“Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable”
– Leonard Bernstein
Music therapy is an established clinical practice which benefits people of all ages and conditions.
Music is a universal language. It touches us at all levels of our being; emotionally, spiritually and physically.
‘Where words fail, music speaks.’ – Hans Christian Andersen
When used therapeutically, it is effective in trauma recovery, reducing anxiety and stress, releasing emotion and enhancing concentration and memory.
Music Therapy is ‘an established psychological and clinical intervention’, (British Association for Music Therapy. www.bamt.org) and has an extensive background of research that confirms its efficacy.
Therapists use elements of music such as sound, rhythm, composition, playing of instruments and lyric writing as part of their practice.
The shared nature of music making can help to develop empathy and self confidence and the ability to work collaboratively.
‘Music therapy can make the difference between withdrawal
and awareness, between isolation and interaction, between chronic pain and comfort, between demoralization and dignity.’
Barbara Crowe
(former president of US Association for Music Therapy)
Music affects us very deeply without the need for words, its use a therapeutic tool is profoundly healing.
