Music Therapy
Susan Rancer, RMT
Interview by Shanti Kurada, MS, MBA
Individuals with autism seem to respond to music with an innate sense of rhythm, greeting a familiar tune like an old friend. Some of them enjoy it with their whole bodies, smiling, swaying to the beat. Some of them are exceptionally talented with an intrinsic ability to process and create musical patterns. So, it is natural for many families to explore music for their children on the autism spectrum - as an avenue for expression, as a skill, or as a calming or engaging activity.
When I spoke to Susan Rancer, I was surprised to learn that many of her students with autism possessed 'perfect pitch' - the intriguing ability to recognize or sing musical notes without formal instruction. The following is an interview regarding her experiences teaching students on the spectrum.
SK: What is music therapy?
SR: A music therapist is different from a music teacher. A music therapist is trained to work with challenging or unexpected behaviors, to accommodate good days and bad days. Most importantly, a music teacher requires students to work at her assigned level whereas a music therapist works at the student's level.
SK: How do you begin working with a student?
SR: I start by exposing them to different instruments. I do give them some instruction but I also offer some 'free play' time when they can choose an instrument and play it.
Piano is the best instrument to begin with because its linear and can be taught easier with your hands in front of you. Piano involves developing hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, motor planning, visual tracking, and attention span. Those are usually goals on the IEP so this helps with skill transference (such as to handwriting and reading) and overall development.
Later, we might move on to other instruments depending on the student's skills and interests.
SK: Whom do you teach?
SR: I teach children and adults with special needs. That includes Learning Disorder, Autism, ADD, ADHD, Cerebral Palsy, Downs Syndrome, and other conditions.
SK: How many of your students have autism?
SR: 35 of my 50 students have autism. yes, that's a whopping 65%. These kids are very talented.
SK: What is it about autistic individuals that makes them musically inclined?
SR: Many of them have perfect pitch. Its like having a photographic memory of sound. It takes parents a long time to find this out because behaviors get in the way. Also it takes a trained ear to detect if the child has perfect pitch or not.
SK: Can you explain a bit more about perfect pitch?
SR: Yes. Perfect pitch - also known as absolute pitch - is defined as the ability to identify the pitch of a musical tone by name, without an external reference (such as written music). People with perfect pitch can listen to a song and then play it, without even being able to read the music.
Perfect pitch is a spectrum. Some people can play an entire song after hearing it. Some can play the same song on different instruments. Others can reproduce only specific notes, within a given range. It is very important to understand if the student has perfect pitch, and if so, in what specific way.
SK: Why is that important?
SR: People with perfect pitch learn and process information differently. They are often auditory learners. If taught using traditional methods, they will be unmotivated and lose interest quickly. If taught appropriately, they many show amazing abilities.
Sometimes the child will "know" the music in his head but is unable to play it. His auditory memory competes with secondary learning mechanisms such as visual cues, sheet music, finger instruction, etc. They are unable to integrate their auditory memory with additional visual and physical cues.
Perfect pitch can create problems. If the student learns only auditorily, he may ignore the note-reading or finger instruction part of the lesson. The teacher may feel that his instructions are being ignored or the student "doesn't get it".
SK: How can you tell if the student has perfect pitch?
SR: There are many traits that these children exhibit but just to give a few:
gets annoyed when others sing along to a song, especially in confined places like cars
background noises that others might easily ignore are heard and noted
may be unable to read music, or even when able, is uninterested in using sheet music
displays an apparent lack of motivation in music lessons despite strong aptitude
is "addicted" to music
is tuned to a certain key, and plays or sings every piece in that key
SK: How do you alter your teaching methods to suit the student's needs?
SR: I begin by teaching all students as though they are auditory learners. I do this until I can establish if they have perfect pitch or not. I never play a new piece of music until they have mastered the piece we are working on. I use visual cues like pointing so they can connect their auditory processing of a note to its position on the page. I might sing a command to the student rather than saying it, so he comprehends better.
In the beginning, I try to strengthen their auditory skill by "playing by ear" without sheet music. We play rhythm games on different percussion instruments. I do not integrate the audio with the visual until visual skills are concrete. Once they develop visual skills, I strengthen them using various activities.
SK: What is your overall experience teaching music to students with autism?
SR: It has been anything but ordinary. Many of my students show frustration, inattentiveness, they may ignore instructions or have tantrums. I believe many of them do process music auditorily and can replay a song in their heads perfectly. It takes practice and work to get them to display this skill. When they do display it, it gives them tremendous confidence and self esteem. Music can become a nonverbal form of expression to them.
SK: How has this experience altered you, as a teacher and an individual?
SR: My goal is to focus on the ability rather than disability. Through steady practice and persistence, hidden and unexpected talents are often discovered. It is very rewarding -watching these children bloom. Sometimes, educators have given up on some children due to their extreme behaviors. They've failed at IEP tests and labelled "low functioning". When I discover that they have this amazing ability to hear and process a song purely from memory, and I let the parents know - it is like giving them the most unexpected gift.
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Susan Rancer is a registered music therapist in Piedmont, California, who has been in practice for over 35 years. She specializes in teaching piano, guitar, and violin to special need students, and engages them in music therapy if they're unable to play an instrument. She currently teaches 50 students, 35 of whom have autism, including a few savants. Susan also serves as Music Director for a local Jewish preschool and synagogue. She is the author of 'Perfect Pitch Relative Pitch' and has co-authored sections of the book 'Islands of Genius: The beautiful Mind of the Autistic, Acquired, and Sudden Savant', by Dr. Darold A. Treffert, an internationally recognized expert on savant syndrome.