East Toronto Music Therapy

music therapy

Lullabies to sing to your baby: Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin)

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Music is an excellent tool for stimulating cognitive growth in infants, as well as speech development. It also offers an opportunity for baby to bond with a caregiver. One of the best ways to accomplish all of these things is to sing to your baby, and an lullaby is a great option. You may have family lullabies, which are a great choice. If not, and if you don’t know any other lullabies, it is quite easy to find one to learn. Remember that baby loves live voices most (especially those baby knows!) so put away the stereo and sing!

Here are some Chinese selections, in Mandarin and Cantonese. Do you know of others? Leave a comment below! [Read more…] about Lullabies to sing to your baby: Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin)

Music Therapy Through Life: Palliative Care and End of Life

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Palliative care is an area in which music therapists can offer a great deal, especially those who are also Registered Psychotherapists (RP’s). In many hospices and palliative departments, music therapists are on staff. [Read more…] about Music Therapy Through Life: Palliative Care and End of Life

Music Therapy Through Life: Older Adults and Dementia

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If there is one place where music therapy is commonly found, it is in long-term care facilities. Music therapy is very useful to older adults simply because it can be used for so many different goals. Goal areas might include:

  • social interaction
  • maintaining physical abilities
  • cognitive stimulation and maintenance
  • memory recall
  • quality of life
  • creating a legacy to leave for loved ones (and to begin the process towards life and relationship resolution)

[Read more…] about Music Therapy Through Life: Older Adults and Dementia

Music Therapy Through Life: Mental Health

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As with children and adolescents, many adults struggle with issues of mental health. These concerns vary widely and can include anxiety, depression,  schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, postpartum depression and mood disorders, PTSD (and other trauma related disorders), substance abuse, and eating disorders among others.

Some music therapists are able to provide music psychotherapy which can help individuals who are looking for assistance with mental health. Music psychotherapy can also help when individuals are seeking help with problems with relationships. Essentially, any concern where you might consider going to a “talk therapist” can also be addressed by a qualified music psychotherapist. Music psychotherapists may use both music and verbal components in their sessions, depending on their way of working and the needs of the client. [Read more…] about Music Therapy Through Life: Mental Health

Music Therapy Through Life: Rehabilitation

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Music therapy is helpful in rehabilitation for one of the same reasons that it is so useful in early childhood: brain plasticity. Brain plasticity is the brain’s ability to rewire itself.  I wrote about this extensively, in the first article in this series, so read that now if you would like a bit more information.

The use of music therapy in rehabilitation has gotten the attention of a variety of professions (such as the medical community), as well as the media, and it’s easy to see why. Rehabilitation is an area of music therapy where results can be dramatic. [Read more…] about Music Therapy Through Life: Rehabilitation

Music Therapy Through Life: Mid to Late Childhood and Adolescence

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Parents who seek music therapy for their children in this age range may be looking to address similar issues to those for younger children: common diagnoses include Cerebral Palsy, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyper Activity Disorder (ADHD), Genetic Disorders (such as Down Syndrome), Developmental Delays, and Speech Disorders and Delays.

In addition, older children who are now in school may be discovering new challenges such as learning disorders or bullying, and children and adolescents may be struggling with mental health concerns such as depression or anxiety. Music therapy can also help children who are going through a difficult time,  such as a death in the family, parental divorce, or a life-changing illness. [Read more…] about Music Therapy Through Life: Mid to Late Childhood and Adolescence