Music therapy in the rehabilitation of children - World Federation of ...

Radbruch, K. (2001) Music therapy in the rehabilitation of children with
cochlear implant (CI). Music Therapy Today (online), November, available at
www.musictherapyworld.info
creative skills. During this period, I try to take up their musical offers, to reply
them or to continue them and to built up a first contact. It is important to
emphasise the concept of musical activity as a joint activity. I am just another
player with equal rights, I am not the leader, who in knows in advance what
will happen next.
I would like to characterise the situation as a sort of “musical playground”.
Hearing impaired children are involved in trainee programs quite often, doing
a lot of exercises to improve their hearing and speaking abilities. I think that
the playing character of music therapy can be a nice contrast. Learning and
discovering by playing is a natural way of learning in the development of
children and we must pay attention, that these children don’t forget to play.
When I started working with cochlea implanted children I often began with a
welcome song with piano accompaniment or I added wonderful harmony
chords to the first musical activities of the children. But these children were
not really enthusiastic! Some looked somehow afraid, others looked just
bored. These activities already make great demands on the children’s ability
to hear. For children who stand at the beginning of a hearing process and
who get in contact with music probably the first time this might ask too much
of them and a welcome song with piano accompaniment might be
characterised as “language with disturbing factors and interference”.
Therefore, I prefer a more basic first contact with music: music that is simply
and clearly built and does not frighten the children. From this starting point
the musical activity can become more complex and be developed together
with the children.
To find out their individual hearing needs we have to watch the children and
their reactions attentively. They often show their needs quite clearly!
For me it is important in music therapy that children have the opportunity to
discover instruments and sounds themselves (– even if it is not always easy
for a music therapist to keep out of the process in the beginning!). However,
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