Benefits of Music Therapy for Youth and Teens at Risk

• Addresses positive changes in emotional states
• Increases confidence and self-esteem through successful music experiences
• Reduces agitation, stress, and anxiety
• Reduces depression
• Provides means of distraction and temporary relief from pain and discomfort

• Promotes creative and self expression
• Provides support, acknowledgement, and validation of beliefs, values, thoughts, and ideas
• Enhances identity, faith and spirituality

• Promotes community, social interaction, and group cohesion
• Enhances social and emotional skills
• Increase connection to self and identity
•Increases attention and focus through the structure in music
• Addresses academic and life skills through songwriting

• Enhances recall and memory skills
• Enhances visual perception and sensory processing through sound, touch, movement and dancing
• Provides cognitive stimulation to many complex functions and areas of the brain

• Improves fine and gross motor skills through rhythm in music, playing music instruments, movement and dancing
• Improves balance, mobility, and coordination of movement
• Enhances visual motor skills
• Improve hand-eye coordination
• Improves verbal, language, and communication skills by triggering challenging vowel, consonant, and combinations of sounds through singing music