23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

1.3. On the basis of such hypothesis and within the
context of the meetings that take place during courses
on the psychoprofilaxis for pregnancy (autogenous
training, exercise, information regarding pregnancy,
childbirth and the newbom), a number of sound-musical
activities have been introduced. The primary goal of this
experience was to make future parents fully conscious
of the importance of the rythm-sound language which is
perceived by the child also within the uterus. And this
was done in order to enrich such language and use it as
an intermediary for communicating with the child both
before and after birth.
2. Activities
2.1. Activities were proposed predominantly on the
grounds of listening, using of voice and information.
2.1.1. Before being conceived as an activity,
listening was conceptualized as an affitude: as
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listening to oneself as listening to one's own internal
sounds, rhythms and movements, and as listening to
the child, to his or her movements, to his or her life
within the mother and, simultaneously, as "other" vis-avis
the mother. Listening to oneself seems to be
essential in order to experience pregnancy fully and
therefore to contain the anxiety related to this period of
her life. Learning to listen to the child becomes
fundamental for the acceptance of the separation
mother-child and for a fulfilling experience of the first
months of the life of the child, a life which is lead
listening to, understanding and respecting his or her
rhythms and his or her needs.
2.1.2. By listening activities mainly we mean paying
attention to the internal movements-sounds-rhythms
proper to the child, and secondarily listening to external
sounds and musical passages. This activity is finalized
to a double goal: the relaxation of the mother and,
consequently, of the child, and the process of