Copyright Healthcare Healing All Rights Reserved

You've read the article. Now tell us what you think.

Related sites

By Michelle Lau
March 23, 2000
Photo: Photodisc

Music therapy is broadly defined as the structured use of music by a therapist to bring about physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual changes. While the benefits of music have been known for thousands of years, much of the evidence has been anecdotal. But a recent study examining the effects of music therapy on Alzheimer’s patients confirms that listening to music is sound advice.

"Music seems to reach people when other things don’t," said Myra Jordan, who holds a master’s in music education and is director of the music therapy program at the University of Miami, where the study was held. "Perhaps it’s because music is associated with important events in one’s life, so certain songs can have a real emotional pull," she said.

"In the Alzheimer’s study, our team was trying to find some of the biological and psychosocial mechanisms that explain how music works," said Frederick Tims, PhD, music therapist and chair of the department of music therapy at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

The study involved 20 male patients with Alzheimer’s disease from the Miami VA Medical Center. Music therapy sessions lasted 45 minutes and were held five times per week for four weeks. Sessions included a welcome song, songs selected by participants, improvisation with instruments, and a closing song. "It wasn’t just listening to music, it was doing it," Tims said.

During the sessions, music therapists witnessed a change in the participants. They were learning and singing new songs, and engaging in social interaction with fellow patients and therapists—activities they had difficulty with prior to the therapy, Tims said.

But researchers wanted to understand why music struck a chord with the patients, so they studied the effects of music therapy on several neurohormones and neurotransmitters (melatonin, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, and prolactin), said Adarsh Kumar, PhD, research associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami.

Results have shown that levels of melatonin increased significantly after music therapy, Kumar said. Melatonin, which has a relaxing and healing effect, helps regulate sleep and is secreted mostly at night, she said. Six weeks after the study, melatonin levels almost doubled, Kumar said.

Researchers concluded that the brain is stimulated by music therapy. The sessions calmed agitated and aggressive behavior in the Alzheimer’s patients and improved their sleeping problems. "We’re actually seeing some of the biological changes that go along with behavioral changes," Tims said. "We still don’t know all we need to know, but it’s another piece in the puzzle."

The Florida study answers some of the questions about how music can help the elderly. But other populations also have benefited from this therapy. In fact, music therapists have been instrumental in a variety of fields, including women’s health, terminal illness, mental health, eating disorders, and sexual abuse.

Music therapy also has a therapeutic effect on children. "Whether they have a favorite artist or their mamas sing in church, every child who comes into the hospital has some connection to music," said Lisa Jones, MA, music therapist at the Children’s Medical Center of Dallas.

Jones uses music therapy to address the physical needs of patients. For instance, singing may be used to modify the rate of respiration or playing an instrument may develop coordination and strength, she said.

But music therapy also has psychological value. It has the power to not only familiarize an environment, but also establish communication by making a personal connection. Plus, music therapy can act as a motivator by allowing for various levels of participation.

"A child can listen to music, which is real passive, or they can stand up and make up a song in front of a whole roomful of kids," Jones said. By improvising songs, patients are able to express feelings they may not be able to discuss openly.

Nurse involvement

Nurses and music therapists can make for a good team, Jordan said. "It would be wonderful if nurses and music therapists worked together. By serving patients, we can certainly learn from each other," she said.

But before letting patients tune in, nurses should investigate the possibilities of music intervention, said Linda Chlan, PhD, RN, assistant professor in the School of Nursing at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

"Our use of music intervention should be scientifically based," said Chlan, who has studied the therapeutic effects of music on critically ill, mechanically ventilated patients.

Not only should nurses consult relevant literature before applying this type of therapy, but they also must respect a patient’s musical preference, said Chlan, who has written several articles on the topic. She insists nurses ask two important questions before proceeding with music intervention: "Does the patient like music?" and "Is it an important part of his life?"

In her own research, Chlan found that music has the ability to reduce anxiety and promote relaxation in patients. "Much of the research has shown a benefit to using music in some groups for pain control as a complementary therapy," she said. "But we should never use music in place of pain medications."