Music Therapy: A Review of Case Studies

Music, since its emergence, has existed in many different forms throughout the history of humans itself. It is safe to say that almost every culture with historical significance consisted of some form of ancient music. The purpose of music varied: they could have been used for religious purposes, as well as for marriage and funeral rites. It also could have been used for daily life such as making a child go to sleep. In addition, different melodies have been utilized for therapeutic purposes such as engendering specific feelings, enhancing well-being, and relieving pain, stress, and suffering. The ancient people already knew that music had a significant effect on human minds!

This practice of using music for a multitude of purposes has not been lost in modern days, but rather, it has been developed into an area of both psychotherapy and physiotherapy. Many different therapists use music as a way to bond with their patients on a deep level, and it has been proven numerous times its effectiveness in patients with communication difficulties. For these patients, music might be a way of expressing their feelings, a way they can feel safe from their personal difficulties, and a way for them to gain a better understanding of themselves.

Music and music therapy are words that we can hear quite regularly in our daily lives. But what exactly is music? Music is “an intentional auditory stimulus with organized elements including melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, form, and style” (Kemper and Danhauer 283). Conducting music therapy on patients might help them in many different aspects of life, physiologically, psychologically, and socioemotionally (283). There are many different direct effects that our bodies experience when we listen to music. Listening to steady rhythms makes our respiratory patterns naturally get in sync with the beat. Listening to classical music causes an increase in heart rate variability —increased levels mean less stress on the cardiac muscles and greater resilience—, whereas listening to random noise or rock music decreases heart rate variability—reflecting greater stress—(283). And music therapy is a professional field of study that specifically researches the psychological and physiological effects of music on our bodies and uses them to help their patients.

Because music therapy is not easily accessible compared with other forms of therapy such as counseling, a common misperception about music therapy is that it is for entertaining the patient. Most music therapists at one point suffered from being addressed as glorified entertainers. While playing music with other people is indeed a joyful and entertaining experience, music is also “a powerful agent within the specific context of therapy,” (Darnley-Smith and Patey 123) offering a place where patients can disclose their thoughts and feelings. A majority of the patients that require music therapy are patients who are unable to receive ordinary counseling, due to their illiteracy and severe behavioral, physical, or learning disabilities. For these patients, who are unable to convey their thoughts and feelings through language, music therapy is not just an entertaining moment, but it is one of the very few ways they can communicate with the outside world. Music therapy receives less attention than counseling and other types of therapies. However, music therapy is essential, especially for patients with communication difficulties. In order to have a deeper understanding of music therapy, it is important to address how music therapy can be a powerful treatment for patients of varying ages.

In the case studies presented in Darnley-Smith and Patey’s book, Music Therapy, patients, both children and adults, had a variety of disabilities, both physical and mental, which made them difficult to communicate through vocal languages. There is a difference in the effects of music therapy on both groups concerning communication and self-expression. When the therapy was being conducted, adult patients were able to identify what they were thinking and feeling, and music therapy served as a way to express those feelings. Children, however, were not yet experienced enough to fully understand their own inner emotions, so for them, music therapy functioned as a way for them to learn how to identify and express how they feel. For example, according to the therapist’s notes, Sharon, a four-year-old child with autism, improved in areas of communication and self-expression. As the sessions went on, instead of just causing a tantrum and throwing things around whenever she got mad, she developed more and more complex interactions of turn-taking and sharing with the therapist. This was done through sessions that consisted of Sharon playing a random melody and the therapist going along with her on the piano. Another example is Tom, who had Downs Syndrome, severe learning disabilities, and autism discovered an awareness of himself and a sense of autonomy and developed listening skills, playfulness, turn-taking, and sharing. This was done by the therapists by showing him “taking turns” playing the drum and playing peek-a-boo behind the piano. However, none of the adult cases presented in the book seemed to be affected in these areas. A greater extent of research should be conducted to determine the cause of this negative correlation between the patients’ age and their ability to improve in areas of communication and self-expression.

In addition to the psycho-therapeutic effects of music therapy, it helped the patients improve their speaking skills, such as articulation. Mark, Mary, and Jamie are three children who had the therapy together. They all had problems with walking, fine motor control, and speech, and Jamie had additional learning difficulties. During their therapy sessions, they freely chose an instrument to improvise on while Robin, the therapist, played the piano. When they were playing on the wind instruments—instruments that require the player to use their mouth to blow into or near a mouthpiece—, the researchers noted that these instruments helped them with the development of their articulation. The book noted, “the fact that they are using their lips, tongue, and breathing in a controlled blowing motion is noted…as being helpful to their speech development, but to the children, it is ‘playing’” (Darnley-Smith and Patey 97). However, unlike these children, Robert, who was in his early thirties, was non-verbal and had severe peter pan syndrome, was noted to have improved on exploring the adult aspects of himself—such as showing signs of resistance and using his mature voice—, but there was no hint of any improvements in his articulateness.

Music therapy is universally less recognized compared to other forms of therapy. However, music therapy in fact has a substantial amount of potential and importance considering its very specified patients’ needs, such as communication difficulties and mental disabilities that are typical in music therapy patients. It has numerous times demonstrated its physiological and psychological effects on both adult and child patients. The therapy sessions presented in Darnley-Smith and Patey’s book provided all patients with a place to feel safe. For children patients, the sessions provided the additional benefits of learning how to recognize and convey their feelings and further enhance their articulation skills. Due to these unique and significant benefits that music therapy can deliver, the therapy should be easily accessible to those in need.