What is the difference between music therapy and therapeutic music?
Music therapy is a healthcare profession in which a qualified music therapist designs your sessions with specific, individualized goals in mind. Therapeutic music is a method for relaxing you or lifting your emotions in times of need. It doesn’t require a music therapist and can involve a range of experiences. This can be as simple as listening to calming music through headphones.
Music can positively influence your emotions wherever you hear it, including in hospitals or schools. This is why some healthcare professionals, like nurses, play music at the bedside to help people who are recovering or in pain. But these experiences aren’t the same as music therapy, in which a music therapist designs a treatment plan for you and guides each session.
A music therapist can help you understand more about the unique aspects of music therapy and how it may benefit you. They can also explain how you may use music in your daily life, outside of your sessions, to enjoy other benefits.
How can I become a music therapist?
In the U.S., you can become a music therapist by:
- Earning a bachelor’s degree in music therapy. The American Music Therapy Association offers a list of colleges and universities with approved programs. Your curriculum will include classes in music, music therapy, psychology and biology, among other areas. You’ll also complete 1,200 hours of clinical training, which includes an internship in a healthcare or educational setting.
- Getting certified. The Certification Board for Music Therapists issues a national exam that sets the standard for music therapy professionals. Passing this exam gives you the Music Therapist-Board Certified (MT-BC) credential. You’ll need to engage in professional development activities to stay certified. Board certification is voluntary, but many states require it for you to legally work as a music therapist.
You may need to meet additional requirements, like obtaining a state license, depending on the state where you live or work. You can learn more by contacting the American Music Therapy Association or speaking with a mentor or professor.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Music can bring people together, and it can also heal. Music therapy builds upon these possibilities of music in a clinical context. Together with your music therapist, you’ll set goals and work toward achieving them. Your therapist will talk with you each step of the way to see how you’re feeling. They’ll design each session just for you and continue to adapt sessions to your evolving interests and needs.
It’s important to keep in mind that music therapy isn’t just for children. Adults of all ages can also benefit. If you’re interested in music therapy for your child, talk to your pediatrician about how you can connect with a music therapist to learn more.
FAQs
Through listening and playing music as well as song writing and singing, pain among patients reduces. Music therapy can help to relieve pain and reduce stress and anxiety for the patient, resulting in physiological changes, including: Improved respiration. Lower blood pressure.
What is the purpose of a music therapist? ›
Music therapists develop music-based treatment programs for people with disabilities, injuries, or illnesses. They teach clients how to use music to improve their well-being; it can help people adjust to life changes, feel less anxious or depressed, and generally experience clearer thinking and more positive emotions.
What are the pros and cons of music therapy? ›
While music therapy can have many benefits, it's not the right choice for everyone. Music therapy can help you explore new feelings, emotions, and coping mechanisms - but it can also trigger painful or traumatic memories that you weren't expecting.
What are the four types of music therapy? ›
There are four main approaches to music therapy: receptive, re-creational, compositional, and improvisational. Each method focuses on a different way the client can get involved.
How does music benefit you? ›
It provides a total brain workout. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
Can music help anxiety? ›
If you're feeling anxious or stressed, calming music can help to settle your mind. Several studies have shown that when people undergoing surgery hear calming music, they have lower blood pressure and need less pain medication than those who don't listen to soothing music.
How does music therapy affect the brain? ›
Engaging in music has been shown to facilitate neuroplasticity, therefore positively influencing quality of life and overall functioning. Research has shown that music activates cognitive, motor, and speech centers in the brain through accessing shared neural systems.
What are some interesting facts about music therapy? ›
Research has shown that music therapy can reduce anxiety, pain, and depression in individuals with chronic illnesses. It can also improve mood and increase feelings of relaxation and calmness. Music therapy has been shown to impact physical health as well positively.
What chemical does music release in your brain? ›
Research has found that when a subject listens to music that gives them the chills, it triggers a release of dopamine to the brain. And if you don't know, dopamine is a kind of naturally occurring happy chemical we receive as part of a reward system.
What happens in a music therapy session? ›
With directed listening, your therapist makes music or plays a recording, and you listen to it. You then talk about the music and use it to help process your emotions or experiences. Your therapist may also play music to relax you, using the rhythm to guide you in breathing or stretching. Discuss lyrics.
While music can certainly have an impact on mood, the type of music is also important. Classical and meditation music offer the greatest mood-boosting benefits, while heavy metal and techno music are ineffective and even detrimental.
Is music therapy expensive? ›
The cost analysis resulted in that the total cost per patient with music therapy was $13.21 and $87.45 for patients without music therapy, which results in a net savings of $74.24 (85%).
How effective is music therapy? ›
Effectiveness. The uses and benefits of music therapy have been researched for decades. Key findings from clinical studies have shown that music therapy may be helpful for people with depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, and even cancer.
What is the most common music used in music therapy? ›
Songs by Queen, Pink Floyd and Bob Marley are among the most effective for music therapy patients, a UK study has found. Queen's classic We Will Rock You came out on top, with Marley's Three Little Birds and Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall making the top five.
How does music help mental health? ›
Music therapy has shown promise in providing a safe and supportive environment for healing trauma and building resilience while decreasing anxiety levels and improving the functioning of depressed individuals.
What does music do to the brain? ›
Evidence suggests that listening to music may help brain cells process information more efficiently and may facilitate the brain's ability to adapt.
How is music a coping mechanism? ›
Luckily, listening to music can have numerous benefits as a coping tool. Whether you are feeling depressed, anxious, unmotivated, or otherwise unwell, listening to music can help boost your mood, boost your creativity, reduce your stress levels, and improve your ability to concentrate and remember important things.
How does music therapy help with motivation? ›
Music therapy can help clients associate difficult tasks with the feel-good chemicals released when we engage in music. Music can motivate children to communicate and connect with others, or motivate adults to engage in physical activity. Music gets us moving. Our bodies are activated by rhythm.
How can music help individuals express their emotions? ›
It is a highly effective way to express ourselves and cope with challenging circ*mstances in life. When we engage in music, we bypass social conditioning and conscious thought, and we directly connect with our emotions.
