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
to find a connection between the emotional and cognitive elements and
facilitates the emotional development.
With music therapy it is possible to create an integrative background by
sneaking recognizable material such as dance, music and informal impro-
visation, which allows children to perceive the cyclic nature of the tasks/
exercises/instructions and to interpret them as elements of the environ-
ment in which the activity is taking place. An environment made of peo-
ple and objects, a recognizable and recognized environment permitting
the creation of significant relationships and which motivate the individ-
ual, emotional, cognitive and social development.
In particular, the type of conduction of the groups suggested by G. Orff
(1992), promotes the structuring of the “Backgrounds for Integration”.
Orff suggests organizing the meeting following five points, (keeping in
mind the elasticity of the intervention):
1. A ritual of sonority and movement so as to create an “environmental
climate”, which characterizes the setting emotionally and affectively
as “the place where music is played”.
2. A new element (new dance, new musical game…)
3. The development of the situation, accepting the spontaneous creative
contributions of the children.
4. Eventual changes and elaboration of ideas.
5. An organic conclusion.
The theoretic and methodological references, which sustain the interven-
tions of integrative music therapy, are the result of an integration of vari-
ous authors as well:
K.E. Bruscia (1992) and E.H. Boxill (1991) have been my guides during
the phases of observation (verification), of the planning of the interven-
tion (treatment) e the evaluation of the results.
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