| As a grandmother of four grandchildren under the | | | | I learned that it is therapeutic to match a patient's |
| age of five, it's often overwhelming when they all | | | | mood with music of the same or similar mood. This |
| come over to my house for a visit. On the occasions | | | | surprised me, because I thought that if a particular |
| that I have been left alone with them, babysitting or | | | | patient was, for example, depressed, then wouldn't it |
| just playing with them, they often become | | | | follow that, in order to help the patient out of |
| boisterous and loudly competitive, sometimes difficult | | | | depression, it would be more helpful to play "happy' |
| to control. | | | | music? Not so, according to the music therapy |
| One day, anticipating their arrival, I decided to turn on | | | | experts. It is apparently preferable to allow the |
| some quiet, soothing music and to have it playing | | | | particular mood rather than fight it, as the patient |
| during their visit. I wondered if it would help keep | | | | often experiences more agitation when listening to |
| them calmer and, hopefully, more quiet than usual, (I | | | | music opposite their mood. |
| already had a slight headache, even before their | | | | Maybe it was a lucky coincidence that my |
| arrival). My oldest grandson noticed the music. I | | | | grandchildren were calmer and more mellow than |
| asked him if he liked it, and he said yes, that it | | | | usual that day - maybe the music actually matched |
| sounded like "sleepy music," so I left it on, quietly in | | | | their moods. I wonder, which actually came first - |
| the background. | | | | their moods or the music? |
| After about a half hour, I noticed, (happily, I might | | | | I think that either case is feasible: sometimes a mood |
| add), that the children were playing "nicely" together, | | | | might be improved upon with the judicial use of |
| and that the atmosphere was generally less noisy | | | | appropriate music and conversely, music can possibly |
| and more relaxed than on previous visits. And my | | | | aggravate a given mood. I find it interesting that |
| headache, (albeit with the aid of an aspirin), was | | | | music can support emotions or exacerbate them. |
| noticeably better. | | | | It was a lovely afternoon with the grandkids. Maybe |
| Upon reflection, I considered that the change in their | | | | the music assisted them in achieving a more peaceful |
| general behavior was largely due to the calming | | | | afternoon at their grandmother's house. I know one |
| influence of the music. I was reluctant to challenge | | | | thing, they were visibly more relaxed, more attentive |
| my hypothesis by changing to more upbeat music, as | | | | to storytelling and story books and less combative |
| I was enjoying the peaceful atmosphere too much | | | | and aggressive. Maybe I just got lucky that day. |
| and didn't want to risk it. But I was impressed with | | | | Perhaps I'll test my theory further another day during |
| the obvious power inherent in music and how | | | | another visit, but I'll make sure that I don't have a |
| conducive it was for a peaceful experience . | | | | headache if I do.. |
| When I was a music student studying Music Therapy, | | | | |