There is no mystery about the power of music. Our cells vibrate. Vibration is frequency and frequency is music. As our cells create an internal symphony, they are led by the rhythm of our beating hearts and the inhale and exhale of breath. Our very beings are connected to the music that exists all around us. Music marks the greatest of our memories and the hardest of our days. As children, our learning is set to song — from the fundamentals of the alphabet song to the more complex songs that teach us geography and the workings of government. Movies are not complete until the soundtrack is added and kids wait to post their TikTok until they find the perfect background song.

Music Therapy is a way of connecting and bringing this life force that is music to the table as the powerful, clinical tool that it can be in the hands of someone trained to use it that way. Most people in the world have uttered words similar to “music is my therapy” at some point in their lives. Maybe that means blasting music in the car with the windows down and singing at the top of their lungs. Maybe that means listening to hard, driving music that matches the anger or fear inside; putting on a sad playlist when the tears need to come out; or maybe it’s putting on the perfect upbeat mix of songs to motivate a workout.

Music Therapy, provided by a trained and Board-Certified Music Therapist takes all of that to the next, more profound level. A Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC) has the training and skill set to use music in therapeutic applications. A Music Therapist can work with several different ages, groups, and diagnoses. You may find Music Therapists:

• helping premature babies in the NICU develop and adjust faster to their environment so they can go home sooner

• helping kids and adults with autism, developmental delays, or intellectual disabilities find their way in a world they don’t understand

• assisting people with dementia or Parkinson’s to maintain function longer

• assisting people with terminal illnesses to adapt to a new life with less stress, depression, and fewer visits to the doctor

• working with hospice patients to give them a renewed sense of autonomy, help families with grief, and provide legacy projects

• helping those with mental health disorders or substance use disorders to find nonverbal, and non-pharmacological paths to mental wellbeing

• working with veterans to help process trauma

• working in forensic settings to help lower recidivism rates

• in hospitals where music therapy has been shown to decrease the need for, and use of, pain medication

Music therapy connects with people physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially. Music therapists work to create therapeutic relationships with their clients and find those places where the client feels they need forward movement in their life. If you are ready to find out how a Board-Certified Music Therapist can help you, fill out the contact form below to get more information.