Citation

Foran LM. Educational Horizons 2009; 88(1): 51-58.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Early education teachers are familiar with using music and rhythm as tools for learning language and building memory. However, the potential of music to help across all special education settings is largely unexplored. Work with music has been widely judged helpful in cases of psychological trauma, yet people do not know why it is helpful. The origins of music as an emotional experience, how it is processed in the brain, and why it stays in the memory so long remain largely a mystery. For children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, the resulting impact on the brain is connected with difficulties in emotional regulation, behavior problems, poor concentration, and deficits in verbal memory. Special educators who work with traumatized children need to understand the neurological underpinnings of their students' behavioral and learning challenges and how to enhance their learning potential. This paper will explore various uses of music to enhance emotional regulation and improve learning in children with severe or chronic trauma.

Language: en