The Field of Music Therapy

Maddie Dunn, Journalist

  Are you sad, depressed, or anxious maybe? Considered as a natural antidepressant, music can give you the euphoric high that antidepressant medications offer. Music is known to tap into various parts of the brain, and that is why it is utilized by many experts in the field of psychology in treating depressed or anxious patients.

  The meter, timber, rhythm, and pitch of music are managed in areas of the brain that deal with emotions and mood. These key areas in the brain are the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex and the parietal lobe.The hippocampus, a structure of the limbic system, is responsible for spatial orientation, navigation and the consolidation of new memories. It also brings about emotional responses. The prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, manages extreme impulses and emotions. Known as the “seat of good judgment,” it enables one to make good and acceptable choices so that inappropriate behaviors are prevented. The parietal lobe, it is in charge of spatial orientation, information processing and cognition, affects many other parts of the brain.

   As a result of its ability to alter the different parts of the brain, music has been utilized in a number of therapies. Since it reaches the emotion-related barriers, music is now being utilized as a mood-altering therapy for depressed and anxious individuals.

   Whenever you are feeling down and blue, music can uplift your spirits. A lot of people turn to upbeat music whenever they feel sad or depressed, and it comes as no surprise why it is a viable solution for people feeling blue. That’s because soothing tunes foster the release of serotonin, a hormone that produces happiness and a general sense of well-being. It also flushes the body with dopamine, a neurotransmitter that makes you feel good. Music paves the way for the release of norepinephrine, a hormone that brings about euphoria and elation.With all the hormones that flood the body with happy thoughts, you do not have to purchase expensive anti-depressant medications just to feel better.

  Songs with positive messages, such as “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor and “Stronger” by Kelly Clarkson are filled with inspirational meanings that can truly uplift your mood. The messages that are embedded in such songs – plus the euphoria that comes with singing these tunes – can motivate you.

     Soothing tunes can also help relax your tensed muscles, as well as pace down your breathing rate. With these physiological changes, you can eliminate the stresses that can make you cranky and moody.

   A study conducted by experts from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands shows that people enjoy a “happier perception” when they listen to lively music. So if you want to drown all the depression away, crank up the radio and expect to be changed  for the better.

  Music does not only change your present disposition, it can alter your future mood as well. Even if you turn that iPod off, the music that you just listened to can significantly change your brain waves and improve your mood. That means a positive mood for the hours (even days) to come.

   A study conducted by experts from the University of Missouri conducted by the MU research facility. Proved that music is monumental in mood improvement. With a better sense of happiness, studies show that people experience improved health, greater relationship satisfaction, enhanced behavior – even higher income. Are you getting ready for a big soccer match and need to get pumped up? Maybe some hip hop with a wicked beat will do the trick! Instead, you might be ready to study for a big exam the next day. To calm your nerves and help you concentrate, a little bit of Mozart might make memorization more manageable.  

  People under a lot of stress or experiencing frustrating circumstances can benefit from listening to angry music. While angry music might not help you if you’re in a normal mood, its aggressive tone can be beneficial when dealing with stressful, frustrating circumstances.These studies have helped scientists and researchers develop the field of music therapy.

  According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is “the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals.” Today, music therapy is used to help people improve mood, restore energy, and heal more naturally. Of course, music also has other mental benefits beyond improving mood. Music can also help memory. Try to say your ABCs without singing the tune you learned when you first learned to memorize the alphabet.

  Scientific research has shown that pairing music with rhythm and pitch can help enhance learning and improve recall. Not only does music tend to help us pay attention, but it also can make an otherwise boring task more enjoyable, thus leading memorization.

  We all like to pump up the tunes when we’re powering through our to-do lists, right? But when it comes to creative work, loud music may not be the best option. It turns out that a moderate noise level is the sweet spot for creativity. Even more than low noise levels, ambient noise apparently gets our creative juices flowing, and doesn’t distract the way high levels of noise do.

  The way this works is that moderate noise levels increase processing difficulty which promotes abstract processing, leading to higher creativity. In other words, when we struggle (just enough) to process things as we normally would, we resort to more creative approaches. High noise levels, however, impairs our creative thinking because we’re overwhelmed and struggle to process information efficiently.

  Drivers were monitored  while listening to their own choice of music, listening to nothing at all, or “safe” music provided by researchers . Of course, their own music was preferred, but it also proved to be more distracting: drivers made more mistakes and drove more aggressively when listening to their own choice of music. Even more surprising: music provided by the researchers proved to be more beneficial than no music at all. Uninteresting, music is best for safe driving.The study also tried white noise and silence to compare the results, and found that silence resulted in the worst scores because it was distracting and made the driver more irritable. This study was so small, the conclusions need to be explored further for validation. We can see that just like silence doesn’t help us to be more creative or better drivers, it’s not much use when we’re exercising either.

  Research on the effects of music during exercise has been done for years. In 1911, an American researcher, Leonard Ayres, found that cyclists pedaled faster while listening to music than they did in silence.This happens because listening to music can drown out our brain’s cries of fatigue. As our body realizes we’re tired and wants to stop exercising, it sends signals to the brain to stop for a break. Listening to music competes for our brain’s attention.

  Music is an influential device used to help people’s attitude. Many times people listen to certain types of music to improve their mood. Music therapy is still a new concept improving: cognitive functioning, motor skills, emotional development, social skills, and quality of life by using both active and passive music experiences.