Music Therapy

According to Farlow Music Therapy services (2010), music therapy is the prescribed use of music and musical interventions for the purpose of restoring, maintaining and improving emotional, physical, physiological and spiritual health and well-being. Music therapy is the more well known and one of the first ways that music started making its move towards toward the medical field. It is used to heal everything from mental illnesses to help people with patients with Alzheimer’s disease. For example, Dale Marcell spends his time creating drum circles trying to help patients deal with many different problems. He started off by drumming for students with attention deficit disorder and when he saw the improvement he continued his work (McClelland, 2003). He has continued on with working with people with Alzheimer’s disease, prisoners, battered women, and children with disabilities (McClelland). Another great story of the triumphs in music therapy is the story of one of Emily Keebler’s patients. A young girl came to her dealing with the passing of her mother and worked with Keebler to be able to make it through this emotionally draining experience. She lets her patients guide the sessions, such as, an older Alzheimer’s patient coming in and laying down the rule that there would be no sad songs. Keebler said, “Hospice is all about what they want. It's not about trying to get them to go anywhere they don't want to go. It's all about being present with people (Frankel, 2012)." When it came to treating the girl who’s mother passed away, Keebler let the girl go and just write and play what she wanted, which ended in her writing and recording a song about her mother. It helped her realize that she would be okay and that no matter what she will always have and love her mother (Frankel). It is very true that music is a great source, but in today’s world, it is hard to think of music and not think of technology at the same time. Music technology grows everyday with new ways of listening, sharing, and recording.