Neurologic Music Therapy® – What Is It, and Who Can Benefit?
- Jen Hesse LPMT, MT-BC
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
What is Neurologic Music Therapy®?
Neurologic Music Therapy® (NMT™) is a system of evidence-based music therapy techniques utilizing the applied neuroscience of how our brains process rhythm and music. The system includes 20 techniques which target Speech & Language, Motor, and Cognitive goals. The intention of these exercises is not to become a musician, but to use music’s natural motivation, structure, and repetition to improve non-musical aspects of daily life. In order to become a Neurologic Music Therapist, a board-certified music therapist must complete additional training encompassing the mechanisms, reasonings, and procedures for each technique. Annapolis Music Therapy offers NMT for clients seeking functional improvements. Visit annapolismusictherapy.com/nmt to learn more.
NMT™ Candidates: Targeting Neurological Conditions and Functional Needs
While NMT™ focuses on the functional need rather than the diagnosis, there are a few scenarios in which it is particularly effective. It is most often used with those who have experienced neurologic conditions, such as:
Stroke
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
Parkinson’s Disease
Multiple Sclerosis
Other Neurological Conditions involving motor or cognitive challenges
NMT™ Focus Areas: Speech, Motor, and Cognitive Rehabilitation
NMT™ for Speech and Language Rehabilitation
Whether speech difficulties are due to muscle weakness or coordination issues, these NMT™ techniques target all aspects of speech production. Based on the individual’s needs, this could include:
Speech Production and Initiation
Articulation and Intelligibility
Pacing and Rhythm for clearer speech
Inflection, Pitch, or Tone control
Loudness regulation
Respiratory Support (breath support, extending length of speech between breaths)
Improving Motor Skills with Neurologic Music Therapy®
Motor-based techniques often involve instrument playing, however the end goal is always functional movement, not to become a musician. Your music therapist might guide you to play on a hi-hat cymbal or bass drum, not to become a drummer, but to use the pedals to strengthen the muscles, joints, and neural pathways involved in flexing your ankle. This contributes to improvements in walking safely and independently, a key NMT™ training goal. Motor techniques may target the following:
Strength
Flexibility and Range of Motion
Endurance
Limb Coordination
Dexterity & Fine Motor Skills
Balance
Neural Connections (messages which have trouble traveling from the brain to the intended limb)
Gait (Walking), which often requires building of the above skills such as coordination and balance
Enhancing Cognitive Functions through NMT™
There is often some overlap between cognitive skills and other goal areas. Even if you’re working on speaking or walking, you’ll still be using memory and attention skills in the process. Several NMT™ cognitive rehabilitation techniques may look similar to other exercises, however the intention is to strengthen the cognitive skills rather than the physical. These may include improving:
Attention
Memory
Executive Functioning Skills such as sequencing, planning, organizing, problem solving, and reasoning.
What to Expect: A Look Inside Neurologic Music Therapy® Sessions
Although NMT™ consists of systematic techniques, an individual’s experience will be based on their specific goals and intentions. You may or may not play instruments if you’re working on speech. While focusing on walking, you might have a metronome playing instead of a song. Executive functioning techniques may include making choices to compose music, even if you’ve never written a song before. Everything is individualized based on your non-musical goals for everyday life.
These techniques can often appear very similar to an outside observer, though the functional goal could be drastically different.
Imagine an individual who is sitting in a chair, with a drum on either side of them. Any of the following may be a reason for the NMT™ to encourage the client to play the drums:
Coordination – using the right hand to play the left drum and vice versa in order to work on crossing midline and coordinating movements on both sides of the body
Attention & Mental Endurance – based on the musical cue provided by the therapist, the client plays whichever drum corresponds to the sound, such as left drum on low sounds and right drum on high sounds.
Grasp & Fine Motor – holding a mallet requires strength, coordination, and rotation of the wrist in order to strike the drum.
The Science Behind NMT™: Why Neurologic Music Therapy Is Effective
Every aspect of Neurologic Music Therapy® is based in neuroscience research. Each of the 20 techniques was developed in response to understanding how the brain processes rhythm, singing, and music. These evidence-based music therapy techniques are highly effective. Some of these findings included:
Rhythmic Entrainment in NMT™
How the body can naturally sync to external rhythms without intentional awareness (Have you ever been walking, heard an upbeat song, and found yourself unintentionally walking to the beat? That’s rhythmic entrainment!)
Music Processing and Neural Pathway Repair
Music is one of the only things that involves nearly every part of the brain. By using music, we can repair damaged pathways, or foster the development of new neural pathways for non-musical skills.
Auditory Feedback and Sonification for Enhanced Learning
“Sonification” is the process of making a movement or action audible. If you move your arm a certain distance to hit a tambourine, the sound of the tambourine tells you that you’ve completed the movement. The sound of a piano key tells you that you’ve pressed the key down hard enough to strike the note. This kind of feedback can help enhance learning while providing additional “targets” in the task.
Motivation and Structure: The Driving Force of NMT
Music is fun! Not only is it enjoyable (which leads to better outcomes for any rehabilitation), but music provides a time-based structure and motivation to complete tasks. When you know that the end of the song is coming, it can be more motivating to continue rather than stopping halfway through the chorus or just counting reps. This inherent motivation in music enhances therapy outcomes.
Music is inherently structured and repetitive. This might look like a steady tempo across an entire song, a predictable four-chord progression, or knowing that it will alternate between a verse and a chorus. The other key component is that neural connections strengthen with repetition. Add together repetition of actions with the motivation, structure, and repetition of music? They go together in perfect harmony.
Next Steps: Connecting with a Neurologic Music Therapist® in Annapolis
To learn more about Neurologic Music Therapy®, you can visit the website of the Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy® linked here (https://NMTacademy.co/) . The Academy of NMT™ includes founders of the techniques and provides the training for all certified Neurologic Music Therapists.
To learn more about Neurologic Music Therapy® sessions at Annapolis Music Therapy, visit annapolismusictherapy.com/nmt or email admin@annapolismusictherapy.com. You can learn more about our Neurologic Music Therapist Jen at annapolismusictherapy.com/bio-jen. We offer NMT™ services for stroke recovery, TBI, Parkinson's, and other neurological conditions.