Written by Genesis Barbosa-Padilla, Music Therapy Intern Before entering my internship, there was always an expectation that a case study would be conducted and completed… by me! Conducting case studies for school has always been incredibly difficult for me. Mainly because I am a drastic overthinker, and many of my ideas feel so complex they become hard to execute. From the moment I began facilitating during my internship, I was constantly assessing the individuals I worked with, searching for a spark – specifically, a spark of inspiration. I knew my case study would come together much more smoothly if I had a genuine inspiration to guide me. During my school day sessions, I came across a student with high sensory needs. Whenever music therapy was conducted with this student, movement was essential, and an aide was present at all times. I watched my supervisor facilitate different movement activities, always ensuring the student had space to move. However, there were concerns about whether music therapy was the right fit. So many factors were constantly changing – the environment, the facilitator, and the aide – meaning the student had to adjust to new variables in almost every session. Given the student’s diagnosis and the need for extra assistance during transitions, these inconsistencies made it difficult for him to participate in a full 30-minute session. We began to ask: Is music therapy a necessity for this student? Are we seeing results, or is this becoming a stressor for the student? This inquiry became the foundation for my case study: Movement-Based Music Therapy to Improve Attending in a Child with Down Syndrome. Within this study, I created an experience using movement – a highly preferred activity – as the basis for seeing if we could expand his timeframe for participation. Initially, I curated the experience as a movement circuit, but the expectations were too high for both the student and me to track. We adjusted to a much simpler, improvised movement experience that allowed the student to move about the room while using “stop” and “go” signs to practice adhering to directions. Looking at the data after nine sessions, it was clear that many of the challenges stemmed from the intervention’s complexity. At first, the objective was too complicated for the student, and even after simplification, it remained difficult to execute. Over time, it became evident that pairing movement with music was motivating and reinforcing; however, the activity itself required better structure and consistency. While the data for this specific intervention didn’t show significant progression, we saw growth in other areas! During activities where we would sing, play ball, or work through familiar songs, the student flourished. One of my main takeaways is that even when a specific intervention doesn’t yield the expected results, recognizing growth within the broader therapeutic context is vital. We definitely answered our question: music therapy was beneficial for this student, as evidenced by his overall progress, even if this particular study proved challenging.

Founded in 1987, MusicWorx Inc. is a music therapy and wellness agency whose mission is to create, cultivate, and celebrate experiences of unlimited growth and potential. The company executive office and wellness center are located in Scripps Ranch, Northern San Diego County, California.

MusicWorx is both an AMTA-compliant provider of music therapy services and a CBMT-approved provider of continuing education for music therapists.

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