Music therapy hits the right notes
by Nathan Woulfe, , May 16, 2006
Contemporary society is utilising music as more than simple entertainment – as a psychological tool, music is being applied to traditional therapy and early childhood development.
Studies have found music to be beneficial as a healing and developmental tool, while in certain circumstances also having detrimental psychological effects.
Music therapy is a health profession practiced in over 40 countries worldwide, including Australia. The Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) describes music therapy as the planned and creative use of music to attain and maintain health and well-being.
University accredited music therapists work in a variety of environments, including special schools, aged care facilities and long-term care facilities for rehabilitation and psychiatric treatment, AMTA said.
Myra Staum is Director and Professor of Music Therapy at Willamette University, Salem, Oregon.
Professor Myra Staum states that music therapy is especially beneficial in the treatment of autistic children, as the therapy is both non-verbal and non-threatening.
“It has been noted time and again that autistic children evidence unusual sensitivities to music. Some have perfect pitch, while many have been noted to play instruments with exceptional musicality,” Professor Staum said in a paper published on the Centre for the Study of Autism website.
“Music therapists traditionally work with autistic children because of this unusual responsiveness which is adaptable to non-music goals.”
In early childhood development, music therapy is used to enhance communication, socialisation, self-expression and motor skills. At the opposing end of the age spectrum, music therapy in aged care aims to maintain physical and mental function, improve self-esteem and alleviate pain or depression.
In an aged-care environment, music therapy may be as simple as performing in a choir or band, song writing or listening to appropriate music.
Music-based therapy moves easily beyond the traditional doctor-patient relationship. Daniel Johns, frontman of Australian group silverchair, used song writing to assess and externalise his battle with anorexia.
Johns told Rolling Stone magazine’s Blair Fischer that while “it’s [anorexia] definitely better than before,” he would still seek further treatment.
American hip-hop group Rehab similarly used music as a therapeutic tool. Original members Danny Boone and Brooks Buford met in a rehabilitation centre, while being treated for drug and alcohol dependency. Song writing was incorporated into their treatments and ultimately resulted in the release of the debut album ‘Southern Discomfort’ in 2000.
Music can have a psychological impact in much more interesting circumstances than medical or rehabilitation applications.
The Newscientist website reports that in 1993, neuroscientist Fran Rauscher demonstrated that students exposed to classical music written by Mozart outperformed their peers in spatial reasoning tests.
Scientists have since attempted to discredit claims that the so-called ‘Mozart effect’ actually increases intelligence or that the effect is more apparent with respect to infants, as claimed by many reports since 1993.
Regardless of the legitimacy of the study and its findings, it still raises the question of whether classical music can cause an increase in spatial 
intelligence.
Indiana University’s Human Intelligence website suggests that listening to certain types of music can “warm-up” the brain, citing research by Dr Rauscher and her colleagues which shows “similar neural firings patterns occur when listening to music and performing spatial tasks”.
Despite testing inconsistencies and scientific attempts to disprove the legitimacy of the Mozart effect, there have been repeat recordings of increases in spatial intelligence, lasting for up to 15 minutes, in the range of up to nine IQ points.
While much evidence exists highlighting the potential positive benefits of music for the mind, there are also detrimental alternatives.
The lyrical and thematic content of heavy metal and gangster rap is often blamed as the motivator for acts of violent crime.
The Trinidad and Tobago Express reports that the 2005 murder trial of Osei Lazare and Marcus Daniel quickly introduced the defence that rock music had dragged Daniel into a world of devil worship and drug use. His lawyer proposed that listening to bands such as Marilyn Manson, Ozzy Osbourne and Anthrax had driven him to commit the crime.
Manson was also linked to the 1999 Columbine school massacre, with allegations that killers Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold were obsessive fans. Writing for Rolling Stone, Manson said of the killings, “responsible journalists have reported with less publicity that Harris and Klebold were not Marilyn Manson fans - that they even disliked my music”.
“Even if they were fans, that gives them no excuse, nor does it mean that music is to blame.”
Perhaps more disturbing than the idea of music holding such psychological sway over listeners as to drive them to violence, is the increasing instances of violence relating to the industry, with performers the victims.
Rap performers Tupac Shakur, Biggie Smalls and Jam Master Jay (aka Jason Mizell), of Run DMC fame, are members of a growing list of shooting victims from within the industry. However, the shooting of Mizell differs from that of his musical contemporaries, Shakur and Smalls, as Run DMC did not glorify the typical gang-motivated, violent rap image.
Professor of psychology at Marshall University, Dr W. Joseph Wyatt said rap music has an impact on the audience, but so do other forms of music and entertainment.
"It is going to have some impact, there's no question. But is it the right impact?"
Music can be both a healing device and an instigator for future incidents. The similarity between both applications is the existence of a psychological issue, a precursor to either requiring treatment or triggering violence.
As a healing tool, music is proving its potential. Music therapy is a recognised university degree and a highly regarded treatment for special needs patient and children through to the elderly. Yet conversely, music is often accused of being responsible for atrocious acts of violence.
Music, it seems, can be labelled both problem and solution. Its application as a therapeutic device from an early age is, through research, becoming more clearly defined. In time, rather than blaming music for motivating crimes, it may be used to treat the psychological conditions that ultimately lead to the offence.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://neovox.cortland.edu/mt/mt-tb.cgi/410
your thoughts?
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)