Music Therapy: The Power of Healing

The healing power of music has existed since the beginning of human civilization. Music has grown to define a person’s values and become an aspect of culture. Such a force has led medical specialists to believe in music therapy as a treatment just like any other drug would be. As a result, the music therapeutic field of study has grown over the past decades with support from new findings from extended research. Music therapy should be one of the top treatments for common medical situations, such as cancer, and should be present in all hospitals. Music as communication has its beginnings tracing back to the beginnings of humankind. As Homo sapiens became more civilized, they developed language; as language became more sophisticated, communication became integral to society; as communication connected more people, it cultivated a new force called music, a language that unified people with more than just words. Various generations let music define their time period. If society can be affected largely by music in that way, the medical world would surely have a positive and growing response to music therapy. Humans already emote with music. Take, for an example, a film score that brings back memorable scenes into viewers’ heads: Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, and Pirates of the Caribbean. For the Olympics and FIFA World Cups, there are thematic songs to incite enthusiasm in athletes. Thus, music has an undeniable impact on an individual’s mood.
Music in general has an inevitable biological effect on humans. Sound has evolved together with humans, and the human brain has become accustomed to responding to music’s natural properties. The beat to certain types of music can “stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat” (Scott). Music is an experience for a brain to encounter. Just as a human being learns from experience, the brain learns from music as “faster beats [bring] sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo [promotes] a calm,