Music can touch souls in indescribable ways. Tears can drip from your eyes from melodies and harmonies. Your breath can suddenly vanish. Goosebumps can rise to the surface of the skin. Music is capable of incredible things. According to statistics, the goose bumps that form on our skin from music is medically known as piloerection. Piloerection is similar to a "natural high" according Avram Goldstein, MD, of Stanford University (Stevens, 20). Statistics show that music, including musical therapy, is capable of benefiting depression, anxiety, and patients enduring medical operations ("How music"). A musical therapy session may take place at the patient’s home, at a nursing home, retirement center, day center, or possibly at a hospital bedside ("What is a music”). Another location where musical therapy may possibly occur is in schools (Tomlinson). Musical therapy helps students at school usually …show more content…
Many doctors are beginning to take notice of the benefits music has on patients. Dr. Conrad, a surgeon, recommends patients bring in headphones to listen to music during their operation. He states, “My patients really enjoy bringing a personal, familiar and enjoyable element to the sometimes cold and sterile environment of the operating room” (Caruana). Conrad also states, “As doctors, we should aim to see how we could honor the wishes of our patients. We are there to help patients. Our studies have shown that the objective magnitude of the surgery is not correlated with the patient’s stress level about it. For patients with a high anxiety level, music can be beneficial” (Caruana). Now some hospitals have begun to hire musical therapists to work within their facilities. Musical therapists are hoping that hospitals located in the UK might mention something about the benefits of music in the leaflet for patients to prepare for the surgical procedure