Four Pianos, One Shared Experience: A New Group Music Therapy Program at Soundwave

Anne Howell
Jun 23
7 min read

Updated: Jun 24

Illustration of a music therapist in a yellow floral shirt leading five children in a piano-based group music therapy session, with children seated at keyboards using color, number, emotion, and symbol cue cards in a soft pastel classroom.

Most people picture piano as a one-on-one lesson: one student, one teacher, one instrument.

But what happens when four pianos are placed in one room?

In Soundwave’s piano-based group music therapy sessions, the piano becomes more than an instrument to learn. It becomes a shared therapeutic tool. Children can play together, listen to one another, take turns, follow cues, make choices, build patterns, and experience being part of a group sound.

In a piano-based group setting, children can practice communication, coordination, sequencing, attention, decision-making, self-expression, confidence, and social connection through shared musical experiences. As discussed below, this approach draws from both music therapy principles and group piano pedagogy, adapting the structure of small-group keyboard learning for therapeutic growth.

Source note: AMTA; CBMT; Baker-Jordan, 2004; Wheeler, 2015

Why Group Piano?

Group piano has a long history as a learning format in music education. Group piano pedagogy emphasizes functional musical skills such as playing patterns, reading simple notation, harmonizing, improvising, and using the piano as a tool for broader musical learning.

Soundwave adapts this group-learning structure within a music therapy framework. That means the therapist is not simply teaching piano technique. The piano becomes a shared space for practicing attention, sequencing, decision-making, listening, turn-taking, and expressive communication.

Source note: Baker-Jordan, 2004; Young, 2013

Illustration of four children seated at keyboards arranged in a circle, connected by music-note pathways to show listening, turn-taking, and group piano interaction. — Four pianos create a shared music circle where children can listen, respond, and play together.

Multiple Ways Into Music: Colors, Numbers, and Notation

Not every child accesses music in the same way. Some children may respond best to colors, some to numbers, some to visual patterns, and some to traditional musical notation. This reflects a broader accessibility principle: learning environments are stronger when children have multiple ways to perceive information, decode symbols, respond, and build fluency over time.

In a piano-based group, therapists can layer supports such as color cues, number patterns, visual symbols, and standard notation. For younger children, this may mean matching colors or numbers to keys. For older children, it may involve reading short patterns, following rhythmic notation, building chords, or creating simple accompaniments. These adaptations help make the experience accessible without removing challenge, structure, or opportunities for growth.

Source note: AMTA; CAST UDL Guidelines; Rogers, 1991; Rogers, 1996; Young, 2013

Illustration of a piano keyboard with three labeled learning sections—Colors, Numbers, and Notation—showing red, yellow, green, and purple color cards; numbers 1 through 4; and a 4/4 rhythm pattern made of a quarter note, two sixteenth notes, a quarter rest, and a quarter note. — Color, number, and notation cues can offer multiple ways for children to access piano-based learning and participation.

Supporting Fine Motor Skills, Sequencing, and Coordination

Playing piano can be structured to support fine motor control, finger isolation, bilateral coordination, timing, and motor planning. Even a short musical pattern requires a child to notice where their hands are, decide what comes next, coordinate movement, and respond to rhythm.

In a music therapy context, these tasks can be adjusted to the child’s needs. One child might work on pressing one key at the right time. Another might practice alternating hands, following a color sequence, or coordinating a simple left-hand pattern with a right-hand melody.

Source note: Thaut & Hoemberg, 2014; Schneider et al., 2007; Grau-Sánchez et al., 2013

Illustration of a child playing piano while a music therapist in a yellow floral shirt points to color and number cue cards above the keyboard. — A music therapist uses color and number cues to help a child follow a simple piano sequence with support and encouragement.

Organization, Planning, and Decision-Making

Piano-based group activities can be structured to give children practice with organization, planning, and decision-making. Children may be asked to follow a short sequence, wait for a cue, choose between two musical options, remember a pattern, or decide how a group piece should begin and end.

These musical choices create low-pressure opportunities to organize information and make decisions in real time. The child is not just “playing notes.” They are noticing cues, following a plan, adjusting to the group, and choosing how to participate.

In this way, the piano serves as a structured musical tool. Group piano pedagogy has long emphasized functional skills such as sight-reading, harmonizing, transposing, improvising, playing scales, and accompanying, while music therapy adapts musical tasks toward individualized therapeutic goals.

Source note: AMTA; Thaut & Hoemberg, 2014; Young, 2013

Illustration of a music therapist in a yellow floral shirt teaching three children at keyboards using color cues, finger numbers, and color-coded staff notation labeled C, E, F, and G. — Piano-based group activities can give children a structured way to practice organizing patterns, making choices, and responding to musical cues.

Self-Expression and Confidence

The piano can give children a concrete way to express themselves, even when words are difficult. A child can play loudly or softly, choose high or low sounds, create a pattern, answer a musical question, or help shape the mood of a group activity.

Because the therapist can adapt the task, children can experience success without needing to perform at a traditional lesson standard. That success matters. Over time, participating, being heard, and contributing to a group sound can support confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of belonging.

Source note: AMTA; MacDonald & Wilson, 2014

Illustration of a child playing a piano pattern while other children sit nearby listening supportively, with music-note shapes showing self-expression and confidence. — A child shares a short piano pattern while peers practice supportive listening, encouragement, and confidence-building.

Group Cohesion and Social Skill Development

A group piano session creates natural opportunities for social learning. Children practice waiting, listening, taking turns, responding to others, staying with the group tempo, and noticing how their part fits into the whole.

These skills are especially important because group music-making makes social interaction visible and audible. If one child plays, another child can answer. If the group starts together, everyone hears the shared result. The therapist can use these moments to support active listening, expressive communication, cooperation, and group cohesion.

Source note: Burlingame et al., 2011; Gooding, 2011; LaGasse, 2014; Kirschner & Tomasello, 2010

Illustration of a music therapist in a yellow floral shirt cueing four children seated at four keyboards, with musical lines from each piano joining into one continuous stream to show shared group playing. — Four children at four pianos playing different parts of one shared song, with a therapist cueing the group.

Age-Responsive Groups

Soundwave’s piano-based groups are designed around developmental fit. Groups may be organized by chronological age ranges such as 6–9, 10–12, 13–15, and 16+, allowing therapists to match the structure, language, social expectations, and musical challenges to each group.

Younger children may benefit from color matching, movement, musical games, and short turn-taking patterns. Older children may work with more independence, notation, chord progressions, songwriting, leadership roles, and peer collaboration. Across chronological age groups, the goal remains the same: use music to support meaningful therapeutic growth.

Source note: Wheeler, 2015; Gooding, 2011; LaGasse, 2014; CAST, 2024; Baker-Jordan, 2004

Infographic showing four developmental age groups for piano-based music therapy: ages 6–9 exploring colors, decision making, following directions, and turn-taking; ages 10–12 building skills with numbers, active listening, rhythm notation, and listening/responding; ages 13–15 expanding independence through notation, chords, and expression; and ages 16+ focusing on songwriting, leadership, and collaboration, all arranged around a central piano theme. — Four age-group cards arranged around a piano icon, each showing a different level of musical support: colors, numbers, notation, and creative collaboration.

Why Six Weeks?

Group music therapy is not only about what happens in a single session. It is also about what can develop over time.

A six-week group gives children enough time to become familiar with the therapist, the room, the pianos, and one another. That familiarity matters. As children begin to feel more comfortable, they may become more willing to take musical risks, participate with peers, share ideas, and engage in more socially oriented activities.

This structure is also informed by Soundwave’s previous community-based program evaluation. In that completed project, children’s recorded activity preferences shifted significantly across the study period. Over time, children showed increased selection of more relational, expressive, and socially oriented interventions. One reasonable interpretation is that, as groups became more familiar and cohesive, children felt safer participating in activities that required communication, collaboration, and trust.

For piano-based groups, six weeks creates room for that process to unfold. Early sessions can focus on comfort, orientation, simple patterns, and successful participation. Later sessions can build toward more collaborative experiences, such as musical turn-taking, paired playing, group improvisation, shared decision-making, and creating music together.

The goal is not to rush children toward performance. The goal is to create a structured, supportive group experience where therapeutic growth can build week by week.

Source note: Soundwave community-based program evaluation; Gooding, 2011

Illustration showing a six-week progression in a piano-based group music therapy program, from early one-on-one support, to collaborative skill-building, to confident group playing with four keyboards and a therapist in a yellow floral shirt. — A six-week group format gives children time to build familiarity, confidence, and connection through consistent shared music-making.

Now Enrolling: Saturday Morning Groups Beginning July 18

World Golf Village location only

Soundwave is currently filling Saturday morning piano-based group music therapy sessions at our World Golf Village location, beginning Saturday, July 18. Groups are organized by age so that activities, social expectations, and musical supports can be matched to each child’s developmental level.

Learn more about our World Golf Village location.

Saturday group schedule:

Age group	Time
Ages 6–9	11:00–11:45 AM
Ages 10–12	12:00–12:45 PM
Ages 13–15	1:00–1:45 PM
Ages 16+	2:00–2:45 PM

Space is limited so that each group can remain supportive, structured, and responsive to the children participating.

Families interested in joining a Saturday group can contact Soundwave Music Therapy to ask about availability and determine which group may be the best fit.

References

American Music Therapy Association. (n.d.). What is music therapy? Retrieved June 23, 2026, from https://www.musictherapy.org/about/musictherapy/

Certification Board for Music Therapists. (n.d.). Certification Board for Music Therapists. Retrieved June 23, 2026, from https://www.cbmt.org/

Baker-Jordan, M. (2004). Practical piano pedagogy: The definitive text for piano teachers and pedagogy students. Warner Bros. Publications.

CAST. (2024). CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0. https://udlguidelines.cast.org/

Grau-Sánchez, J., Amengual, J. L., Rojo, N., Veciana de las Heras, M., Montero, J., Rubio, F., Altenmüller, E., & Münte, T. F. (2013). Plasticity in the sensorimotor cortex induced by music-supported therapy in stroke patients: A TMS study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 7, Article 494. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2013.00494

Burlingame, G. M., McClendon, D. T., & Alonso, J. (2011). Cohesion in group therapy. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022063

Gooding, L. F. (2011). The effect of a music therapy social skills training program on improving social competence in children and adolescents with social skills deficits. Journal of Music Therapy, 48(4), 440–462. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/48.4.440

Kirschner, S., & Tomasello, M. (2010). Joint music making promotes prosocial behavior in 4-year-old children. Evolution and Human Behavior, 31(5), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.04.004

LaGasse, A. B. (2014). Effects of a music therapy group intervention on enhancing social skills in children with autism. Journal of Music Therapy, 51(3), 250–275. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thu012

MacDonald, R. A. R., & Wilson, G. B. (2014). Musical improvisation and health: A review. Psychology of Well-Being, 4, Article 20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13612-014-0020-9

Rogers, G. L. (1991). Effect of color-coded notation on music achievement of elementary instrumental students. Journal of Research in Music Education.

Rogers, G. L. (1996). Effect of colored rhythmic notation on music-reading skills of elementary students. Journal of Research in Music Education.

Schneider, S., Schönle, P. W., Altenmüller, E., & Münte, T. F. (2007). Using musical instruments to improve motor skill recovery following a stroke. Journal of Neurology, 254, 1339–1346. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-006-0523-2

Thaut, M. H., & Hoemberg, V. (Eds.). (2014). Handbook of neurologic music therapy. Oxford University Press.

Young, M. M. (2013). University-level group piano instruction and professional musicians. Music Education Research, 15(1), 59–73.

Wheeler, B. L. (Ed.). (2015). Music therapy handbook. Guilford Press.