It’s not ordinary group therapy, but the goals are the same.

In music therapy sessions, participants may do the electric slide, learn how to tap out a rhythm on the tambourine or sing a favorite melody. By taking an element that is universal, about 40 music therapy majors use song and rhythm to reach people in need.

"Everyone responds positively to some music," said Roy Grant, professor of music therapy. "We can use music to some manner to bring about healing."

Music therapy uses music to accomplish therapeutic goals in patients such as improving mental and physical health. Therapists commonly work at hospitals, community health canters, substance abuse facilities and schools.

"In music therapy, we think the more musical we are, the better human beings we can be," said Laura Alvarez, a junior in music therapy from Mexico City. "It’s in our nature to be able to produce music."

Helping people discover how they can be creative is one way music therapists reach their patients. For example, Grant has seen nursing home patients who would not talk sing along to songs.

"We have found that people who have lost communication will participate in music," Grant said. "We don’t fully understand it yet."

Music is a great motivator, said Prescilla Garcia, a sophomore from Fairburn. "What really drew me to music therapy is how much influence and power music has over the human body and mind," she said. "It can relax people or make their heart beat faster."

Each music therapy major must lead music therapy sessions. Most of their major classes require a music therapy session for at least an hour a week. Students, who often start leading sessions during their freshman year, also must intern as a therapist for six months.

Music therapists master a principal instrument and learn how to play the piano, guitar, auto harp and lead groups in song. A background in biology and psychology also is essential for music therapy students so they can understand the needs and pathologies of their patients.

Grant said the most important part of the curriculum is for the students to experience the power of music. This is done primarily through the therapy sessions, which are structured around several activities requiring group interaction, concentration skills and short-term auditory memory skills. With recovering drug and alcohol patients, for example, the therapy group may learn dance steps to improve their ability to focus and cooperate with each other. They also learn how to use music, instead of drugs, to relax.

For the students, one of the most challenging aspects of leading music therapy sessions is being objective with the participants.

"As a therapist, you can’t assume things about people," said Natalie Salcedo , a graduate student from Houston. "You have to be objective to know where to start to help them."

Being able to give the patients what they need is challenging, Alvarez said, but she said she feels satisfied when she sees her patients make a positive change in their lives. "That’s when you feel you have made a difference through music," she said.