Music can be healing

Laughter is medicine for the soul; and music is medicine for the spirit.

A Career in Music Therapy

Do you love Music? Do you love helping others?

Music Therapy can certainly become a lifetime career. Wouldn`t it be great to actually help others by taking part in something we all love so very much? Music has many uses, and for those of you seeking a career in music, this is a very positive alternate idea!

Of course I can`t offer you a complete guide that will lead you to be a music therapist. But I can offer you this short summary and a great place to get information!

Music therapists work with people of all ages from premature newborns to older adults at the end of life. They are employed in a variety of settings, including medical and psychiatric hospitals, schools, nursing homes, rehabilitation centers, developmental centers, prisons, and wellness centers. They are also increasingly working in private practices.

In order to pursue a career in music therapy, one must have the proper education. Here are is a list of the credits one will need in order to begin thier journey.

*General Education.....22
Behavioral/Health/Natural Sciences.....27

*Music
Music Therapy.....21
Music Theory.....16
Music History..... 8
Applied Music.....15
Ensembles.....4
Methods.....5
Music Therapy Electives.....7
*Free Electives.....3
~*Total 128*~

Successful practice of music therapy requires strong interpersonal, intrapersonal, musical, and verbal skills; the curriculum is equally multifaceted. I recommend looking at some schools that have courses designed for this; most universities will have a program of this type.

The best thing to do is contact your nearest college/university and ask them for a brochure regarding their music courses.

Dump Your Stress

Break away from your busy world for 15 minutes. Turn on some relaxing music. Do not do this with intentions of falling asleep: sit if possible, as if meditating.

If possible, close out all interruptions and other sounds and turn off the lights. Take three deep breaths and exhale slowly. Let your body stabilize. Imagine yourself in front of a sparkling well. Allow the peaceful music be your FOREGROUND. Visualize all your troubles and problems heading towards you, and in your visualization, see them being dumped in the well, and see them vanish.

When all negative energy is gone, submerge yourself in the music. Try to listen for the different harmonies, identify the diffrent sounds. In 10 to 15 minutes you will be more relaxed than you have been all week.

Sleep to the Music.

Do you remember when you were a baby, your mother used to sing to you so that you could fall asleep? Okay, so I don't expect you to remember that far back, but it is a fact that soft music has an incredible effect in aiding sleep. I'm sure that at least once in your life you have had trouble sleeping, but hey, who hasn't? This tip will help you get rest in no time.

First of all you must initiate the relaxation. I don't recommend lighting aromatherapy candles (this may cause a fire, although, it is helpful for general relaxation). Spray your bed-sheets with a subtle spray or sprinkle lightly-scented powder. Then the most vital part: The music.

Not just any type of music will aid you; you most certainly don't want to put death-metal on in order to aid your sleep! Put on something subtle, something that will let your mind drift. Don't blast the sound; remember, this is only background music, the foreground is your sleep.

Here are some of my personal recommendations for ´go-to-sleep´ music. I'm sure that you will find at least one of these effective. The links will let you purchase these CDs at amazon.com.

1.Celtic Dreams by Joemy Wilson
Celtic Dreams

2. Lore by Clannad
Lore

3. Watermark by Enya
Watermark


4. Pure Moods series
Pure Moods

Pure Moods 2

Pure Moods 3

(One word of Caution! Tubular Bells is listed as a track in the first volume of Pure Moods, ... for those of you into movies, visions of Linda Blair´s head spinning might not be restful!)

Music: foreground, not background

Don´t just use music while your doing something. Once in a while, turn on your music just to listen to it, not to be a background.

What is Music Therapy?

* Music Therapy, is the use of music and music related activities to modify ineffective learning patterns, to promote emotional, mental, social and physical growth and to develop non-musical goals.

* Music Therapy is a creative, flexible and sometimes spontaneous means of using the appeal of music to help people of all ages and abilities.

* Music Therapy is also an established health care profession that uses music to address physical, psychological, cognitive and social functioning.

* Music Therapy positively affects the lives of thousands of children and adults each year. From a child with autism to an elderly person in a bell choir, Music Therapy can make the difference between isolation and interaction.