Music therapy strikes a chord

Reposted with permission from Cochrane AustraliaA trio of music therapy reviews featured in last year ’s Australian top 100 Cochrane Library downloads, withMusic Therapy for depression coming in at number 7,Music Therapy for people with spectrum disorder at number 40 andMusic Therapy for people with dementia at 76. Recently a new update ofMusic interventions for cancer patientstook centre stage and madeheadlines around the world, finding that music may have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression and quality of life for people with cancer.‘It’s great to see these reviews are the subject of so much interest and discussion,’ says Emma Donoghue, resident music therapist and evidence officer withCochrane Australia. ‘Sometimes we find that people confuse music therapy with music education or entertainment, or perhaps think it involves mysterious crystals and incense. But these reviews help us highlight that music therapy is a well-established, research-based profession that supports the health and well-being of children and adults of every age, often at very difficult times in their lives. It’s an amazing profession to be a part of.’Emma graduated from the University of Melbourne ’s Masters of Music Therapy program two years ago, gaining the theoretical grounding and practical clinical placement experience necessary to pursue a career in the field. ‘Music therapists are trained to use music to support people to improve their health, functioning a...
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