Thesis Abstract and Dissertation Abstracts
Music Therapy: Enriching Everyday Life
Abstract Category: Arts
Course / Degree: Senior Seminar: Education
Institution / University: Azusa Pacific University, United States
Published in: 2008
You have just been fired from your job. You are confused, upset and angry. You get into your car and slam the door. Tears are flowing from your eyes as your heart is beating faster and faster. Thoughts are racing through your mind. You have a family to provide for and a mortgage to pay off. You had not expected this. Not now, not ever.
Suddenly your favorite song starts playing on the radio. The familiarity of the melody and the powerful lyrics put an instant smile on your face. Although your problem is still very real, for a moment your problem seems so distant. You start to think logically about how to overcome this hardship.
One of the most famous and emotion-driven pieces of music within history is Antonin Dvorak’s Stabat Mater. Dvorak began composing the Stabat Mater in 1875 as a type of therapy after his youngest daughter, Josefa, died. Approximately two years later, in 1877, Dvorak’s 11-month-old daughter and 3-year-old son died within one month of each other. This devastating loss was the inspiration for Antonin Dvorak to write an incredible piece of music. Throughout the piece, minor keys represent deep depression and sadness. Dvorak allowed his emotions to be written out on paper in a highly creative way. This process allowed Antonin Dvorak the opportunity to mourn the loss of his beloved children, while putting an inspirational song in the hearts of all who hear this piece of music (Butterworth, 1980).
Music is a very powerful tool, which connects to emotions in a creative way. Although not everyone has been given musical abilities, everyone can connect to music and be touched through it. In fact, there are many cases in which music has been used to ease pain, help with learning and social interactions and strengthen the body, mind and spirit. These cases are many and each of them help to prove the effective power of music therapy.
Music can lift us out of depression or move us to tears- it is a remedy, a tonic, orange juice for the ear. But for many of my neurological patients, music is even more- it can provide access, even when no medication can, to movement, to speech, to life. For them, music is not a luxury but a necessity.” –Oliver Sacks, Neurologist and Author of Musicophilia (Starbucks Coffee, 2008).
Oliver Sacks is a neurologist who has seen first-hand the powerful effects that music has had on his patients. Music therapy is not merely useful for psychiatric facilities. This creative mixture of beauty and truth has been used in nursing homes, schools, and hospitals in an effort to comfort, teach and heal.
The use of music as therapy dates back to ancient times. In fact, there are scriptures that link music to the emotions and the very nature of mankind. “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High: To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound” (Psalm 92:1-3, New International Version, 1986).
Although music therapy has been used around the world and in the United States for years, it became a recognized profession in the early 1900’s, around the time of World War I. Music therapy was used in Veterans Administration Hospitals as a tool for healing the body from war injuries and the mind from trauma of the realities of war. As soldiers engaged in musical activities, they were observed by doctors and nurses who saw first-hand the powerful effect that music can have on people. (University Hospitals of Cleveland, 2008)
Autism is a disorder, which affects numerous children throughout the world. In the United States, specifically, the number of children with learning disabilities continues to grow at a rapid pace. Music therapy is a tool which therapists can use to make living with these issues much more manageable. With increased cases of students in need of cognitive therapy, the need for music therapists will also increase. This is just one area in which music therapy can and needs to be used.
The purpose of the study is to raise awareness of the effective power of music therapy. This study will define music therapy and explore its benefits, especially as it pertains to the enrichment of daily life. Music therapy is very valuable in helping students achieve their educational goals and can also be used socially, to strengthen communication skills and peer relationships. The goal of this study is to stress the importance of further studies in music therapy and to show how the use of music in daily life can be therapeutic for anyone.
Many research questions were asked in the formation of this study. Music therapy can be used in many different settings to help with many different types of cases. In an effort to provide in-depth answers to important questions asked about music therapy, this study is limited to music therapy’s use within the educational system. The following questions formed the basis of what would be researched for this study:
- What are the various areas in which music therapy can be used to enrich lives?
- What steps are taken to help students with learning disabilities achieve educational goals through the use of music therapy?
- How can music therapy be beneficial for students who are not in need of cognitive therapy?
- How is music therapy used to promote spiritual well being?
Music Therapy is becoming an increasingly popular field and numerous insurance companies have recognized its use. With increased case studies, research and awareness of music therapy, there is a hope that music therapy will one day be internationally recognized as not only an acceptable form of therapy but as a valuable learning tool.
Therapy is a very useful tool which can be beneficial to almost anybody. Furthermore, music therapy is a powerful intervention and its use is continually increasing in demand. As music therapy becomes more common, it is important to study why it is so useful and how it can greatly affect the education of children and young adults with learning disabilities. Furthermore, music therapy can be useful for anyone living in today’s culture.
Thesis Keywords/Search Tags:
music therapy autism alzheimer's spiritual cognitive emotional learning disabilities
This Thesis Abstract may be cited as follows:
Truckey, Megan. (2008). Music Therapy: Enriching Everyday Life
Submission Details: Thesis Abstract submitted by Megan Truckey from United States on 06-Nov-2008 02:50.
Abstract has been viewed 8290 times (since 7 Mar 2010).
Megan Truckey Contact Details: Email: Megan@ocvocal.com
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