BookmarkBookmarkTickBookmarkAddCheckBoxFilledCheckBoxCircleBumpCheckedFilledMedical

Wondering if Music Therapy Works? the Proof Is in This Video

The song has an extra special meaning.
save article
profile picture of Anisa Arsenault
By Anisa Arsenault, Associate Editor
Published January 16, 2018
toddler playing green guitar
Image: iStock

Study after study has demonstrated how helpful music can be for baby. It can steady vitals of NICU preemies. It can offer babies sensory stimulation. And the perfectly-composed lullaby is proven to make baby happier. That information is all well and good. But have you actually seen the benefits of music therapy in action?

Amanda Bowman Gray wants to make sure you do.

“My daughter Lydia was watching Bo while I was in the shower. [I] came out to this,” Gray, a mom of five, writes on Facebook. “If she didn’t have a guitar I don’t know if she would know how to babysit him. This is her go-to. It’s proof that music therapy works. Bo is 25 months old and has a 12-word vocabulary. Every word he has learned has been through music and singing.”

Bo has Down syndrome. And music hasn’t just helped him be more communicative; it has literally saved his life.

Gray explains Bo previously had heart surgery, after which he started going downhill. He was completely nonresponsive for weeks.

“After weeks and weeks (which ended up in months) of being in the hospital in a silent room of the CICU we got special permission to bring a guitar in and sing to him in hopes that it would comfort him, as they believed that he could still hear us even though he couldn’t physically respond,” Gray says. “This was the first time that he moved as he reacted to the familiarity of the song and our voices…from then on this has become his theme song.”

Needless to say, the family members are all firm belivers in music therapy.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

save article
Article removed.
Name added. View Your List
ADVERTISEMENT

Next on Your Reading List

mom and toddler looking at photo album
Reminiscing With Your Toddler Is Powerful Tool for Language Learning
By Wyndi Kappes
Singing to Baby Is Crucial for Language Learning, Study Says
Singing to Baby Is Crucial for Language Learning, Study Says
By Wyndi Kappes
build a bear donating bears to classrooms for national teddy bear day 2023
Build-A-Bear Is Donating Stuffed "Learning Buddies" to Schools in Need
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
mother holding ipad for baby at home
Baby’s Screen Time Linked to Developmental Delays, Study Says
By Wyndi Kappes
parents talking to baby
When Do Babies Say Mama or Dada?
Medically Reviewed by Dina DiMaggio Walters, MD
father and toddler son talking at home
How to Encourage Your Toddler’s Speech Development
By Lauren Barth
father talking to toddler while sitting on stairs at home
Talking to Your Toddler Could Make Their Brain More Efficient
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
mother teaching toddler sign language while sitting on couch at home
How to Teach Baby 25 Key Words in Baby Sign Language
By Ashlee Neuman
young boy resting his head on his mother's pregnant belly
Baby May Practice Crying Even Before They Are Born, Study Says
By Wyndi Kappes
father talking to baby, smiling
Parents Worldwide Use the Same "Baby Voice," New Study Reveals
By Wyndi Kappes
ADVERTISEMENT
mother and young toddler sitting on the couch at home watching something on ipad
5 Developmental Patterns This Expert Is Seeing in Pandemic Babies
By Jocelyn M. Wood, CCC-SLP
Baby Talk Actually Helps Infants Form Their First Words, Study Says
Baby Talk Actually Helps Infants Form Their First Words, Study Says
By Nehal Aggarwal
How to Perfect Your 'Baby Talk' to Boost Baby's Speech Development
How to Perfect Your 'Baby Talk' to Boost Baby's Speech Development
By Erin van Vuuren
ADVERTISEMENT
Big sister crawling behind baby sister down hallway at home.
Babies’ Language Skills May Be More Advanced Than First Words Suggest
By Nehal Aggarwal
mom helps her toddler learn through app in the car
Toddler FaceTime Games That Boost Verbal Skills and Family Bonds
By Jocelyn M. Wood, CCC-SLP
Toddler Speech Delay?
Toddler Speech Delay?
By Hannah Chow-Johnson, MD, assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and pediatrician at Loyola University Health System
Signs of Speech or Developmental Delay in a Toddler?
Signs of Speech or Developmental Delay in a Toddler?
By Michael Lee, MD
ADVERTISEMENT
mom holding and embracing her one year old son
How to Boost Baby’s Speech Sound Development in Their First Year
By Jocelyn M. Wood, CCC-SLP
mom reading to smiling baby during tummy time
How Can I Help Baby Learn to Speak?
By The Bump Editors
mom interacts with babbling baby
Hearing Baby Babble Makes Us Unconsciously Change How We Talk
By Ashley Edwards Walker
ADVERTISEMENT
Article removed.