The majority of music therapy work with children takes place in schools. This book documents the wealth and diversity of work that music therapists are doing in educational settings across the UK. It shows how, in recent years, music therapy has changed and grown as a profession, and it provides an insight into the trends that are emerging in this area in the 21st century. Collating the experiences of a range of music therapists from both mainstream and special education backgrounds, Music Therapy in Schools explains the procedures, challenges and benefits of using music therapy in an educational context. These music therapists have worked with children of all ages and abilities from pre-school toddlers in nursery schools to teenagers preparing for further education, and address specific issues and disabilities including working with children with emotional and behavioural problems, and autistic spectrum disorders. This book will be essential reading for music therapists, music therapy students and educational professionals.

Rich with case material, this groundbreaking volume provides a comprehensive overview of music therapy, from basic concepts to emerging clinical approaches. Experts review psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, and developmental foundations and describe major techniques, including the Nordoff-Robbins model and the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music. An expansive section on clinical applications examines music therapy with children and adults, as well as its recognized role in medical settings. Topics include autism spectrum disorder, school interventions, brain injury, and trauma. An authoritative resource for music therapists, the book also shows how music can be used by other mental health and medical professionals. The companion website features audio downloads illustrative of the Nordoff-Robbins model.

The OECD stated in 2018 that language barriers are among the greatest obstacles to the successful inclusion of students with an immigrant background. Providing adequate instruction in the language of instruction at school, and offering learning experiences independent of the level of language skills is, therefore, an essential task of the 21st-century school systems. This book explores how music therapy can contribute to solving this challenge. It investigates the multicultural learning environment of an Italian elementary school that is characterised by students with multiple native languages and different levels of proficiency in the language of instruction. In some cases, students have difficulty following lessons and participating in social life. The children (5-8 years) receive music therapy in the experimental condition and regular school activity in the control condition according to a within-subject control group design, meaning that half the children started in the control condition and the other started in the experimental condition; they switched at the half-time point. Data on the children’s language skills and general behaviour are collected and analysed.

In the past, music therapy work with children typically took place in special schools without the family being present. More recently, music therapy has become a widespread practice, and this book reflects the variety of settings within which music therapists are now working with children together with their families. The contributors are music therapists with experience of working with children and their families in a range of different environments, such as schools, hospices, psychiatric units, child development centres and in the community. They describe their approaches to family work with client groups including children with autism, learning disabled toddlers, adopted children and looked after teenagers. Their experiences demonstrate that involving the family in a child's music therapy can be beneficial for everyone, and that it is possible to address relationship issues within the family as part of the treatment. This book will provide useful insight into the growing area of music therapy with children and their families, and will be valuable for music therapy professionals and students, as well as other medical and teaching professionals who work with families.

This book outlines the potential uses of music, art, drama and dance movement therapies in educational settings, and the contribution they have to make to the emotional and social development of children and adolescents. Drawing on international evidence, the book outlines a wide range of applications of arts therapies across a range of settings.

Music therapists have a rich diversity of approaches and methods, often developed with specific relevance to meet the needs of a certain client population. This book reflects the components of such diversity, and is a comprehensive guide to accessing the ideas, theory, research results and clinical outcomes that are the foundations of this field.