Music is more than just something we listen to. It has the ability to affect us emotionally and physically. As music therapists, we work with the whole person and therefore use musical elements to meet emotional, physical, sensory and social needs.
We often use musical activities as a way to explore movement and sensory needs such as the tactile and proprioception (body awareness) senses.
https://www.sensoryintegration.org.uk/What-is-SI
Music naturally encourages movement which can be helpful if movement is difficult or restricted in any way. It is also a good way to regulate movement by encouraging entrainment (joining in) with a beat. We all feel this when we can’t help but dance to our favourite songs. Our bodies seem to know how they want to move without us needing to learn how.
Alternatively, music can calm and bring our bodies back into a more relaxed state. This may be a good way to manage a more hyper aroused sensory state.
In this activity we will use the idea of body percussion to explore and share things such as movement, touch, feeling rhythm through our bodies and finding our own ways to be creative and communicate with others.
Here’s a printable version of the activity if its useful. If not, go straight to page 2.
