Music therapy is indeed a powerful too. Music has the ability to calm the mind and sooth the soul.
Maybe you’ve heard the tale of King Saul in the Bible who was soothed by David’s music from his harp. There’s the old adage, “music calms the angry beast.” Every culture has rich musical traditions that are thought to have effects on someone’s mood. Following World War II, many hospitals hired musicians to work in the hospitals and formalize the practice of using music therapy. Many people use music in a therapeutic capacity, listening to favorite songs when they get off work and need a pick-me-up. Some use it at night for its calming effects.
What you may not know is how music is actually used in therapy, for patients with AIDS and HIV, in burn units, and in at-risk youth programs. Music Heals Charitable Foundation was formed to help raise awareness of how music heals. It’s a registered charity and supports many programs across British Columbia that use music to help people heal.
Music as a Healing Tool
Music is thought to help with coping skills and reduce emotional stress. Music therapists who have advanced training in music psychotherapy provide individualized sessions with patients to help them deal with life-altering diseases like cancer. Patients who have experienced traumatic brain injuries respond to music. Music therapy has been used to facilitate learning in children and youth with learning disabilities. There’s a sensory and intellectual stimulation by music that trained and certified therapists can accomplish that enriches a person’s life.
One program in the United States reaches out to active duty airmen who are on deployment. A music program is developed to foster coping skills and stress management while away from family in a high-stress situation. Those with PTSD are encouraged to use songwriting as a way of expressing their concerns. The research is continuing, because the results have been so positive.
In a case study issued by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), a six-year-old girl who could play the piano by ear was unable to interact well with others due to physical and developmental delays. She worked with an accredited music therapist and made significant progress in verbal skills, with her attention span and in her ability to follow directions. She plays the bells, chimes, autoharp, xylophone, keyboard and piano, even though she only has four fingers on each hand. The teachers at her school use her musical strengths to pull her into the group. Music therapy changed her life.
Music therapists believe that music therapy can change individuals with autism spectrum disorder, and the AMTA has made this research a “strategic priority.” There are a few studies that demonstrate the value of music therapy, but more is needed to really demonstrate the full effects. Music therapy is actually a fairly young discipline when compared to other types of psychotherapies. Music Heals is bringing this therapy to all types of vulnerable individuals in British Columbia. Although the organization only supports music therapy in the BC area, there are other opportunities across the country.
Music Therapy or Music Education
Music therapy is a recognized university degree. Only music therapy actually performed by an accredited music therapist is music therapy. Music education is very valuable, but it is not therapy. Someone bringing an instrument into a nursing home to perform might be a therapeutic and enjoyable activity for the residents, but it is not music therapy. When a credentialed therapist performs music therapy, it’s designed with a goal in mind. According to the AMTA, this therapy can reduce pain, reduce asthma episodes, and increase motor functions in patients with Parkinson’s disease. It also lessens the effects of dementia in older adults.
The research supports the use of music in many environments to promote healing. Check out Music Heals to learn more and see how music can benefit the ones you love.
