Music Therapy for Children
Music therapy gives children a playful, motivating way to build communication, connection, emotional growth, and developmental skills through music.
At Sound Starts, children work with board-certified music therapists who use songs, instruments, movement, and musical play to create sessions around each child’s strengths, needs, and interests.
Every session is designed to feel engaging and supportive while working toward meaningful goals for your child.
How Music Therapy Helps Children Grow
Communication & Connection
Music can create natural opportunities for children to make choices, express ideas, respond to others, and connect through shared musical experiences.
Social & Emotional Growth
Through music, children can practice turn-taking, flexibility, self-expression, emotional regulation, confidence, and connection with others in a supportive environment.
Developmental Support
Music therapy can support a wide range of developmental skills, including motor planning, attention, cognition, academic readiness, sensory processing, and independence.
What is Music Therapy?
Music Therapy
Music therapy is the clinical use of music to support individualized goals. At Sound Starts, sessions are led by board-certified music therapists who use music intentionally to help children grow in meaningful ways.
A session may include singing, instrument play, movement, songwriting, musical games, listening activities, or creative musical routines. These experiences are designed around each child’s strengths, interests, needs, and goals.
While every session looks different, the purpose is always the same: to help children connect, communicate, learn, regulate, and participate more fully through music.
How Music Therapy Helps
Music therapy can support many different goals, and every child’s plan is individualized. Sessions are designed to meet children where they are while helping them build skills in ways that feel engaging, playful, and meaningful.
Communication
Music can encourage children to make choices, use words or sounds, practice conversation skills, follow directions, and communicate in new ways.
Social Skills
Shared music experiences can support turn-taking, listening, flexibility, cooperation, joint attention, and connection with others.
Emotional Expression
Songs, instruments, and creative musical experiences can give children safe ways to express feelings, explore emotions, and build confidence.
Self-Regulation
Music can support regulation through rhythm, structure, movement, sensory input, and predictable routines.
Motor Skills
Playing instruments, moving to music, and coordinating rhythm can support fine motor, gross motor, and motor planning skills.
Learning & Development
Music therapy can support attention, memory, sequencing, academic readiness, independence, and participation in daily routines.
What Sessions Look Like
Every music therapy session is designed around your child’s goals, strengths, interests, and needs. Sessions may look playful and fun on the outside, but each activity is intentionally planned by a board-certified music therapist.
Your child might sing, play instruments, move to music, make choices, take turns, write songs, follow musical cues, practice routines, or explore emotions through music. The therapist adapts each experience in the moment to support your child’s communication, regulation, participation, and growth.
Who Music Therapy May Support
Families come to Sound Starts for many different reasons. Music therapy may be a helpful fit for children who benefit from creative, individualized support in a motivating environment.
Music therapy may support children who are working on:
- Communication and language skills
- Social interaction and peer engagement
- Emotional expression and coping skills
- Attention, memory, and learning readiness
- Fine motor, gross motor, or motor planning skills
- Sensory processing and self-regulation
- Confidence, independence, and participation
Families often reach out when their child:
- Loves music and responds strongly to songs or rhythm
- Needs support that feels playful and motivating
- Has developmental, communication, social, emotional, or behavioral goals
- Has a diagnosis such as autism, developmental delay, intellectual disability, or another support need
- Would benefit from a creative therapy approach led by a board-certified music therapist
You do not need to know whether music therapy is the perfect fit before reaching out. We’ll help you talk through your child’s needs and decide whether music therapy, adapted lessons, or another service is the best next step.
Getting Started with Music Therapy
Music therapy services begin with a free consultation so we can learn more about your child, answer your questions, and help you decide whether music therapy is the right fit.
Individual music therapy sessions are currently $56 per 30-minute session. During the consultation process, we’ll talk through current availability, location options, insurance questions, and next steps.