Healing tunes: Experts share how music helps kids with special needs

THANE: Music is life for many. There are some people who have dedicated their entire life to music. However, kids with special needs have special importance for music in their lives. Music helps them relax and boosts their self-confidence.
Twenty-year-old Ashish Shah suffers from downs syndrome and finds difficulty in calculating numbers, however, when he hears any kind of music he can replicate the same and move his fingers according to the tunes.

Experts working with special kids say that music helps them focus better and also boosts their self-confidence. Such activities grab their attention and make them cheerful.

“The special children have challenges when it comes to their fine motor skills so when these kids do physical activities like dancing or even use their hands for playing an instrument it helps in loosening their limbs. It makes them agile and they move their hands and body on the rhythm while they enjoy doing it,” said Sr Megha Dabhi, in charge of St. John the Baptist Special School.

The music specialists stated when the children with special needs listen to music they not only use the medium to vent their energies, but at times the rhythm even calms them down. “I teach music to both – special and normal children. Playing drums helps the special kids in enhancing their hand-eye-coordination, which is neglected other times. As one has to use both hands and feet at the same time while playing drums it helps the special kids a lot. Also music is itself so fantastic that it helps develop a bond between the students who are normal and with special needs,” said Aamir Ismail, professional drummer, teaching specially-abled children since six years.

Similarly when it comes to dance therapy the special children’s coordination between brain and body enhances and also increases their attention. “When music is played it immediately grabs their attention, they concentrate more on the body movements. Many times these children become very hyper and dance helps them channelize their energies better. It also increases their self-esteem and self-confidence,” said Sr Ancy Anthony, principal of Holy Cross Convent Special School.