The importance and benefits of music therapy are supported by medical research.  Here are some examples:

Neurological impact of music

“We’ve done a lot of research on music because music touches on almost all of the most complex mental functions that we are capable of.   If you look at the parts of the brain that are active when you have a musical pattern coming, in many of the brain networks that are responsible for controlling movements are also active – even though there are no movements in that circumstance.  If you take Parkinson’s Disease patients who have a lot of trouble initiating movements and have a lot of trouble timing their movements and you give them a musical stimulus, suddenly this patient who was previously shuffling is now able to walk in a much better way.”

- Dr. Robert Zatorre, Neuro-scientist, Professor
Montreal Neurological Institute, McGIll University

A new level of therapeutic care

“Older models of medical care where things were very focused on the body alone are insufficient in tackling the complex issues that people are living with now – the mind and body issues.  It is important to differentiate between music and music therapy – that it’s not just playing music, there’s a therapeutic aspect as well. It’s emerging and clearly becoming important.”

- Dr. Stephen Liben, Director of Pediatric Palliative Care
Montreal Children’s Hospital, McGill University

Positive effects of a Music Therapy Strategy on depressed older adults

A music-facilitated psychoeducational strategy was developed as an accessible intervention for older adults experiencing symptoms of depression, distress, and anxiety. Participants receiving music therapy programming performed significantly better than the controls on standardized tests of depression, distress, self-esteem, and mood.

http://geronj.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/49/6/P265
- Suzanne B. Hanser and Larry W. Thompson
Stanford University School of Medicine

The benefits to cancer patients

There is evidence that music therapy can help you lower pain and relieve nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy. It may also help you ease stress and give you an overall sense of well-being. Some studies have found that music therapy can lower your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate.

Research shows music therapy can lower anxiety, mood problems and pain, and generally increase quality of life for people in palliative care. Palliative care means giving emotional support and relief from pain and other symptoms for people who are critically ill.  Music therapy is considered safe when led by an Accredited Music Therapist, or MTA.

www.cancer.ca

The role of music therapy in paediatric rehabilitation

The registered music therapist is one of the allied health professionals who plays an integral role in meeting the needs of the child in rehabilitation. Music therapy is a recognized allied health profession, which is becoming acknowledged in the expanding world of health care as a therapy able to meet the expansive needs of the patient in rehabilitation.

- Jeanette Kennelly,Senior Music Therapist,
Royal Children's Hospital Brisbane, Australia

- Karen Brien-Elliott‌, Music Therapist,
Children's Hospital Corner, New South Wales, Australia
Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 2001, Vol. 4, No. 3, Pages 137-143
http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13638490110067687

For more information or further research studies, please contact us.