Tonight I fully comprehended that I will be a music therapist in a matter of a week or two. Studying for the board exam tonight, I came across a few paragraphs in a book and realized that they ring as true to me now as they did when I first read them 4.5 years ago. Not only that, but I have witnessed the truth in them through my experiences in observation, practicum, and my internship... through the clients and patients--the people--who have taught me more than any perfect A+ performance or Dean's list quarter ever could. The fear and stress and tears and late nights and early mornings were all worth it because they have brought me to this point.
"Music is a universal human behavior; it is found in all cultures... some philosophers, theorists, and researchers believe this is the case because human beings have a biological predisposition toward and need for music.
Music is something that is based in the physical world; it is composed of real physical structures that can be perceived by a person's senses. In addition, the structure of music is linked to time order: Music always unfolds and exists only through experiencing it in time.
Music is a phenomenon that affects the whole person; it affects physical, cognitive, and emotional responses as well as mind-body connections and interactions.
Music affects interactions between and among individuals. It can motivate, structure, and organize activity and interactions; convey or influence ideas; and influence group moods and activity levels.
Music is a unique form of both verbal and nonverbal communication. It speaks directly to and for the emotions, helping individuals express those parts of themselves and their experiences that cannot be fully expressed by words alone. Music also conveys symbolic meanings and communicates universal, archetypal ideas and myths. It may stimulate imagery and fantasy that helps individuals communicate with events or ideas from their past or with previously untouched aspects of themselves.
Music is integrally connected to the emotions, both through cultural convention and practice and through common biological and neurological arousal and processing sites (e.g., limbic system, right brain hemisphere). Music connects individuals with the basic emotions of all humankind, while at the sam time giving them a unique way of accessing and expressing their own personal emotional experiences and identities. Because of its link to the emotions, music also can provide a stimulus that taps into those emotional and affective components of a person that may motivate, facilitate, support, and sustain positive growth and change.
Music is an aesthetic and creative experience. As such, it can stimulate and integrate all aspects of a person's being and provide a means through which creative instincts can be channeled toward constructive ends. Aesthetic and creative experiences also give individuals a better capacity to cope with and find meaning in life, thus improving their total health and life satisfaction.
Music provides a source of enjoyment and gratification. Since music is something that is generally considered to be 'fun' and is valued by society, it can help motivate participation, enhance self-esteem, promote positive interactions, and normalize treatment environments."
- Music Therapy: An Introduction by Jacqueline Schmidt Peters, MMT, MT-BC
1 comment:
Did you listen to that Radiolab on memory and forgetting that talks about Clive Wearing (here's the short: http://www.radiolab.org/2007/jun/07/clive/)?
Clive suffered from really intense memory loss, and the only two things he remembers--things that transcend his understanding of time (his memory is about seven seconds long): music, and love.
So maybe music isn't only experienced within time, but also without it?
Caitlin, I am so proud of you and of all of your accomplishments. You have so much to look forward to, and I cannot wait to share in our futures together. Love you a whole darn lot.
Post a Comment