Music Therapy: A Case Study

In the early years of music therapy, many organizations formed in an attempt to spread the word of music therapy and organize publishing. In 1998 these groups came together to form a unified organization with the same goal for music therapy, The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA). While the CBMT holds therapists accountable and sets standards, the AMTA works to spread the word about music therapy through social media or publishing findings or experiments for therapists. The AMTA plans to build awareness for music therapy and assist music therapists with publishing their works, and grow awareness for the profession of music therapy: “The mission of the American Music Therapy Association is to advance public knowledge of the benefits of …show more content…
For 90 days 80 hospice patients participated in a one-hour session for music therapy and received a survey about their current state before the session began, and after the session ended. The survey’s results indicated a positive correlation between music therapy and increased pain control, comfort, and relaxation. Krout accepted all hypothesis made for the experiment. Krout’s experiment with music therapy exemplified the nurturing effect of music therapy, and the context in which music therapy can heal. Patients were able to recover during the music therapy session in which they felt less pain from their procedures or current condition which allowed them a faster recovery, or an easier passing. Nurturing helped patients accept their medical condition, and move along towards their goal of recovery. Patients felt less stress, and more encouraged to meet their families and recover. While the experiment conducted by the University of Kansas concluded that music therapy does not heal alone, but hints that music therapy works well when used alongside another treatment, Krout’s experiment proved the beneficial uses of music therapy to not only cope, but promote relations with family, and a faster passage to …show more content…
Dr. Deforia describes her astonishment when she received a call to perform music therapy in a hospital on an unborn child of a brain dead mother, “when I opened the curtain my legs started to wobble. I had no idea what to expect” (Tedx Talks 2016). To her surprise, the baby responded to her singing with movement. Once born, the baby had higher cognitive development, and better control of emotions after her birth. Dr. Deforia helped nurture the baby and develop cognition in the womb. The baby developed calming emotional ties to her music and responded to different forms of music (tempo or style). Her motor skills and communication skills grew. While in the womb, the baby received extra neural stimulation which heightened development on the motor cortex and limbic system. As a result, the baby grew healthy and was removed from neo-native intensive care quickly. Not only does music therapy heal, but it nurtures and promotes