I was introduced as “Ms. Gina” to two, cherub-faced little boys who attended kindergarten group speech sessions together at their school. Space was limited, so we were given a smaller “pre-school” room to use for our meetings. My first memory of my “little drummer” was that in a room full of toys, that most kids that age would be distracted by, he gravitated towards items/toys that either played music or that he could use as a drumstick to tap against our tiny table, the floor or any other surface. Over time, I noticed that not only was he tapping his hands, but his feet and legs were tapping too. We incorporated beats and music in almost everything we did from articulation therapy to vocabulary development, sentence structure, responding to wh-questions, listening comprehension and turn taking. This little one’s need for movement to process the world around him was not lost on me! With delight, I strongly urged his parents to seek out community based martial arts for full body movement, but more importantly music/drum lessons because it was clear that this was what made him tick. It was apparent that he was a natural musician at an early age and it would be wonderful to see him continue to grow in his abilities. However, he was quite shy and reserved in school, mainly keeping to himself. Perhaps community-based music activities could give him a satisfying social experience. Fast forward to 10 years later, when he is now a teen and drummer in a local musical school’s house band that performs with other teens regularly. His family shares videos often and I fully expect to see him in another 10 years on a larger stage, living his dream.
When he is behind his drum kit, he exudes confidence and dedication and is the backbone of his band. Let’s just hope that he remembers our time together when he’s playing at the arena and his old speech teacher wants to come congratulate him!
Like the child described above, many people need movement of mind and body in order to fully participate in their environment, process and produce language and engage socially with others. For ADHDers like us, music lends itself not only to movement but creative thoughts and an invisible rhythm in which we thrive in. Unlike my student, whose need for movement was encouraged, my constant movement as an elementary student was consistently discouraged. The educators around me did not accept my thinking to my own soundtrack. My world outside of school was flooded with music, dancing and performing, often in my grandparent’s driveway with my very large Italian family of musicians. It was not until I began playing violin in elementary school, which unlocked an ability to thrive, focus, self-regulate my emotions, accept new challenges by playing new pieces of music, develop dedication and a consistent practicing regimen, form life-lasting friendships and feel confident about my abilities. The benefits were endless. Exploring music was quite literally the start to all of life’s journeys to date and has been transformative.
Scientifically the benefits of music to increase concentration, positively affect mood and self-regulation, enhance cognition and language abilities, improve social skills and inclusion, and provide overall satisfaction and happiness have been well documented. Scientifically the benefits of music to increase concentration, positively affect mood and self-regulation, enhance cognition and language abilities, improve social skills and inclusion, and provide overall satisfaction and happiness have been well documented. Research indicates that engagement with music activates widespread neural networks involved in attention, executive functioning, and emotional regulation, which can support sustained concentration and cognitive performance (Hallam, 2010; Thaut, 2005). Studies have also demonstrated that listening to or actively participating in music can positively influence mood and reduce stress by modulating neurochemical responses associated with reward and emotional processing (Chanda & Levitin, 2013). In educational and therapeutic contexts, music-based activities have been shown to support language development and memory through rhythmic and melodic patterning that facilitates auditory processing and verbal recall (Patel, 2011; Tierney & Kraus, 2013). Additionally, collaborative musical experiences—such as group singing, ensemble participation, or rhythmic synchronization—can strengthen social bonding, increase prosocial behavior, and foster a greater sense of inclusion and well-being among participants (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010; Hallam, 2010). Collectively, these findings suggest that music serves not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a powerful cognitive, emotional, and social support that contributes to overall life satisfaction and happiness.
Gina-Marie Moravcik MA, CCC-SLP, is a Neurodivergent Speech Language Pathologist who can be reached at Sunrise Speech and Language Services, www.sunriseslpsvcs.com or via email at gmoravcik@sunriseslpsvcs.com.
References
Chanda, M. L., & Levitin, D. J. (2013). The neurochemistry of music. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 17(4), 179–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2013.02.007
Hallam, S. (2010). The power of music: Its impact on the intellectual, social and personal development of children and young people. International Journal of Music Education, 28(3), 269–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761410370658
Kirschner, S., & Tomasello, M. (2010). Joint music making promotes prosocial behavior in 4-year-old children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31(5), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.04.004
Patel, A. D. (2011). Why would musical training benefit the neural encoding of speech? The OPERA hypothesis. Frontiers in Psychology, 2, 142. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2011.00142
Thaut, M. H. (2005). Rhythm, music, and the brain: Scientific foundations and clinical applications. Routledge.
Tierney, A., & Kraus, N. (2013). Music training for the development of reading skills. Progress in Brain Research, 207, 209–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-444-63327-9.00008-4
