Music Therapy: This Is How Music Heals Your Body and Enhances Your Mind
Apr3 by Wes Annac
By Nick Harding, Learning Mind, April 2, 2015
I recently met someone who has made a life out of selling instruments, teaching music theory, and practicing a method of healing through music.
A lot of how music helps is in sharpening a person’s mind and coordination, which is an important part of music therapy. Studies and practices have shown positive results in various fields of healing, including depression and autism.
It is believed that this is partially due to the vibrations of the notes and the order in which they’re played. Another aspect which has been explored is regarding how the progression of notes in a scale ‘sound’ good to us; an instrument played in key along with another instrument sounds good. The study of music therapy has brought up the question: Why?
There are multiple forms of memory which we all draw on every day. A couple of these are auditory and physical, both of which draw on bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Just as with everything, repetition helps to make your body and mind more capable. To learn an arpeggio broken down from a chord and play it over and over will help your mind and body to move together, and help build proficiency. As we practice, we strengthen our memories, minds, creativity, and coordination.
Some of this progress has been seen in helping autistic individuals to be more willing to go outside of their comfort areas and become creative. Also, aside from creative comfort, communication capabilities have been known to increase drastically. Is it likely that this is because of a newfound confidence? Or is it more probable that these results are due to the strengthening of the mind and memory?
It is my belief that a lot of psychology is involved in this interaction between our ears and our minds. It seems evident that whoever is listening to the music of an instrument is highly likely to relate to it in some way. Our minds tend to seek for, and find, patterns which we perceive as coincidental. As such, it is very common for a person to hear a sad melody while they’re sad and another individual to hear a happy story unfolding from the same progression of notes.
This aside, sometimes certain parts of particular notes will react with a person. I honestly can’t answer to exactly why this happens, but I have heard of various studies into the topic. Some speculation has been done that the zones of the brain which are activated by the proper notes correlate to endorphins, which further suggests that, by definition, music very well may be addicting.
References
1. http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/bib_autism10.pdf
Thanks to: http://cultureofawareness.com
Apr3 by Wes Annac
By Nick Harding, Learning Mind, April 2, 2015
I recently met someone who has made a life out of selling instruments, teaching music theory, and practicing a method of healing through music.
A lot of how music helps is in sharpening a person’s mind and coordination, which is an important part of music therapy. Studies and practices have shown positive results in various fields of healing, including depression and autism.
It is believed that this is partially due to the vibrations of the notes and the order in which they’re played. Another aspect which has been explored is regarding how the progression of notes in a scale ‘sound’ good to us; an instrument played in key along with another instrument sounds good. The study of music therapy has brought up the question: Why?
Sharpening the Mind and Coordination
Practice makes perfect. Practicing an instrument helps you to get better at it. This is, in part, because your body learns what motions result in what sounds – how hard to blow into a clarinet to make a different pitch or how to keep your hands in tandem while playing guitar. Practicing using your memory helps you to strengthen your recollection.There are multiple forms of memory which we all draw on every day. A couple of these are auditory and physical, both of which draw on bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Just as with everything, repetition helps to make your body and mind more capable. To learn an arpeggio broken down from a chord and play it over and over will help your mind and body to move together, and help build proficiency. As we practice, we strengthen our memories, minds, creativity, and coordination.
Alleviate Depression and Help Peoples with Autism
Goal areas typically addressed by music therapists for helping peoples with autism generally include: language, behavior, and cognition. Studies have shown that music therapy through audial vibration and practice has shown very repeatable and positive results in these fields.Some of this progress has been seen in helping autistic individuals to be more willing to go outside of their comfort areas and become creative. Also, aside from creative comfort, communication capabilities have been known to increase drastically. Is it likely that this is because of a newfound confidence? Or is it more probable that these results are due to the strengthening of the mind and memory?
The ‘Sound’ of Music
It is believed that when we hear the note progression in a scale put in an appropriate sequence, it triggers a response in our brains. This would suggest that just hearing good music literally unlocks something within us. What is it about the sound of music which lifts our spirits?It is my belief that a lot of psychology is involved in this interaction between our ears and our minds. It seems evident that whoever is listening to the music of an instrument is highly likely to relate to it in some way. Our minds tend to seek for, and find, patterns which we perceive as coincidental. As such, it is very common for a person to hear a sad melody while they’re sad and another individual to hear a happy story unfolding from the same progression of notes.
This aside, sometimes certain parts of particular notes will react with a person. I honestly can’t answer to exactly why this happens, but I have heard of various studies into the topic. Some speculation has been done that the zones of the brain which are activated by the proper notes correlate to endorphins, which further suggests that, by definition, music very well may be addicting.
References
1. http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/bib_autism10.pdf
Thanks to: http://cultureofawareness.com