By Mariah Staebell
Music therapy is an option being used all
over the world in settings from the NICU to nursing homes. According to the
Certification Board for Music Therapists, "Music therapy is the
specialized use of music by a credentialed professional who develops
individualized treatment and supportive interventions for people of all ages
and ability levels to address their social, communication, emotional, physical,
cognitive, sensory, and spiritual needs." Not only is this therapy proven
to be effective, it is also recognized as such by the Department of Veterans
Affairs, the Department of Defense, the Department of Health and Human
Services, and the National Intrepid Center of Excellence. This is a program
that can be utilized for newborns, those with mental and physical disabilities,
as well as depression, dementia, and children in the hospital.
Music therapy is especially useful in the
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU. Standley cites from Cassidy and Diddy in
1998, "music is often played in the NICU at slightly higher decibel levels
than the ambient sound to mask aversive, stressful noise." The incubators
for infants in the NICU drown out sound at ambient noise frequencies to help diminish
this stressful sound. Infants of this young age, do miss out on the singing
aspect of music therapy due to the fact that human voices speak at the same
frequency that incubators are decided to limit. However, the music played in
NICUs statistically benefits infants, according to Standley. In the
meta-analysis journal, benefits are broken down for infants in different
prematurity groups, for example: recorded lullaby music beginning at 28 weeks
improves oxygen intake, weight gain, and shortens hospital stays, while live
singing at 32 weeks shortens hospital stays and increases tolerance for
stimulation (Standley, 2002).
As for music therapy regulations in the NICU,
Standley is quick to offer some advice. She provided the following points to
follow based on her research:
- Begin around 28 weeks
- All music should be soothing and
constant, nothing that will alert the infant
- No more than 1 instrument
accompanying a voice
- Steady volume
- Higher pitched vocalists
- Females due to hearing females
voices while in the womb: it is familiar
- No more than 1.5 hours in the day
- Lullabies to stress vowels,
phrasing, and language
In addition to children and infants, the
elderly and those who suffer from dementia also benefit from music therapy.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, "Dementia is not a specific
disease. It's an overall term that describes a group of symptoms associated
with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a
person's ability to perform everyday activities." This condition and set of
symptoms "has significant cognitive, physical, psychological, social,
economic, and societal impacts on the person, families, friends, and wider
community." says the Alzheimer's disease International in 2018. Music
therapy has been a tactic adopted by nursing homes and caretakers of patients
suffering with dementia. In a journal on music therapy written by a culmination
of PhD holders, in-direct music therapy is described as those that are not
necessarily qualified to officiate music therapy sessions but practice music
with the patients. There are many cases that patients will enter into music
therapy with a qualified therapists and need to continue to the services after
the sessions are complete. This is when in-direct music therapy can take place
and Ridder explains that this is "one way of maintaining a person's
wellbeing following direct music therapy."
There are many different
approaches to music therapy. There is the client listening and playing alone or
in a group setting, or even writing. Songwriting for music therapy is an
interesting technique utilized with dementia patients. Felicity Anne Baker,
PhD, found that songwriting with dementia patients can help them trigger their
memory with storytelling, as well as allow patients to process some difficult
emotions. This is not just a tactic used with the patients though. Music
therapy is utilized in similar ways with the actual caretakers of dementia
patients. Caretakers experience a lot of emotional toll and allowing them to
tap into those emotions through music lets them to process experiences easier
and in a soothing way.
A third use of music therapy
is with children on the autism spectrum. Autism is a "highly complex
disability that affects development of our social, verbal and cognitive abilities"
according to Nurse Journal. This is exactly why music therapy is a
great tool in autism treatments. Music therapy taps into both sides of the
brain; music supports cognitive ability but also communicative behavior, as
well as social interaction. The benefits of music therapy almost directly line
up with the struggles of those with autism. Although, there is no cure for
autism, the earlier it is caught the better treatment will work. Music therapy
works especially well for children because music encourages communication and
social interaction at an early age, making them more comfortable with these
daily activities as they age.
Although some music therapy
is done indirectly, with someone that is not qualified to conduct music therapy
sessions, most are done directly with music therapists. Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, an accredited,
institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music and the
American Music Therapy Association, has their
own music therapy program. According to Wartburg's website,
"Students can complete a Bachelor of Music Education/Music Therapy
(BME-MT) degree, which leads to licensure in K-12 music education and becoming
a Board Certified Music Therapist or The Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy
(BM-MT), which includes the coursework in social work and opportunities for
minor concentrations." When a student is going through the music therapy
program at Wartburg, they have the opportunity to present on their original
research at various conferences, as well as conduct clinical hours with
licensed music therapists.
As this research and the
different uses of music therapy have proven affective through the years, the
education opportunities have also grown. Using music therapy with many groups
of people at varying abilities such as: NICU babies, dementia patients, and
children with autism can help trigger memories and grow social skills as well
as tolerance in general. Music therapy does not have to be a complicated
process performed by a music therapist. Indirect music therapy is a more casual
option and can be used for continued treatment. The proven benefits of music
therapy can be surprising, which is why it may often be forgotten. Whether the
methods are direct or indirect, with young or old, the benefits of music
therapy can be seen in many different ways.
Photo Credits:
Children's Health
Hartford HealthCare Senior
Services
PBS
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