A New Understanding of Orff Music Therapy

Abstract

Music therapy, also known as music therapy, or music medicine, is an emerging and interdisciplinary discipline that integrates music, medicine, and psychology. The idea and clinical application of music therapy have been around for a long time, but it was founded as a discipline in the 1950s. After half a century, music therapy has developed considerably and shows a bright future. Music therapy has developed rapidly in a relatively short period due to its outstanding applicability and has gradually transformed into a bio-psycho-social model. This paper describes the scope of music therapy and reviews the development of music therapy in China and abroad. It focuses on the role and development of music therapy in the field of special education. Orff music therapy is a very effective music therapy method, which combines music, dance, language, rhythm and so on effectively. The paper presents the whole process of training children with intellectual disabilities using the Orff music therapy method including playful and improvisational music activities, combined with language training, and music and body movement methods. It also envisages the shortcomings in the future development of this emerging fringe discipline