I hear this all the time: Oh, I do music therapy! I listen to music in the car and it makes me feel better.
While listening to music can make you feel pretty good, it doesn't really count as therapy.
Therapy is the act of engaging in treatment with a qualified professional to treat an individual's physical, emotional, cognitive, social or spiritual discontent or disease.
Many people have tried diets or exercise programs they see on YouTube. Is this physical therapy?
Others have met with friends over coffee to complain about relationship problems. Is this psychotherapy?
Some have been on the receiving end of a friend giving them a quick shoulder rub. Is this massage therapy?
In a similar manner, is listening to your favorite song considered music therapy?
In a word, no.
Music therapy is the process of treatment within a therapeutic relationship between a board certified music therapist and a client, targeting specific goals and outcomes. The therapist and client work together to devise a treatment plan, therapeutic music interventions and assessments to determine how best to achieve the desired outcome. The music therapist has a college degree in music therapy from an accredited school and has passed the national board certification exam for music therapists (MT-BC).
I used to play the piano at a memory care facility at lunch time on Fridays. It was my way of giving back. What I noticed was that music affected people in so many different ways. Once, there was a man who came in leading a conga line of caregivers and other residents while I played an upbeat piano rag. Another time, a woman stood near the piano to compliment me, then poured her water cup right into the piano. On one Friday, I noticed a man sitting in a wheelchair with tears running down his face, with no one to talk to and an inability to share his emotions.
There are a lot of musicians out there who share their talents and have a beautiful and giving heart. I was one of them. Most of the time, this music is received in a positive way, and people genuinely enjoy it. But what about those people who need more? What about those who cannot communicate? What about those who have specific needs and only respond to music? What about those who cannot function in a group? Only board certified music therapists have the advanced training to know how to use music to circumvent limitations in physical or cognitive functioning. They use music to get in when nothing else can.
That's why it works!
Purposeful use of music gets around limited speech, physical ability and memory. It finds is way in and makes a path.
Board certified music therapists know how to find these paths by using therapeutic musical interventions. They may include composing songs to express yourself, altering musical elements to promote success, or finding just the right song, played in just the right way, to open up memories. A musical entertainer comes with a set list devised to reach most of the listeners, most of the time. A music therapist comes with a specific interventions to target a specific need for a specific person.
So please, continue to use music in a way that helps you feel good. It's a wonderful gift to yourself! But if music speaks to you and you have real needs and issues that you or a loved one needs help with, find yourself a board certified music therapist. They are truly qualified professionals that can assist you to reach your desired level of health through music.