Music Therapy Today - World Federation of Music Therapy

Pecoraro Esperson, P. (2006) The pleasure of being “differently able”: Integration through music therapy in primary
schools. Music Therapy Today (Online) Vol.VII (2) 413-429. available at http://musictherapyworld.net
education and training to these children. The Italian National Health Ser-
vice is responsible for only a few, specific therapies (speech therapy, psy-
chotherapy and physiotherapy) which are undertaken only a couple of
hours per week.
Integrative Music Therapy
The first great impediment which we have to overcome, to even begin the
educational and habilitational route, is that of the integration, and the
application of integrative music therapy can be a valid help.
The passage from attending to integrating, even to this day creates confu-
sion and is the cause of difficulties. Integration is not a “simple affair”,
since it is hard to understand what is actually meant by the word. Many
believe that integration means including, being with children of the same
age, being in the same place, whereas others think it signifies conforming
to norms, where one tries to “make normal” and to adapt “disabled” chil-
dren’s performance to the parameters of “healthy” ones. Still others think
that integration is impossible to attain. They pose the question as to why
these “different” children are there, since they are unable to carry out
many things their peers are able to. At times this distance appears to be so
great that it is impossible to imagine a single point in common between
those who are “different” and the others.
The present theory of integration emphasizes the specific differences of
each individual. The integration of these children in their classes and
schools, is not carried out by conforming to the standard “norms” and
behaviours, but by contributing to the growth and cohesion of the group,
through the development of their abilities and potentials “in learning,
communication and in forming relationships, and socializing…” (art 3,
par3, Law 104/92).
Integrative Music Therapy 415