The Center for Music Therapy at Berklee is dedicated to providing innovative music therapy services targeting identified health disparities in the Greater Boston community. Our goal is to be a leading provider of evidence-based music therapy telehealth and medicine experiences designed to impact the overall physical, social, and emotional health of children, adolescents, and adults in our collective communities.
The center serves the training needs of students enrolled in the music therapy program at Berklee. Students and interns delivering services through the center will be directly supervised by a board-certified music therapists.
Current center offerings include the following:
Music Therapy for Seniors
Aging often comes with change to daily routines, loss of significant relationships, and decreases in mobility, sight, and hearing. By the age of 65, many adults experience this and are either physically separated from others or feel the emotional distress caused by loneliness. Music therapy groups that are provided via telehealth and use technology have been shown to provide meaningful opportunities for engagement with musical material and with others, improved mood outcomes, expanded emotional communication, and time for creative expression. Further, participants form meaningful bonds and demonstrate increased self-concepts.
Group tasks will include singing familiar songs to prompt conversation and form bonds, songwriting for self-expression and the development of group cohesion, receptive listening to stimulate imagery and discussion, and group improvisation for self-expression.
Music Therapy for Adolescents
Adolescence is a period of growth and development, full of stress, identity crises, and, above all, change. When teens participate in group music therapy sessions, they can have a safe and noninvasive experience. The can experience things at their own pace and don’t have to fear the opinions of others like they might in a classroom setting. Furthermore, music can provide opportunities for teens to experience closeness, isolation, anger, and any emotion they might have pushed back in fear. Every teen is unique and deserving of feeling as though they are a part of something bigger.
Music Therapy and Wellness
Music has long been used to promote health and wellbeing. Music listening, sometimes referred to as music medicine, has been shown to have positive impacts on mood states and pain perception. A recreational music-making program has been associated with long-term improvements in burnout and mood for long-term care workers.
Our music therapy and wellness groups aim to reduce stress and improve wellbeing. Participants will engage in music-based experiences that will both facilitate relaxation and teach healthy coping strategies. Each session will focus on a specific technique to support improved mood, improved sleep, relaxation, and connection to joy.
Music Therapy and Early Childhood
Every child has experienced music in one form or another. It is a shared experience everyone can relate to while at the same time offering a chance to release emotions and embark on new discoveries.
Join our music therapy team for weekly interactive fun as they sing silly stories, play games, and tap into the joy of music to promote healthy social-emotional development.
