When Words Fail, Music Speaks: Adding Music to Talk Therapy

We help patients process the memories and emotions that are evoked when engaging in music, and then explore their reactions to these through verbal discussion. We can then work through music improvisation, lyric writing, or singing to make changes to our reactions in order to re-process difficult situations.

Music therapy can be an excellent modality to explore feelings and situations that are difficult to convey in words. There is no pressure to come into the therapy room and sing or play an instrument, the sessions often look like traditional therapy- with the added sensory experience of sound and the extra tool of learning to use music for self-care.

Building Efficient Adaptive Music Programs

It’s my thought that organizations can make use of talented teaching artists, provided the teachers- and the organizations- have an understanding of the goals of the program, the participants’ needs, and what adaptive music means to all involved. Below, I’ll share some of the skills that are needed.

Music and Memory

He usually had his eyes closed while the other members sang. One day, I brought drums to hand out- they were Remo’s buffalo drums, which have a handle and a mallet. This man was playing his drum with one mallet when he suddenly reached over and took the mallet from his neighbor. He started playing a military drum cadence with two mallets on the drum on his lap. When we finished the drumming as a group, I sat next to him and he told me about his service in the army. It was the first time he’d spoken in the group in two months!

Don't Miss a Beat! Music for Heart Health

Music therapists use a technique called entrainment, in which we match the tempo of our improvised music to the breath or heart rate of a patient. Eventually, we can speed up or slow down our music and the person’s body rhythms will go with it. This is effective even in the ICU with a patient who is otherwise unresponsive. If that patient is in a state of stress, music therapy can be used to bring them into a parasympathetic state, which may help them get home faster.

Music Therapy to Reduce Anxiety During a Pandemic

You can incorporate music into your daily routine.. Relaxation music doesn’t have to be Pachebel’s Canon or rainfall sounds. You can use your favorite song, be it hip hop, country, or jazz.. As you listen, try breathing in time to the beat of the music. Adjusting your breathing even slightly reduces anxiety by increasing the supply of oxygen to your brain and stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system.

Music Therapy for Cancer Patients

That is just one example of the benefits music therapy can provide to oncology patients, one of my favorite populations to work with. Music therapy can be an integral part of continuous supportive cancer care, enhancing both medical treatments and rehabilitation.

Music Therapy for Traumatic Brain Injury

Music is highly structured, made up of multiple elements all at once- rhythm, tempo, melody, harmony, timbre, genre. So to participate in even listening to music, we are using parts of our brain that deal with complex perception, motor control, emotional regulation, timing, hearing, language, memory, executive control. Music activates these areas and drives complex interaction between them. Using the simple form of music, like a 12 bar blues, we can retrain and reeducate an injured brain by making space for the brain to fill in notes and rhythm. Research has shown that learning music helps areas in the brain grow and reconnect.

Finding Joy in Tough Times with a Ukulele

I’ve partnered with Lucy’s Love Bus, a wonderful nonprofit that sponsors non-medical therapy services for children with cancer and their families, for a monthly ukulele club called Lucy’s Aloha Band for kids from all over New England.

This group isn't a traditional music therapy group since we didn't do intakes or evaluations of clients – it's more for fun and social/community-building, as well as expression. Generally, if kids are experiencing pain or anxiety, music will help reduce those, but that isn't a goal that we specifically talk about or address in the group.

Ukulele is a great instrument for beginners, non-musicians, and especially for kids (because of its small size!).

Who Benefits from Music Therapy?

Although I work with many different ages and populations as a music therapist, my work primarily focuses on oncology patients, and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities and brain injury. I also work with people experiencing general stress. I develop clear goals and objectives for each individual client that work in conjunction with their overall plan of care using both interactive and receptive music therapy techniques.

“Together is Better”: Making art with new Mainers to build community

Sharing artmaking experiences can help promote physical health, maintain family cohesion, and make social and economic connections. Teaching an art or craft, especially, allows for self-assertion as teachers and allies to new neighbors. It can also enable elders to communicate cultural traditions to younger generations (who may not remember or may not have even seen) and incorporate these traditions into their new land. Art invokes playfulness through unique expression and can be expanded upon to overlap into present circumstances of families.

A case (study) for hospital-based music therapy

Working together, we used music as a distraction, as a reward, and as the motivation. Responding to Mia’s actions and moods through musical improvisation meant that she felt understood and was more motivated to participate in the therapy session. The music pushed her to lift higher, stretch longer, and laugh in the middle of crying.

Music Therapy Successes

(207) 233-8734 • kate@mainemusicandhealth.com • Portland, Maine