The mental health benefits of music therapy
Music therapy actively uses music to support the improvement of an individual's health, functioning and wellbeing. NDIS clients can receive funding for music therapy to pursue their NDIS goals.
Allied Health Professionals Australia advises that it may help with physical, communication and cognitive impairments and also grief and loss, and pain management.
Music Therapy can also have a number of mental health benefits including:
- Improving confidence and self esteem: Through a sense of achievement when making music
- Decreasing anxiety: Listening to music can directly reduce stress
- Increased motivation: Music also releases dopamine and endorphins which makes you feel good
- Emotional release: It allows a person to express their emotions
But what does music therapy actually involve?
Aiming to achieve physical, cognitive or socio-emotional goals in a music therapy session may include singing, song writing, musical improvisation, receptive music listening and/or many other music based interventions.
Hireup client Andrew attends weekly sessions at Sound Expression Music Therapy Clinic. We chatted with his mum, Jane about the benefits for Andrew.
What does it mean for Andrew?
Andrew has sessions at Sound Expression which are currently online and run for 45 minutes. The sessions are focused on improving Andrew’s speech, particularly his expression, volume and confidence.
Expression
Music therapy can help clients express a range of emotions (which can be complex sometimes), and allows people to share their thoughts and feelings in a creative and safe way.
Volume
Building communication and expression skills through music therapy can also help improve volume and intonation of speech.
Confidence
It can help foster self-esteem and confidence in clients by providing a safe, enjoyable outlet for clients by expressing their personalities.
Watch: Andrew works on his volume and rhythm of speech
Some of the exercises in the session involve Andrew responding to questions in song and working on the intonation of his responses, says Jane. The sessions also include singing for building confidence and working on volume and the rhythm of speech.
Has attending music therapy had any mental health benefits for Andrew?
As a result of the sessions at Sound Expression, Andrew has also taken to learning to sing and play the guitar in his own time, says Jane. While Andrew struggles to indicate and express how he is feeling, he seems extremely chuffed with his efforts after learning a new song and singing and playing the guitar.
While the goals of Andrew's sessions aren’t explicitly focused on improving Andrew’s mental health, the side effect of practicing music appears to have brought joy and a sense of achievement for Andrew.
