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Music Therapy - Getting Cured Through Melody

Music therapy uses music to treat physical, emotional, cognitive and social problems. Music therapy research looks at the role of music in healthcare and educational settings.

Music therapy can be used to promote wellness, manage stress, alleviate pain and promote physical rehabilitation. It may also be used in conjunction with other types of therapy like massage therapy. Music may be used in a variety of therapeutic ways.

The definition of music therapy is the prescribed use of music to assist or motivate a person towards non-musical goals within a therapeutic relationship.

How Does Music Therapy Work?

Music therapy works in conjunction with a music therapist. The music therapist will assess the emotional and physical health of the patient through musical responses and then design music sessions based on the client's needs. Music therapy works in a number of different ways as music helps the patient do different things and provides different benefits. Some of the ways that music therapy may help patients include:

By keeping the patient's attention
By structuring time
By providing an enjoyable method of repetition
By helping memory
By encouraging movement
By tapping into memories and emotions

Where Do Music Therapists Work?

Music therapists work in a variety of different places. Some of those places include:

Psychiatric hospital, working with the mentally ill
Medical hospitals, working with all types of patients
Rehabilitative facilities
Day care treatment centers
Community mental health centers
Drug and alcohol programs
Nursing homes and senior centers, working with music therapy and the elderly
Correctional facilities
Schools.

Types of Music Therapy

There are different types of music therapy that are used according to the patient's needs. Although music therapy should not be labeled, as each patient is different and should be assessed on an individual basis, understanding some of the different types of music therapy can help us appreciate the different uses of music therapy. Music therapy activities can be loosely divided into the following categories:

Music therapy to help develop communication, language and intellectual development
Music therapy as support, for people who are grieving, going through a crisis time or who are in pain
Music therapy to lower stress and tension
Music therapy as a motivation for rehabilitation
Music therapy to encourage movement
Music therapy as a means to identify with cultural and spiritual identity
Music therapy to assist memory and imagination.

Goals of Music Therapy

The goals of music therapy are dependent upon the purpose of music therapy for each individual case. Drug and alcohol centers and schools may use music therapy and behavior changing may be an important goal. Whereas, nursing homes may use music therapy in more of a support role or to relieve pain. Some of the goals of music therapy may include: