The Role of Music and Music Therapy in Aphasia Rehabilitation

Abstract

A stroke results in brain damage, often causing loss or reduction in speech and language capacity. Music and music therapy can

contribute to the recovery of speech and provide emotional support to individuals with aphasia. There is a diverse body of

research on the links between music and language. Musical structure is related to language syntax. Singing songs from one’s

culture, the emotional act of singing, the theatrics of singing, and musical improvisation can all influence speech output. The purpose of this article is to review current research on the links between language and music in brain function in order tofurther explore, through case study and analysis of music therapy application, how music might be employed as part of acomprehensive, multimodal approach to speech and language rehabilitation.