Music as therapy

Jane P. Ermitanio

THE St. Paul University Manila College of Music and the Performing Arts offered a course on Music Therapy both in the Bachelor and Graduate levels, which was aimed at preparing students to perform music therapy with special emphasis on providing music intervention for children and youth with developmental disabilities, so that they may effectively contribute to the development of the special children by using their music skills in therapeutic work.

Molly Warren, MM, LPMT, MT-BC who received her Master’s in Music Therapy with a focus in Psychology, said she served many children and adults in various mental health settings as a music therapist.

She said “despite feeling lost or broken, music provided them with the opportunity for expression and for experiencing safety, peace and comfort.”

Warren said that research “shows the benefits of music therapy for various mental health conditions, including depression, trauma, and schizophrenia (to name a few).

She said, “Music acts as a medium for processing emotions, trauma, and grief — but music can also be utilized as a regulating or calming agent for anxiety or for dysregulation.”

Warren said there are four major interventions involved with music therapy: Lyric Analysis, Improvisation Music Playing, Active Music Listening, and Songwriting. Lyric analysis, she said, introduces a novel and less-threatening approach to process emotions, thoughts and experiences. Improvisation Music Playing, on the other hand, can encourage emotional expression, socialization and exploration of various therapeutic themes.

Active Music Listening, meanwhile, can be utilized to regulate mood, Warren said, while songwriting provides opportunities for expression in a positive and rewarding way.