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Music as Therapy by Nicholas Corso
Music Therapy is grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music, no matter how ill, disabled or traumatized. Using music in therapy can be a very powerful way to reach children, adolescents, and adults in the therapeutic setting. Music in therapy can be a powerful way to help people express their feelings. Creative therapy can reach people in ways that traditional therapy sometimes cannot. We may not realize it but most of us use music as therapy. Listening to music is a fantastic way to alleviate stress. Everyone has different musical tastes. We all seek out music that we feel comfortable with. Music can bring us back to great memories. Specific songs trigger specific memories. We replay these songs all of our lives so that we can relive that moment and recreate the same feeling we had on that day. That is extremely therapeutic. However, this article isn’t about nostalgic feelings. It’s about how music is healing to those of us with infirmities. How music can bring us back to a sense of norm. It starts out in our mother’s womb. For nine months, we listen to the rhythm of her heart beat. We become accustomed and soothed by it. This is the reason why most music has a rhythm that synchronizes with a heart beat. Fast or slow, it can be soothing to us if the rhythm is in line with a heart beat. More often than not, music that doesn’t feel comfortable to us is not synched with a heart beat. That’s why it is strange to us. Music Therapists tell us that music can be soothing and healing in nature. I believe them. The whole range of our emotions can be held within the rhythms and harmonies of different musical styles irregardless of disability or illness and interestingly enough, this connection we have with music is not dependent on any musical training or background. According to the American Music Therapy Association, www.musictherapy.org, Music Therapy is defined as a 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. 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. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Therapeutically, music strengthens an individual’s abilities. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings. Because of this, music therapists can use music to help children and adults with a wide range of needs arising from such varied causes as learning difficulties, mental and physical illness, physical and sexual abuse, stress and terminal illness. Emotional, cognitive and developmental needs can be addressed through interactive music making within a secure relationship offered by the music therapist. As an example, picture an individual who has had a stroke and has lost most of the use in one of his/her hands as well as speech and some cognition. Teaching them to play the piano will be therapeutic on many levels. First off it will help them regain the use of their affected hand by increasing the strength and dexterity. Secondly, it will reestablish neurological tracts by its repetition of the singing of the song which would in turn improve speech. Thirdly, it would sooth the individual, simply to name a few positives. OK, your interest is peaked! You want to try Music Therapy. We believe that you first need to understand what music therapists do. The first thing that they will do is an assessment. The assessment includes but is not limited to your emotional well-being, your physical health, social functioning and more. They then design a music session for you either as an individual or in a group based on your needs. They will incorporate music improvisation, listening, song writing and imagery into your treatment plan and continually assess your progress as related to your response. Music Therapy can benefit virtually everyone. It is used however in clinical settings for children, adolescents, adults and the elderly with mental health issues. In a non clinical setting, it is beneficial for individuals who have substance abuse problems, chronic pain syndromes and women in labor. Music therapists draw from an extensive array of music activities and interventions. For example, the therapist and client might compose songs for the purpose of expression of feelings; one client might learn to play the piano for the purpose of improving fine motor skills, while another client might use instruments to improvise unspoken emotions. Music therapists may also use music and movement activities, singing, lyric discussion or music and imagery to help the client reach their goals. A specific example, picture an individual who has had a stroke and has lost most of the use in one of his/her hands as well as speech and some cognition. Teaching them to play the piano will be therapeutic on many levels. First off it will help them regain the use of their affected hand by increasing the strength and dexterity. Secondly, it will reestablish neurological tracts by its repetition of the singing of the song which would in turn improve speech. Thirdly, it would sooth the individual, simply to name a few positives. Music Therapists are pretty much pervasive throughout healthcare. They can be found working in hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, substance abuse clinics, etc to name a few. To become qualified as a Music Therapist, an individual must complete a music therapy curriculum at an approved college (along with an internship) prior to sitting for a national examination by the Certification Board for Music Therapist. Those passing the test are certified as a MT-BC. The National Music Therapy Registry (NMTR) is a national registry that serves RMT, CMY, ACMT. Music therapists work with individuals and groups in institutional, community, and private practice settings. Should you be interested in becoming a Music Therapist, here is a link to U.S. schools. http://members.aol.com/kathysl/usschools.html Music therapy is used with a wide variety of individuals regardless of age, ability, or musical background. Areas specialized by music therapists may include: Acquired Brain Injury, AIDS, Autism and other Pervasive Development Disabilities, Critical Care, Developmental Disabilities, Emotional Traumas, Geriatric Care, Hearing Impairments, Mental Health, Neonatal Care, Obstetrics, Oncology, Pain Control, Palliative Care, Physical Disabilities, Speech and Language Impairments, Substance Abuse, Teens at Risk, Victims of Abuse and Visual Impairments. I think this is a relevant topic because it can benefit many in our community. There are many web sites were you can go to read more about it and find more information. I suggest the following to start. 2) http://www.enterthefreudianslip.com/ 3) http://members.aol.com/kathysl/index.html 4) http://www.holisticonline.com/stress/stress_music-therapy.htm 5) http://www.musictherapy.ca/ These are just a couple to get you started. You should conduct an Internet search for more information.
Read up and
study. It may help you with your chronic pain or whatever impairment that you
may have. I hope this article has opened up your mind towards a therapy that can
possibly help you. Good luck!
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