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The Impact of Music on Speech Therapy

For many decades, music has been an important part of daily care for children with speech impediments and hearing-impaired children. There have been a lot of studies that examine the role of music in people’s general health as well as an effective intervention when it comes to speech and language problems. It only makes sense that for children and adults who suffer from speech issues, music should be considered as part of their intervention. 

Music, Speech, Language

Language and music are connected at a very basic level. Both require higher brain function and it also involves cognitive skills such as attention, memory, and categorization. Grammar and music also make use of structures that follow a specific order in order to make sense and appreciated it.

Also, music and speech have a similar pitch. Musical sequences follow a specific interval and speech also uses frequencies when it comes to intonation, as is the case when people ask a question, make a statement, or make an exclamation. This characteristic of speech is called contour and it is one that even infants are able to detect.

Therapeutic benefits of music

Besides language, music has a lot of therapeutic benefits. It has been proven that auditory stimulation can improve listening skills, even for people who are hard of hearing. It can also help to improve how the brain processes information which can boost skills in areas like behavior and coordination.

  A study done in 2011 explored how music impacts social skills, another aspect of communication. Half of all the participants in the study exhibited signs of improved communication and problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to work well in groups and in interacting with other people.

  There is also compelling evidence that the type of music used for therapy has an enormous impact on the outcome. In a study that was one to explore the difference in brain function between musicians and non-musicians, it stated that brain function was significantly increased when the participants listened to classical music as opposed to rock music.

Music and speech

It is also revealed that there is a close relationship between music and speech. A study was done in 2013 in which six experts who are trained professionals in music theory were asked to determine the key in a sample music score. The timescales in the samples were restricted to closely match with speech processing. It was observed that the processing used in decoding speech is also used when it comes to music.

Music for speech-language therapy

There are a lot of ways music can be used in speech therapy. One way is through simple auditory stimulation. As previously mentioned, it can expand the brain’s ability to process information which can be beneficial in areas such as behavior, skill, sensory integration, and coordination. Therefore, clients who listen to music may improve their speaking skills as well as their ability to focus. Auditory stimulation can even be done through virtual speech therapy sessions.

  For adults with speech problems due to stroke, many patients have found benefit from Melodic Intonation Therapy. This is a type of therapy that is often used in cases where the brain is damaged. The theory is rooted in the practice that using the intact hemisphere of the brain will slowly help recover speech skills that have been lost in the damaged part of the brain. For example, if a patient loses their ability to speak because the left side of the brain has been damaged, MIT can be used in order to find new ways to communicate.

  The therapy uses words and phrases supplemented by melodies to make speaking closely resemble that of speaking. This type of therapy also takes advantage of a person’s ability to sing which helps them improve their ability to speak.

  For children, there are different ways that therapists can use music in their treatment sessions with children. The goal is to help with their language development, improve their speech production, and aid in their overall communication skills. In a study done in 2011, it was concluded that children showed significant improvement in their social skills, problem-solving, and how they interact with peers when music was incorporated in their SLPs.

Post Author: Eliza Brooks

Eliza  Brooks loves to write about personality development, mental and physical disabilities, and ways to overcome them effectively. She is currently working with Verboso, which offers online speech therapy for children to improve their speaking skills.

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12 Nov Speech and Music Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: An Introduction and a Case Study

Summary by Mirjam van Tellingen, PhD

Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS) is a motor speech disorder. Several methods are applied in the treatment of CAS. Some of these methods may use visual and tactile cues, while others focus more on speech rate and rhythm. Speech-Music Therapy for Aphasia (SMTA) is a combination of speech therapy and music therapy that uses music to support the natural rhythm of speech in words and sentences. Using music in this treatment provides an opportunity to have a high number of repetitions for each target in a pleasant way. A high intensity of the treatment is important for its effectiveness. Additionally, music has an overall positive effect on mood and motivation, which contributes to the effect of SMTA.

In SMTA, the speech therapist helps the child and/or their parents to select functionally relevant target words and sentences. The music therapist then composes unique melodies to these items. In every song, the target word or sentence is repeated several times. An exercise follows a structured procedure that starts with singing, followed by rhythmic chanting and speaking. Stepwise reduction of support is continued in speaking, where steps are taken from simultaneously speaking (together with the therapist), to taking turns and responding to a question.

In this article, the results of SMTA in the treatment of a 5-year-old boy with CAS are presented. After 20 sessions of SMTA, the boy’s speech was more intelligible, more consistent and he could produce difficult words better.

SMTA was effective for the boy in this study. These results provide support for further evaluation of SMTA in the treatment of CAS.

van Tellingen, M., Hurkmans, J., Terband, H., van de Zande, A. M., Maassen, B., & Jonkers, R. (2024). Speech and Music Therapy in the Treatment of Childhood Apraxia of Speech: An Introduction and a Case Study. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 67(9S). 3269–3287. https://doi.org/10.1044/2023_JSLHR-22-00619

The Power of Music: How Music Therapy is Helping Aphasia Patients Regain the Ability to Speak

The relationship between music and memory is remarkable.

Consider this: Ever notice how you can sing a jingle—word for word—for a laundry detergent commercial you haven’t heard in decades, yet facts, dates or formulas you put hours into memorizing in high school were dropped like a bad habit the minute you completed the test?

How is it that we immediately recognize a song after hearing just a single refrain and can instantly rattle off television show theme songs from our childhood at a moment’s notice?

Even better, ever notice how a piece of music can instantly transform you to another time in your life? Music not only has a habit of staying with us, locked in our memories long after we stopped thinking about it, but it also has the unique ability to evoke memories the minute we hear it.

While the science behind music, memory, and language isn’t conclusive, researchers know that it’s likely a combination of patterns (humans think in terms of patterns), repetition (chances are, we heard those songs we remember so well many, many times), and connections (our brains can better store and retrieve information when it has an association to a memory).

Music Therapy May be the Solution to Stroke Patients Struggling to Recover Their Voice

Aphasia—a communication disorder resulting in a loss or disruption of language or the ability to find the right words—is usually a result of stroke, although people with traumatic brain injuries, progressive neurological disorders, or even brain tumors can experience it.

We know that rehabilitative medicine is important for patients with aphasia, reducing the damage to the patient’s brain and helping the brain recover. One of the more exciting therapies is music therapy—more formally referred to as melodic intonation therapy (MIT) or neurologic music therapy (NMT). It was conceived when rehabilitative practitioners like speech-language pathologists discovered that even when their patients with aphasia couldn’t speak a sentence… they were able to sing it.

Music therapy first involves the singing of simple phrases to familiar music. Frequent repetition of these phrases helps patients turn their sing-song speech into normal speech over time. What’s even more exciting is that most patients maintain the improvements they gained through music therapy, which shows that the brain is capable of repair.

Not All Music Therapy Providers Are the Same

SLPs are uniquely qualified to provide music therapy to patients.

The Certification Board of Music Therapists (CBMT) grants the MT-BC credential to those who have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher in music therapy from an American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) approved college or university… in addition to completing 1,200 hours of clinical training, including a supervised internship… and passing the national board certification examination … However, only SLPs are qualified to assess speech and language disorders in children and adults, including those with aphasia.

SLPs may collaborate with music therapists , but still retain authority in co-treatment as the patient’s primary therapist.

Many SLP programs, both undergraduate and graduate, offer music therapy courses, either as part of the curriculum or as electives. ASHA often offers continuing education seminars and courses in music therapy, and several providers offer online CEU courses in music therapy.

• Emerson College - Master's in Speech-Language Pathology online - Prepare to become an SLP in as few as 20 months. No GRE required. Scholarships available.
• Arizona State University - Online - Online Bachelor of Science in Speech and Hearing Science - Designed to prepare graduates to work in behavioral health settings or transition to graduate programs in speech-language pathology and audiology.
• NYU Steinhardt - NYU Steinhardt's Master of Science in Communicative Sciences and Disorders online - ASHA-accredited. Bachelor's degree required. Graduate prepared to pursue licensure.
• Calvin University - Calvin University's Online Speech and Hearing Foundations Certificate - Helps You Gain a Strong Foundation for Your Speech-Language Pathology Career.
• George Mason University - George Mason University's Graduate Programs in Special Education, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Applied Behavior Analysis. - Prepares you for a rewarding career as a Speech and Language Pathologist.