Music therapy

Who doesn't like music? Who would scream "Stop" when you play your favourite music? Unless you're playing some annoying music or songs you hate at a high volume for some reason, we, as humans, generally enjoy music. It's almost instinctive for us to love music and, in some cases, to dance to it. That's why music has been used for therapeutic purposes. There are many positive effects, and the results of such music therapy can be fascinating.

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. Music therapy interventions can address a variety of healthcare and educational goals, including promoting wellness, managing stress, alleviating pain, expressing feelings, enhancing memory, improving communication, promoting physical rehabilitation, and more (American Music Therapy Association, 2005).

Here are some noteworthy examples of the impact of music therapy:

- A person with Alzheimer's listening to an iPod with headphones playing their favourite songs

- Groups such as Bedside Musicians, Musicians on Call, Music Practitioners, Sound Healers, and Music Thanatologists

- Celebrities performing at hospitals or schools

- A piano player in the lobby of a hospital

- Nurses playing background music for patients

- A high school student playing guitar in a nursing home

- A choir singing on the pediatric floor of a hospital

So, if you like music, why not learn a bit about music therapy and apply the method to your life?