Musical Therapy

What is music? Is it simply a collection of frivolous notes and simplistic melodies? Is it an arrangement of fine pitched tunes that together happen to make harmonic clamor? Is it a pass time, something used just to relax? To me music is more than these things. It is an unexplainable passion, an indescribable way of life. From the nuances of the harmonic composure to the intricate components of the tempo, music is a forever changing artistic design that has been classified as one of the most influential parts of our society. But as our society is changing from one that was conservative and traditional to one that praises abstract thinking and free will, the music of our era continues to evolve as well.

What is science? Is it simply an occupation of trial and error with an occasional correct hypothesis? Is it merely laboratory experimentation complete with safety goggles and a crisp, white lab coat? To me science is also more than these brief, non- arduous descriptions. Science is the true and intimately accurate expression of how life and its processes function in our society. But like music, science too has drastically changed over the past decades as well as its role in the lives of people and the environment But I know you may be asking now, “Where is the link between these two diverse and sundry ideas?” The link lies within my intellectual passion of how music and its mood and tone affect the neurological functions of the brain and its ability to heal the body.

In a quote by the poet John A. Logan, “Music is the Medicine of the Mind”, he illustrates music as being the medicinal cure for a person in a metaphorical sense due to its effects of “casting” a spell of tranquility or evoking joyful feelings. Though this may be true, I want to take a spin off of this quote from a non-metaphorical view point. Since the mid 1990s, interest in the medical purposes of music has gained increasing popularity. The field of musical therapy strives to harness the amazing power of the brain’s neurological processes and influence the mind by inducing various moods ultimately stimulating the mind. This stimulation has been scientifically linked to improve the health of a patient. But the new wave of musical therapy is using the tenor stimulating