What is the definition of musicotherapy ? According to Amercian Music Therapy Association (AMTA): “Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients’ abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people’s motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.”
Music has always been part of our societies. The rhythm of the drums, for example, encouraged the soldiers to fight. Song create group cohesion and motivation for the troops. Nowadays, music is everywhere. Songs for example can help to support an anxiety-provoking situation: elevators or waiting-room for example. Advertisers use music to manipulate people during their shopping. When they want to close the shop, they put music with high BPM (beat per minutes) to urge the consumer to get out faster.
In this article, we are going to speak about musicotherapy, the benefits for health and how therapists practice this method.
First we will see the three different techniques applied by professionals:
“Receptive music”: the music can be recorded and after listening to it, the patient can talk about it and if necessary he or she can also use a medium: such as drawing or dancing.
“Active music”: is when the patient sing or play an instrument. They can make covers of well-known songs, or even compose original ones.
“Receptive” and “Active” music at the same time.
The therapy session can be individual or group (group size may vary) and lasts approximately thirty minutes to an hour. Music therapy is for all audiences.
During childhood, music therapy is very useful for behavioural disorders. It allows them to express themselves by externalizing their discomfort. The discussion with the therapist is valuable to complete the process.
During adolescence, music is an escape from real life. It therefore allows therapists to communicate with teenagers. This relationship can be enriching and the therapist becomes a source of inspiration (a motivating model) for the adolescent. Thus communication is established despite the age difference.
For people who are stressed or depressed, music is a way to explore emotions and feel less alone.
Concerning the disabled. Music can help solve motor problems. For example, exercises are rhythmic or musical loops good for movement coordination.
For people with mental illness, oral communication is not always the most appropriate. Music is therefore a good alternative, it is reassuring because it is more fluid and less meaningful than words.
For elderly people with Alzheimer’s disease, for example, music is sometimes a reminder of a period of life. Music therapy can create a link between the past and the present where people are led to remember the words of a song, to talk about stories or adventures. With this method, socialization, open-mindedness and inclusion are promoted. Thanks to this, deterioration is slowed down.
To conclude this article, we can see that music therapy is a “new” discipline and that some professionals are not yet convinced of its effectiveness. For them, it is too early to make a scientific explanation. However the benefits are real and more and more trainings are emerging all over the world.
Referencies
Century, H. (2010). La musicothérapie. Le Coq-héron, 202(3), 94-114. https://doi.org/10.3917/cohe.202.0094