“I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music” (Billy Joel). Although most listeners may not have the same technical experience in music as Billy Joel, it is easy enough to see the effect it has in a person's every day life. Music has the ability to pick us up when we are down, carry you back in time to a cherished memory, and transform silence into a symphony that can move one to tears. Music therapy is simply an application of the life that music creates. Music Therapy was first viewed as a practice in the United States during World War I and II with returning veterans who had lucidly incurable cases of shell shock. Nurses realized that playing music in the rooms of returning men often improved their mood, as well as their thought process and memory. This led to the creation of a Music Therapy undergraduate program at Michigan State University in 1944, and soon afterward, its first graduate program at the University of Kansas. As music therapy spread through out the world, not only in the curing of shell-shocked soldiers but in Parkinsons and Dementia patients, it became apparent that a larger organization would need to set the ground work for music therapy as a skill. In 1975, Australians became the first in the world to create the first music therapy organization call the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Twenty-three years later, the United States formed the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). Music therapy works because of its three fundamentals: the application of systematic thinking through music theory, the creation of an individualized treatment plan, as well as the patie... ... middle of paper ... ...ted Jackson, Sherry. Telephone Interview. 26 Sept. 2011. Joel, Billy. “Music Quotes.” Brainy Quotes. Brainy Quotes, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2011. Leibniz, Gottfried Wilhelm von. “M&Mquotes.” Quotes. Quotes, n.d. Web. 29 Sept. 2011. “Music Therapy Depression” survivingdepression.net. SurvivingDepression, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2011 “Music Therapy for Depression” www2.cochrane.org. Cochrane Reviews, n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2011 O'Conner, Gavin, Dir. Warrior. Perf. Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton. Lionsgate, 2011. DVD. Scott, Elizabeth, M.S. “Music and Your Body: How Music Affects Us and Why Music Therapy Promotes Health”. About.com. About.com, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2011. Sacks, Oliver. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain. New York: Knopf, 2007. Print. Zemeckis, Robert, Dir. Forrest Gump. Perf. Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise. Paramount Pictures, 1994. DVD.
This essay will explore the perspectives of music therapists including Julie Sutton and Gary Ansdell and research of Psychologists Paul Gilbert, Nigel Hunt and Sue Mchale.
In 1995, Ballard and Coates reported that “neither the lyrical content nor the music type affected suicidal ideation, anxiety, or self-esteem” (Journal Of Humanistic Counseling, Education & Development 1) Music itself has been used as a form of therapy in of residential and adult day care centers it’s been reported that music had been the cause of elevated or depressed moods. This suggests that music is an effective technique in therapeutic interventions and should be incorporated more thoroughly in medical and psychiatric practices. Experimental studies conducted by Prickett in 1988 have documented the effects of music on individuals as they interact with the environment. Participants of the study were reported to have shown increases in their expression of feelings, awareness, and socialization. Furthermore, music may also be able to help individuals cope with pain and anxiety. In other studies the use of music made traditional psychotherapy more effective and led to a drop in the levels of depression for more individuals that using regular therapies
B., Gfeller, K. E., & Thaut, M. H. (2008). An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and
This source speaks to the usefulness of music in mental healing and cites multiple other scholarly sources. Dr. Robb Sheri also describes music therapy and it’s practices in the book Music Therapy Perspectives. These articles will be used to argue against those who doubt the pertinence of music in the medical field before moving on to its success as shown by Monica Blanaru study: This study shows the muscle relaxing effects of of music with specific beats per minute on the sleep patterns of those suffering from PTSD (which is established as an elevated form of anxiety
First, as I stated before not many people know what music therapy is, therefore always asking, what is music therapy? The profession of music therapy has been around for over sixty years. Well, music therapy is the delivery
When experiencing certain physical and emotional pains, people often think that medication is the only cure. However, in recent years different ways of healing has broken through the old beliefs. One of these healing methods is music therapy. Music therapy is the prescribed use of music and melodies to help restore, maintain and improve the emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual well being of an individual. Music therapy is a popular form of healing, it can affect our health in ways medicine cannot, and can also be performed at home when professional attention is unavailable. It is incredible that something used for leisure can be such a powerful healing agent.
Kathi J., and Suzanne C. Danhauer. "Music As Therapy." Southern Medical Journal 98.3 (2005): 282-288. Academic Search Premier. Web. 3 May 2014.
What makes you feel better when you’re sad or upset? Why do average human beings spend large amounts of money on tickets to concerts? Do you like to ride in the car without listening to the radio? The answers to these questions all relate to the common fact that people like music. However, for many, music is more than a form of entertainment. For many people music is the reason that they live. Music offers careers and music offers happiness. Music can also help people with speech, as well as various diseases and disorders. This is called music therapy. Music therapy is evidence based use of music interventions to accomplish goals within a therapeutic relationship by a professional who has completed a music therapy program. Music therapy is proven to have positive healing effects based on various strategies used since before it was officially categorized as a form of therapy.
In order to understand why the use of music therapy is growing, one must know what exactly music therapy is. Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Music therapy also provides avenues for communicati...
Music therapy is a health profession that can help people with social, mental or physical needs. After looking at the needs of the client, the therapists helps them make, create, sing, play or listen to music. Music therapy gives another opportunity for the people to communicate, which might be easier for them than by using words. It allows the patients to express their feelings and this might give emotional support to them. On CNN, February 2011, Dr. Sanjay Gupta stated: “On this day, I was playing the patient. An intensive, exhaustive seven-hour schedule was presented, full of physical therapy, speech, recreational, occupational and my personal favourite: music therapy.” This quote shows how music therapy is integrated into a long process of mental healing, but it is the lesson even therapists look forward to (American Music Therapy Association, 2015).
Music is a very soothing art form. It has a very strong connection to our emotions. A lot of lyrics can really hit home and make us think of a memory or a feeling. Listening to music has a tremendous influence on our mood. When someone is listening to a slow song or classical music, they seem to relax a little more. “A variety of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of music and/or music therapy techniques in inducing a relaxation response, both physiologically and psychologically” (“Search Music” 70). So, therefor, music therapy can help others in a great way. In phone interview with Bryanna Rust given on November 25th, 2015, Music therapy major at UND, she said “depending on the technique utilized by the therapist, the music used can help clear one 's mind of all the everyday hassles that are persisting in one’s lives. It is a healthy escape from reality.” Music has the power to slow down our heartbeat and cause us to relax. “In one study, college students performed an oral presentation with either Pachelbel 's Canon or no music in the background. Scientists found those lovely violins helped reduce anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure in participants who presented with the tunes” (“The
Have you ever listened to music and it made you instantly feel better and it gave you a sense of relief? That is where music therapy comes into play. “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program” (musictherapy.org). Music therapy is a type of therapy that was being used to aid people in their illnesses before medicine was even thought of. Music therapy dates back to an extremely long time ago and was used to aid people before there was proof that it actually helped. Now, we have the technology to perform the studies that can prove whether or not music therapy helps with a certain illness and or person. There have been many studies that have been executed to show that music therapy helps in some cases such as in depression and or anxiety, cancer survivors, dementia, schizophrenia, substance abusers, and overall stress and quality of life. Music therapy can help with some cases by
Over the last century, modern medicine has excelled beyond our belief, and has introduced us to new practices and concepts in our society; one of those concepts being music therapy. Music therapy is the practice of using music to help restore and promote physical and mental health by listening, practicing, or writing music.
Music has existed for centuries and brought joy to millions of souls. It has ingrained itself into multiple cultures and bears the capability of emotionally moving people with a few strums of a guitar. Music does not only serve as an enjoyable activity to destress; it can become a beneficial tool to help patients cope with illnesses. How could people use such a simple device to help others? The answer is music therapy. Music therapy harnesses positivity and brings smiles to patients’ faces as well as everyone else around them; it has much more power than we give it credit for. This kind of therapy consists of using instruments to support the family and patient. It first got documented in 1789 “in an unsigned article in Columbian Magazine titled
The study included 251 children and young adults with existing depression and lasted from March of 2011 to March of 2014 (Caba). The test pool was split into two groups, one receiving typical forms of treatment and the other group receiving typical treatments coupled with music therapy. The results showed that the group receiving music therapy as well as typical care saw vast improvements with self esteem, drops in symptoms of depression, and an improvement in communication skills (Caba). A therapist can talk with a client, but a qualified music therapist can use music to actively link a client to their psycho-emotional state quickly (“Definition and Quotes”). Queen’s University Belfast ran multiple follow up reports and discovered that the therapy had long term effects. In reply to this study, Reilly said, “For a long time we have relied on anecdotal evidence and small-scale research findings about how well music therapy works. Now we have robust clinical evidence to show its beneficial effects” (Caba). The university is currently investigating whether music therapy can act as a replacement for current forms of treatment like antidepressants and psychotherapy; however, this is still in development (Caba). The results from this study have shown promise