What’s Your Sound?

Photo by Micah Taylor.

My friend is 6 months pregnant and it’s not unusual for me to find her sitting comfortably on her couch, a book in one hand, with massive earphones pressed against her round belly. They call it the Mozart effect, a theory suggesting that listening to Mozart early on in life–preferably at prenatal age–will result in a smarter child.

The professional practice of music therapy has been around in the United States since the 1940s. Therapists use music to rehabilitate patients primarily with cognitive and emotional concerns, as well as supplement different spiritual activities, but there are also practices that target physical rehabilitation.

The belief that listening to Mozart makes smart babies was popularized by an experiment published in Nature, stating that the activity increases a child’s IQ by 8 to 9 points. Though research on overall intelligence is still inconclusive, one of the original researchers pointed out that the effect of music therapy is limited to spatial (temporal tasks involving mental imagery and temporal ordering).

Ever thought about implementing music therapy in everyday life? I do these activities quite often, and you can try them too.

• Music in exercise. I have what I call my Runner’s Soundtrack. I compiled a bunch of my favorite, upbeat songs in one playlist that I listen to every time I go running. The rhythmic factor of music keeps me focused on my running and breathing, and I find that I stop to rest much less often than when I don’t have my iPod with me. Rhythm therapy is used in physical rehabilitation, and helps in most physical and occupational therapy activities.
• Music in meditation. I make it a point to meditate at least once a day, and I make sure that I also have a couple of songs handy. Music therapy is widely used in relaxation work, and just like rhythm therapy, helps the patient in focusing on his/her breathing. Relaxing music also helps reduce your heart and respiratory rates, which is very effective in meditating.
• Music in studying. Some people find that having background music while doing homework or studying for a test helps students focus more on their work. I do this all the the time and find it most effective when I listen to my favorite songs. This kind of therapy is widely used in reminiscence and orientation work with the elderly. They find that listening to certain kinds of music help greatly in memory and cognitive rehabilitation.
• Music in sadness. During those times when I wake up at the wrong side of the bed, or when I just feel under the weather, I listen to music. Music therapy is also widely used in psychological rehabilitation, as it is very effective as an emotional upper, especially for depressed patients.
• Music in creation. I express myself in art, and when I’m in the middle of creating something – a poem, a pencil sketch, a meal, or a blog entry–listening to music helps prevent things like writer’s block or lack of concentration. Music therapy is used in creativity rehabilitation, as it opens the observable domain of the brain that feeds creativity and imagination.
• Music in sleep. Perhaps the most obvious role of music in anyone’s everyday life, whether you’re young or old, is its lullaby quality. Both its rhythmic and relaxation factors help in reducing stress and lulling the person to sleep.

How do you incorporate music therapy in your daily life? What’s your sound?

Karla Mercado lives in New Mexico and is the author of Balancing Tenderfoot. She is passionate about human medicine, nutrition, and writing.