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A Historical Evaluation of Music as Therapy From ancient times, music has been known to evoke potent forces and has played a powerful role in the compassionate treatment of individuals with mental, physical and emotional illness. Evidence suggests that dance and song preceded speech, which means that music is humanity’s original language. In fact, researchers have found that two-thirds of the inner ear’s cilia – the thousands of tiny hairs that lie on a flat plane like piano keys – resonate only at the higher “musical” frequencies (3,000 to 20,000 hertz). This suggests that at one time human beings communicated primarily through song or tone. The design of music as a form of therapy not only parallels the evolution of civilization, but also the growing integration of music and scientific healing. The imitation of, and subsequent identification with certain sounds in the environment, such as wind, rain, waves, trees and animals, gave the ancient human race access to non-verbal communication with the supernatural world which they believed controlled their well being. Healing rites, consisting of music, rhythms, songs and dances were led by a Shaman who was conversant with the formulas for communicating with the spirits. People believed that music and sound allowed the powers above and below to come together. Man moved from the conviction in healing by music, to using music as an essential element in practices of religious faith. The Bible tells a story of David curing King Saul’s depression with the playing of his harp. Incantations, songs, and music were a standard part of religious ritual. Rational and scientific ideas about music were developed by philosophers. Plato, Aristotle and Socrates attributed certain emotional and ethical characteristics to various musical modes. Socrates referred to the subliminal action of intoxicating music and Aristotle recognized the cathartic power of music. Plato introduced the idea of specific harmonic modes, instruments and rhythms affecting the human psyche, and suggests specific musical recipes for certain afflictions. These elementary concepts of music as therapy were not isolated phenomena. The tradition of using music as a kind of psychotherapy that affected the body through the median of the soul was noted in the thirteenth century as part of the Arabic-Hebraic medical treatment. The emergence of the Renaissance revitalized the use of music as therapy in terms of physiology and psychology. The patient was encouraged to express themselves through a musical experience to increase the possibility of reaching self-actualization. However, the therapeutic growth of the psyche was not fully understood in relation to the interpersonal relationship between the therapist and the client. The part the musicians played in the healing experience of music was not recognized until shortly after World War II. Before and during the war, musicians had been encouraged to use their talents in veteran’s hospitals purely for morale purposes. The apparent benefits led to it being studied and formalized as a clinical practice. Music therapy developed into a profession with recognized institutions as its enormous potential as a specific treatment process received scientific validation. Degrees in music therapy became available in the late 1940’s, and in 1950, the first professional association of music therapists was formed in the United States of America. The National Association of Music Therapy merged with the American Association of Music Therapy in 1998 to become the American Music Therapy Association. About 70 colleges or universities offer bachelor, master or doctoral degrees in music therapy. National organizations have set high standards for music therapists. The curriculum includes music composition and performance as well as training in special education and psychology. They are skilled at improvising and arranging with a wide variety of musical styles and instruments and have specialized training in the use of rhythm and melody to improve psychological and emotional well-being. Music therapists must complete an intense clinical internship before graduation, and successfully participate in standardized testing every five years to maintain a license. |
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