MusicWorks

Feel free to discuss with your
MT ways that your child can incorporate their communication device in music therapy sessions!

Riley Hohenstein, MT-BC
Music Therapist

National Device Appreciation Day is observed to celebrate the technology that makes our lives easier and more connected. In our community, we celebrate high-tech AAC devices that provide opportunities for our clients to communicate using technology.

In the journal, PLoS One, researchers reviewed evidence from several clinical trials to see the effects music has on sleep quality in older adults aged 50 and above. Poor sleep affects 40-70% of older adults and contributes to depression, cognitive decline, cardiovascular disease, and falls. Music therapy may directly “improve sleep by reducing hormone levels, stimulating the release of melatonin, enhancing parasympathetic nervous system activity, and synchronizing biological rhythms with slow, soothing tempos.” Although more research is yet to come, this is a meaningful step towards advocacy for music therapy practice.

Emma Convery, MT-BC
Music Therapist