Healing through music

The last time I had a mammogram, I got a big surprise — and it was a good one. A string quartet was playing just outside the doors of the breast imaging center, and my thoughts immediately shifted from “What are they going to find on the mammogram?” to “Is that Schubert, or Beethoven?” By the time my name was called, I had almost forgotten why I was there. The unexpected concert was the work of Holly Chartrand and Lorrie Kubicek, music therapists and co-coordinators of the Environmental Music Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. But bringing music to hospital corridors is just a sideline for music therapists. The majority of their time is spent using music to help patients accomplish specific goals, like recovering their speech after a stroke or reducing the stress of chemotherapy. Chartrand is a vocalist and graduate of Berklee College of Music. She decided to become a music therapist when she realized that she could use music to support others just as it had supported her throughout her life. “The favorite part of my job is seeing how big an impact music can have on someone who isn’t feeling well,” she says. What is music therapy? Music therapy is a burgeoning field. Those who become certified music therapists are accomplished musicians who have deep knowledge of how music can evoke emotional responses to relax or stimulate people, or help them heal. They combine this knowledge with their familiarity with a wide variety of musical styles to find the sp...
Source: New Harvard Health Information - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Behavioral Health Mental Health Pain Management Surgery Source Type: news