A Glimpse Inside a Music Therapy Session

February 25, 2014

One of our faculty, Esther Thane, shares this video of a 3 year old boy she works with in her Music Therapy Studio.

The boy has Autism, he's non-verbal, and he responds very well to musical experiences.

In the video you will see how willing he is to express through music. His musical, expressive language is considerably more understandable given he isn't able to communicate with others using words. Notice how Esther musically supports and encourages his exploration at the piano, how engaged he is with her from a musical perspective (knowing that children with Autism often have difficulty with social connections), and the variety of expression he uses. Esther mentioned that she finds it easy to understand what he's trying to say in the music.

Thanks to the young boy's family and to Esther for their willingness to share this glimpse into a Music Therapy session.

Esther teaches Music Therapy voice, vocal techniques and vocal improvisation in the Capilano University Bachelor of Music Therapy program. Esther has a thriving Private Practice, ET Music Therapy, working with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder continuum. Esther has been an Accredited Music Therapist for the last 17 years. Esther is a contributor for an online Autism resource network called Mundo Pato, where you can find two of her online courses.

Submitted by: Music Therapy Dept.