Dridge Project Director Alex Block and guest blogger Gracy Liura write about the expanding value of music therapy in a variety of areas, here.
The therapy works with improving reading and math skills and lower income children. In high school, music participation is well-coordinated with academic achievement in other areas (especially math and science), but that has been long none. Music (as does drama) provides high school students with “real world” achievement and social contacts to counteract over-dependence on the Internet and social media. Music therapy is also helpful medically in areas ranging from hypertension to dementia in the elderly.
The type of music varies with the circumstances. Popular music (jazz, guitar, spirituals) may be more associated with sociability, but classical music (especially rigorous compositions by Bach and Mozart) may be more connected to developing skills in math.