When you take the time to go to therapy for a particular ailment or need rehabilitation, you expect it to work, right? Doctors prescribe therapy for treatment, maybe to eliminate symptoms caused by an injury or illness. Finding a historical article that highlights the success of Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) was revolutionary for me today. Anytime you find proof that what you are doing is working, that brings a sense of relief and pride, does it not?
There is a wealth of research supporting music therapy in mental health treatment, but a surprising lack of research regarding music therapy for women with addictions. In “Women’s perceptions of the usefulness of group music therapy in addictions recovery”, Gardstrom, Klemm, & Murphy (2017) look to the women within treatment for their thoughts about the effectiveness of music therapy in their own treatment.
This article states that music can support clients therapeutically to combat their addiction as well as spark cravings for substances. “This article describes such a music therapy program tailored to clients with addiction problems, to tackle some of their major difficulties and specific impairments,” (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004). It is also worth noting that music is an extremely powerful tool, and is as helpful or harmful to someone’s recovery. “It touches feelings of longing, craving, pain, pleasure,…and shows their coping strategies, (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004).
This article states that The Dutch Health Care Council reports addiction as an almost chronic illness of bio-psycho-social etiology. This theory combines one’s biology, psychology, and social processes as a multi-dimensional approach to recovery. “If we would use a one-dimensional treatment strategy, we would not be able to tackle their problems,” (Dijkstra & Hakvoort, 2004). But how does music therapy fit into recovery and this bio-psycho-social model?
It is often difficult to get a glimpse of music therapy in psychiatric settings due to necessary privacy laws. However, Johnson & Heiderscheit (2018) conducted a survey of music therapists working in adolescent inpatient mental health units to get a clearer picture of the overall work music therapists are doing in the adolescent psychiatric setting.
“Music therapy uses musical experiences and the relationships that develop through them to enable communication and expression, thus attempting to address some of the core problems of people with ASD,” (Geretsegger, et. al, 2014). This study is an analysis of ten randomized control trials (RCTs) that compare music therapy to standard or ‘placebo’ therapy, and no treatment.
Music therapy can look several different ways throughout a course of treatment, it can include improvisation, singing/vocalization, listening to live and recorded music, active music making and several other experiences. These interventions can directly support people with ASD to improve and develop communication (verbal and non-verbal), social skills/interactions, initiating behavior, social-emotional reciprocity, and adverse effects. This study states that secondary outcomes found improved social adaptation skills, quality of life in school and home environments, quality of family relationships, cognitive abilities, and no changes to hypersensitivity of sound. Results showed for all but two outcome categories under research, suggesting benefits of music therapy in comparison to other types of care.
“Music is a multimodal stimulus that activates many brain structures related to sensory processing, attention, and memory, and can stimulate complex cognition and multi-sensory integration,” (Strzemecka, 2013). This writer from Poland goes on to state several different ways that music is processed in the brain and how stroke affects so many parts of the brain so severely. He then goes on to state that rehabilitation should be addressing several different needs of the patient that are desirable by the patient.
Music, not just music therapy, can be used to support patients in their daily lives. Just listening to music on a daily basis can help with memory and attention. Music training can help with processing of speech and music. Listening to music can activate different parts of your brain related to memory, reward behavior, coping, emotions, regulating one’s immune system, hormones, and satisfaction of needs.
Youth living within low-resource communities are at a greater risk for poorer socio-emotional development. A youth’s socio-emotional competence includes their ability to use one’s skills and knowledge for navigation within different environments, interactions with others, and adapting to expectations. Music therapy clinicians often serve children and youth who have experienced threats to their adaptation resulting from exposure to social, cultural, or economic stressors. Pasiali and Clark decided to examine the potential benefit a music therapy social skills development program may have on improving social skills and academic performance of school-aged children who have limited resources in afterschool programs.
Music therapy in medical settings is on the rise, so what are doctors and other healthcare professionals perspectives of music therapy? In the study, “An Exploration into the Perception of Music Interventions in Hospitals Amongst Healthcare Professionals” Naomi Chadder conducted a survey to look into perceptions of music therapy in medical settings in the United Kingdom.
Thirty-one healthcare professionals agreed to the study completing a face to face interview, an online survey, or an online survey with a follow up interview. Survey responses were collected from doctors, nurses, interdisciplinary staff, or other (educators, volunteers, physiotherapists, dietitians, and social workers). Responses were collected from hospitals where music therapy was in place and where little music or music therapy was used so multiple perspectives and experiences could be understood.
Music therapy has an effect on many areas of one’s functioning. These areas include cognition, physicality, communication, social interaction, and emotional wellness. When someone experiences a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), these areas can be impacted greatly, and music therapy can be a method of support as well as rehabilitation. This article states that at the time, there was little research in the stroke and TBI realm, but there were other studies that assessed positive effects for other populations. This article quotes another study in 1992 by MacRae Statine, “Because music is laden with emotional associations and memories, it provides an effective medium for evoking emotional responses. This study specifically addresses “whether music therapy is effective as an aid to enhance a patient’s mood, social interaction, and involvement in therapy during acute rehabilitation”.
For many individuals, music is a strong part of their environment. Music can be an individual’s go-to on tough days, pump-up for working out, a hobby, a career, and even an identifier. Within every culture, music has more than likely played a role in one way or another. In an article by Cunha written in October of 2016 titled Musicking Together: Affective, Cognitive and Physical Aspects of a Music Therapy Group Work, music showed its true colors as an identifier within a Community Music Therapy (CoMT) group that consisted of five women, six students, and a teacher.
Direct Care Staff (DCS) are the “front line” of care for many. If someone is in a facility or even in a home, the DCS staff is there 24/7 taking care of a variety of needs. Caregiving is hard work, but many in this field are dedicated to making sure the individuals they are taking care of receive the best of care. As a therapist seeing clients and patients in a variety of settings, I often turn to the DCS to ask how the client is doing, especially if their expressive language is difficult to understand or the ability to communicate has been compromised.
Researchers Staab and Dvorak interviewed five DCS who work specifically with older adults who have intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to record and document their perception of the benefits of music therapy for their clients because these DCS participate in music therapy with their client. Also, the facility where the DCS work acts as a fieldwork placement for music therapy students who attend a local university near the facility.
“Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer among women worldwide,” (Zhou, et. al., 2011). This study was based in China and the writers state how relevant breast cancer rates are in their country as well as in the western regions of the world. They state that the primary treatment for breast cancer is surgery among several other treatment options, and those can lead to negative side effects and unhealthy mood, such as depression. The prevalence rate of depression in China ranges from 3.0% to 47.6%, and in other countries it ranges from 34.4% to 89.5%.
One tool to care for these patients is the use of music therapy, and the purpose of such is to “improve, maintain, remediate, or prevent one or more of the clinical issues in clients as specified in their needs for habilitation and rehabilitation” (Zhou, et. al., 2011). Some benefits stated in this article can include evoking positive emotions and memories, improving sense of self and mood, enhancing psychological wellbeing and decreasing psychological symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and fear, etc.
In a pediatric rehabilitation setting, Leung (2008) collaborated with a Speech-Language Pathologist in the case of an 11-year-old male, Sam, who sustained severe injuries from a collision with a barbed wire fence while riding a four-wheel motorcycle. Due to the severity of Sam’s injuries, he was referred to Leung for improved verbal articulation and communication by the speech-language pathologist. Using a co-treatment collaboration model, the music therapist and speech-language pathologist used song singing and drum and vocal improvisation.
If you have a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), you are always looking for treatment modalities to help them with their social challenges and bring out their strengths as a person. As a therapist and parent of an adult child with ASD, I know that I have wanted the best for my child so he can be as independent as possible.
Through various trials and studies, music therapy researchers as well as non-music therapy researchers have studied the benefits of using music with children challenged by the limitations and challenges that come with having ASD. This group of researchers wanted to look specifically at how the auditory-motor connectivity can change if exposed to music and music activities over a period of time. Their study included 51 children ranging in age from six to twelve years in which approximately half of them received music and the other half received non-musical interventions. Specifically the children in the music group were exposed to songs and improvisation techniques, which focused on socialization.
A lot has changed within this past year regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. “The European Paediatric Association-Union of National European Paediatric Societies and Associations (EPA-UNEPSA) has established a collaborative working group with key Chinese academic institutions and medical centers with the purpose of facilitating the reciprocal exchange of information and sharing scientific knowledge,” (Jiao, et. al., 2020). The purpose of this group is to raise awareness to children’s psychological needs during epidemics and report early data collected.
Children are affected by the COVID-19 epidemic by experiencing fears, uncertainties, and physical and social isolation. A study conducted in Shaanxi Province in February 2020 was that the most common psychological and behavioral problems in children ages 3-18 were clinginess, distraction, irritability, and fear of asking questions about the epidemic. This was conducted by an online survey that also addressed poor sleep, poor appetite, physical discomfort, agitation and inattention, clinginess, and separation problems. This study’s intention was not to diagnose but to screen for disorders as a “first step approach”. “Understanding their reactions and emotions is essential to properly address their needs,” (Jiao, et. al., 2020).
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Music therapy has been a growing treatment option for military populations. In fact music therapy as a profession finds its origins in the military settings of World War I and World War II Veterans as music for wounded soldiers was included as a part of reconditioning treatment. In “Music Therapy Treatment of Active Duty Military: A Overview of Intensive Outpatient and Longitudinal Care Programs”, two music therapy programs working with military populations are outlined.
This study was published in 2011 by Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, Korea! It is a private research university, and one of three SKY universities, which are widely regarded as the most prestigious in the country. The purpose of this study was to “investigate the effects of music therapy on depressive mood and anxiety in post-stroke patients and evaluate satisfaction levels of patients and caregivers.”
The study states, “Music therapy appears to affect physiological phenomena such as blood pressure, heartbeat, respiration, and mydriasis as well as emotional aspects such as mood and feelings.” Oxford Dictionary defines mydriasis as the dilation of the pupils of the eyes. Other side effects of music include change of respiratory rhythm, relaxation of muscular stiffness, and decrease in heart rate, blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.
If you have been following my blogs on the Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC website or our Facebook page, you are familiar with my dual role as a music therapist and music educator. I know I have written about music educators working with students with disabilities in the past, but this study fascinated me in many ways as having worked as an elementary music educator in the past. I was fortunate to have my music therapy background to reference when working with students in my school who had an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or some other accommodation to booster the student’s success.
Grimsby took it upon herself to interview three current elementary music educators to determine their level of comfort in working with students with disabilities but to more importantly find out what training they received in their education that would assist them with the daily task of having a child with a disability in their classroom. Through her interview process, planned research questions and analysis, she discovered several themes, which emerged from her findings. She determined that “general music teachers need more preservice preparation and ongoing professional development focused on students with disabilities, more time to collaborate with special education professionals, more consistent communications and recommendations about how to work with students who have disabilities, and access to assistive technologies” (p. 77).
Alzheimer’s Disease has no cure and is a degenerative disease that causes cognitive and behavioral impairments. Depression and anxiety are symptoms that are often experienced with Alzheimer’s Disease. When anxious or stressed, levels of cortisol increased in blood, saliva, sweat, hair, and urine. In, “Does Music Therapy improve Anxiety and Depression in Alzheimer’s Patients?”, De La Rubia Orti, et al look into if music therapy can reduce cortisol levels in Alzheimer’s patients.
As we move into a new decade, many mind shifts are taking place in personal lives, in professional lives, and in social lives. Perhaps, it is time we also make a shift in awareness of our psychotherapeutic relationship with our clients, specifically, our power differential within the relationship.
For many years, therapeutic relationships (music and non-music) have existed in a traditional dyad setting, for some seen in a ‘normal’ v. ‘abnormal’ viewpoint. This viewpoint dates back to 1973, and before, when the American Psychiatric Association finally removed “homosexuality” from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This shift away from pathologizing the LGBTQ community did not end in one night, in fact it is still prevalent within many communities. In recent work with the LGBTQ communities, conversations have opened around queer theories though invitation to music therapists considering a framework for use with LGBTQ youth. Authors noted, that “this theoretical framework advances a conceptual model of queer music therapy that emphasizes opportunities for empowerment as opposed to assuming vulnerability and/or ‘fixing’ LGBTQ individuals.” Although the study these authors worked towards was specific to the LGBTQ community, this opened the doors for a new theory to arise, queer theory.
Once again, if you have been following my blogs on the Central Ohio Music Therapy, LLC website or our Facebook page, you are familiar with my dual role as a music therapist and music educator. Having to conduct music therapy sessions virtually (and usually with only 1 – 4 patients at the most), I was fascinated to learn what challenges music educators had with trying to teach virtually and have a full classroom! This article looks at what music educators learned during the COVID-19 virtual learning school year in 2020 – 2021.
Draper’s article was written just prior to the vaccine rollout and discusses the importance of getting students with developmental disabilities vaccinated. Knowing that these students often have other health issues, the focus, as with the shut down and remote learning, was to keep everyone as safe as possible.
I consider myself an eclectic music therapist. Depending on the client and their goals/objectives, I might use a variety of approaches during a session. Knowing that music can be a real motivator for change, I might use the behavioral approach for working on socialization or communication goals. However, if a client’s speech is the main focus, I might resort to using a variety of Neurologic Music Therapy techniques depending on the source of the problem or what the exact goal/objective may be. However, I feel very strongly that the clients themselves, if possible, needs to direct their own therapy and I am there to facilitate that process which is considered humanistic. With all of that being said, when I found this research article stating that some commonalities, yet differences exist between the Neurologic and Humanistic approaches, I was fascinated.
Living with a child with anxiety can be stressful for the caregivers, siblings, and other professionals interacting with the child. Without treatment, these behaviors can extend into adulthood so intervention should occur as early as the behaviors appear. Current treatments include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, pharmacological treatment, or a combination of these treatments. Music therapy is a non-invasive and safe way to help children manage their anxiety. This therapy is hands on and gives children an alternative method to communicate their feelings, which children may have trouble conveying through words.
Goldbeck & Ellerkamp (2012) conducted a study of children ages eight to twelve diagnosed with anxiety disorders. Individual and group music therapy sessions were conducted and included guided relaxation interventions, structured instrument play, and painting to music. Activities were aimed towards helping children identifying emotions, identifying when they need to relax, and how to use music to relax. Parent training sessions also occurred. Reoccurrences of anxiety were significantly less after music therapy group as opposed to the traditional intervention group. Results indicated that music therapy may be more appealing to children who are reluctant to participate in traditional verbal therapy.
The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is something that expecting parents are never fully prepared for. The transition into parenthood, for the first time parents or parents with 3 kids all ready, is interrupted. This interruption presents a number of emotional, mental, and financial challenges. And while the care that babies receive in a NICU is outstanding, it leads one to question the quality of care that the parents themselves receive. Constantly being in the hospital and watching their child go through so much at such a young age is, quite frankly, a lot to handle. This clinical pilot intervention aims to demonstrate that music therapy can provide parents of NICU babies with the support that they need as they navigate this difficult time.
A self-care music therapy group was implemented into the clinical practice of a hospital in Colombia with a family centered approach. Family-centered music therapy is the clinical focus of this study, with a goal to both integrate the needs of the parents into the baby’s care and address the needs separately from the baby. The baby is the one in the hospital, however, the parents have needs too. The participants of the group rated their anxiety, stress, mood, restfulness, and motivation before and after music therapy.
Music therapy is common on medical/surgical units, Intensive Care Units, etc. but is less common in surgical areas of the hospital. Because music therapy is less common in this area, Lane, Palmer, & Chen (2019) conducted a survey study to see what the perception of music and music therapy are amongst hospital staff, patients, and families involved in surgery.
