Music: Music and Music Therapy Essay

Submitted By musicmamma40
Words: 1591
Pages: 7
Open Document
Articles on Music Therapy and its Effects
In a study conducted by the University of Iowa’s College of Nursing (1998), students wanted to test the effects of music therapy. Music therapy would mean that the students used music in a way of healing rather than a form of entertainment. The idea was to better understand music’s effects on relaxation and anxiety. Does using music in such a way benefit a person in need of healing? In this study the test was conducted on patients receiving assistance from a ventilator. A test such as this could be conducted on nearly any person in just about any situation, medically related or not.
Two groups were tested in the study. The participating groups were one control group, to whom no music was played, and one testing group, to whom music was played. The patients were randomized as well as the locations giving the study more reliability, making it more valid. Anxiety, heart rate, and respiratory rate were the elements being measured throughout the study. Music was either played, or not played over a time period of thirty minutes and the measurements previously mentioned were to be recorded.
The result of this study was simple. The study was beneficial to the patients exposed to the music. For those exposed to music, anxiety was significantly lowered throughout the process. As a whole, the music group patient’s heart and respiratory rates decreased over time as well. Based off this study alone, on cannot say that music therapy is beneficial to all people. However, this study is proof that for these patients, silence was doing more harm than good.
In a similar study, Wallace J. Hamel (2001) discusses almost identical results in comparison to the study conducted by the University of Iowa’s College of Nursing and supports its findings. Hamel also references Iowa’s research in his journal. It’s interesting that Hamel uses the term “music intervention” instead of music therapy. However, they both have the same effect. Hamel wanted to “determine the effect of music intervention on anxiety, heart rate, and arterial blood pressure in patients waiting for cardiac catheterization” (Hamel, 2001).
Again, the two studies are very similar. The purpose is almost identical, the procedure is nearly the same, and the results both have the same end conclusion. The biggest difference between the two studies would be the “subjects” being tested. Hamel’s research proved that alternative therapies can be beneficial. Particularly, the study proves that music can decrease anxiety. Also, this study goes one step further, in saying that music positively effects the “physiological values caused by stress (Hamel, 2001).”

Chlan, L. (1998). Effectiveness of a music therapy intervention on relaxation and anxiety for patients receiving ventilatory assistance. Heart & Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 27(3), 169–176. doi:10.1016/S0147-9563(98)90004-8
Hamel, W. J. (2001). The effects of music intervention on anxiety in the patient waiting for cardiac catheterization. Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, 17(5), 279–285. doi:10.1054/iccn.2001.1594

Kathi J. Kemper’s article on music therapy discusses the benefits of music therapy on patients. Throughout the article, “Music as Therapy,” she makes some very good points and her findings are very informational. Her study does not limit her to only one or two beneficial characteristics of music therapy; she widens her search to a variety of helpful elements.
“Music is widely used to enhance well-being, reduce stress, and distract patients from unpleasant symptoms. Although there are wide variations in individual preferences, music appears to exert direct physiologic effects through the autonomic nervous system. It also has indirect effects by modifying caregiver behavior. Music effectively reduces anxiety and improves mood for medical and surgical patients, for patients in intensive care units and patients undergoing procedures, and
Show More

Related Documents: Music: Music and Music Therapy Essay

Music Therapy

Music therapy is the use of the power of music to accomplish the goals of individuals within a therapeutic relationship through the help of a credentialed professional who gone through an accredited music therapy program. In other words, music is a powerful tool for healing purposes. The purpose of music therapy is to address certain individuals’ physical, social, emotional and cognitive need. Before applying the music therapy, it is the responsibility of the music therapist to assess the client’s…

Words 870 - Pages 4

Music Therapy

in curent years, the relationship between music and medicine has been studied extensively, especially as regards the use of music in therapeutic practice, as well as an explanation of the neurological mechanism involved and bringing up new educational, scientific, and professional items. Various studies also proposed that music act as physical and emotional curatives.The ancient Greeks assigned the god Apollo to reign over both music and curative (Trehan, 2004). Ancient shamanic curative rituals…

Words 999 - Pages 4

Essay on Music: Therapy and Music

Music plays a very important part in our life’s and is connected inevitably with our emotions. There are many different types of music stretching from a wide range of pop music to complex classical operatic pieces. Throughout our daily life’s music impacts each and every one of us , either through our lifestyle or coincidence , in supermarkets , television or even simply being interested in it. But the one thing that separates you from everyone else, is that through music we are all affected in…

Words 1214 - Pages 5

Isolation In Music Therapy

dementia. Elderly, alone, and feeling misunderstood. However, a type of therapy involving music has made strides in combating such symptoms. Music therapy has been able to increase the ability to communicate, even in those who have severe dementia, and ease the anxieties a person with these diseases may have (Ridder). Being able to escape the feelings of isolation can all over increase the quality of life, all of which music therapy has aided to. In our society, we can often seen articles about elderly…

Words 2373 - Pages 10

The Importance Of Music Therapy

Since the beginning of human existence, music has been proven to cause a positive reaction on people. It was not only until the early 90’s when neuroimaging technology confirmed that musical activity had profound effects on the brain and that music could have therapeutic purposes. “Our auditory systems, our nervous systems are turned for music. Perhaps we are a musical species no less than a linguistic one” (Sacks). It all began in the 1940’s when nurses and professionals noticed that war veterans…

Words 2278 - Pages 10

Depression: Music Therapy

Treatments of depression range from medicinal therapy to more holistic methods of talk therapy. An up-and-coming treatment method of this illness is a new method known as music therapy. Therapists utilize the vibrations and the subconscious cues music conveys to evoke trust and emotional vulnerability in their patients. As a result of music therapy’s physical and mental soothing effects, it can…

Words 829 - Pages 4

Music Therapy Benefits

Music therapy is beneficial for all sorts of things, stress, anxiety, and symptoms of many disorders. Patients spend about an hour during every session listening to music that is specifically picked out for them. This will not cure any patient, but it can help with their quality of life as they live with their disorder. Music therapy is beneficial for many symptoms of mental illnesses in people of all ages. Music Therapy is a therapeutic method that uses musical interaction as a means of communication…

Words 883 - Pages 4

Creative Music Therapy

creative arts into music therapy practice. While there has been research done on the benefits and potential interventions that combine creative arts and music therapy, this study focused on the impact of training, exposure, and reasoning behind music therapist’s decision to incorporate or exclude additional creative arts in their practice. To focus on current trends in the field, responses were collected strictly from participants that indicted they were actively employed as a music therapist. This…

Words 1142 - Pages 5

Informative Essay On Music Therapy

said, “Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy”. If a person were to think about this for awhile, it becomes very apparent that this is in fact very true. Music has the power to change someone's emotion completely. It can take someone who is depressed and make them completely different. This is one of the many reasons why there is a profession of Music Therapy. Music Therapy is particularly beneficial because of the positive effects it has on mental and physical health. Music Therapy…

Words 1041 - Pages 5

Music Therapy Research Paper

Music Therapy The Story of My Search Music has the power to improve one’s cognitive, physical, and mental health. Because I have always known this bit of information, I have wanted to learn more about the science behind how a person can improve by incorporating music with his or her human mind or physical being. I know that instruments are used to aid people in this profession, but I want to know if and how people are taught to play an instrument. I have watched where singing words on a page…

Words 1201 - Pages 5