Barn, musik och hälsa. Om självutveckling och känslohantering

Abstract

Music has a value in itself. However, the value and meaning of music is not simply limited to an inherent human aesthetic means of expression or a modality of experience. Music is also well documented in therapy and can be of importance for the promotion of health and wellbeing.This text presents children, music, and health in two ways. Firstly, it addresses the handling of stress focusing affect regulation through music. Secondly, the text investigates the development of self both in a specific and a general perspective.The link between music, emotions, and relationship is explored, including the concept of play. Some aspects from music and brain research are also addressed, in addition to features of child music development.The implication of the specific aspects of self is rooted in Stern’s developmental model of senses of self while the relationship between Music and Self in a more general way, is explored through a model of Richard Schwarts. Illustrating examples are drawn from the field of developmentally informed research, as well as from research on adult experiences of significant experiences of music during childhood. We are suggesting that children’s relating through music in different ways may contribute to wellbeing in the here-andnow as well as being a supportive force to self development also in the longer term. Keywords: Self development, stress handling, affect regulation, music, children