Music therapy is a professional health discipline that uses music as a therapeutic stimulus to achieve non-musical treatment goals. Research supports parallels between speech and singing; rhythm and motor behavior; musical mnemonics and rote memorization; and overall ability of preferred music to enhance mood, attention and behavior to optimize an individual's ability to learn and interact.

Music therapists receive specialized training to utilize music in these domains by completing a baccalaureate or advanced degree program in music therapy. Subsequent national board certification validates a therapist's knowledge and skill.

Research documents that many children with special needs exhibit a high level of preference for music and show processing capabilities for musical stimuli that support deficits in related non-music areas. In this way, music can be used as a motivator and alternate learning avenue for select skills that may be more difficult for an individual to achieve using typical non-music instructional approaches.