Music Therapy Cannot Cure Diseases
Music therapy cannot cure diseases, but can speed the healing process…
A visiting foreign national, who claimed to be a music therapist, recently sold CDs in Singapore priced between S$400 and S$1,000. He claimed the music on them could “cure” diseases and ailments. Members of the newly formed Singapore Association of Music Therapy were quick to denounce him as a “mercenary charlatan”.
Music therapists pooh-pooh the notion that ills can be cured by putting on a generic CD of soothing music. “This person is not a qualified music therapist,” said the association in a statement to the press. “While passive listening to music is one of the many ways in which music is used, more often than not, active interventions are used, like playing instruments, singing, improvising, and composing.” Trained music therapists take pains to find out about their patient’s history, make a diagnosis of what would help the patient and then make a musical prescription.
In Singapore, there are few bona fide music therapists as music as a form of clinical therapy is not viewed seriously. But the practice is gaining a foothold. The association, with 11 members, aims to increase public awareness and to serve as a contact point for local music therapists.
In January, the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) – where music therapist Dr Patsy Tan is based – started a music therapy programme for hearing-impaired children called Music To The Ears. Apart from SGH, the small music therapy community here mostly operates outside hospitals and is centred on treating special-needs children in the special schools or at-risk youth.
It is a good start. Music therapy can help to cut down medical costs. For instance, music can act as a substitute for pain relief medication. According to a New York Times article published in 2001, United States scientists discovered that Muzak, piped into a New York City intensive care unit, seemed to help lower the mortality rate 8 per cent below the national average. The same article describes how lullabies played in a neonatal nursery might have helped premature infants gain weight and speed their discharge from dependency units. Rhythmic music with a strong beat has also proven powerful in treating those with neurological disorders like stroke, cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s disease.
Music can also address behavioural issues. For the past two years, Ms Ng Wang Feng, 30, a freelance music therapist, has been helping at-risk youth at Beyond Social Services with their self-esteem, concentration abilities and listening skills, by getting them to sing in a choir.
“Unlike a music teacher, my focus is not on the music, but on using music as a means to achieve therapeutic goals,” said Ms Ng, who spends just as much time counselling the teenagers as she does singing songs like Imagine by John Lennon. She selects songs not only for the melodies but also for their meaningful lyrics.
She will soon start work with the National Cancer Centre, helping cancer patients with pain management.
However, music cannot replace conventional types of care. Dr Tan stresses that it is crucial for music therapists to work in tandem with doctors as part of a team for best effects. “Music therapy is not a cure,” she said. “If you have cancer or Alzheimer’s disease, music cannot cure you, but it can help you to adapt to the situation better.” (The Straits Times, Mind Your Body)
