Music Therapy

 Music Therapy is the planned and creative use of music to attain and maintain health and wellbeing.  It may address social, cognitive, physical, psychological, and emotional needs of individuals within a therapeutic relationship.  Music Therapy is a registered allied health profession.

Music therapy is practiced throughout Australia and in over 40 countries around the world.  Registered Music Therapists are required to complete a specialized music therapy degree which includes extensive clinical placements.  Part of the role of the Music Therapist at Warringa Park School is to supervise music therapy students from The University of Melbourne.

Music therapy is the planned creative use of music to achieve therapeutic aims.  It can address physical, psychological, emotional, cognitive and/or social needs of students.  The overall aims of music education and music therapy are complimentary.  The difference is the specific goals of each discipline.  Music education specializes in student’s acquisition of musical knowledge, skills and appreciation while music therapists use music primarily to achieve non-musical goals.

Goals are determined by assessment and in consultation with staff as music therapy can integrate educational goals as identified by student’s teachers.  Some examples of goals are:

• To increase opportunities for cognitive, physical and sensory stimulation
• To promote social skills and interpersonal communication
• To enhance self esteem and increase confidence
• To develop motor skills and improve co-ordination
• To improve verbal and non-verbal communication skills
• To increase attention span and develop listening and waiting skills
• To promote relaxation and decrease agitation
• To increase awareness of students immediate environment and of others
• To promote opportunities for non-verbal self-expression

Music therapists use a range of techniques to address these goals and predominantly use live music.  Techniques include: singing, song writing, improvisation, percussion playing, music listening, movement to music and music technology.  The music therapy program at Warringa Park addresses key goals that focus on the developmental needs of students through the motivational medium of musical interaction.  Goals are individually tailored to address the needs of students and frequently address communication, emotional, physical, and cognitive aspects of development.  Services are based on priority driven criteria, for example, individual students with high needs requiring non-verbal interventions, or students with multiple disabilities and moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, who may find it difficult to participate in standard activities.  The music therapist at Warringa Park works with students from all sections of the school who have a range of needs and abilities.

Warringa Park School Choirs

The school choirs commenced in 2008 to provide students with low support needs an opportunity to participate in music in a larger group.  Goals for students in the choirs include developing listening, social, vocal and memory skills; increasing knowledge and use of signs; and increasing self-esteem and a sense of achievement through performance and making recordings.  For students in the middle school choir the goals also include students participating in song-writing and further developing their reading (for some this involves “writing with symbols”).  The choirs participate in regular performances within the school and the community.  Over the past year the choirs have performed for a range of events including “Making Music, Being Well” to celebrate and raise awareness about the links between music making and wellbeing; for the Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development at the official opening of the new school buildings; “Water Week Idol” to promote students knowledge of water conservation; “Music Count Us In” Australia's biggest ever simultaneous school music performance which aims to highlight the importance of music in schools; and “International Day of People with a Disability”.