Effect of Music on Memory Retrieval

Music and Music Therapy (M & MT) are used to reduce everyday and operational anxiety, reduce the production of the stress hormone cortisol, and even alleviate symptoms of minor depression such as thoughts of suicide, apathy, lack of concentration, and

According to Geretsegger et al. (2014), music therapy is an effective clinical intervention for a varied of medical conditions, which are profoundly supported by strong scientific evidence on their significance for mood enhancement and stress relief. The five conditions for which music therapy has been studied, backed up by good scientific evidence are; dementia, autism, sleep quality, depression and infant development.

One of the places that music therapy is used most is with geriatric patients, or residents in elderly homes. Jillian Babcock talks about how comfort, relaxation, and positive moods are some of the difficulties in assisted living homes, but music therapy has proven successful in achieving these criteria, “…it helps improve social, psychological, intellectual and

Therapeutic use of music is also extremely effective at reducing the everyday aches and pains that humans experience. Slow and methodical music slows the brain waves and helps the muscles in our body to relax, reducing muscle pain (Coleman). A significant amount of today’s population also experiences depression in some shape way or form and music therapy has been proven to be one of the most successful ways to help patients cope with depression. “Individual music therapy combined with standard care is extremely effective for lowering [depression] among working age people,” says Professor Christian Gold at the University of British Columbia (Paddock). “Music therapy is so effective because it allows patients to express their feelings in a safe way,” mentions Elizabeth Fawcett (MT-BC) (Peach). Hospital patients experienced consistently shorter and more pleasant stays when undergoing music therapy along with traditional treatment (Meyer).

It can be proven, through literary research and personal experiences, that music has a positive effect on learning and memory. It can be concluded that these positive effects have an impact on patients with Alzheimer’s, on the motor skills and auditory memory of mentally disabled children, on students attempting to remember subject manner that they are learning, and on the affectivity of advertisements. On a personal note, music has facilitated my ability to remember things, both positive and negative, a number of times. For example, in high school I memorized the days of the week in French by singing them along with a tune that was already familiar to me. I have also had multiple experiences in which I remember things that I do not want

One could continue to go on and on with so many historical examples of the therapeutic use of music on the human body. But from the humble beginnings of music, the art of composing has continued to grow drastically over time. Today there is much research and data proving scientifically that music is even more recognized for its benefits and even detriment on the physiological and psychological systems of the body (Cook). Research recently, after about 250 years of separation, is once again uniting medicine, health psychology and

A music therapy intervention was done on 17 Alzheimer’s patients and 11 had shown less agitation after music therapy (Witzke, 2008). Typically if an Alzheimer’s patient was agitated, facilities would give medications or place them in physical restraints. On the other hand, using musical therapy is non detrimental and simple.

The American Music Therapy Association defines music therapy as "the prescribed use of music by a qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems."(Patterson, p1) Today music therapy is used in hospitals, prisons, and schools. Though it is mainly used for people with disabilities, it also provides for people with other health concerns.

There are many people who believe that music therapy truly works when helping patients, such as Dassa Ayelet who has a PHD from Bar-llan in Israel and wrote her dissertation on the impact of singing in music therapy groups on the language abilities of Alzheimer’s patients in moderate to severe stages. She has been working as a music therapist with people with Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease for almost 17 years. In her clinical work,

The idea of music as a healing influence which could affect health and behavior in a positive way can be traced back to being practiced in 357 B.C. Music was always thought to release bad energy from the body. The 20th century researchers officially began after World War I and World War II when musicians of all types, both amateur and professional, went to Veterans hospitals around the country to play for the thousands of veterans suffering both physical and emotional trauma from the wars. The patients ' obviously physical and emotional responses to music led the doctors and nurses to hire or ask musicians to continue coming in and playing for the

Music therapy as been used for many year and helps restore energy. Music is way to calm your body and mind with soothing rhythms and it helps slow down your heart rate to help you breathe easier. Music can have a great impact on a person's mindset. Music therapy is a clinical evidence-based use for music interventions For instances, the author Suzanne Boothey states that “participants improved their moods and boosted their overall happiness in just 2 weeks. Sad music was significantly higher when people experienced an interpersonal loss as opposed to an impersonal loss such as losing a game.” (Boothy's.

Music therapy asses’ emotional well-being, physical health, social functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through musical responses. These responses can consist of easy to identify reactions, such as dancing, facial expression, head nodding, or foot tapping, to smaller responses, like eye movement. Sessions are designed for individuals and groups based on client needs using music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing, lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning through music. All styles of music can be useful in effecting change in a client or patient’s life. Along with all the physical benefits of music therapy, it is also easy on the pockets.

Music therapy had also shown significant benefits to those who suffers depression, trauma, and schizophrenia. The author of an article title, " The Impact of Music Therapy on Mental Health by Dr. Molly Warren announces that music therapy does not only sooths patients, it also "acts as a medium for processing emotions, trauma, and grief."

The advantages of using music during therapy is to evoke the patient’s feelings, stimulate verbalizations, and provide a common starting place.1,2,3, Music therapy has many different forms such as group music therapy, music assisted relaxation, and receptive music therapy.2,3,4 Group music therapy is the use of music or music activities as a stimulus for promoting new behaviors in a group setting.2 Receptive music therapy bases its assumption on a piece of music that can remind the client of a specific personal value.3 Lastly, music assisted relaxation serves as a combination of deep

Music and psychology ties into each other in a major way. Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. Music ties into psychology by the way people and the human brain react to the sounds of music. This is why the topic of music therapy is a relevant topic to discuss. Music has been used therapeutically for therapies for autism, therapies for dementia and Alzheimer's, depression and bipolar disorder, sleep disorders, memory impairment, parenting and social activities that foster prosocial behavior, music lessons, infant brain development, consumer buying, and many more extracurriculars (www.winmentalhealth.com). Each of these applications of music in therapy has shown many positive results when studies have been conducted.