Music Therapy for Preemies is a delightful and informative article by Abigail Green of The Baltimore Sun. She discusses the physiological benefits of music therapy for premature babies. It stands to reason that premature babies might miss the sounds of the womb they left early. Clarissa Karlsson, a board certified music therapist working for Children's National Medicine Center in Washington D.C., outlines some of the benefits. She states that interacting with premature babies using music provides developmental stimulation, increased physiological stability, and an opportunity for bonding with caregivers.
For premature babies, Karlsson recommends using music to simulate womb sounds. She also points out that babies are already accustomed to the voices of their parents- no matter what you think you sound like, she says, the baby thinks you sound wonderful. Some of the services she provides are music lessons to parents. She teaches parents how to develop a song in response to their baby's natural breathing rhythm. Even 15 minutes of this kind of music therapy has been proven to positively affect the baby's respiratory and cardiovascular system.
Giving music lessons to new parents seems like a very desirable profession. Music therapy never ceases to amaze me with its' seemingly endless therapeutic applications for the young, old, and everyone in between. I am pleased to herald the clinically proven benefits of music therapy.
For more information about Clasrissa Karlsson and her pilot program, please see this article at musictherapy.org.
For premature babies, Karlsson recommends using music to simulate womb sounds. She also points out that babies are already accustomed to the voices of their parents- no matter what you think you sound like, she says, the baby thinks you sound wonderful. Some of the services she provides are music lessons to parents. She teaches parents how to develop a song in response to their baby's natural breathing rhythm. Even 15 minutes of this kind of music therapy has been proven to positively affect the baby's respiratory and cardiovascular system.
Giving music lessons to new parents seems like a very desirable profession. Music therapy never ceases to amaze me with its' seemingly endless therapeutic applications for the young, old, and everyone in between. I am pleased to herald the clinically proven benefits of music therapy.
For more information about Clasrissa Karlsson and her pilot program, please see this article at musictherapy.org.