Music Therapy Research Paper

Music Therapy: The Health Benefits of Music

“Music is my therapy, my happiness, and my hiding place. These words may have been said by many different people when describing the feeling they get from music. Music is a powerful tool when it comes to our moods and can be seen as a personal anti-depressant. Whether someone is feeling sad, angry, or hopeless they can play their favorite song and seem to drown out all their troubles, making everything in the world feel right again. Because music can have such an impact on a person’s mind-set and well-being there is no surprise that music therapy is used for managing medical conditions.

What is Music Therapy?

According to The American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based

There were three people in particular who were key players of the development of this profession, Psychiatrist Ira Altshuler, MD who promoted music therapy in Michigan for three decades, Willem van de Wall who wrote the first “how to” music therapy text, and E. Thayer Gaston, known as the “father of music therapy,” was instrumental in moving the profession forward in terms of an educational standpoint (American Music Therapy Association, 1998-2014). The first academic program for music therapy was in 1944 at Michigan State University. Students may begin their education through either the Undergraduate or Graduate program. The curriculum of music therapist is unique to other college degree programs because of the thourough study of music along with social and behavioral sciences, anatomy and physiology. Music therapists are actually musicians, scientists, and therapists all rolled into one

Depression affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about life situations (Catherine Ulbricht, 2013). According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults. People who receive music therapy following regular treatments of depression experience fewer symptoms and an improved overall sense of well-being. Music therapy is an effective treatment of depression because it helps others express their emotions and interact in a non-verbal way, which is especially good for those who have a hard time describing their inner