Kayla Shafer, one of our co-founders here at Keynote Music Therapy, had the
opportunity to be interviewed by Classical MPR’s Dan Wascoe last month. She was able
to shed some light to the Minnesota Public Radio world on benefits of music therapy.
One of the central points the article explains the difference between music
therapy and therapeutic music. Music streamed from MPR or even music being
performed for the pleasure of listening is not music therapy, it is therapeutic music. We all use therapeutic music from time to time for ourselves while driving in the car, cleaning the house, or while exercising, for example.
Music therapy, however, is research based, goal oriented, provided by a board-certified music therapist, and aims to achieve an outcome that is nonmusical. Goals can include anything from lowering anxiety in an 84 year old woman living on a memory care unit, to increasing eye contact duration in a young boy with Autism. Whatever the goals, individualized treatment plans are a cornerstone of what makes music therapy a unique therapeutic modality.
Music therapy has come a long way in terms of being recognized as a legitimate
treatment method. However, music therapists still struggle to be recognized by
insurance companies despite the growing research body citing its benefits. Being
recognized by insurance companies would make music therapy accessible to all. This
includes those in the baby boomer generation, who are quickly approaching an age in
which music therapy may be extremely beneficial.
To learn more about what Kayla has to say about the importance of
music therapy, check out the original article: