are working on in their OT program.
The boys are showing improvement in Speech and Language because they are learning to sing and are having to articulate songs.
I would love to see MUSIC as part of ALL Individual Education Plans. Music could be used in Occupational and Physical Therapy. Physical Therapy could lose some of the painful torture it often represents to children if we could dance with music. If we could do the stretching exercises to music it would be wonderful. Occupational Therapy for finger strength could include playing instruments. Speech Therapy could include singing. Children with weak tongue muscles would benefit from voice lessons.
I could go on and on with the benefits of Music to children with Special Needs.
Parents, if your school is doing away with music education then maybe you need to put it into the IEP and make them bring it back!
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