I hope you had a wonderful 2011! It was a busy year here at Music Makes Sense. I added the "Daily Muse" feature in order to provide more regular snippets of media and stories related to music and music therapy. Many of these stories deserve attention, but can stand alone without a full blog post and explanation. I think it has been a huge success, so I want to thank all of you who have become regular readers!
As I reviewed the year, I noticed that the most popular post of 2011 was the one with my draft of a decision flowchart for using music in relaxation. This was particularly satisfying to me because it took me many years to develop that flowchart and I believe it has some value. I hope some of you have found it useful and I encourage you to share you experiences and feedback.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This is the topic nobody wants to talk about. It seems that society is literally kicking this can down the road to be dealt with in a few decades when the hearing problems begin.
I think many of us have given up since kids just tune out any criticism from adults anyway and consider them to be prudes. They also respond to peer pressure by keeping their music loud. We all know that teenagers often feel that they are invincible, so getting this message through to them is going to be a difficult task.
And what about all the musicians out there? A good percentage of students at the music school I attend can often be seen listening to some kind of iPod device with headphones. These are mostly people who will depend on their hearing for a living, but the risk of hearing loss is treated like the invisible elephant in the room! We all just sit there and act like nothing is the matter as half the people around us destroy their hearing! This amazes me, since some of these people will be sitting in the chair next to you in the orchestra or choir years from now. Then it will be too late to comment about how they can't play or sing in tune!
This study that has just been published in the International Journal of Audiology has discovered that a full 25% of participants ages 13 to 17 were at a severe risk of future hearing loss due to their music listening habits! That is a scary number! It is hard enough sometimes to carry on phone conversations or go to public events with some of my family that is my parent's or grandparent's age because of their hearing loss. This is to be expected, after all, but can you imagine in the future what it will be like with the "headphone" generation getting into their 50's and 60's??
How will this effect our use of music for therapy? And how many music therapists will be hampered in their work by hearing loss?
I have heard that it may be better to use the earphones that cancel outside sound or that are inserted inside the ear to better seal off outside sound. In this way, you are better able to control the volume without trying to make it louder to compensate for outside noise. What do you think about this strategy?
Better yet - KEEP THE VOLUME DOWN (...oh, sorry, was I yelling?...)
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
It looks like some great new research is coming out in the Journal of Pain. A study regarding pain management for dental work found that people listening to music felt less pain. Some studies have already been showing this, but Dr. Bradshaw's research highlighted some important findings about music preference.
His research protocol encouraged patients to actively focus on the music rather than just passively listen. This active listening to music that was interesting to the patient was the most effective way to have less pain awareness.
He also found that people with high anxiety were able to greatly benefit from the music listening. I think that is an important revelation because these types of individuals can be some of the most difficult patients to treat. The news article regarding the study can be found here.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This may sound easy, and it really is! But music bingo is a great activity, especially during the holidays or for special themes. I have done music bingo for Independence Day, Christmas and themes like the 80's.
When I do a music bingo activity, I try to pick songs that have the song title in the lyrics. I usually play the song at least until the artist sings the song title. Sometimes I even play the songs myself on the guitar. It really just depends on the song selection and the group situation. If I have to do too much behavior management, then it is cumbersome to have the guitar in my lap. It has also been a good strategy to ask for volunteers to be the music DJ and help me call out the songs.
Music bingo actually addresses many goals and objectives in a therapy setting. Client preferred music will help to hold focus of attention and facilitate memory of song titles. The Bingo concept itself can be a good learning activity for some clients to understand how to line up the answers in a row in order to make a bingo. Don't forget the prizes or to ask for music requests from the bingo winners! I love it when the music itself can serve as a reward, but sometimes little prizes help too.
I use the following bingo card generator from Teachnology, and it has worked great. Twenty-five songs is just about the perfect number for a 45-60 minute bingo session. You just type in the song titles and then hit randomize as many times as you want for different bingo cards.
What are your ideas for music bingo? Have you used this activity before? And what populations do you think are best for this kind of activity?
Have iTunes and mP3 players taken over your life? Do you ever wonder what happened to that old controversy about losing the purity of music by compressing music files into smaller and smaller digital files?
Well, don't look any further! In my efforts here at Music Makes Sense to simplify and explain the important aspects of music and how music works, I have located a simple article that explains the differences in digital formats and what all the hoopla is about using digital music. I am recommending the article because it is like an MP3 files for "Dummies" type explanation. Very easy to read and understand!
After you read the article, I am interested to know whether you have wholeheartedly joined the iTunes or maybe Amazon digital music library scene? Do you buy compact discs anymore?
Do you worry that your MP3 digital collection is a slightly fuzzy copy of the original music? And do you think the day will come that you will be sorry that you don't have the compact disc to go back to?
I am not personally worried about my MP3 addiction! I love the freedom and flexibility iTunes and other similar digital platforms allow. Unless you are listening with a trained and discerning ear under optimal listening conditions, you cannot tell that you are listening to an MP3 or a CD. I still buy both CDs and things from the iTunes or Amazon music stores, but I don't lose sleep at night if I don't have a CD backup.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Merry Christmas!
I hope you had a wonderful holiday! This video is from last year, but I couldn't resist sharing. Isn't it great that this boy is on the front row!
I empathize with music educators who are pressured to put on musical programs while multi-tasking with some students with special needs, but this video really offers up a great example of how things can work out for the best. Somehow this class made it work and it turned out to be a great show!
Often times music teachers are left alone with an entire class during "specials" (...classes like music, art, P.E.) while the regular classroom teachers and teacher's aides try to have a break or planning period. Obviously this does not work well for some of the children who need more one to one assistance.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This research suggests that there is a connection between the visual-processing part of the brain and the phenomenon of synesthesia. As the article explains, synesthesia is the connection between colors and numbers, words or even music. I have met several people with synesthesia and had some very interesting conversations with them about their perceptions. Synesthesia is very individualized, so different people are likely to see different colors for the same numbers, words or sounds. Wouldn't it be interesting if they all saw the same color??
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
I don't know how many of you were worried about dying at age 27 because you were a professional musician, but apparently it was a big enough concern that someone did research on the urban tale! But don't count all your chickens!...the study was only based on British musicians, so risk factors may vary in other countries!
I guess I'm glad that I made it past 27! Merry Christmas to me!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This story dovetails nicely with yesterday's post about Charity Tilleman-Dick. Some researchers in Canada have been evaluating the effect of participation in singing groups on the breathing of people with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). The first stage of the research apparently found that the singing groups are helping combat depression, perhaps as a result of the social interaction and recreational pleasure of singing.
The next stage of the research is supposed to start looking at the physiological effects of singing on breathing and lung capacity. I look forward to that research!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
A TED talk from the archives, but this is one you don't want to miss! An apocalyptic moment when an opera soprano loses her lungs, only to come back to singing only one year later!
She doesn't talk about it in the presentation, but I wonder how much better off she was in recovery because of her desire to exercise her lungs for singing? Not only did music motivate her to survive and live, but it may have saved her life by giving her new lungs the power to live in a new body!
Stay on until the end when she sings. You won't be disappointed!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This new center in Toronto seems like a great collaboration between music therapy, scientists and hospitals! I hope this trend continues between universities and hospitals teaming up to build music therapy programs. The news story points out that there has been a lot of publicity lately for music therapy in the news and movies. Perhaps we can keep the momentum going!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
"Music takes us out of the actual and whispers to us dim secrets that startle our wonder as to who we are, and for what, whence, and where to."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson.
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Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Here is a feel-good story for the week! People with Rett syndrome often respond positively to music. This story from the Idaho-Press Tribune tells us about a young girl who successfully used preferred music to make it through some dental work. There was not a music therapist involved in this story, but I love it when people intrinsically use the power of music to help themselves! Enjoy!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
If you missed all the music therapy buzz today, you will want to know that NPR had a very nice program about music therapy on their Science Friday segment. The show featured a panel of guests including Dr. Oliver Sacks and Dr. Connie Tomaino.
It was a very well rounded show that talked about many different types of music therapy interventions. They also touched on things like funding and reimbursement for music therapy and some new research in the works regarding music therapy and autism.
The link above will take you to the show's archive page. Please continue reading for the link to the podcast.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
The "paper of record", The New York Times, had a very nice piece honoring Clive Robbins who passed away this week. Paul Nordoff and Mr. Robbins collaborated in the 1970s to develop their philosophy of music therapy. Many therapists still use the improvisational techniques espoused by Nordoff and Robbins to help clients with autism, mental retardation and Alzheimer's disease.
I am sure that the Nordoff-Robbins method will continue to be used in the future since there are several centers for music therapy that teach that method. Music therapists who are interested in the Nordoff-Robbins method must be excellent pianists and comfortable with improvisation. They must also be committed to the philosophy since it is not a method that is generally practiced in conjunction with other ideas.
Whether you like the Nordoff-Robbins method or not, Mr. Robbins will be remembered and lauded for his great contribution to the field. He spent much of his lifetime working to help people with special needs. Thank you Clive Robbins!
As I was putting my little angel down to sleep last night, I thought about how strict we have been in keeping all music stimuli absent from the bedtime routine after lights are out. Some people might think that is strange coming from a music therapist! But I think we have some sound reasoning to support this practice.
I would like to know what you think and your different experiences.
Music is not totally restricted from the bedtime routine, but we feel it does have its appropriate place. We will usually sing one or two songs after brushing teeth, stories and prayer, but we limit the number of songs. You can support me on this one - if you give a toddler an inch, they will take a mile! We could be singing all night!
Our little one in particular is very attuned to music. Most nights, she will sing herself to sleep, and that is perfectly okay. But if we add any more music stimuli into the situation, she would never be able to stop! When she chooses to sing to herself, then it is her own way to self-soothe and fall asleep.
So, in my mind it, basically comes down to two issues:
1. Don't introduce external sleep "crutches" into a baby's or toddler's routine (unless you have extenuating circumstances, i. e., your own sanity!) 2. Don't stimulate a child with music when they are supposed to be falling asleep.
You might be thinking, "But Daniel, music can help people to relax!" And you would be correct! But, in my opinion, the relaxation needs to take place well before the child is in bed. For example, find a time during reading stories or right before the bedtime routines start to listen to some soothing music and sing some songs. This can be great bonding time with your little one and is an appropriate time to use music as a cue to relax as well as helping regulate and slow physiological parameters.
I think many people will have issues with my advice, but as with anything, every situation is different. Children vary greatly and there might be children out there that can benefit from soft music playing as they go to sleep.
Music might be used effectively as a masking agent. Maybe there are loud noises outside or in the home that need to be covered? We also know that with some disabilities, such as ADD, music might help to focus the attention on a soothing stimulus or engage part of the mind in a way that lessens the pressure or anxiety caused by other variations and un-regulated environmental stimuli.
There is probably much more that can be said about this topic. What do you think? If you do/did use music to help a baby or toddler go to sleep, do you shut it off later or have it on a timer? What kind of music has proven to be the best?
There is a lot of music out there that purports to be good for helping babies sleep. But is this music best used in the birth to 3 month-old time when babies are often fussy and suffering colic? Is it a good idea to then fade the music and help them develop their own self-soothing techniques?
So many questions! I hope you will join the discussion and share your thoughts on this issue.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
This is a great time of year to check out the Amazon offers on music. They run new specials every day and you can pick up a lot of music for free or at great discounts!
And don't forget to shop Amazon all season through links on your favorite music therapy blog page. Simply click on any Amazon link and do all your shopping in the browser window that opens up and a small portion of the sales will go to the music therapy blog affiliate.
I recently did some Christmas carol sing-a-longs with some of my groups in a psychiatric hospital. They chose the songs and I accompanied on the guitar. I always seem to struggle to find just the right key for each song that will facilitate the optimum singing range for the group.
Having worked many years with both kids in the schools and now adults in the psychiatric setting, it seems that both groups face many challenges in singing. The adults in the psychiatric hospital, for example, are typically on medication that dulls the senses and throws off the sense of timing. Because of this, I prefer to provide them with a fairly strong guitar stimulus. This means much more strumming than finger-picking, even on the more traditionally softer and gentler songs. I also try to use a pic for more volume.
The strength of the guitar has a direct relationship on my song leading cues. This sets up the question for the day:
Do you sing in the key that is good for your voice or the key that is good for the participants?
In my case, I have to decide whether or not to sing the song in a key that is good for a lyric tenor, as opposed to something lower in range that might be easier on the group. I tend to err on the higher side of things, especially since I am playing the guitar very strongly. My voice can carry much easier when I am singing in my optimal vocal range.
I think I usually sing closer to my range because I have found that my strong leading cues make the group activities more successful. It has always seemed less helpful if the key is closer to their range since many of the participants are not even close to the correct pitches anyway.
I suppose that I am focusing more on the therapeutic aspects of the group rather than the musical aesthetics. This seems to work for me, but I would like to know what you do with your groups? Perhaps I am a bit unique in that I have a higher tenor voice? Since most men are baritones, other music therapists may not share my particular challenge. And for the majority of the music therapists (80-90% of MTs are female), I wonder if there is some consensus from the lady MT's?
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Some of my recent interests have looking at iPad apps for use in music therapy and the use of stories to help people understand how music works in therapy. Go here if you missed my presentation at the national conference for music therapy about using stories.
Now these two ideas have been brought together in a wonderful mashup of storytelling synergy!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
It is always nice to see a new music therapy program coming to life! Recently we have seen too many programs closed down or scaled back. Congratulations to the people in South Florida!
We are rapidly approaching a hotly contested presidential election. I wonder if you have noticed some of the very polished political ads that have been coming out? Most everything so far has been in the Republican field since it is their primary season, but I am sure Pres. Obama will have his own advertising out soon.
What I have found interesting is the use of strong, orchestral, programmatic music as the foundation for some of the ads. Many of the ads now have a movie-like quality to them. The music is often filled with warm string sections and broad brass harmonies that slowly grow into a triumphant theme. They remind me of music from the movies like, Independence Day, or Dances With Wolves.
Here are two of the ads that are great examples. (Now, stick with me on this! I am not endorsing anyone, but only show these two examples because they will help us examine how music is being used to influence people. Don't worry if you don't like these candidates, that is not the IT we are looking at today.) Tim Pawlenty is no longer a candidate, but Rick Perry is still in the running and trying to overcome a rough start:
What is the purpose of the music in these videos?
1. To stir emotion: First and foremost, I think the intention here is to make some kind of an emotional appeal to the listener. This is different than music as "message" that has been used in previous election cycles. The best example I can think of is when the Clinton's used the song, "Don't Stop Thinkin' About Tomorrow."
2. To create a storyline: Programmatic music is just that - music that helps move along a plot. These ads from Pawlenty and Perry are trying to establish the theme of leadership and authority as the candidates begin their appeal to the voters. My question to you is, how much music like this is too much? Can it be over the top and make the ad appear like a parody?
3. To remind us of the past: So not only is the music designed to move us forward, but incredibly, to connect us with our past! Music is very versatile and powerful in this way. These ads are attempting to reconnect us with nostalgic ideas and feelings and make us comfortable with the candidates. The music may remind us of our favorite movies or conjure images of people who overcame obstacles or conquered bad or evil.
What do you think?
Has there been a change in political ads? Are these types of ads more effective than typical comparison or attack ads?
If there is a change happening, I wonder how effective it will be? Obviously, it did not work for Pawlenty! But, was it the advertisement's fault or did the content not match the reality of the real person?
I realize I have more questions than answers! But these candidates are paying composers and producers big bucks to roll out these ads. I think music therapists would be a good audience to evaluate the effectiveness of the music in these cases. We are, after all, in the business of using music to influence behavior!
How long will the music affect a viewer after the ad is over? These ads are typically only a minute or minute and a half. During movies, the music can slowly help to lull you into the scene or reel you into the setting to make it more believable. Who do you think has the best music in a political ad so far this election cycle?
And finally, if you are a music therapist, what does this discussion make you think about when you consider how you use orchestral and especially programmatic music in your therapy? Or do you use it at all?? Most movie music would not be good for relaxation, for example. Too much variation in volume, texture and mood. It may also have too many connotations with parts of movies that could distract from the purpose of relaxation.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Music therapy has been in the news a lot lately with interest from Ben Folds and success stories like Representative Gabby Gifford's recovery. Many of the news stories have been of very high quality and quite informative to readers unfamiliar with music therapy.
You will find that this USA Today article is good about explaining some of the mechanisms of how music works to help in therapy and healing. I really like it when non-music therapists start keying in on how music makes sense! You can read the entire story through the link above, but here is a video they included about Representative Giffords:
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
When I was working as a music therapist in the school system, one of my favorite groups was the Early Childhood classroom. These little guys always seemed to be enjoying life and they always treated the music therapist like a rock star! I guess they were like music therapy groupies!
The following story out of Australia reminded me about my favorite little guys and especially my little clients who had Down Syndrome. In my experience, it was a rare case that a little one with Down Syndrome did not respond to music in very positive ways. The news story has a nice audio track with pictures that shares a little of the success and joy going on down under:
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Just in time for the holidays I have added tons of new gear to the Music for the Heart logo store! Now you can sport your iPhone or iPad in style with the unique and trendy Music for the Heart logo! (Punch the right arrow to scroll through the available products)
You can show your love for music and your support for music in healthcare at the same time! Don't miss this chance to get some cool things for your friends and family too! There is a sale going on through the end of the week!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
"(Rhythm) is there in the cycles of the seasons, in the migrations of the birds and animals, in the fruiting and withering of plants, and in the birth, maturation and death of our selves."
~ Mickey Hart, From testimony before U. S. Senate, 1991.
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Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
I recently attended the music therapy national conference in Atlanta. The American Music Therapy Association usually presents one or more non-music therapists with a friends of music therapy award. This year was no different, with two state legislators in attendance who had been instrumental in getting state licensure for music therapy passed in a couple different states. Each of the legislators made some short remarks after receiving their awards. At least one of them referred to music therapy as "musical" therapy several times. I only remember this because I heard and felt audible sighs and cringes from some of the people sitting around me. Music therapists do not like being called "musical" therapists. That brings me to a recent story out of News 5 in Charleston, SC, which had this headline:
I do not want to be critical of this news station at all! They wrote a wonderful story about a local music therapist doing some great work. They even referred to our work as "music therapy" correctly in the article. But it does raise the point that we are still striving for recognition and authenticity as a profession. It would be nice if news people got the details right every time, but I think in this case any publicity is good publicity! Let's just hope the word keeps getting out about evidence-based music therapy and we can help people with the terminology as the cases come up!
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Many music therapists might be singing, "All I want for Christmas is an iPad-2...!" this year. But once you get that fabled device, how are you going to choose your apps?? If you haven't already been to Snaps 4 Kids you will want to bookmark their site: www.snaps4kids.com.
This website is a comprehensive review center for all kinds of apps, including music apps. I observed two long pages of music apps they have reviewed! Their website is very straightforward and even allows you to vote and comment about apps.
Welcome to the Daily Muse feature of Music Makes Sense! This daily update brings you up to the minute news about music and music therapy as it relates to our professions, events and individual lives. You can follow the daily entries by subscribing to Music Makes Sense on Twitter or by "Liking" the Facebook page for Music Makes Sense. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
Gordon, J. L., Ditto, B., La Voie, K. L., Pelleteir, R., Campbell, T. S., Arsenault, A., & Bacon, S. L. (2011). The effect of major depression on postexercise cardiovascular recovery. Psychophysiology, 48(11), 1604-1609.
Research has already started to show a direct link between depression and a greater chance for heart attack. New research has taken this a step further by linking depression with a slower cardiovascular recovery time after exercise. Specifically, they found a slower recovery in the heart rate after exercise in participants with major depression. The abstract is here.
These findings emphasize the importance of more research using music to influence mood state. Music can effectively be used in a lifestyle change to improve mood and avoid some of the dire effects of heart disease and poor cardiovascular health!
Here are just a few of the links to find out more about music therapy and heart health:
And don't forget to show your support of using music to help with heart health by sporting some of the cool gear from the Music for the Heart story at CafePress!
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