Music therapy

Music therapy

Looking for ways to improve the lives of others while applying your musical talent? Love music but hate performing? Maybe music therapy is your true calling. It's an idea worth considering. Those in the field say they can't imagine anything more rewarding than using music to help people overcome their problems.

'I love the responses I get,' says Katherine Mason, a flute player who is now a music therapist at the Cleveland Music School Settlement in Cleveland, Ohio. 'There's nothing like that smile or verbal response from someone who would probably shut down in other situations. I know I'm helping people challenge their capabilities and become more competent.'

Music therapy is like no other musical career in that practitioners are more like doctors than performers. They're never on stage and they don't receive applause. Instead, they see patients, decide on a method of treatment, and dispense music like medicine.

At the same time, music therapy also has much in common with other forms of therapy. For one thing, music therapy can be applied to a vast range of problems - everything from co-ordination issues among the physically handicapped to Parkinson's Disease sufferers, communication disorders and social dysfunctions.

'It certainly keeps you on your toes,'

One music therapist may use a piano keyboard to help a client develop fine motor functions in their hands, while another may teach valuable, fundamental lessons about sharing by helping a client to play a simple song as part of a group. It's amazing to think about what you're really doing when you pause to let someone else in your orchestra or chamber ensemble take the melody.

Music therapy is also like other medical fields in that it comes with no set routine. Music therapists visit schools, nursing homes, hospitals, even private homes. For her part, Mason sees patients primarily on an individual basis within a music school. But she also visits public schools and works with entire classrooms at once.

'It certainly keeps you on your toes,' Mason says. 'That's the nice thing about music therapy. You can practice widely or focus on a particular age or need - whatever fits your interest.

'And unless you work for one institution, most therapists travel. There is quite a lot of traveling involved. That can be one of the frustrations. But it's just something you deal with.'

• Print
• Email to friend
• Discuss