This week we spent a couple of days discussing music therapy. While it may seem obscure, there are many practical and beneficial applications for music therapy. In summary music therapy is a profession in which trained professionals use music to help people with various needs and goals. It can aid in reducing stress, minimizing pain, and enhancing communication and expression. When done correctly music therapy can reduce anxiety as well as manage Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. Because music can have a relaxing affect it can lower a patient's heart rate aiding blood pressure, which in turn can lead to increased healing and cardiovascular benefits.
Music therapy can also have effects on a person's memory. Hence the benefits for Alzheimer’s patients. To test this, we played a song for a person from an older generation. In my case this was my mom. The song talked about practices that where common in the childhoods of the generations before mine. For example, it talked about driving manual transmission truck, writing letter, and using the pay phone. When my mom heard these, she was insistent on talking about memories and experiences she had that these word in the song had brought back. This shows music can help and individual recall memories.
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