Music therapy in institutionalized children

Abstract

Objective. To review the literature in order to understand how Music Therapy is being used with children living in shelters. Method. A search was made in the PubMed, SCIELO and Google Scholar databases, with the descriptors: “Music Therapy”, “Music Therapy and Children in Shelter”, “Children in Shelter” and “Shelter”. Articles on juvenile offenders, street children, shelter as a corrective measure for infractions, music therapy aimed at teachers and children in schools were excluded. Results. Three researches on Music Therapy were included for children aged 2 months to 13 years, housed in a temporary home, from families destabilized by social, financial and/or psychological problems. The children underwent music therapy experience and improvement in bonding, socialization, self-affirmation, self-esteem, decision-making and expression of emotions was observed. Conclusion. Music therapy is an important teaching and learning tool that facilitates the development of children's social skills. It was observed that music allowed the child to have a facilitation in their development and learning.