"I feel that music is an appropriate treatment modality for all people," says Mary Jane Landaker, M.T.-B.C., a pediatric therapist who specializes in music therapy for persons with developmental disabilities such as autism and cerebral palsy. "The challenge comes in finding the right music for each person." Becoming more aware of the music in your life and monitoring its effects on your well-being may be the most enjoyable prescription for good mental and physical health.

Music therapy: used throughout history

Music lovers everywhere can attest to music's power to affect the way they feel, so it seems only natural that therapists would explore music's potential to improve mental health and treat mental illness. In doing so, today's therapists are following an ancient tradition. The Old Testament reports that David played on the lyre to relieve King Saul's depression. At the time of Elizabeth I, physician Thomas Campion healed depression and other psychiatric problems with song. And at the turn of the century, Dr. John Kellogg employed music as part of the therapy at his popular sanatorium in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The use of music to treat physical ailments has no less an impressive history. Martinus, a Renaissance singer, grew famous for his ability to reduce high fevers with his singing. As early as 1914, Dr. Evan O'Neill Kane found that playing phonograph records during surgery calmed and distracted patients.

The modern practice of music therapy grew out of an effort to treat the physical and emotional trauma suffered by veterans of World War II. Noting that these men responded well to performances by local musicians, some hospitals began recruiting their own bands. As this practice grew, some people recognized a need for more advanced training for these "hospital musicians," and in 1944, Michigan State University instituted the first music therapy degree program in the United States. Today, 69 colleges offer music therapy programs and national certification is offered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists. The American Music Therapy Association represents more than 5000 music therapists and related associations around the world.

Learning with music

As reported in the best-selling book The Mozart Effect, classical music—particularly Mozart's music—appears to have a calming effect on both adults and children, and to improve their ability to concentrate and learn. Music therapists use Mozart's music to help patients with anxiety disorders and to help children with attention deficit disorder.

"I try to provide my clients with alternate forms of learning," Landaker explains. "By adding music into the classroom, clients are becoming more independent, are learning and recalling academic information, and are able to more effectively control their emotions and behavioral states."

Any music will do

The beneficial effects of music are not limited to classical compositions. A 1996 study reported in the Journal of Holistic Nursing found that both Baroque and New Age music were successful in treating insomnia. Likewise, a 1996 Austin, Texas study used music of the subject's choice—from classical to jazz to rock and roll or country and western—to ease the pain of childbirth. Approximately one-half of the expectant mothers in the study who listened to music during childbirth did not require anesthesia. Apparently, music has the ability to raise the level of endorphins (natural pain killers) in the bloodstream.

Moving to the music

Music therapists in hospitals and nursing homes have discovered that physical therapy sessions accompanied by lively music, such as Sousa marches, can encourage people with painful joints and arthritic limbs to get up and move around more. Handing out musical instruments such as drums, tambourines and triangles also encourages activity and improves the mental and physical health of all those who play along.

Barry Bernstein, M.T.-B.C., a music therapist for twenty years, uses drumming to treat patients in his practice. Whether leading drum circles in nursing homes, or coaching corporate workers, Bernstein uses the benefits of music and rhythm to reduce stress and build community. "The whole nature of playing music gets people focused," he says. "The drum is a communication tool, whether I'm working with families or developing team building and stress management for businesses."

Bernstein conducted a 10-month study of people with Alzheimer's disease at the Colmery O'Neil Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Topeka, Kansas. He found that twice-weekly drumming sessions led by a musical therapist increased patients' abilities to coordinate their movements and to concentrate, at least for the length of the therapy session. "Drumming can improve the quality of life and offer another way for family members to communicate with their loved one," Bernstein says.

Your personal music prescription

You don't have to hire a music therapist to try a musical prescription of your own. You can experiment to find music that will lift your spirits, help you concentrate, or encourage you to exercise. Some tips:

• Don't play any music too loudly or for too long.
• For the best therapeutic effect, listen with headphones, with your attention focused on the music.
• Listen when you are alone and can relax.
• Pay attention to how the music makes you feel. If one selection makes you uncomfortable, try another.
• Experiment with making your own music by singing, humming or drumming.
• Try moving to music or learning to play an instrument.

For those who doubt the effectiveness of music therapy, Landaker invites them to observe music therapy's effects on her clients. "I also invite these people to keep track of their own musical use during the day," she says. "They are surprised to find that music permeates our lives."

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