What is Music Therapy?

Music therapy is an established health care profession that uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs of individuals of all ages.

Group music therapy can build on personal strengths, interests and community participation. Music therapy provides a wonderful outlet for creativity and improvisation.

Registered music therapists (RMTs) are bound by the ethics of the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and have completed post-graduate studies in music therapy. Music therapy courses cover musicianship, research, assessment methods and psychology.

It can enhance an individual’s quality of life by:

• providing a means of communication to those who have no speech, or who suffer from speech disorders
• providing a safe, enjoyable way to express emotions and feelings
• encouraging the development of personality and self-assurance
• offering opportunities for social interaction and the development of social skills such as sharing, turn-taking and listening to others
• reducing anxiety, stress and pain
• increasing creativity and reducing rigid thought patterns
• developing gross and fine motor skills
• providing therapeutic movement for those with physical disabilities
• restoring a sense of joy, meaning, connection and hope

Disabilities

Music therapy is not only used with clients who have speech difficulties, but with those suffering from:

• chromosomal disorders, such as Rett syndrome, Williams syndrome, Down’s syndrome, Hunters syndrome
• autism and autistic spectrum disorder, including Asperger’s syndrome
• global developmental delay and mental impairment
• learning disorders
• ADD/ADHD
• brain-damage disorders such as cerebral palsy and spasticity
• undiagnosed behaviour, communication, social or emotional problems

Both general goals and specific objectives are set and may include amongst others:

• developing response to, and initiation of communication
• developing turn-taking and other social skills
• developing body awareness
• increasing self-expression and emotional awareness

Sensory Impaired

People with vision or hearing impairment can benefit from music therapy. Deaf people can feel the vibrations of sound and perform in signing choirs. Many young children with cochlear implants can enjoy music and benefit from more highly developed listening skills. Those with sight impairment can discover the joys of the world of music, and lessen their social isolation by joining with others.

Performance Anxiety

Music Therapy is a non-medication approach to performance anxiety in musicians and actors. Psychodynamic music therapy, improvisation and relaxation, music and imagery techniques are used in accordance with individual differences and the performers needs. Assessment and a series of six sessions recommended for results to be effective.

Trauma

The concept of traumatic experience has three central facets – shock, wound and lasting effects and/or damage. The concept of trauma is used to describe the impact of single events, as well as events from the past that can resurface over time. These may include violence, death, loss, exposure to war, displacement. Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a particularly severe and debilitating condition and includes - the re-experiencing of the event, a lack of affect, numbness, and active avoidance of any reminder of what took place.

An initial interview deals with the client’s physical, personal and family history, reasons for coming to therapy, and his/her understanding of what the therapy process can be for them. Some warm-up exercises in breathing, movement and imagery are also observed as assessment data.

Music therapy assessments provide background of a client and include the client’s needs and level of functioning in the following areas:

- Communication/expression
- Behaviour
- Psychosocial well-being
- Culture- Religious/spiritual
- Cognition/memory
- Physical
- Musical profile
- Musical skills

Following initial assessment a program can be outlined that may be short term or long term. Individualized goals are formulated according to assessment data and client input. Individual sessions are usually one hour long, group sessions may consist of two hour weekly sessions.

Progress is monitored through log reviews, observation and direct client feedback.
One of the methods used is Vocal Improvisation. Vocal Improvisation therapy uses breathing, toning, improvising with vocal sounds, singing, body alignment, touch and imagery as therapeutic techniques. The main pre-requisite is that the client chooses to work on his or her problems through this approach.

Mental Health

A growing problem in our society is the frequency of depression and anxiety for people of all ages. Another – mental health problems arising from substance abuse.
Active music therapy through musical improvisation, performance and composition is the most widely used in mental health today.

Receptive music therapy is a systematic treatment and a tool for improving quality of life. It consists of listening to music and reflecting upon the experience afterwards. Music and imagery methods find a psychological issue as a focus for sessions and may be particularly useful in rehabilitation. Therapeutic goals are all client centred. No music ability or training is required to participate in music therapy.

Case Studies