What is music therapy?

While music is renowned as the "universal language," its therapeutic potential is equally as versatile.
Music therapy is the clinical application of music to address the therapeutic goals and objectives of a client.
For example, if one needed to work on fine motor skill, piano playing and the use of mallets would allow for such in a fun and rewarding manner. The dynamics of music - fast, slow, loud, quiet, high, low, short, long, and everything in between- these are all parallel to emotion and movement. Imagine someone who is bound in a wheel chair...or who can't express themselves verbally...how else would they be able to experience or communicate these facets of life so directly?
Music bypasses the "thinking" process, and speaks straight to and from the heart.

Music is a symbolic language- a microcosm of the world at large. How a person functions within a music structure is directly related to larger areas of life.

Defense Girl: An Improvised Song by Claire

In this video, Claire hears some background music for the first time and realizes at 0:21 that she's going to improvise. Jon played electric piano over a loop he made earlier that day. Notice how Claire naturally starts to dance a little, and flow with the music. And then, she proceeds to channel a song with themes such as independence, endurance, perseverance, and matters of the heart.

Many people find it hard to believe this song, and many others like it, are entirely spontaneous. All the lyrics, melodic phrases and changes were happening in the moment plus a little post production.

"Thank you Jon, for enriching our lives and opening up Claire's creativity" - Kate (Claire's mom)

"At two years of age Gabe had no words. He had one grunting sound that he used infrequently. Somehow the music reached a part of him that nothing else did. It was only with Jon's patience, kindness, humor and gentle way of being with Gabe that he has made such significant progress with his self expression. I am eternally grateful to Jon and his art and theory of co-creative music" - Jessica Kaye

Who needs music therapy?

Some people believe something must be "wrong" in order to go for therapy...to fix it. But that's a misconception.

The truth is we're all human! Which means not only are we wired to respond to music in a powerful way, but more importantly... no matter who we are, what we know, and where we come from, we'll continue to grow and learn in some way shape or form.

CoCreative Music Therapy has something to offer everyone. Whether a child needs to work on speech, physical, or occupational therapy goals, or whether a person would like to simply work on being more open and expressive, music therapy has something to offer.

Adults:

Have you ever slammed a door out of anger? Or thrown something across the room out of rage? Try drumming! It's a great way to organize your emotional impulses without directing it to people you love, or anyone, really. Often, when we feel the need to scream and shout, something had been building up and brewing inside us for a while before. In the same way that we exercise our bodies to keep them flexible and grounded, practicing creative forms of emotional expression on a regular basis help us to be emotionally clear during chaotic encounters. Singing is to shouting as drumming is to door slamming, get it?
Let's face it, someone is going to let you down at some point, and you'll do the same to others. The question is, when the band drops out, are you going to feel abandoned, or take a solo?