By: Margaret Carr, Follow South Jersey Correspondent
Almost all of us use music in our daily lives. We may listen to upbeat music to lift our mood, coffee shop songs to help us focus, or more emotional tracks to help us process negative emotions. We know from experience that music affects our moods, but in the right hands it can do even more. Music therapists across the country utilize music to assist in emotional processing, neurological rehabilitation, improving language skills, and so much more. But what exactly is music therapy?
According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “Music Therapy is the clinical & 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.” In short, music therapists use music to help individuals achieve goals in a therapeutic setting.
It is important to note that any interventions that utilize music must be provided by a credentialed music therapist in order to be considered “music therapy.”
The use of music for healing has been referenced throughout human history, but the AMTA tells us that the history of music therapy as a profession began in the early 1900s. Musicians of all skill levels visited hospitals to play for veterans of World War I and World War II, and the doctors noted a significant response in the physical and emotional wellness of their patients. This led them to begin hiring musicians. Soon, colleges were forming curriculums to train musicians for hospital settings. The profession of music therapy continued to grow and expand from there.
Today, music therapists work in almost any setting where therapeutic services are provided. Students in music therapy programs are trained to work with populations ranging from pre-natal infants to individuals receiving end-of-life care. The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics has music therapists and their interns working in their Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), adult and child psych wards, palliative care floors, and throughout the children’s hospital. Hospitals continue to be a common place to find music therapists, but their work expands well beyond medical facilities.
Music therapists can be hired in schools to work with children with developmental disabilities. Music therapy is also common in neurological rehabilitation because of the unique way our nervous system reacts to music. Music therapists can assist with stress reduction, forming helping coping skills, managing addiction, pain management and numerous other skills. If there is a need, there is likely a way for a music therapist to help with it. You will find many music therapists who either own their own practice or work as a private contractor and serve their communities in countless ways.
Sessions with music therapists vary greatly depending on the goals a client is working towards. For example, practitioners in mental health settings will often utilize an intervention called “Song Discussion” where they provide a printout of the lyrics of a song that they then perform live. Participants in the session will then discuss any lyrics that stood out to them, what emotions came up as they listened, and any lessons they can apply to their daily life. They may also lead relaxation groups that involve guided mediations to a repetitive pattern played on guitar.
In a neurological rehab, music therapists will use the rhythmic qualities of music to activate unique pathways in the brain for movement and speech. For example, patients recovering from a stroke may have lost some of the fine motor skills required for speech. Singing activates pathways in the brain that are parallel to those used in regular speech. Music therapists like those at the Burke Rehabilitation Facility will design short, musical phrases that the patient can sing in order to retrain their muscles and neurons for speech.
The applications of music therapy are seemingly endless. The AMTA’s website provides information on the wide variety of populations and applications of music therapy as well as information about how to find a music therapist. The profession continues to grow and adapt with the music of the world.
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