Music Therapy

Other common name(s): none

Scientific/medical name(s): none

Description

Music therapy is the use of music by health care professionals to promote healing and enhance quality of life

for their patients. Music therapy may be used to encourage emotional expression, promote social

interaction, relieve symptoms, and for other purposes. Music therapists may use active or passive methods

with patients, depending on the individual patient’s needs and abilities.

Overview

There is some evidence that, when used with conventional treatment, music therapy can help to reduce pain

and relieve chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. It may also relieve stress and provide an overall

sense of well-being. Some studies have found that music therapy can lower heart rate, blood pressure, and

breathing rate.

How is it promoted for use?

Music therapists work with a variety of physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms. Music therapy is

often used in cancer treatment to help reduce pain, anxiety, and nausea caused by chemotherapy. Some

people believe music therapy may be a beneficial addition to the health care of children with cancer by

promoting social interaction and cooperation.

There is evidence that music therapy can reduce high blood pressure, rapid heart beat, depression, and

sleeplessness. There are no claims music therapy can cure cancer or other diseases, but medical experts

do believe it can reduce some symptoms, aid healing, improve physical movement, and enrich a patient’s

quality of life.

What does it involve?

Music therapists design music sessions for individuals and groups based on their needs and tastes. Some

aspects of music therapy include making music, listening to music, writing songs, and talking about lyrics.

Music therapy may also involve imagery and learning through music. It can be done in different places such

as hospitals, cancer centers, hospices, at home, or anywhere people can benefit from its calming or

stimulating effects. The patient does not need to have any musical ability to benefit from music therapy.

A related practice called music thanatology is sometimes used at the end of a patient’s life to ease the

person’s passing. It is practiced in homes, hospices, or nursing homes.

What is the history behind it?

Music has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Ancient Greek philosophers believed that music

could heal both the body and the soul. Native Americans have used singing and chanting as part of their

healing rituals for millennia. The more formal approach to music therapy began in World War II, when U.S.

Veterans Administration hospitals began to use music to help treat soldiers suffering from shell shock. In

1944, Michigan State University established the first music therapy degree program in the world.

Today, more than seventy colleges and universities have degree programs that are approved by the

American Music Therapy Association. Music therapists must have at least a bachelor’s degree, 1,200 hours

of clinical training, and one or more internships before they can be certified. There are thousands of

professional music therapists working in health care settings in the United States today. They serve as part

of cancer-management teams in many hospitals and cancer centers, helping to plan and evaluate treatment.

Some music therapy services are covered by health insurance.

What is the evidence?

Scientific studies have shown the value of music therapy on the body, mind, and spirit of children and adults.

Researchers have found that music therapy, when used with anti-nausea drugs for patients receiving high-

dose chemotherapy, can help ease nausea and vomiting. A number of clinical trials have shown the benefit

of music therapy for short-term pain, including pain from cancer. Some studies have suggested that music

may help decrease the overall intensity of the patient’s experience of pain when used with pain-relieving

drugs. Music therapy can also result in a decreased need for pain medicine in some patients, although

studies on this topic have shown mixed results.

In hospice patients, one study found that music therapy improved comfort, relaxation, and pain control.

Another study found that quality of life improved in cancer patients who received music therapy, even as it

declined in those who did not. No differences were seen in survival between the 2 groups.

A more recent clinical trial looked at the effects of music during the course of several weeks of radiation

treatments. The researchers found that while emotional distress (such as anxiety) seemed to be helped at

the beginning of treatment, the patients reported that this effect gradually decreased. Music did not appear

to help such symptoms as pain, fatigue, and depression over the long term.

Other clinical trials have revealed a reduction in heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, insomnia,

depression, and anxiety with music therapy. No one knows all the ways music can benefit the body, but

studies have shown that music can affect brain waves, brain circulation, and stress hormones. These effects

are usually seen during and shortly after the music therapy.

Studies have shown that students who take music lessons have improved IQ levels, and show improvement

in nonmusical abilities as well. Other studies have shown that listening to music composed by Mozart

produces a short-term improvement in tasks that use spatial abilities. Studies of brain circulation have

shown that people listening to Mozart have more activity in certain areas of the brain. This has been called

the “Mozart effect.” Although the reasons for this effect are not completely clear, this kind of information

supports the idea that music can be used in many helpful ways.

Some clinical trials that involve listening to music have shown no benefit on anxiety during surgical

procedures, although one study that allowed patients to choose their own music showed improved anxiety

levels. One recent review of studies looked at the effect of music on all types of pain and found a wide

variation in its effects. The study authors observed that the best effects were on short-term pain after

surgery. It is important to note that not all studies of music use music therapists, who assess the patient’s

needs, circumstances, and preferences, as well as the different effects of certain types of music. This may

account for some differences in clinical trial results.

Are there any possible problems or complications?

In general, music therapy done under the care of a professionally trained therapist has a helpful effect and is

considered safe when used with standard treatment. Musical intervention by untrained people can be

ineffective or can even cause increased stress and discomfort. Relying on this type of treatment alone and

avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.

Additional resources

More information from your American Cancer Society

The following information on complementary and alternative therapies may also be helpful to you. These

materials may be found on our Web site (www.cancer.org) or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-

2345).

Guidelines for Using Complementary and Alternative Therapies

Dietary Supplements: How to Know What Is Safe

The ACS Operational Statement on Complementary and Alternative Methods of Cancer Management

Complementary and Alternative Methods for Cancer Management

Placebo Effect

Learning About New Ways to Treat Cancer

Learning About New Ways to Prevent Cancer

References

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Clark M, Isaacks-Downton G, Wells N, et al. Use of preferred music to reduce emotional distress and

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Hilliard RE. The effects of music therapy on the quality and length of life of people diagnosed with terminal

cancer. J Music Ther. 2003;40:113-137.

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induced event-related desynchronization/synchronization and event-related coherence. Brain

Topogr. 2003;16:73-84.

Krout RE. The effects of single-session music therapy interventions on the observed and self-reported levels

of pain control, physical comfort, and relaxation of hospice patients. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2001;18:383-

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What is music therapy? American Music Therapy Association Web site. Accessed at www.musictherapy.org/

on May 23, 2008.

Note: This information may not cover all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or

interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be relied upon as a substitute for

consultation with your doctor, who is familiar with your medical situation.

What are the benefits of music therapy?

Some of the expected outcomes of music therapy include:

developing through musical (non-verbal) and verbal interaction with others an enhanced awareness of self

and others

offering opportunities for individuals to share their feelings and to experience a sense of ‘universality’

encouraging children and adults to have a self-belief in their own musicality

development in physical, sensory and cognitive skills

positive changes in mood and emotional states

improved concentration and attention span

increases in self-confidence, self-esteem, personal insight and motivation

development of independence and decision-making skills

enjoyment and improvement in quality of life

providing a relaxed environment can enable better social interactions with others

decreases in tension, anxiety and stress

In addition, music therapy sessions can support the use of skills such as:

active, improvised music making (using both instruments and voice)

listening

use of both gross and fine motor movements

sequential memory and recall of information

self-management of behaviour

So here are my top 12 brain-based reasons why music works in therapy:

1. Music is a core function in our brain. Our brain is primed early on to respond to and

process music. Research has shown that day-old infants are able to detect differences in

rhythmic patterns. Mothers across cultures and throughout time have used lullabies and

rhythmic rocking to calm crying babies. From an evolutionary standpoint, music precedes

language. We don’t yet know why, but our brains are wired to respond to music, even though

it’s not “essential” for our survival.

2. Our bodies entrain to rhythm. Have you ever walked down the street, humming a song in

your head, and noticed that your walking to the beat? That’s called entrainment. Our motor

systems naturally entrain, or match, to a rhythmic beat. When  a musical input enters our

central nervous system via the auditory nerve, most of the input goes to the brain for

processing. But some of it heads straight to motor nerves in our spinal cord. This allows our

muscles to move to the rhythm without our having to think about it or “try.” It’s how we dance

to music, tap our foot to a rhythm, and walk in time to a beat. This is also why music therapists

can help a person who’s had a stroke re-learn how to walk and develop strength and

endurance in their upper bodies.

3. We have physiologic responses to music. Every time your breathing quickens, your heart-

rate increases, or you feel a shiver down your spine, that’s your body responding

physiologically to music. Qualified music therapists can use this to help stimulate a person in

a coma or use music to effectively help someone relax.

4. Children (even infants) respond readily to music. Any parent knows that it’s natural for a

child to begin dancing and singing at an early age. My kids both started rocking to music

before they turned one. And have you seen the YouTube video of the baby dancing to

Beyonce? Children learn through music, art, and play, so it’s important (even necessary) to

use those mediums when working with children in therapy.

5. Music taps into our emotions. Have you ever listened to a piece of music and smiled? Or

felt sad? Whether from the music itself, or from our associations with the music, music taps

into our emotional systems. Many people use this in a “therapeutic” way, listening to certain

music that makes them feel a certain way. The ability for music to easily access our emotions

is very beneficial for music therapists.

6. Music helps improve our attention skills. I was once working with a 4-year-old in the

hospital. Her 10-month-old twin sisters were visiting, playing with Grandma on the bed. As

soon as I started singing to the older sister, the twins stopped playing and stared at me, for a

full 3 minutes. Even from an early age, music can grab and hold our attention. This allows

music therapists to target attention and impulse control goals, both basic skills we need to

function and succeed.

7. Music uses shared neural circuits as speech. This is almost a no-brainer (no pun

intended), but listening to or singing music with lyrics uses shared neural circuits as listening

to and expressing speech. Music therapists can use this ability to help a child learn to

communicate or help someone who’s had a stroke re-learn how to talk again.

8. Music enhances learning. Do you remember how you learned your ABCs? Through a song!

The inherent structure and emotional pull of music makes it an easy tool for teaching

concepts, ideas, and  information. Music is an effective mnemonic device and can “tag”

information, not only making it easy to learn, but also easy to later recall.

9. Music taps into our memories. Have you ever been driving, heard a song on the radio, then

immediately been taken to a certain place, a specific time in your life, or a particular person?

Music is second only to smell for it’s ability to stimulate our memory in a very powerful way.

Music therapists who work with older adults with dementia have countless stories of how

music stimulates their clients to reminisce about their life.

10. Music is a social experience. Our ancestors bonded and passed on their stories and

knowledge through song, stories, and dance. Even today, many of our music experiences are

shared with a group, whether playing in band or an elementary music class, listening to jazz at

a restaurant, or singing in church choir. Music makes it easy for music therapists to structure

and facilitate a group process.

11. Music is predictable, structured, and organized–and our brain likes it! Music often has a

predictable steady beat, organized phrases, and a structured form. If you think of most

country/folk/pop/rock songs you know, they’re often organized with a verse-chorus structure.

They’re organized in a way that we like and enjoy listening to over and over again. Even

sound waves that make up a single tone or an entire chord are organized in mathematical

ratios–and our brains really like this predictability and structure.

12. Music is non-invasive, safe and motivating. We can’t forget that most people really enjoy

music. This is not the most important reason why music works in therapy, but it’s the icing on

the cake.