Theory of Music and its Effects on Health and Wellness

Music has been able to entertain the population for as long as it has been around. It is present in restaurants, clubs, and similar environments so that people can be entertained while enjoying time out with family and friends. Although music has a reputation of being a tool of entertainment, it also has the ability to benefit the health and mental state of the listener. Many studies have been conducted to shed light on the positive effects of music therapy and show that music is able to provide an even greater effect than the ordinary treatments alone.President of the Association for Music Therapy states that,“Active music engagement allowed the patients to reconnect with the healthy

Following the developing of social sciences, everybody has started to get concerned about the issue if music is good for healthy body and mental recently. This phenomenon makes the music therapy becomes popular. Music therapy is defined as “ the therapeutic use of music as to reduce anxiety, improve cognitive functioning, promote physical rehabilitation, or enhance interpersonal communication that typically involves listening to music, singing, playing musical instruments, or composing music “ in the Merriam-Webster.com. In other words, through the activity of music people can improve physical or psychological disease that achieves cure and health.

In today’s day and age, people cannot go anywhere or do anything without listening to music. From elevator music, to exercise in the gym, to background music in restaurants, to the radio in the car, we cannot escape music. It is such an overlooked yet essential part of our daily lives, but what is unknown by many is that music is also used very deliberately in the lives of others. Many hospitals use music therapy to help treat their stroke patients, premature infants, those diagnosed with Alzheimer 's disease, etc. One might wonder why physicians do this, but the more prevalent questions is whether music therapy is effective or not.

Also in their observations, the researchers reflected on the known medical benefits of music. They cited how music has been tested and shown to reduce anxiety and its

Music has been around for thousands of years; it can be used for entertainment, teaching, or healing and coping. One reason people today listen to music is to help get them through rough times. The structural composition of music can influence a person’s thoughts and mood simply through the right chord progression. It has now become an acceptable modality for certain psychological and medicinal mechanisms. Music has recently developed into a therapeutic mechanism for situations stretching from autistic people to the average person struggling with heart break or simply just focusing.

“The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) defines music therapy as ‘an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals’” (Barnett & Shale, 2013, p.48). Music Therapy (MT) is shown to be able to help people with many different kinds of mental health problems such as anxiety, stress, and minor cases of depression. There have been many studies done showing that MT is an effective form of therapy that can improve someone’s overall Quality Of Life (QOL). MT is known as an alternative technique therapy. It is often used instead of, or along with, medication to produce a result in the patience who need it. MT involves all aspects of the music process, including listening to, writing, singing, and analyzing music. Overall MT addresses physical and emotional problems and is used to enhance the life and health of the patient. This review is simply to inform readers of the effects music and MT has on mental health, specifically:

Due to the extensive procedures surrounding treatment, patients often experience a variety of physical and psychological symptoms and side effects that negatively impact their quality of life and ability to cope with and manage an illness. Providing a choice of music during a receptive music therapy session may not only distract the patient from negative affective states, but also may provide a sense of autonomy and control over a patient 's immediate environment. The purpose of the essay was to determine whether receptive music therapy can improve two general dimensions of emotional experience and pain in a single session for patients. The guiding research question was: Will participants experience improved positive affect following a music therapy session? In my opinion ,I think the answer is yes. music therapy definitely have a positive effect on patients.

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).

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

In this study, performed by Jaakko Erkkilä, Marko Punkanen, Jörg Fachner, Esa Ala-Ruona, Inga Pöntiö, Mari Tervaniemi, Mauno Vanhala and Christian Gold (2011), music therapy was aligned with the psychological treatment already being provided to the participants. Among 79 participants of various ages from 18 to 50 years old, they all had depression as a primary diagnosis, and most had anxiety as well, which is a common comorbid disorder. This study tested the efficiency of music therapy when applied in conjunction to primary psychological care being received by the participants, and the researchers were looking for any evidence that suggested that music therapy could be used to treat psychologically depressed individuals.

It turns out that, the emotions evoked by music don’t just feel good, they’re healthy for the individual too. A meta-analysis conducted of 400 music studies found out that, listening to music does have the ability to reduce anxiety, fight depression and boost the immune system. In today’s world, the clinical music therapists have even started introducing, prescribing music for everything, from Alzheimer’s to autism spectrum disorder.

Music therapy is easy to incorporate into daily care and is inexpensive compared to the use of pharmaceuticals. Music therapy is best done on an individual basis, so the use of headphones is important. The volume of the music should also be adjusted to the patient’s hearing ability, as this will help ensure the desired effect is reached. For a number of patients, the effects of the music continued after the music therapy had concluded.

According to the American Music Therapy Association (A.M.T.A.), 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.” As a generally new and upcoming industry, music therapy is often underestimated. By incorporating different areas of the brain, music can reduce stress, ease

Music therapy, a clinical use of music interventions to accomplish therapeutic goals, involves a broad range of activities including playing an instrument, singing, or listening to music. Similar to occupational and physical therapy, this expressive arts therapy remedies psychological conditions, such as depression, anxiety, or hypertension to maintain the well-being of an individual. Likewise, music has been a therapeutic tool that has shown positive effects to parts of the brain including regions involved in emotion, sensation, movement, and cognition. Although music therapy is a somewhat new-found treatment, it is used prominently today. Administered by a trained therapist, this type of therapy is used in correctional facilities, nursing homes, hospices, and special education schools.

Aside from emotions, music can also have an impact on mental illnesses like ADHD, depression, and dementia. To combat depression, Cadena states that “music therapy alleviates pain and promotes calmness by slowing the heart rate and other bodily functions” (2). It provides the patient with a means of escape from the stressful and painful ordeals of life, and can even encourage them to recover from depression. To help children with ADHD, music therapy and medications can be used conjointly. Music, Cadena affirms, “can provide a calming, sedative affect and assist a child with focusing on the task at hand” (2). In regards to dementia, a study was done to investigate the effects that music would have on people with the disease. The findings demonstrated that “mean agitation levels were significantly lower while listening to music than before listening to the music” (3).