What Is Music Therapy?

Do you ever listen to music and suddenly feel a boost of energy, or become calm, or sad, depending on the songs you are listening to? Well, that’s the power of music! As a matter of fact, music therapy is an evidence-based type of therapeutic method, which aims to improve your quality of life.

Music therapy is a therapeutic intervention where a music therapist helps you overcome mental disorders, illness, or disabilities through the use of music and musical experiences, designed specifically for your needs. 

This article aims to illustrate what music therapy is, so keep reading if you are interested in how it works, what it is used for, and its benefits!

Understanding music therapy better

A registered music therapist supports you and helps you get through your difficulties by designing a personalised musical experience, where you engage with music, melodies, song-writing, or even playing instruments. This will not only allow you to express yourself but it will also be a useful tool for when you deal with difficulties.¹

Music therapy can assist several aspects of your life, and benefit your well-being by providing support for needs like:

• Psychological
• Cognitive
• Emotional
• Communicative
• Social
• Physical

While this type of therapy doesn’t solely rely on your ability to speak and aims that you use music to communicate, you can still share your thoughts, feelings and concerns during the sessions, until you feel comfortable to proceed with the musical activities.¹ 

How does music therapy work?

There are two main methods used in music therapy: receptive and active. Your therapist will decide which one suits you better depending on your needs. Furthermore, once your therapist teaches you some of these techniques, you could perform them at home, on your own whenever you might need to.

Receptive methods

Receptive music therapy consists of you adopting the role of a listener. This is not a passive role, as you will have to respond to the music in some way, like:²

• Song discussion: after listening to a song, you will have to identify its meaning in your life, and discuss what feelings and thoughts it evokes. Sometimes your therapist will choose the song, and other times they will ask you to pick. This can help you become more self-aware and make it easier for you to express yourself and talk about your situation, which sometimes can be difficult.
• Imaginal listening: you use music to simulate mental pictures, sounds, smells, and physical sensations. This method can make you more self-aware of yourself and your environment to facilitate relaxation, promote your creativity, distract you from pain, and aid you in controlling your anxiety.
• Eurythmic listening: you will listen to either recorded or live music performing movements like choreography, free-flowing movements, or difficult movements for physical rehabilitation purposes. This method might improve your body-image perception, help you release your emotions through your movements, facilitate physical rehabilitation and overall improve your physical health.
• Music anaesthesia or procedural support: in this case, your therapist will play music that is personalised for you, so you can focus on something else rather than the pain you are feeling, or a possible medical procedure that you might undergo.
• Music-assisted relaxation (MAR): you listen to calming music to achieve both psychological and physical relaxation. You will probably also need to focus on your body, using autogenic relaxation and progressive muscle relaxation techniques. This technique aims to help you deal with anxiety and stress.

Active methods

Active music therapy consists of you engaging in making music in some way. There are several ways you can do this, including:²

• Composition: you will be asked to put your opinions, thoughts, feelings, and fantasies into a musical or lyrical structure. You can do so by playing an instrument to create a melody, writing a song from scratch, or editing an existing song to fit your experiences. This will not only allow you to communicate your feelings better but it will also develop your organisation,  problem-solving, and awareness capabilities.
• Improvisation: again, you will be asked to produce some type of music, instrumental, vocal or even with your body (e.g., clapping or stomping), on the go and without any previous preparation. This technique can help you be more in touch with your emotions and feelings, develop your creative side and, sometimes, meet your physical needs.
• Re-creative method: as its name indicates, you will have to recreate existing musical materials. Some exercises to do this include vocal re-creation like karaoke, instrumental re-creation where you’ll perform a melody playing an instrument, or musical production, where you’ll plan, rehearse, and perform a show or musical.  Your music therapist will try to pick materials that align with your experiences. This method may improve your attention, memory, perception of yourself, and communication skills 

Applications of music therapy

Music therapy has a wide range of applications, and can also be used as a complementary treatment for many disorders, including:^{3 4 5 6 7 8}

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
• Developmental disorders
• Physical rehabilitation
• Brain injuries
• Alzheimer's disease (AD)
• Parkinson’s disease (PD)
• Cancer
• Pain management
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Who can benefit from it?

Many people can benefit from music therapy: 

• For people who find it difficult to express themselves or talk about their feelings or have speech impairments, this therapeutic method could be useful, as they will use music elements to channel everything
• Individuals with learning disabilities and/or ADHD can improve their focus, attention and comprehension, among other skills with this therapy
• Music therapy can help people with autism spectrum disorder develop their social, communicative and emotional abilities
• Patients with brain injuries can regain motor skills and speech thanks to music therapy
• Individuals, especially elder people, diagnosed with dementia or AD can use this therapeutic technique to try to evoke memories
• This therapy can also positively impact the behaviour, emotions and learning of children and adolescents

Effectiveness

Research has shown that patients with depression display short-term improvements after music therapy, as well as a decrease in anxiety, especially when combined with more common treatment.³ 

A systematic review indicated that individuals with autism communicated verbally and had social interaction with more frequency thanks to undergoing music therapy. However, it appears that the severity of the disorder was not taken into account during these studies, so that should be considered in the future.⁴ 

A study indicated that patients with cancer showed reduced anxiety, moderate positive outcomes in depressive symptoms and more hope after having music interventions. Moreover, some patients also experienced moderate pain reduction due to music therapy, and this treatment also had a small positive effect on fatigue.⁷

It is clear that music therapy has positive outcomes on mental and physical health, however, more research is needed to consolidate the existing findings. 

Summary

Music therapy is delivered by authorised music therapists to support your cognitive, psychological, emotional and physical needs and achieve your well-being. There are two methods used in this approach: the receptive method where you act as a listener and react to the music in some way like discussing the feelings it evokes in you. Then, the active methods consist of you being involved in creating musical elements, either with your voice or with instruments. This type of therapy is useful for treating many issues including mental, developmental, and physical disorders, and everyone can benefit from it, especially children and adolescents with autism, people with learning disabilities, and elderly people with dementia. While it is clear that musical therapy has positive outcomes, especially if combined with other treatments, further research is needed.

FAQ’s

Do I need to know how to play an instrument and sing to participate in music therapy?

No, you don’t need to have musical talent to do music therapy. This is not about you being a musical prodigy, but rather expressing yourself through musical elements to achieve overall wellness. Moreover, the music therapist will learn about you before beginning anything, and they will accommodate you to make you as comfortable as possible.

What instruments are used in music therapy?

The music therapist will decide on the most suitable instrument for you, however, the most common ones are drums, guitar and piano.

How long does music therapy last?

This will depend on the patient and their needs. Each person has their speed, and they will meet their goals at different times. So your music therapist will probably encourage you to continue these sessions until the objectives you set are met.

Where is music therapy held at?

There are several settings where music therapy can take place like clinics, hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centres, at home, or other facilities. This will depend on the situation of the patient.