Music Therapy
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Posted by Fotopoulou Sophia in Music section |
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Listening to favourite music can be a great way to unwind. But the soothing and therapeutic properties of music can do more than just help you relax at the end of a busy day. Music therapy is a branch of health care dedicated to the use of music for emotional, physical, functional, and educational improvement in a broad range of settings.
The modern concept of music as a therapeutic tool began after the first and second World Wars, when musicians went to veterans’ hospitals to play for the emotionally and physically injured returning soldiers. The popularity of music as a part of treatment for physical and mental conditions subsequently increased, and the first-degree program to train music therapists began at Michigan State University in 1944. Currently there are 69 approved music therapy curricula at various colleges and universities, and music therapists take a certification examination to earn the title MT-BC (Music Therapist- Board Certified). The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), founded in 1998 as the union of two previous music therapy organizations, boasts a membership of over 5,000 music therapists.
Music therapy sessions are designed on an individual basis, depending on the particular goals and needs of the patient; it is impossible to describe a “typical” music therapy session. Encompassing much more than simple listening to music, music therapy may involve song writing, discussion of lyrics, performing, or other activities related to music. Music therapists work in a wide range of clinical settings, including traditional hospitals, outpatient clinics, addiction treatment centers, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, schools, senior centers, and private practices.
In healthy individuals, music therapy is often recommended as a part of a stress management program or accompaniment to physical exercise. In hospitals, it is often used in critical and intensive care settings as well as in labor/delivery rooms and newborn nurseries as a calming influence. Studies have also shown the value of music therapy as an effective stress reducing and calming intervention in patients about to undergo surgery.
With many disease states, music therapy has been applied in conjunction with standard medical therapy to improve a patient’s overall well-being and mood. Its benefits in individuals with AIDS, cancer, acute and chronic pain, brain injuries, and Alzheimer’s Disease have been noted in particular, but music therapy may be used as a part of treatment of just about any condition.
A common misconception about music therapy is that its recipients need to have some level of musical ability and/or expertise. In fact, no musical talent or previous experience with musical settings is required to derive benefits from this type of therapy.
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