Idiosyncratic as a New Aesthetic Paradigm in Music Therapy for Children with Special Needs

Dominikus Catur Raharja

doi:10.63922/ijevss.v5i02.2781

Dominikus Catur Raharja Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Bethel The Way

DOI: https://doi.org/10.63922/ijevss.v5i02.2781

Keywords: Diosyncratic Aesthetics; Music Therapy; Children With Special Needs; Body Experiences; Environmental Sounds

Abstract

In music therapy, aesthetic approaches are usually based on universal and normative principles that emphasize musical structure, harmony, and uniform standards of beauty. This paradigm is often insufficient to explain the wide range of auditory responses of children with special needs, especially in children with cerebral palsy and additional disorders, who exhibit very unique body and emotional reactions to sound. The aim of this study is to develop the concept of idiosyncratic as a new aesthetic paradigm in music therapy for children with special needs. In this study, aesthetic meanings are based on bodily experiences, emotions, and personal relationships. This research uses an interpretive qualitative methodology, supported by conceptual-philosophical studies supported by the auditory responses of children with special needs and parental stories. Sound is interpreted as a vibrational and relational experience through phenomenological and hermeneutic approaches used to conduct the analysis. The results of the study show that idiosyncratic responses to both environmental and musical sounds serve as the primary gauges of aesthetic experience and emotional control in children with special needs. In these situations, beauty is determined by the resonance of the body and the emotional meaning that arises from the relationship between the child and the parents rather than formal musical structures. By offering an idiosyncratic aesthetic paradigm, this study contributes to the development of the aesthetic discourse of music therapy. In addition, this study confirms that an experiential, interpersonal, and personalized approach is essential for the therapeutic music treatment of children with special needs.

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