Can Music Help Special Education Students Control Negative Behavior in the Classroom?

Music therapy has been researched and found to have a calming relaxing effect on students who fear large crowds, especially in classrooms. Music therapy has been proven to have a calming effect on those students who display signs of distress, or who have been diagnosed with psychological or physiological disorders. Some students show stress when taking tests. Research has proven that music significantly reduces stressful behaviors in these students. Background music has proven to have a positive effect on students who are assigned to inclusion classes. Music has been used as an effective intervention for maintaining and improving active involvement, social, emotional and cognitive skills. Music therapy has had positive effects on these students who deal with psychological stressors or physiological complications. Thus, it has been researched and proven that students who receive music therapy over a long period of time have a success rate that is higher than those students who receive music therapy over a shorter period. Long-term music therapy indicates that music sessions were most effective in increasing self-control, relaxation and comfort levels inside the classroom, allowing more time for teaching.