QUEZON City, Philippines – Way back on high school, that was the time when I started appreciating music. Music gives me peace and relaxation. I don’t just love listening to it – music is my therapy.
The truth is everybody needs music.
In the history of music therapy, hospitals begun hiring musicians for patients that were traumatized during the World War II. Classical music was used for healing sick and wounded patients.
Nowadays, the most common genre that people listen to is pop music. Though classical music never died, the number of listeners has gone down over the years.
Whether you listen thru your earphones or thru loudspeakers, we choose what would be our autobiographical soundtrack. Choosing the music that we want to listen to usually depends on our mood. If we’re sad, we listen to ballads. If we’re happy, we listen to rock and electronic music.
Music has always been known for its beneficial effect. It is prescribed for those who suffer from physical, emotional, cognitive and social deficits.According to recent studies, music therapy allows children with autism to improve their learning skills.
Not only that music also helps to regain or sharpen the memory.
In the Psychology World, they use the term “Mozart effect”. The term was coined after they observed that college students tend to perform better in solving math problems when they are listening to classical music or the sound of the piano or violin.
Classical music also increases concentration when reading or writing.
Currently, researchers links music therapy as a possible cure to the people who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, though it’s not yet proven. What is clear is that we need to listen more to music and discover more of its wonder.
http://www.apa.org
http://psychology.jrank.org
(written by Francis Albuen, edited by Jay Paul Carlos, additional research by Vince Alvin Villarin)