What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is a method of treatment which uses music to help people live more fully. The goal of music therapy is not to develop musical ability but to develop the potential of each person. It is through the process of making and responding to music that significant benefits arise. The ability and need to respond to music seems to be innate, does not depend on musical ability or training, and usually remains unimpaired by mental and physical health problems. It is not surprising, then, that music can be a valuable tool in therapy.

Why use Music?

Music is very much a part of our lives. Music is a powerful, unifying force in our world, bringing people together across lines of geography, language and culture. It entertains and uplifts us, opens our minds and awakens our senses to the complexity of the human experience.

Music can:

• Affect our moods and feelings
• Stimulate communication
• Allow spiritual expression
• Stimulate thinking
• Spark memories and associations
• Promote relaxation and relieve stress
• Encourage and enhance personal development
• Promote motivation for change
• Stimulate and enhance muscle control and coordination

Music has a power, unique among the therapeutic media, to engage and sustain the attention of clients and, in the hands of a trained therapist, accomplish a variety of therapeutic goals and objectives.

What do Music Therapists do?

Music therapists are accomplished musicians who are trained to use music to bring about positive changes which maintain or improve quality of life. Music therapists conduct assessments to determine needs and strengths. Based on the assessments a program plan is developed which includes goals and objectives as well as methods of evaluating progress.

Music therapists provide both individual and group services in a variety of settings:

• Psychiatric and medical hospitals
• Hospice and palliative care services
• Rehabilitation services
• Nursing homes
• Special schools
• Community mental health centres
• Residential settings
• Halfway houses
• senior centres
• Correctional facilities
• Private practice

Trust Talk
Downloads:
Mini Trust #3 (2004)
Trust Talk (January, 2008)

Who Benefits from Music Therapy?

Children - with mental, physical or emotional challenges, such as speech impairments, behavioral problems, and developmental delays and learning disabilities.
Adults - with mental illnesses, neurological disorders, acute or chronic illnesses, or with problems of substance abuse.
The Elderly - at home or in special care facilities.

In addition, music therapy is used in childbirth, for pain management and in palliative and hospice care. It is also effective for children and adult survivors of physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse.

"We cannot overstate the impact music has on people's lives. We have seen that music therapy can restore, maintain, and improve mental, physical and emotional health." (Pam Nicholls, M.D., M.C.F.P. Mark Hyslop, M.D., F.R.C.P.)

"The use of music is a powerful tool that helps patients and their families to cope with the issues of dying and death, as it reaches directly to the emotions. In Palliative Care, music is used for relaxation and control, anxiety reduction, and the working through of issues and emotions." (Susan Hogman, M.S.W., Palliative Care Coordinator Lions Gate Hospital, Vancouver, B.C.)

"As a visiting director of a children's musical, I observed extensive behavioral and emotional change within two weeks with some adolescents who would never have been willing to see a psychiatrist, and others who showed more change than I would have been able to achieve through psychotherapy in months or even years." (Paul Steinhauer, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Training, Division of Child Psychiatry, University of Toronto; Senior Staff Psychiatrist, Hospital for Sick Children.)

What About Music Therapy in Canada?

The Canadian Association for Music Therapy (CAMT), formed in 1974, is the official body which supervises training and maintains ethical standards in this country. There are five universities that provide programs in Canada which include training in clinical techniques and therapeutic processes, as well as musical subject areas.