Music Therapy for children with special needs - clinical practice and assessment in the light of developmental psychology and communicative musicality: Basic music therapy methods and techniques used in children with special needs, informed by developmental psychology

The workshop starts with an overall introduction to the basic needs of the children with special needs related to the four main methods within music therapy (Bruscia, 2014): Receptive methods, pre-composed music (e.g. movement songs), composing (e.g. song writing) and improvisation. The workshop continues with practices on basic improvisational techniques related to time, form and emotions: synchronization, turn-taking, theme-with-variations, matching/attunement, vitality forms, simple musical playing rules, etc. The techniques are connected to macro- and micro-regulation of arousal and emotions in music therapy, the use of humor and playing with time. Although improvisational, most of these techniques are used within the other main music therapy methods, e.g. song-writing, and can be understood in the light of the theory of communicative musicality (Malloch & Trevarthen, 2009; Stern, 2010). The practices will continuously be connected with a relational approach, and ways the music therapy research as well as developmental psychology can inform the clinical work. Literature for further reading Bruscia, K. (2014, 3rd). Defining Music Therapy. E-book. Gilsum: Barcelona Publishers Holck, U. (2004). Turn-taking in music therapy with children with communication disorders. British Journal of Music Therapy, 18(2), 45-53. Malloch, S. & Trevarthen, C. (Eds) (2009). Communicative Musicality. Exploring the basis of human companionship. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stern, D. N. (2010). Forms of Vitality. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Wigram, T. (2004). Improvisation. Methods and Techniques for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators and Students. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.