THE POWER OF MUSIC

INTRODUCTION
The Power of Music as a therapy is the systematic application of music
in the treatment of the physiological and psychosocial aspects of an illness or
disability. It focuses on the acquisition of nonmusical skills and behaviors, as
determined by a board certified music therapist through systematic
assessment and treatment planning.1
Music is an art form consisting of sound and silence expressed through
time. Elements of sound as used in music are pitch (including melody and
harmony), rhythm (including tempo and meter), structure, and sonic
qualities of timbre, articulation, dynamics, and texture.
The creation, performance, significance and even the definition of
music, vary according to culture and social context. Music ranges from
strictly organized compositions and performances to improvisational or
aleatoric forms. For purposes of discussion and exploration of the topic,
music is divided into genres and sub-genres, although the dividing lines and
relationships between music genres are often unclear and/or controversial.
Within "the arts", music can be classified as a performing art, a fine art, or
an auditory art form.
Music may also involve generative forms in time through the
construction of patterns and combinations of natural stimuli, principally
1 Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia ; Music pp 6892

sound. Music may be used for artistic or aesthetic, communicative,

entertainment, ceremonial or religious purposes and by many composers
purely as an academic instrument for study.
The Power of Music as a therapy is the prescribed use of music by a
qualified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical,
cognitive, and social functioning of individuals with health, emotional, or
educational problems.

It is used successfully with children, adolescents,

adults, and the elderly with mental health needs, developmental disabilities,
Alzheimers disease and other aging-related conditions, substance abuse
problems, brain injuries, physical disabilities, and acute and chronic pain. 2
The power of music has been known yet not fully understood to
humans in all times and in all cultures. Music is a means of expression,
music connects emotions hope, regret, love and our stories. As a form
of communication, music connects us with other human beings, our inner
spirits, and our history in a way that words alone cannot. Music is the human
language that bridges cultures, genders, and generations.
The power of music grows as we age. To the elderly, music can be a
vehicle of reminiscence, such as when an old song brings back the vivid
memory of an experience in the distant past a memory resplendent with
not only the story, but the senses and the mood. Our memories are
2 Encarta Encyclopedia/Music/

imprinted with music. Music helps us all to define our lives; songs symbolize
an era of our life, bring us together in community, and for some become a
form of prayer. As one elder said, Music is emotion from another time. It
shapes our personal landscape.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The research will try to answer the following questions:
1. What is music?
2. Where did music started?
3. How music becomes a healing Therapy?
4. what are the effects of music?
5. What are the powers of music?
DEFINITION OF TERMS
Music is fundamental to being able to discuss, categorize, and
otherwise consider the phenomenon of what we understand as being music.
Many have been suggested, but defining music turns out to be more difficult
than might first be imagined. As this article will demonstrate, there is
ongoing controversy about how to define music.
Music therapy is a technique of complementary medicine that uses
music prescribed in a skilled manner by trained therapists. Programs are
designed to help patients overcome physical, emotional, intellectual, and
social challenges. Applications range from improving the well being of

geriatric patients in nursing homes to lowering the stress level and pain of
women in labor. Music therapy is used in many settings, including schools,
rehabilitation

centers,

hospitals,

hospice,

nursing

homes,

community

centers, and sometimes even in the home.

Music therapy is the use of interventions to accomplish individual goals
within a therapeutic relationship by a professional who has completed an
approved music therapy program.[1] Music therapy is an allied health
profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of a process in
which a music therapist uses music and all of its facetsphysical, emotional,
mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritualto help clients improve their physical
and mental health. Music therapists primarily help clients improve their
health in several domains, such as cognitive functioning, motor skills,
emotional development, social skills, and quality of life, by using music
experiences such as free improvisation, singing, and listening to, discussing,
and moving to music to achieve treatment goals. It has a wide qualitative
and quantitative research literature base and incorporates clinical therapy,
psychotherapy,

biomusicology,

musical

acoustics,

music

theory,

psychoacoustics, embodied music cognition, aesthetics of music, sensory

integration, and comparative musicology. Referrals to music therapy services
may be made by other health care professionals such as physicians,
psychologists, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.

THE POWER OF MUSIC

Music is a universal phenomenon spanning all cultures, and is the most
social of the arts. References to the healing power of music can be found as
far back as the writings of Plato and Aristotle. The earliest known reference
to The Power of Music as a therapy in the United States was in 1789 in an
article in the Columbia Magazine titled Music Physically Considered.
Scientific and anecdotal validation occurred through the 19th century and up
to the 1940s, when it finally became accepted as a treatment modality in
many hospitals, due in great part to the support of eminent psychiatrists like
Karl Menninger. Clinics and hospitals began sponsoring scientific research in
The Power of Music as a therapy and documenting its efficacy. The Power of
Music as a therapy

was widely used with veterans of the World Wars at

rehabilitation facilities such as the Walter Reed Hospital in New York.

The first The Power of Music as a therapy

degree program was

founded in 1944 at the University of Michigan. The National Association of

The Power of Music as a therapy (now the American The Power of Music as a
therapy

Association) was formed in 1950, founding a constitution, setting

professional goals, developing membership categories, and appointing a

standing

committee

for

research.

Shortly

thereafter,

curriculum

requirements, clinical training requirements, and standards and procedures

for certification were established. Training to become a Music Therapist
includes the intensive study not only of music performance and theory, but

also psychology, anatomy and physiology, and specific uses of music in a

wide variety of settings. Both academic and practical (supervised practicum
and internship) training are a part of the curriculum. 3
Robert Burton wrote in the 17th century in his work, The Anatomy of
Melancholy, that music and dance were critical in treating mental illness,
especially melancholia.[9] He said that "But to leave all declamatory
speeches in praise of divine music, I will confine myself to my proper
subject: besides that excellent power it hath to expel many other diseases, it
is a sovereign remedy against despair and melancholy, and will drive away
the devil himself." Burton noted that "...Canus, a Rhodian fiddler, in
Philostratus, when Apollonius was inquisitive to know what he could do with
his pipe, told him, "That he would make a melancholy man merry, and him
that was merry much merrier than before, a lover more enamoured, a
religious man more devout
In November 2006, Dr. Michael J. Crawford and his colleagues also
found that The Power of Music as a therapy helped schizophrenic patients.
In the Ottoman Empire, mental illnesses were treated with music. 4
The Power of Music as a therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use
of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic
3 http://www.camnewton.com/music_therapy.htm
4 Ibid/music therapy

relationship by a qualified professional who has completed an approved The

Power of Music as a therapy program.
In other words, The Power of Music as a therapy is the use of music
by a trained professional to achieve therapeutic goals. Goal areas may
include,

but

development,

are

not

cognitive

limited

to,

motor

development,

skills,

social/interpersonal

self-awareness,

and

spiritual

enhancement.
Music therapists are found in nearly every area of the helping
professions. Some commonly found practices include developmental work
(communication, motor skills, etc.) with individuals with special needs,
songwriting and listening in reminiscence/orientation work with the elderly,
processing and relaxation work, and rhythmic entrainment for physical
rehabilitation in stroke victims.
The idea of music as a healing modality dates back to the beginnings
of history, and some of the earliest notable mentions in Western history are
found in the writings of ancient Greek philosophers. Robert Burton wrote in
the 16th century in his classic work, The Anatomy of Melancholy, that music
and dance were critical in treating mental illness, especially melancholia. The
Power of Music as a therapy is considered one of the expressive therapies.
Reiki healing, in its "pure" form and as non-traditional Reiki in concert
with a variety of other healing styles, is a method by which the unseen life

force or energy that flows through all humans is enhanced and channeled to
create a state of improved health. The end goal is to cure illness, and to
reduce stress. Traditional Usui Reiki is administered by physical contact with
the hands. Individuals who have undergone the treatments report a renewed
sense of warmth and well-being as well as an overall strengthening of their
mind, body and spirit.

Healing Therapy in United Kingdom

Live music was used in hospitals after both of the World Wars, as part
of the regime for some recovering soldiers. Clinical The Power of Music as a
therapy in Britain as it is understood today was pioneered in the 60s and
70s by French cellist Juliette Alvin, whose influence on the current
generation of British The Power of Music as a therapy

lecturers remains

strong. The Nordoff-Robbins approach to The Power of Music as a therapy

developed from the work of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins in the 1950/60s.
It is grounded in the belief that everyone can respond to music, no matter
how ill or disabled.
The unique qualities of music as therapy can enhance communication,
support change, and enable people to live more resourcefully and creatively.
Nordoff-Robbins now run The Power of Music as a therapy
throughout the UK, US, South Africa, Australia and Germany.
5 http://www.camnewton.com/music_therapy.htm

sessions

Its head quarters are in London where it also provides training and
further education programmes, including the only PHD course in The Power
of Music as a therapy available in the UK. Music therapists, many of whom
work with an improvisatory model (see clinical improvisation), are active
particularly in the fields of child and adult learning disability, but also in
psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, geriatrics, palliative care and other areas.
Practitioners are registered with the Health Professions Council [3] and from
2007 new regisrants must normally hold a masters degree in The Power of
Music as a therapy .
There are masters level programmes in The Power of Music as a
therapy in Bristol, Cambridge, Cardiff, Edinburgh and London, and there are
therapists throughout the United Kingdom. The professional body in the UK
is the Association of Professional Music Therapists while the British Society
for The Power of Music as a therapy is a charity providing information about
The Power of Music as a therapy .
In 2002 the World Congress of The Power of Music as a therapy was
held in Oxford, on the theme of Dialogue and Debate.
In November 2006, Dr. Michael J. Crawford and his colleagues again
found that The Power of Music as a therapy
Schizophrenic patients.

helped the outcomes of

Music therapists assess emotional well-being, physical health, social

functioning, communication abilities, and cognitive skills through musical
responses; design music sessions for individuals and groups based on client
needs using music improvisation, receptive music listening, song writing,
lyric discussion, music and imagery, music performance, and learning
through music.

They participate in interdisciplinary treatment planning,

ongoing evaluation, and follow-up.6

History of The Power of Music as a therapy
Music is a universal phenomenon spanning all cultures, and is the most
social of the arts. References to the healing power of music can be found as
far back as the writings of Plato and Aristotle. The earliest known reference
to The Power of Music as a therapy in the United States was in 1789 in an
article in the Columbia Magazine titled Music Physically Considered.
Scientific and anecdotal validation occurred through the 19th century and up
to the 1940s, when it finally became accepted as a treatment modality in
many hospitals, due in great part to the support of eminent psychiatrists like
Karl Menninger. Clinics and hospitals began sponsoring scientific research in
The Power of Music as a therapy and documenting its efficacy. The Power of
Music as a therapy

was widely used with veterans of the World Wars at

rehabilitation facilities such as the Walter Reed Hospital in New York.

6 Encyclopedia Britannica ; 2000 edition ; pp8596

The first The Power of Music as a therapy

degree program was

founded in 1944 at the University of Michigan. The National Association of

The Power of Music as a therapy (now the American The Power of Music as a
therapy

Association) was formed in 1950, founding a constitution, setting

professional goals, developing membership categories, and appointing a

standing

committee

for

research.

Shortly

thereafter,

curriculum

requirements, clinical training requirements, and standards and procedures

for certification were established. Training to become a Music Therapist
includes the intensive study not only of music performance and theory, but
also psychology, anatomy and physiology, and specific uses of music in a
wide variety of settings. Both academic and practical (supervised practicum
and internship) training are a part of the curriculum. 7
When words alone make little sense, music becomes an effective
means of communication. Aging and disease can leave the body with
physical and cognitive disabilities which make expression difficult. Elders
with memory loss brought on by conditions such as Alzheimers disease
often lose the ability to verbalize their thoughts and feelings and to
understand the messages spoken to them. Awareness for these elders
moves to a different, more intuitive plane where tone of voice and body
language speak more loudly. Music speaks to them and for them, and helps
them bring clarity to their thoughts and experience. For them, the emotions
7 http://www.camnewton.com/music_therapy.htm

and spirit that music conveys transcend the spoken word. In some cases,
these individuals no longer speak, but they sing!
During a hearing of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the
well-known neurologist and author Oliver Sacks, M.D. testified that many
elderly patients with strokes are aphasic, they have lost some of their ability
to articulate or use words; but the words that are lost may come back with
singing... Musician/singer/actor Theodore Bikel stated, Human beings are
in need of music not as frill and luxury but as a basic necessity.
Music and memory are long-time companions who are well suited to
one another. Using music as a catalyst, reminiscing can promote well-being
and self-esteem, paving the way toward good spiritual and mental health.
Music may be a helpful tool and beneficial for a person with memory
loss, but there are definite things to keep in mind:
Music must be relevant to the person you are working with, i.e. they
may have sung in a church choir, so hymns may be music they relate to.
Musical tastes are individual and vary. Find out what a person likes or has
listened to in the past.
Not all people are group participants. People with memory loss may
begin to become more isolated and do not wish to socialize or to be a part of
a group.

 Music programs need to be individual as well as group functions.

Avoid overstimulation. Sometimes people can become agitated by

music that is too fast or too loud. Generally, slower tempos and more
melodic music works better (i.e. Strauss waltzes).
Dont have music on continuously. Have periods of quiet.
Music may be incorporated into the daily routine.

For bathing: Choosing music thats relaxing and something the

individual enjoys may make bathing a more enjoyable experience.

Before meals: Turn music down or off during meals, because it may
direct the persons attention away from eating.

Massage: Putting quiet music on and giving a hand massage is

noninvasive and nonthreatening, and is also relaxing.

Exercise to music.
Reminiscing with music may tap into long-term memory.
Have a portable tape or CD player in the persons room, so when
they lie down for rest in the day, or sleep at night, they have access to some
relaxing music.

 Use of various instruments such as a portable electronic keyboard,

autoharp, or guitar may be used to engage people by making them strum,
touch, or make sounds on various instruments.
Using the human voice and singing to people informally while they
are dressing or performing other such activities of daily living may be helpful
to motivate or to distract.
Music is the most social of the arts, and a person doesnt have to
be particularly musical to participate. A person in the late stages of
Alzheimers disease may still respond to music. It is a valuable tool to use
when people are dying, and may be beneficial in assisting with pain
management by helping to foster relaxation.
It has been said that music is the universal language. In order to
learn the language, one must use imagination and creativity. The
aforementioned are suggestions and ideas which may be tailored to fit
individual situations.

CONCLUSION
After the research the following conclusion is made:
The Power of Music as a therapy can make the difference between
withdrawal and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between
chronic pain and comfort between demoralization and dignity.
The Power of Music as a therapy

as a tool of great power in many

neurological disorders Parkinsons and Alzheimers because of its unique

capacity to organize or reorganize cerebral function when it has been
damaged.
RECOMMENDATION

This research is recommended to people who love music and who

wanted to try music for healing therapy.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Funk and Wagnalls Encyclopedia ; Funk and Wagnalls Company ; 2002
edition ; Music
http://www.camnewton.com/music_therapy.htm
A Society of Gentleman in Scotland ; Encyclopedia Britannica ; 2000
edition ; Music
Encarta Encyclopedia