“Showing the Science and the Success of Music Therapy”

Author

Breanne Bishop, Western Michigan UniversityFollow

Date of Defense

12-7-2017

Date of Graduation

12-2018

Department

Music

First Advisor

Jennifer Fiore

Second Advisor

Laura Pawuk

Abstract

Today, we live in a world where social media and videos control much what people see, hear, and understand. We open our laptops, phones, or turn on the television to learn about what is going on in the world. Videos are everywhere, showing people what is new and how it is changing things. These videos can be good because people are no longer forced to rely on word of mouth, now they can see things for themselves. The new problem that arises is when the videos inaccurately portray what they are attempting to show. Music therapy is a relatively new and growing profession. Many people still do not understand what it entails. However, due to our video-focused culture, many people can now see videos of what sessions or interventions look like with a quick internet search. Sadly, the videos that are being discovered of music therapy only show a slight portion of it. The videos show immensely moving stories of people whose affect suddenly come alive as they remember things while listening to music, or who can magically walk to a song after a serious injury, or who can sing after not speaking for years. While these are all real scenarios that are addressed in music therapy and have been proven to work, they are not informing people about the science behind music therapy. Until recently, music has primarily been a form of entertainment in our society, not a form of health care. For music to be taken seriously in health care settings, the science as well as the success stories need to be shown in these videos. Through this thesis, I hope to portray three short videos that explain the science behind the commonly seen music therapy interventions.

Recommended Citation

Bishop, Breanne, "“Showing the Science and the Success of Music Therapy”" (2017). Honors Theses. 3183.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/3183

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access