APT

Two weeks ago I started a new blog series that I was SUPER excited about: how we can use music therapy interventions to address cognitive function.

And then…

…my website decided it did not want to play nice anymore.

I had a few little glitches occur, which is why the blog post for last Wednesday was MIA. So sorry! But we are back on schedule today with a brand new post and video!

So let’s get to it…

Last week I shared the first video in the Music Therapy + Cognition series. It was a demonstration of a Musical Sensory Orientation Training (MSOT) experience.

If you haven’t checked that video out, click here to see me using my clarinet for this experience (I love using my clarinet in sessions!)

Today, in part two of the series, I’ll be sharing video of an Auditory Perception Training (APT) experience. The purpose of APT is to refine and develop acoustical perceptual accuracy.

Sound complicated?

To put it in simpler terms, I’m using two specific types of musical experiences (one called auditory differences, the other called auditory matching) to work on sound discrimination and identification.

These two skills are crucial for children learning to read, write, spell and speak. For example, a child must be able to discriminate between “ng” and “nk” in order to hear the word “thing” spoken to him, rather than the word “think.”

Auditory discrimination also has implications for speech in that a child may mishear and thus mispronounce certain words.

The great news is that we can address auditory discrimination and identification in a variety of creative ways during our music therapy sessions.

In the video you’ll see demonstrations of two APT experiences:

  • Same & Different to work on auditory differences – the child is asked to discriminate between sounds that are either the same or different
  • “What Do You Hear?” to work on auditory matching – the child is asked to identify different musical sounds.

There are a hundred different ways you can vary these APT experiences. Think of ALL the instruments and notes on the keyboard you have available!

What are some ways that you address auditory discrimination and identification in your music therapy sessions?

Leave a comment below to let us know! Sharing ideas is the best way for us to grow as music therapists!