Personal Narrative: How Music Therapy Changed My Life

The related service observed during the field experience with students with low incidence disabilities was music therapy. The observation setting provided the students with ample space and a multitude of instruments to choose from. The lights would be turned off and a string of small lights would illuminate the room along with various instruments that lit up. The music therapist was extremely engaging and encouraged the students to play with the instruments found within the room.

It is surprising to realize the practice of one small therapy could impact the world in a big and positive way. Music therapy is the practice of using music to better the lives of people with motor, cognitive, and speech disabilities, along with surgical patients. This is achieved by redirecting neural networks in the brain with certain types of music selected for that specific patient. This is not a field for every musician however, only educated students who are board certified should practice music therapy for the safety for the patients. Although many people believe music therapy should not be considered a therapy, it should be considered a mainstream beneficial medical practice and used worldwide. It greatly increases the education of mentally disabled children, surgical patients have a safer option for pain reduction, and it creates employment for people who are interested in a career dealing with music.

In hindsight, I have come a long way since my first day of band. There have been many friends, many failures, many victories, and many beautiful moments in the wake of my fateful decision in sixth grade. I can say without a doubt that being in band has strengthened my integrity and provided me with memories that I will cherish throughout the remainder of my

I have played trumpet since I was in the fourth grade -- that makes a grand total of 8 years. I had always taken private lesson and taken a keen interest in perfecting the instrument. At the beginning of high school, I decided to switch teachers and start working towards the district band audition. Just like with everything else I do, I was going to put all my effort into making district band. To be honest, I did not think I was going to make district band freshman year of high school simply because it was my first time auditioning. But when it was all said and done, I received a spot in the district band ensemble. It was the best musical experience I have ever had. I have never heard so many great musicians together before, and to be a part of it was absolutely incredible. I knew that I had to do anything I could to be a part of this group year

I started band in the 6th grade, I honestly thought that I wasn’t going to make it to my senior year, but here I am a senior in band. I am not forced to be in band I can get out at anytime anyday, but I choose not to. It is hard when you are marching and it feels like 100+ degrees. You feel like you want to pass out, but you just have to suck it up and be tough. Throughout the years I have been in band I have created friendships. I have my closest friends in band. I have created many memories in band that will last a lifetime, that I will share one day with my kids. I do not know what I would do without band. Getting in band has been the best decision I have ever made. Band has been the highlight of my high school years. One of the scariest moments I have experienced in band was when we messed up at U.I.L. contest, I was terrified I did not want us to make a 2, it all happened so fast. It was time to get our results, we made a 1, I was so happy. The judges said that if you were to close your eyes and listening to us, you would not know we messed up. We never stopped playing and we recovered so fast, we were so matured when this happened. Band takes up

In order to become a professional music therapist, one must have a bachelor’s degree or higher in music therapy. You must also be Music Therapy - Board Certified to practice professionally. The undergraduate curriculum for music therapy includes studies in music therapy, psychology, music, biological, social, and behavioral sciences, disabilities, and general studies. A music therapist must be able to assess every client they have and decide what section of therapy they need. For example, some clients might do better with singing and playing an instrument while others might benefit more from listening to music.

Music therapy spans and assists various areas of medicine. To further understand the benefits of music therapy one must first learn what it is, who is qualified to perform, and who it helps. With further public education and acceptance, music therapy outreach can help many patients.

Throughout the centuries, music therapy has been shown to display positive effects on people physically and emotionally, through the time and dedication music therapist put into their jobs. There are several opportunities and places a person can go in order to receive music therapy, such as correctional facilities, hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. A music therapist’s main objective is to help accomplish their patients goal and what the patient has been working so hard to achieve. In order to attain one’s goal, both the music therapist, and the patient must be willing to work with each other and communicate ideas. Music therapy is beneficial to the way people develop because it shows that people must have patience

Music is often used as a mechanism to distract the patient from the pain they've been dealing with. (Landau 2). Though Music Therapy has practiced for decades, the process is still relatively new to most cultures around the world. That is solely the reason the method needs more exposure. Music Therapy needs to reach others around the world, because there's a lot of lives that could've been saved. There are hundreds of illnesses and conditions that could've been treated and

There are 7.125 billion people on the face of this beautiful Earth. Not everyone is the happiest with what is going on in their life. They may be having family problems, financial problems, or one of their loved ones has passed, but everyone has that one thing they can resort to for help with their emotions. Some people use drugs to get them out of a bad mood, eat food, scream, punch things, or sleep. For People who don’t do drugs or don’t want to get fat, they listen to music to uplift them from the dark part of their brain.

Today, I am going to inform you on the subject, development, and importance of music therapy.

Thinking back to when I started my degree, my definition of music therapy was so simple. When people asked me what music therapy was and why I wanted to do it, I would respond with something like “Oh it’s like using music to help people and I want to help people and I think it’s cool that I can help people with music.” Looking back, I understand why I got some funny looks. I know that I knew that there was more to music therapy than what I was telling people, but I really struggled to put words to this amazing career path. Two years later, I believe I have come up with a useful elevator pitch I can now use to answer that question: Music therapy is a process which combines a therapeutic relationship with elements of music and notions of positive change. It can be used in any situation with any willing clientele to work towards positive outcomes in many aspects of life.

Whenever someone ask me about where they can get more information on Music Therapy I always recommend The Music Therapy Profession: Inspiring Heath, Wellness, and Joy by Christine Korb, an excellent introduction book to Music Therapy. In the book Korb included audition essays written by other students, all of who had this realization of when they discover that music therapy was the career was for them. For one student it happened as he played a piece on the guitar to a dying relative. One way or another all of the students have witness the amazing effect music can have on an individual's health and well being.

To sum up, overall music enhances my mental health in terms of emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It is rewarding and enjoyable at the same time. Furthermore, music helps me in community development and emphasises empowering ways of working in school’s assignment. The playlist that I created has successfully enhanced my mood. I figured out that the elements in music can result in so many ways. One of the result is that it reduces anxiety and helps maintaining calmness. Another result is that it helps me to relax and stay motivated in life especially during bad days. Additionally, it can boost one self esteem and achieved desired state of mood. Thus, this playlist can be recommended to other people as it bring benefits in terms

Funnily enough, it wasn’t until this class that I even started to consider which music therapy approach I wanted to take. In fact, it wasn’t until this class that I discovered all the approaches there were in music therapy. I always knew that I was interested in working with a population of children however this was an entire new depth level. Of all the interesting approaches, several stood out to me as ones that fit me personally and the career I want to pursue.