Music Therapy for Everyone

You’ll often hear music therapists say that music therapy is for everyone, but what about those who are d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing? I’m here to clear up a common misconception that people who do not have access to the full range of hearing cannot fully enjoy or participate in music therapy. For the purposes of this blog post, I will be using d/Deaf as an umbrella term to refer to both d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

People who have not lived a d/Deaf experience may assume that d/Deaf people cannot enjoy or participate in music. This is an incorrect assumption for a few reasons:

1) many d/Deaf people still have access to some hearing (which is referred to as residual hearing), and

2) music is so much more than a purely auditory experience; people also experience music through touch, sight, and movement.

As a music therapist, I have worked with many d/Deaf individuals. These folks have included older adults who have become d/Deaf due to the aging process; children and adults who were born d/Deaf and use hearing assistive devices, and adults who choose not to use any hearing assistive devices and primarily communicate using sign language. In every single situation, I’ve been able to collaborate with the person to figure out what changes made music therapy most accessible for them.

Making Music Therapy Accessible

There are many things music therapists can do to accommodate d/Deaf people. I’ve had success using different amplification devices for d/Deaf clients who prefer to use their hearing to engage with music. Music can also be streamed directly into hearing assistive devices with Bluetooth capabilities if preferable.

For clients who prefer to experience music through touch, I’ve used instruments that provide a lot of tactile feedback (such as drums, xylophones, rhythm sticks, etc.). I will also have people hold handheld speakers to feel the beat better or write their own electronic music with a focus on the intensity of vibrations instead of purely sound (think going to a concert and being able to feel the sound in your chest from the speakers).

For individuals wanting to engage with music using sight, music videos with captioning, printed lyric sheets, and ASL song covers are different visual options. Clients can also dance and move with the music, especially when they can feel the beat. These are just a few of the many individualized tools a music therapist can use to work with d/Deaf individuals.

Music Therapy Goals

Now that you know about all the tools that music therapists can use with d/Deaf clients, you may be wondering how they can be therapeutic. Music therapy can be used as a tool to:

• manage mental health symptoms
• facilitate emotional expression
• rehabilitate physical functioning
• improve cognitive health
• stimulate memory
• develop social skills
• learn to regulate emotions
• improve overall well-being

The one thing all of my d/Deaf clients had in common was none of them were seeing me because they were d/Deaf. They were seeking treatment for a myriad of other concerns independent of their deafness.

Try it out!

Hopefully, it is clearer now just how many ways d/Deaf people can access music therapy. I encourage any d/Deaf individuals or parents of d/Deaf children to consider music therapy as an option for healing and growth, especially if you or your child loves music! It can be a truly transformative experience.