Music can be distracting and lower your stress. In fact, research has shown that it can lessen the impact of depression and anxiety. A study done in 2019 found that college students who listened to classical music every day for two months lowered their levels of anxiety significantly.

Music-based therapy is based on two fundamental methods – the ‘receptive’ listening based method, and the ‘active’ method based on playing musical instruments (Guetin et al., 2009).

While the needs of our clients’ vary, the goals that music therapists work on are generally broken down into five domains: social, emotional, cognitive, communication, and physical.

Thayer Gaston, known as the “father of music therapy,” was instrumental in moving the profession forward in terms of an organizational and educational point of view.

The therapist plays a song or piece of music to a patient and encourages the patient to talk about their feelings or the song’s meaning. The therapist may play an instrument or sing a song and encourage the patient to sing along or clap their hands in time with the music.

Music therapy is generally very safe and has no side effects. But very loud music or particular types of music might irritate some people or make them feel uncomfortable. The music might trigger strong reactions or evoke memories which could range from pleasant to painful.

Research has shown that music activates cognitive, motor, and speech centers in the brain through accessing shared neural systems.

Other studies have found that classical music enhances memory retrieval, including Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. The thought is that the classical music helps fire off synapses, creating or re-energizing, brain pathways previously left dormant.