Music therapy for children with cerebral palsy

  Music is a powerful form of sensory stimulation and multiple sensory experiences. Through music therapy, it is beneficial to promote the motor function of children with cerebral palsy, improve learning cognitive ability, promote communication ability, improve psychological quality, and develop correct social behavior.  The guiding idea of music therapy for pediatric cerebral palsy 1. Music therapy for children with cerebral palsy is a kind of music education in time. Through education, children with cerebral palsy can master the skills of musical activities or make musical responses and interactions. Long-term participation or performance of these musical activities can bring changes and progress in motor, sensory, cognitive, psychosocial behavior, and emotional aspects to children, thus achieving therapeutic effects; 2. 3. The musical potential and interest of children with cerebral palsy should be fully estimated and designed. Music activities help to relearn and recover language ability, and in the activity of practicing playing musical instruments with strong interest, it also exercises the mobility of limbs; 4. The effect of music therapy for children with cerebral palsy is long-term and gradually accumulated; forms of music therapy for pediatric cerebral palsy 1. For children with cerebral palsy with low muscle tone, they usually choose music with light and lively melodies, such as Bizet’s “Overture to the Light Cavalry” and Bram’s “Hungarian Dance No. 5”. For children with cerebral palsy who have intellectual disabilities, the music choices are divided into three categories: music with “Mozart effect” (mainly sonatas); drums or other percussion music with strong rhythm and deep, muddy or crisp sound, which are more exciting and stimulating to the cerebral cortex. Children with cerebral palsy can participate in drumming while listening to the drums, walking on the drums, clapping or swinging their bodies, all of which can play a role in “brain gymnastics” training; nursery rhymes, children’s songs or specially designed simple songs.  Orchestral or other instrumental forms are more popular with most patients than solo performances, with the piano being the most popular instrument. Vocal music is less popular, especially soprano songs.  2.Rap activities 3.Instrument playing: Children with cerebral palsy generally need to use some rhythmic background music when playing instruments, and choose different instruments to play according to the characteristics of each child.  4. Game activities: These can be divided into action games (doing movements and dancing according to musical instructions) and situational games.  Notes on music therapy for pediatric cerebral palsy 1. Except for special environmental needs, music should not be played for too long.  2. The volume should be lower than the usual music, too much volume will make the child feel uncomfortable. However, it is recommended to use small speakers instead of headphones. Although headphones can bring stronger brain stimulation, allowing the child to wear headphones for a long time to listen to music is not conducive to improving his or her communication skills and can easily cause a more lonely psychological impact.  3, should not use longer tracks, music should be simple and wonderfully moving.  4.As the treatment continues to improve, children should be encouraged to participate in group music activities, such as singing or instrumental ensembles.