Since music therapy isn’t as yet a mainstream healing activity, it is looked at with a few misconceptions. But it is a fast evolving field and all misconceptions and myths are being blown away in the winds of acceptance and new discovery.
One misconception is that the patient has to have some particular music ability to benefit from music therapy. The fact of the matter is that musical ability or talent is not a prerequisite for benefiting from it. There is another misconception: there is one particular style of music that is more therapeutic than all the rest. This is also not true. All styles of music can be useful in effecting change in a patient’s life.
The individual’s preferences, circumstances and need for treatment, and the patient’s goals help determine the types of music a music therapist may use.
Music has a rhythm with a universal appeal and is beyond barriers of culture, creed, nationality and colour.
Can healthy individuals use Music Therapy?
Healthy individuals can use music for stress reduction via active music making, such as drumming, as well as passive listening for relaxation. Music is often a vital support for physical exercise. Music therapy assists labour and delivery and may also be included in this category since pregnancy is regarded as a normal part of women’s life cycles.
Music is a part of our lives. It is accessible to every creature created by Nature. One needn’t fall ill to use it. A healthy lifestyle constitutes the wholesome use of music on an everyday basis.