© Cottonbro Studio
The effects of music and music therapy are diverse.
April 19, 2024
Bernd Skupin
Mozart or Metal? Medicine by the notes. Because music heals body and soul – almost without side effects. And not only during music therapy.
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He tried. André Benjamin, known as André 3000, one-half of the duo OutKast, and with titles like "Hey Ya!" or "Ms. Jackson," one of the most successful hip-hop musicians of all time, wanted to try again: "I swear, I really wanted to make a rap album, but the wind literally blew me elsewhere this time," translates the self-ironic title of the first track on his latest album New Blue Sun, the first in 17 years.
He had previously asked what he should rap about at 48, perhaps about it being time for a prostate exam? Instead, he softly plays delicate melodies on various flutes across the eight tracks of the new work, inspired by relaxed jazz and minimal music.
It doesn't necessarily sound spectacular, but it has charm – and for André 3000, it also has a therapeutic quality. He says he was fully in the moment during the recordings, and he perceived them as discoveries in real-time – alive, breathing, and improvised.
Understanding music as something healing is trendy. In recent years, so-called "healing music" has become increasingly popular – spherical, spiritually tinged instrumental sounds that stars like Moby, Alanis Morissette, and Sufjan Stevens have also tried.
On the other hand, music is said to have aided healing since ancient times. Body and Soul contribute, from shaman songs to Christian hymns. And even beyond esotericism, spirituality, and the singing bowl scene, there are scientifically well-researched effects and effective therapies through and with music for neurological, psychological, and physical problems.
Professor Dr. Andreas Menke , Medical Director and Chief Physician at the Medical Park Chiemseeblick, a specialist clinic for psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy, it is important to clearly separate these two areas: "Of course, you can retreat to a wellness hotel for a weekend and maybe relax to certain sounds. That may be very nice, but it does not fulfill any medical requirements.
In actual music therapy, there are two ways. Either the patients make music themselves, and that is mostly improvisation. The point is not to master an instrument, but simply to do something with it.
Or you get a piece of music played, which is then supposed to lead to a certain emotional reaction. In both cases, it is important that music therapy is conducted by someone with a professional background, that is, by a person who has the appropriate training and is qualified to offer this therapy."
The effects of music and music therapies are diverse and sound amazing. A small excerpt: After a stroke, listening to favorite music is supposed to promote rehabilitation, and playing the piano can help regain lost fine motor skills. Singing can help patients with speech disorders improve their fluency.
Rhythmic music seems to have a stimulating effect on Parkinson's patients. The rhythms probably act as external pacemakers on the motor regions. Professor Harald Schachinger, head of the premature infant ward at Berlin's Waldkrankenhaus until 2004, made a similar observation even with premature babies. He played specially selected pieces of music to his small patients through headphones and occasionally played the cello for them himself.
With music, he reported, their heartbeat became significantly more stable and even. If the music has the right tempo, there is a coupling effect: The heartbeat adapts to the given rhythm.
There are also studies that suggest music therapy can be helpful in autism. Many autistic people have a good ear and musical abilities. Through the medium of music, they are able to express feelings without words and build a relationship with others.
© Cottonbro Studio
Music therapy is a very good complement to psychotherapy.
There are frequent reports about the positive effects of music on Alzheimer's patients. In some cases, it can be the only access to them, especially if they no longer understand language. After a therapy session, they are often more balanced and relaxed.
Music therapists sometimes also visit people at home, in nursing homes, or in hospitals and sing familiar songs for them. In addition, there are now other musical offerings specifically for Alzheimer's patients, such as concerts or dance cafes. And last but not least, music is also used in psychology and psychiatry. For example, it can reduce anxiety or alleviate depression.
But how does music achieve all this? Where do its powers and secrets lie? What makes it such a healing and almost side-effect-free medicine according to notes? "Music," explains Professor Dr. Menke, "is defined by three things: melody, harmony, and rhythm. These three together produce an effect that can actually be measured at the brain level. Of course, even a rhythm alone can have an effect."
When you go to a club or a concert, and there is this rhythm, then suddenly your body starts to take on a life of its own, or you start tapping your foot." And he continues: "First, music reaches the auditory cortex. Then it goes to the limbic system, and there you have different effects. For example, with positively interpreted music, dopamine is released.
That means when you listen to music you like, it does you good. And it also has a stress-relieving effect, by the way. If you had a stressful day, you can apply stress-reducing measures, such as relaxation and mindfulness techniques, or simply listen to music. Music has the same effect; the level of the stress hormone cortisol drops, pulse and heart rate go down, the entire stress hormone system normalizes.
You can also link this with social interactions, making music together, singing or dancing. Then you also have an oxytocin release, which produces a kind of bonding, a feeling of togetherness, so a real sense of well-being."
Professor Menke also points out that not all music shows the same results in everyone. Mozart doesn't fit everyone. Sometimes it might have to be metal. "This positive effect, that you kind of trigger the reward system, depends on your own musical taste. And that is influenced by various things, from childhood, youth, from social upbringing, the environment, certainly also from genetics," he says.
"And there are also people who can't do anything with music at all - not many, but they do exist. It has been found that in them the connection of the auditory cortex with the entire limbic system in the brain, which is responsible for the emotional world, is indeed not well developed."
This connection seems to be essential - also for music therapy, as it is practiced in Menke's Medical Park Chiemseeblick. "The music therapists make music and sing with the patients. That means they let them improvise, whether it's on the piano, on percussion instruments or on the guitar. In this way, they try to work with the emotions of the patients.
Music therapy is a very good complement to psychotherapy, which is more distant. There, you sit across from each other in a sort of interview situation. But with music therapy, it really gets to the heart of things, directly to the emotional world." And he continues: "When you remember certain moments of your life, they are sometimes also linked with music. This means conversely, when you hear this music, you remember certain moments. This is also how our memory works.
The more emotions are involved, the better something is remembered. But of course, every music can have different effects. If you listen to music that is biographically associated with a very sad or a very aversive, anxious situation, then this emotional world is reactivated, and the same feelings come back. This can be addressed in therapy.
Conversely, sad music that you associate biographically with a very beautiful situation can also trigger well-being and feelings of happiness.” Like hardly anything else from the outside world, music sends us messages into our deepest innermost, interacts with feelings and hormones, brain chemistry, and certain body reactions.
And the musicians themselves? What about the professionals? Shouldn't they be true sages, in harmony with themselves and their emotions, mentally and physically of iron health? In 1972, the then 29-year-old Mick Jagger gave an interview to the American TV host Dick Cavett. Cavett asked him if he could imagine still going on stage at 60, perhaps with a walking stick?
Last fall, the Rolling Stones were on tour in Germany. Complaints from the audience about a lack of mobility on the part of Jagger, now 80, and his more or less equally aged bandmates were not heard. More Stones concerts are announced for this year.
This naturally provokes the question of whether life as a musician is a fountain of youth, at least if one does not belong to the infamous "Club 27," the ranks of pop and rock stars who – often as a result of drug abuse – died at the age of 27. Besides the Rolling Stone Brian Jones, the most famous examples include Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse.
What if this cliff has been circumnavigated? Do pop, rock, and hip hop then bring a long and happy life? Professor Menke's response is unfortunately sobering: “Of course, there are these exceptional talents like Udo Lindenberg or the Stones, who are now older and still in top form. But studies show that famous pop musicians tend to live shorter lives than the general population."
There are mental illnesses, suicides, extensive drug abuse, accidents, and even murder. It creates a volatile mix. Being a famous pop musician is not necessarily healthy." For classical music, although there are no comparable studies, Menke also identifies certain risks:
"These are people who are constantly in the spotlight, always under a certain pressure to perform well. Every note has to be perfect. And constantly having to or wanting to be perfect is not good for mental health. A high proportion of our patients are perfectionists. This means that they are naturally very successful in their careers. But often, at some point, it simply can't go any further, and then burnout and depression threaten."
So perhaps André 3000's decision to record a relaxed album with flute notes instead of making a rap comeback, to devote himself to his favorite instrument and be guided by it, was simply a pretty healthy choice.
© Josh Sorenson
Studies show that famous pop musicians tend to have shorter lifespans than the general population.
