Who Can Benefit?

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Music Therapy is a particularly successful clinical intervention for people who have trouble communicating verbally, because it doesn't rely exclusively on the capacity to talk. Working with music therapists can be life-changing for individuals who are disabled, unwell, or injured. Autistic children, for example, can learn emotional, social, and communicative skills. Also, someone who has had a traumatic brain injury as a result of an accident can be assisted in regaining their speech, or an elderly person who is afraid of the solitude and confusion caused by dementia might reconnect with these memories and share them with others through the strongly evocative quality of music. [3]

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Music Therapists are Allied Health Professionals who frequently work in multidisciplinary teams in health, education, or social care - or in private practice. There are currently Music Therapists working in the UK in settings with:

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• Children and young people (including mainstream, SEN education, PRUs, and looked after children/young people)

• Adults with Learning Disabilities

• Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Children, Adolescents, and Adults in Mental Health settings

• Older people

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What is Music Therapy?

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The use of music and/or musical components (such as harmony, rhythm, and tone) to achieve objectives like reducing stress levels or enhancing quality of life is known as music therapy. A doctor or healthcare provider known as a music therapist will speak with you in order to find out more about your requirements, experiences, and preferred music. From there, they will adapt each session to your needs. Along the way, they assess your progress and may collaborate with other medical professionals to organise your care. [2]

 

Your individual requirements and goals will determine how many sessions you have, how long each session lasts for, and what you do throughout each session. Writing music, performing music on an instrument, or singing are examples of music therapy activities. In certain sessions, you could be exposed to music while talking about its meaning.

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Healthcare providers use music therapy in a variety of settings, including at the bedside for people in hospitals. Nevertheless, music therapy is not the same as simply playing music for relaxation purposes. Without a doubt, music has the ability to soothe and heal. However, the definition of clinical musical therapy stipulates that in order for a session to be considered this type of treatment, a licenced music therapist must organise and conduct it within a therapeutic relationship.

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People of all ages - children, adolescents, and adults - and from all backgrounds can benefit from music therapy. It might improve a wide range of aspects of your wellbeing, such as:

 

• Mental.

• Emotional.

• Physical.

• Social.

• Cognitive.

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A Study In Music Therapy

 

Participants:

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A statutory provider of music therapy for mental health in Ireland consented to host this research in an inpatient hospital setting. The relevant hospital ethics committee granted ethical approval for the purpose of conducting interviews with patients who received music therapy at this facility. Both inpatients and outpatients were included in the study to enable follow-up in the event that a patient status change occurred between the time of initial information and informed consent. Participants had to be above the age of eighteen and able and willing to talk about their experiences of voluntarily attending weekly music therapy sessions. [1]

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Findings:

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Six participants in ten interviews shared their experiences with either individual or group music therapy. The interviews were transcribed, and the data was then examined. These interviews shed light on people's actual experiences with music therapy for mental health issues. Below is a list of the primary superordinate topics that emerged from the interviews with some of the participants. 

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• Luke

Luke claims that the strict and impersonalized atmosphere of earlier healthcare facilities saw him as disabled, which made him question his own skills. In contrast, his therapist in the music therapy setting pushed him to take charge and exercise choice, direction, and leadership—a sentiment that has been reported by other clients as well. Luke liked these medical professionals who were just "being themselves." 
Luke was one of those people who, before picking up an instrument, felt a "drawing" towards it. His choice of instrument changed from session to session, depending on his emotional condition or how he chose to address a specific problem.​

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• Ollie

In his first session, Ollie was taken aback to hear "good sounds" as he was playing music with others. This emphasised the novelty and wonder of performing music with other people. Among other things, group improvisation gave Ollie a fresh perspective on who he was, and musical expression gave him "sort of a voice" that other people could hear and see in a social situation. 
Ollie was able to reconnect with his earlier musical bond with the assistance of music therapy. He was surprised to find that his first guitar lesson rekindled the "spark" he had lost during his illness, having "stepped back" from music. 

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Objective:

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The purpose of this study was to show how asking patients about their experiences regarding music therapy can yield insightful data and to consider the insights this process offers in order to better understand how people in the mental health field view music therapy.

 

Methods:

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In one or two individual interviews, six mental health service users talked about their experiences with music therapy. Interview transcripts were examined through the application of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis methods and procedures.

 

Results:

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Rich, detailed narratives from interviews with people receiving mental health services illustrated the complexity of participating in music therapy. The super-ordinate themes relate to the service user's strengths-enhancing opportunities, the rich sound world of music, the humanity of music therapy, and the situation in which the therapy was provided.

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Conclusions:

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Every participant reported having a different experience with music therapy. Through an interview approach in which the researcher maintained an open mind and respectfully accepted all narrative contributions, opinions regarding the usefulness of music therapy became apparent. These results can serve as a helpful reminder to practitioners of the value of paying great attention to the viewpoints and insights of individuals who can share their extensive experience using music therapy services for mental health issues.