McGee 1

Nikole McGee

Mrs. Stanford

ENG 231

20 December 2017

No Room For Silence

The feelings of weakness and isolation may seem impossible to overcome and many

people will search their whole lives to find something to help battle these feelings. Counselling

may reduce the intensities of depression overtime and the same can be said about antidepressants

or Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). However, recently a new and faster method of

treatment has been developing. It’s ability to create a feeling with a sound is the sole reason that

music is often used in professional settings and is arguably the most popular art form in the

world. Music is used in advertising, at events and even in schools. Now, it has been proven that

music can do more than promote businesses and connect communities, its power to affect human

emotion is extending itself into the medical world with lasting positive results. Due to the strong

power it has over human emotions, researchers have begun to experiment with using music to

combat depression and other mental health issues, such as autism or even Alzheimer's. Music

therapy has the ability to improve general motor skills, memory stimulation, and relieve stress.

This method should be implemented more in the medical field because it has proven to have

positive mental and physical health benefits, in turn, improving overall quality of life.

Music is an extremely common form of art among society today. It can be heard in the

streets, on the television, in schools, and on the radio. This is because many things are dependent

upon this art form, almost like an addiction, the human world would not be the same without it.
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Music is an intriguing form of expression and can be used in a multitude of different ways. It is

also well known for connecting communities by creating a common topic for communities to

relate to. In an observation done at three different shops in Canton, Ohio, (Muggswigz, Karma

Cafe, and Uncorked) the roles that music can play in society are revealed. All three shops have

established the title of “community center” because they all host an event commonly called

“Open Mic Night”(Nikole McGee 2017). This event allows customers to come into the shop and

do some type of performance for their community whether it be singing a song, playing an

instrument, or speaking poetry. This creates a wonderful outlet for customers, allowing them to

connect with each other based on the material they present at the event and it is a great place for

customers to express themselves in any way they feel fit. Another beneficial aspect of this event

is the fact that it provides businesses with the means to attract customers and help the company

earn money. The music attracts customers because it has a strong bond with human emotions,

practically sucking in customers and tricking them into buying a drink. This form of

advertisement is harmless to all things except for a customer's wallet. Businesses also

incorporate music into commercials and podcasts in order to attract customers because it is an

efficient way to communicate with potential buyers. While music is commonly used for fun or

for professional reasons, it is now proving to be much more important than it originally seemed,

affecting the human body in ways that, at one time, had gone unrecognized.

A person’s overall quality of life is greatly influenced by music/music therapy. It is

evident that those who incorporate music in their everyday lives have lower stress levels than

those who don’t. Take, for example, Diane Cole. Diane decided at the age of fifty to pick up

where she left off with piano lessons when she was eight years old, and was surprised by what
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she discovered. In her article titled “Finding the Right Notes, the Second Time Around”, Diane

explains the changes that music brought to her life. Learning the piano taught Diane valuable

lessons about patience and imperfections as well as improved her motor skills on a daily basis.

Her experience is one of many that provide evidence of enhanced positivity in human life due to

music(Cole 2012). Diane Cole is not alone in her discoveries, many people tend to experience

these changes without even noticing it. In an interview with Josee McGee, a local artist in

Downtown Canton and lead vocalist of the upcoming local band the “Paper Spoons”, she

discusses the important role that music has played in her life and how it allows her to connect

with the community around her. An important part of being a performer is connecting with an

audience, an indirect form of music therapy. In her interview Miss McGee elaborates on how she

does this for her performances:

“Um, well, most of the time like, okay for example, the difference between a gig
and open mic night is huge. Because at a gig, people are there because they know
you’re there, um, they’re expecting you and they want to hear you. Um, at open
mic night, depending on your location of your open mic night, it’s not always like
that. Some people, for example, I went to Akron and did an open mic night at
Uncorked and-- which you know-- and um, everyone was paying attention,
everyone was there to hear each other basically, because most of the other people
listening were also performers, um, and it was great because all eyes were on you
but, then at muggswigz no one listens to you like in downtown canton um, just
like you can tell. So anyways, typically open mic night is meant for people to just
like go and hang out with each other and like maybe not pay attention to you. Um,
gigs? They are paying attention to you, so, during gigs I connect with my
audience, you know, like, sometimes you sing songs where sing along. Uh, for
example like ‘ho hey’, people join me on that one all the time, um or like you talk
to them, make jokes or whatever, it’s much more intimate when people are
actually paying attention to you. So, basically I talk to them, I try to get them to
sing along with me sometimes or maybe clap, um, I don’t really-I tell about my
life.”
(Josee McGee 2017) Not only can music make for a happier personal life, it can also take on a

therapeutic role.
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The scholarly journal titled "Facilitating Well-Being through Music for Older People

with Special Needs.", written by Terrence Hays is based from a study conducted in Australia

with special needs patients over the age of 60. Music therapy allowed patients connect with each

other, and feel less isolated and stressed. Hays introduces his research by a broad overview of

how music affects the human body:

Whenever we are within audible range of music, its influence is

playing upon us constantly, such as speeding or slowing, regular
rising or irregular rising our heartbeat, relaxing or jarring the nerves,
affecting the blood pressure, the digestion and the rate of respira-
tion. Its effect upon the emotions and desires of [people] is be-
lieved to be vast, and the extent of its influence over even the
purely intellectual, mental processes is only beginning to be sus-
pected by researchers.

(Hays 2006) The music also helped contribute to a greater sense of good health, because the

healthier a person feels the less stressed they become, allowing the general sense of competence

to settle in and take root. Not only does this article outline how music benefits the general human

population, but struggling minorities as well. The same can be said about the article "Improving

Mental Health in Families with Autistic Children: Benefits of Using Video Feedback in Parent

Counselling Sessions Offered Alongside Music Therapy", presents a study on the effects of

music therapy on autistic children and their parents. In the trial experiment titled “TEAM-A” , 25

families who dealt with ASD (autism spectrum disorders) did family counselling sessions that

included music therapy. The results concluded that music therapy helped parents of children with

ASD to recognize their child’s strengths and helped the whole family develop a new and positive

outlook on life, decreasing stress levels in the family overall. The most important role of music

therapy is to decrease levels of stress in those who need it most(Blauth 2017).

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As it is evident that music therapy is an effective stress reliever, it has also been found

that it can be applied in many more ways. This type of therapy can have benefits on a patient's

physical health as well. Stress has the ability to weaken immune systems in the human body,

reducing or eliminating this stress strengthens the body’s immune system and may also

positively affect the way a person sleeps or eats. Music therapy can combat these issues.

According to "Music Interventions to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in Pregnancy: A Systematic

Review and Meta-Analysis.", because music therapy can be efficient for decreasing stress and

anxiety levels, this causes for increased probability of healthy pregnancies. This is proven

through a research study that was conducted of Five trials of 1,261 women. These trials

concluded that the therapies reduced maternal anxiety levels tremendously, but did not largely

prove to relieve pregnancy-related stress. This study conducted does not prove that music

eliminates pregnancy related stress, but only enforces that music can decrease overall stress in

someone’s life regardless of their mental or physical state. A pregnant woman, by any means,

who is less stressed than the average woman is more likely to have a risk free pregnancy and an

easier delivery than most (van Willenswaard 2017). This is because of the manner in which the

brain is stimulated by music, creating a neurological sensation of happiness.

Music has been a mystery for decades. Its ability to harness human emotion has baffled

neuroscientists until recently, with more advanced technology than ever, they have been able to

make discoveries previously unknown in the world of science. In Anita Collins’ “Music

Education and the Brain: What Does It Take to Make a Change?”, a lab report is presented based

on the positive cognitive effects of music therapy. The study assesses positive brain development

and the results show that being musically involved improves memory, language acquisition,
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executive function and brain plasticity. These findings may be useful for advancement in music

education curriculum; education systems would benefit by offering more music related courses

in schools and updating their requirements for current music education. These courses would

help students’ brains grow and develop, increasing their chances of a successful school

career(Collins 2014). The conclusions drawn from this research are useful in the medical field as

well: music therapy can be used to help treat alzheimer’s patients by stimulating the nervous

system, and can dissolve speech impediments because of its ability to improve language

acquisition. For these reasons, the uses of music in the medical field should be researched more

and implemented to combat health issues because it is an effective form of treatment.

Musical treatment is fairly new to the medical world and seems like an unorthodox

treatment method but it is more useful, beneficial, and effective than it may look on a surface

level. After closely examining the human brain’s relationship with music, it is evident that the

brain is greatly affected by music. Because of this, researchers have, do, and will continue to

study music in order to improve the quality of human life to the best of their ability. That being

said, impeccable examples of how music therapy helps people ly in her article titled “Music

therapy as procedural support for invasive medical procedures: toward the development of music

therapy theory”. In this article Claire M. Ghetti presents a study of music therapy used for

medical procedures. Ghetti catches the reader’s attention with her detailed and informative

introduction:

In partial response to the demand for evidence-based practice, there is an increasing

interest in the use of music therapy as procedural support for both invasive and
non-invasive medical procedures. Clinicians and researchers are attempting to define how
music therapy functions as procedural support in order to advance clinical practice and
research, but concepts remain inadequately specified in the literature. The current
philosophical inquiry used qualitative document analysis to critically examine the extant
literature in music therapy as procedural support during invasive medical procedures. The
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aims of the analysis were to identify key concepts, provide definitions of those concepts,
and begin to explicate the interrelationships among concepts related to music therapy as
procedural support. A total of 19 clinical practice articles, clinical practice book chapters,
and research articles met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. Data analysis and
synthesis resulted in a working model of music therapy as procedural support, in which
the music therapist engages in a reflexive process of continually assessing the patient’s
responses in order to refocus the intervention lens (e.g., altering aspects of the music, of
focus of attention, and of patient/therapist interaction) to positively influence outcomes. It
is hoped that the working model of music therapy as procedural support may stimulate
clinical dialogue and serve as an initial systematic step toward theory construction in this
area.
(Ghetti 2012) This source is a perfect example beneficial uses of music in the medical field,

proving the effectiveness of music therapy once again.

People should implicate music into their everyday lives more often because of its healing

power. The art form is more than just that, it is also a tool, a helping hand, to be used in times of

need. Music has demonstrated that it can effectively improve one’s ability to concentrate and

become more efficient in various aspects of life; such as studying, conducting a lab experiment,

or working in a place of employment.In terms of health music therapy is one of the most

important medical discoveries to surface in recent years and its implication should be taken very

seriously. Many studies have been (and are being) written to support these conclusions and to

draw more conclusions about ways that music can benefit society worldwide. Often it goes

unnoticed and unrecognized that music can be beneficial in any way because music is commonly

perceived simply as a form of entertainment. What many fail to see is that it is effective when

used in advertisements, it is a wonderful way to connect communities, and it can help improve

quality of life around the world in terms of mental and physical health. The upcoming

discoveries about music are not largely recognized but they are largely influential and for this

reason, people around the world deserve to be educated about these discoveries and they should

have the option to utilize this information however they feel fit.
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Works Cited

Blauth, Laura K. "Improving Mental Health in Families with Autistic Children: Benefits of

Using Video Feedback in Parent Counselling Sessions Offered Alongside Music

Therapy." ​Health Psychology Report​, vol. 5, no. 2, Apr. 2017, pp. 138-150. EBSCO​host​,

doi:10.5114/hpr.2017.63558.

Cole, Diane. "Finding the Right Notes, the Second Time around." ​Wall Street Journal - Eastern

Edition​, vol. 259, no. 12, 16 July 2012, p. R4. EBSCO​host​,

Collins, Anita. "Music Education and the Brain: What Does It Take to Make a Change?."

UPDATE: Applications of Research in Music Education​, vol. 32, no. 2, May 2014, pp.

4-10. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1177/8755123313502346.

Ghetti, Claire M. "Music Therapy as Procedural Support for Invasive Medical Procedures:

Toward the Development of Music Therapy Theory." ​Nordic Journal of Music Therapy​,

vol. 21, no. 1, Feb. 2012, pp. 3-35. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1080/08098131.2011.571278.

Hays, Terrence. "Facilitating Well-Being through Music for Older People with Special Needs."

Home Health Care Services Quarterly​, vol. 25, no. 3/4, July 2006, pp. 55-73.

EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1300/J027v25n03_04.

McGee, Josee Renee. “Muggswigz.” 27 Sept. 2017.

McGee, Nikole Irene. “Karma Cafe, Muggswigz, and Uncorked” 26 Sept. 2017.

van Willenswaard, Kyrsten Corbijn, et al. "Music Interventions to Reduce Stress and Anxiety in

Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis." ​BMC Psychiatry​, vol. 17, 27 July

2017, pp. 1-9. EBSCO​host​, doi:10.1186/s12888-017-1432-x.