Their musical, social, cognitive and brain development were tracked using MRI and EEG scans, and behavioural and musical tests.
Over several years, the study showed that children involved in music exhibited higher scores in executive function – the mental processes that enable us to plan, focus attention, remember, and juggle multiple tasks. They were also less hyperactive and aggressive.
The power of music therapy: from cancer patients to shy kids
“The stress of everyday living, not knowing what would happen from one day to the next was felt in families, not only by parents, but also children who were subjected to tension at home,” she says.
During the recent pandemic, families with special needs children, who were already dealing with stressful home lives, really suffered. It is Wang’s aim to help the most vulnerable, irrespective of age, through music therapy.
She says recent studies by US occupational therapist Kelly Mahler indicate that some individuals with autism, trauma, and depression may have poorly functioning interoceptive skills.
Interoception describes the sensation of feeling and understanding what’s going on inside your body and knowing how to react. For instance, if we feel thirsty, our brains prompt us to drink.
People with normal interoceptive awareness will be able to recognise and respond to how they feel. But children with autism often can’t do this, Wang says.
This extends to their awareness of emotions; people with good interoceptive skills understand how to respond to their own emotions as well as those of others.
Whether by listening to it or playing an instrument, music helps to prompt a range of emotions and develop emotional awareness in those who lack good interoceptive skills, Wang says.
Once a child is able to differentiate between emotions – happiness, anger and frustration – she says, they can begin to learn how to act on those emotions, how to prevent them from escalating, which in turn helps to maintain better emotional control.
She describes how children are encouraged to respond to the mood of a piece of music, such as by beating drums to lively music, or lying down to enjoy reflective music.
As children get older, we introduce them to the piano, she says, “as a mode of self-expression and to build a sense of achievement and confidence”.
She describes the case of Yeung Hong Yue, who was six years old when he enrolled in the therapy centre. He had autism; he wasn’t able to speak coherently and could only repeat words spoken to him, she says. He had not coped well in mainstream school.
After just a few sessions at Do Re Mi, “we were able to identify that he had an impeccable memory, and music had a very calming influence on him”.
Honing fine motor skills is a challenge for children with autism, says Wang. Learning a musical instrument helps them to develop these, as in the case of Yeung, who developed his motor skills by learning the piano.
He had difficulty understanding musical notation, but developed his own method of working notes out and, “using his astonishing memory”, he learned pieces quickly.
His emotional skills improved as he learned about feelings through music. He eventually went on to do diploma-level exams with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music London.
The most rewarding moment for Wang came in 2022 when, following 15 years of study, Yeung won first prize in his category at the 5th Hong Kong Pacific Piano Open Competition organised by East West Arts Association, the first competition to offer a section for children with special needs.His mother thanked Wang, saying this was her son’s first taste of success in his life.
It wasn’t just the development of a better understanding of emotion, or even the enjoyment or success that came with music, it was the fact that the experience helped him develop a sense of self-worth.
“Every child deserves that, and to enjoy success and achievement,” says Wang.
Ilari agrees that music affects everyone’s mood, starting from a young age.
“Parents and carers use music to help regulate mood in babies and young children,” she says. As children enter their teens, many learn to manage their moods with music.
Later in life, we often resort to the music of our youth, “as a way to feel good, to connect with memories and people”.
She refers to British sociologist Tia De Nora, who speaks about music as a technology of the self. “I really like that definition,” Ilari says.
So when should one introduce a child to music?
There is a lot of discussion about the optimal age to start conventional music education, says Ilari. But the fact is, long before children take any formal music lessons, they’re already musically involved on some level – from listening to music at home or at school.
As a result, children come to music classes with musical baggage, and it’s the teacher’s role to “unpack it” and expand it.
Children with autism can also be introduced to music from a very young age, says Wang, who describes how that might start.
“In initial consultations we would use percussion instruments where children can immediately become involved,” she says.
Early signs of autism could be picked up in child’s first month: study
Children on the autism spectrum often fall behind in academic studies, despite many of them exhibiting incredible understanding of patterns and maths, Wang says. Music offers the chance for a real sense of achievement, whether in learning a musical piece or sitting music exams.
Listening to music or learning to play an instrument presents many opportunities for children, formal and informal. They have the chance to de-stress and to focus, to forge an identity, to collaborate with peers, to find something of themselves. All of that conspires to build confidence.
Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised it supports healthy cognition too.
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