Music therapy offers a dynamic and engaging way to support the whole student, attending to both academic and social-emotional learning within the classroom during Extended School Year services. In addition to working with individual students who receive music therapy as a related service on their IEPs, we also collaborate with districts to provide group-based programming that enhances existing services. These group sessions can be integrated into extended school year programming to enhance learning objectives and provide moments of joy for learners. We work closely with educators to align music therapy activities with classroom goals—helping students remain engaged, build on existing strengths, and explore new challenges in a supportive, sensory-rich setting. Adding music therapy to summer programs not only provides enriching opportunities, it can also promote overall student health and wellbeing and break up teacher instruction time during the day.
A Holistic Approach to Learning
Using music strategies and interventions, we can address the social, emotional, physical, and academic goals of the students. Musical interventions can create opportunities for communication and building relationships in both verbal and non-verbal ways, nurturing the multiple strengths of students.
When we partner with school districts, we can:
Address mental health concerns in individual or group environments
- Develop strategies for social and emotional well-being
- Express desires and frustrations in constructive ways
Increase engagement in learning and skill building
- Generalize skills across settings
- Retain information
Develop social skills that move students and classes forward
- Engage in creative and structured group experiences
- Practice following directions and being a leader
- Increase communication skills through verbal and musical expression
Whether it’s reinforcing learned skills or providing a fresh, motivating approach to learning, music therapy brings an adaptable and meaningful layer to student support.
ESY Summer Services Flyer
Summer Services to Support Social and Emotional Learning
We will be reaching out next week to follow up with you, but if you’d like to select a time that is convenient for you to learn more, please feel free to visit my calendar and select a time for us to meet.
Click here to schedule a time to meet about music therapy services
If you know someone within your district or in another district that you think I should talk to, please don’t hesitate to contact us. I’d be happy to talk with a summer program coordinator if that makes more sense, and I always enjoy connecting with other districts and trying to find ways to develop music therapy programming that can support their unique challenges and needs.
I look forward to hearing about your unique needs in the district and exploring how our services can help you meet the needs of your students, families and staff.