The present research will examine the effectiveness of music on social skills in male students who are mentally retarded but educable.

This research applied an experimental method with pre-test and post-test tools. Therefore, to carry out the research, 40 eligible students were chosen from three especial schools in such cities as Amol (Bahmand school), Babol (Kusha school) and Noor (Tulo-e-Noor school) in Mazandaran province in Iran. Afterwards, they were randomly divided into two groups, namely control and experimental ones. Both Demographic Data Collection and Social Skill Development (by Vineland) Questionnaires were used to pile up the data. In addition to being provided by teachers' teaching, the experimental groups were exposed to rhythmic -melodious music for 12 sessions weekly, 10 minutes per session, as compared to the control groups who have been educated without the dependent variable (i.e. absent of rhythmic -melodious music).

Results from covariance analysis revealed that after the scores of pre-test and other variables related to social skills had been checked, there existed a significant difference between the mean of remained scores in control and experimental groups. That is, the mean score of experimental group was significantly higher than that of control group (P=0).Eta square root equaling 1 explained 58% of covariance of remained scores (personal differences) in regard to musical effects.

Results of the research indicate that rhythmic -melodious music can be considered as one of the factors affecting socially developmental skills in especial children.