Music: A Pathway to the Body, Mind, and Soul
“I would teach children music, physics, and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.” – PLATO
Strong words from one of the greatest thinkers of our time. Yet, he did fail to mention that music not only has a stabilizing and purifying effect on the mind, but harmonizes the deepest recesses of man’s soul. Throughout the centuries musical therapy has proven itself as a powerful and expressive therapeutic modality that deals with all obstacles at the physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual levels.
History
Although some claim that this form of therapy is relatively new, the fact is that it has been around for quite some time. There are even some references in the Bible as to how music was instrumental in removing bad omens. More specifically, though, Hippocrates (considered the father of Greek medicine) used to play music for his mental patients. Even Aristotle claimed that music could purify all the human emotions.
From the Arab speaking countries to the Native Americans of the north and south, music has proven itself an invaluable healing tool – often times being able to affect a cure where other more common forms of healing could not. Yet only recently has music’s innate ability to affect the conscious mind by freeing it from any unnecessary burdens that stand in the way of a person’s innate learning faculties, been explored.
Music Therapy for Children
Although anyone, at any age, may benefit from musical therapy, its effects on children have proven quite astounding. For the most part, this has been attributed to the capacity young children have to absorb new information. Children who have gone through music therapy sessions show major improvements in communication, behavioral disorders, general learning capabilities, memory, attention, and internal motivation.
At its core, music therapy does not seek to turn a child into a musician, but to teach children music in the hopes of gathering all their dispersed energy (some of it heading in the wrong direction), and focusing it towards a positive outcome. This unique learning modality actually helps to increase concentration levels, which is a necessary component for success in any endeavor the child wishes to take up. With the ability to narrow their focus, children find it easy to solve problems – often with laser-like accuracy – and cut down the time spent on menial tasks relevant to their solutions. Success is assured with a calm, clear, and purified mind!
Music Therapy Techniques
There are many different methods and approaches used by musical therapists, which are being updated all the time. Yet the most common ones include: pre-composed music, receptive listening, verbal discussions, and new age multimedia outlets to transfer the deep learning experience of the music or song the therapist has selected. Even though here are many methods, ideologies, and modalities which can be used in the field of music therapy, one thing’s for certain – the musical therapist must be “in tune” with the student and be flexible enough to adjust the instrument or type of music according to the likes and dislikes of the practitioner. Music therapy is not a one-way street; both the teacher and student are constantly adjusting and learning from each other. In this way, the session becomes a practical and enjoyable tool to open up all areas of one’s life.