Music Therapy 101
“So what is music therapy?” This is a question I get asked all the time. I’ve been asked by my in-laws, my friends, my neighbors, my realtor, the list goes on and on. This has put me on my A-game for my elevator pitch. But that pitch doesn’t divulge all the details of what music therapy really is- it just paints a quick picture in the hopes that one will be curious enough to explore more about it later. Well folks, here is that deeper exploration of what music therapy is- all in a more digestible source than a textbook.
What is music therapy?
We’re starting out with the main question here. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “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 (n.d.).” That’s a mouthful, so let’s break that down a bit.
Music therapy is both clinically based and evidenced-based. This means that there is well-documented scientific evidence proving the efficacy of music therapy. In fact, there are multiple scientific journals devoted to music therapy studies throughout the world. This is in addition to the music therapy studies that are found outside of music therapy specific journals. The scientific research of how music therapy affects the mind and body of an individual will be covered in a future blog post. Music therapy is also procedural in that the “music interventions” are aimed towards meeting a specific clinical goal, or “individualized goal,” unique to each client or patient.
The therapeutic relationship, or the relationship between the client or patient and the therapist, is extremely important to the music therapy process. Just like with other therapies, there must be rapport between the therapist and the client or patient. This relationship is not one of an expert and student, but rather the therapist and client are on equal footing and work together towards a healthier way of being for the client.
Music therapy is practiced by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. This means music therapy can only be practiced by music therapists who have completed a four year degree from an accredited university, followed by successfully completing a six month internship under the supervision of a music therapist, followed by passing the national board exam. No one can just call themselves a music therapist, and that’s for good reason. Music therapy can be harmful if someone who hasn’t had the extensive training attempts to administer it. But rest assured, if you are working with a Board Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC), then you are working with someone who has received extensive training in practicing music therapy.
How does music therapy work?
Each person a music therapist sees has a goal (or several goals) they are working towards. Many of these goals fall into the developmental domains of motor skills, communication skills, emotional skills, social skills, and cognitive skills. But music therapists also can work with individuals in other areas such as mental health needs and pain reduction. Some sample goals from different domains of health are as follows:
To approximate the ASL symbol for “done” when finished with an activity.
To regain ability to vocalize words or syllables.*
To engage in less negative self-talk.
To have an unmedicated birth by using music as a comfort measure.
To increase range of motion in both arms.
There are many other types of goals an individual might see a music therapist for. Music therapists will employ “music interventions” to help the client meet these goals. For example, to help with the client who wants to engage in less negative self-talk, a music therapist might engage the client in a lyric analysis of a song they can relate to. Or for the client who wants to use music as a comfort measure while giving birth, the music therapist will likely use receptive music techniques to help regulate breathing, increase oxytocin, and decrease “fight or flight” hormones. These are two specific examples, but other common types of music interventions are Guided Imagery in Music (GIM), Music and Imagery, instrumental or vocal improvisation, composition, song writing, or group music performance. As these are more broad examples, there are many more specific types of music interventions that a music therapist can employ to ensure the best practice in working with a client.
*Note, if a music therapist is seeing a client for this type of a goal, it will likely be in conjunction with a speech therapist. Yes, music therapists can often co-treat with other professionals!*
Who benefits from music therapy?
As mentioned earlier, music therapy can benefit so many people. Music therapists work with individuals in all stages of life from the beginning to the end. Music therapists commonly work with people who have:
learning or developmental disabilities
mental or behavioral health concerns
acute or chronic pain
physical disabilities
substance abuse disorder
dementia
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)
Additionally, music therapists also commonly work with military veterans, kids and teens in foster care, people who are receiving palliative care, people who are recovering from a stroke or TBI (traumatic brain injury,) juveniles or adults in correctional facilities, and infants in a NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.) This seems like a long, varied list of people who might benefit from music therapy, but this is just where it's common to see a music therapist. Since music is so universal, music therapists work with all sorts of people for all sorts of things!
Where do music therapists work?
As I’m sure you can guess from seeing all of the different areas music therapists can help with, music therapists can work in a variety of places! Some music therapists, like myself, work in home health and go to the client’s home or facility they reside in. Others work out of an office or studio. Music therapists can be found working in the following facilities or areas:
NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit)
ICU (Intensive Care Unit)
correctional facility
VA hospital
hospice
schools/school districts
foster care organization
neurorehabilitation centers
home health
music therapy studio or office
hospital
oncology unit
behavioral health unit
assisted living facility
memory care facility
As with the list of people that music therapists work with, this is not an exhaustive list. These are just some of the more common places you might spot a music therapist in action.
Why music therapy?
I obviously can’t speak to what every individual’s experience with music therapy is. But I can tell you that there is scientific evidence to support the use of music therapy. No, music therapy will not cure someone of cancer. But it can help ease the pain, anxiety, depression, or unresolved feelings someone might experience with such a diagnosis.
What about physical therapy? Or speech therapy? Music therapy isn’t going to make someone who is relearning to walk spontaneously regain all ability, but it is going to provide a steady grounding, and likely motivating beat to take and entrain those- likely difficult- literal steps to. Music also accesses a different point of the brain. So again, music therapy isn’t going to cause someone to spontaneously gain or regain speech, but by accessing a different part of the brain it can make activities related to speech easier.
As for mental health, I think just about everyone has experienced the connection between music and emotion at some point. We all relate to some kind of music. Maybe there is a song that is important to us and has a message we resonate with. Music so readily expresses emotion, and music therapy utilizes different tools for these emotions to be reflected both between the participant and the music. These emotions can be worked out through and with the music, and the individual can find healthier ways of being.
What about dementia? Music therapy will not “cure” dementia. But it can help maintain memory. You likely can think of a song that takes you back to a specific time and place in your life. Music can carry such powerful memories with it. By using music with someone with dementia, the goal is to call upon these memories so one can reminisce. (As a sidenote, it is not enough just to have a music playing for someone with dementia. A trained professional should be present to work through these memories with the individual. Otherwise, who do they reminisce with? This is why it’s imperative a music therapist employ this type of intervention.)
And for a child with socialization issues? The act of musicking, or playing music together, can be helpful. By playing music together with the therapist, social behavior of working together or sharing is modeled. Trust is built. Though it’s a therapeutic one, a relationship is built. These are all steps that can help move a child towards a healthier way of socializing. This is without even addressing the cause of the socialization issues, which music can potentially help with too.
These are just a few, emphasis on few, examples of how music therapy can benefit someone. If you want read more about the scientific side of music therapy and how it works, I encourage you to read “This is Your Brain on Music” by Daniel Levitin, or check out one of the many music therapy journals.
As you may have surmised, music is a powerful force. This is why a music therapist is needed. Not just anyone can perform a song and call it music therapy. You must have a therapeutic relationship with the client or patient, and the knowledge of what type of music and what type of music intervention would best work for them. It can be harmful if an untrained individual attempts to “do music therapy” for someone, but the potential benefits of music therapy administered by a trained professional can be so very impactful.
When is the best time to utilize music therapy?
Anytime! Really. It’s never too late or early to begin music therapy if you feel you or someone you know could benefit from it.
Music therapy really is such an amazing field. It’s still up and coming in the general public’s eye, but it has formally been around for nearly 100 years and has historically been around for over 200 years. More so, music’s use as therapy can even be found in Plato’s writings of Ancient Greece (AMTA, n.d.). By this point, it is clear that music therapy is an established field. The hope is that as the general public’s awareness of music therapy grows, more people will be able to access the benefits of this incredible field.
Want to learn more? Have questions? Schedule your free phone consultation with Melody Music Therapy or send an email to lilah@melodymt.com today!
References
American Music Therapy Association. (n.d.). History of music therapy. https://www.musictherapy.org/about/history
American Music Therapy Association. (n.d.). What is music therapy? www.musictherapy.org