[Guest Blog] Comparing Music Entertainment and Music Therapy

During the month of November, we are highlighting community partners that the Noteable Progressions team has had the pleasure to work with during the last year. These partners not only help us do our jobs better, they are also true advocates for music therapy. Today, we recognize The Arc of Frederick County & Joshua Neumann.

A guest blog by Joshua Neumann:

My name is Joshua Neumann and I started studying in music therapy at Shenandoah conservatory in 2009. I ended up moving out of the major into recording technologies but was still very involved in music and therapy relations. After graduation I started at the arc of Frederick county in a lead role in day programs. Through my experience here I assisted in many music therapy sessions. As well as my work I play bass in a band with my friends and also have a variety of guitar and piano students. I continue to use music in the field I am in and plan to continue music enrichment inside of the day program I work with now.

Music entertainment is a subject that millions and millions of people can relate to, either through experience, performing live for others, or on a daily basis through electronic media. It is a field that is so widespread and accessible that nearly everyone on the planet has their favorite band or song. Some listeners and viewers may never even realize the therapeutic effect that music has on them during their listening experience. These effects are usually unintentional but do serve a purpose. Some may put on a slow song after a hard day or a fast metal song after a bout of anger. Here in lies the idea of music therapy.

If you have ever been to a concert of any sort you know how the music industry goes as far as live music. It has one sole purpose: to entertain. But there is a different side to music that is on the rise and it is a goal oriented musical experience designed to provide gain and results to certain individuals. While a live performance by a famous musician offers a magical experience for a crowd of thousands, music therapy offers a personalized experience that serves a therapeutic benefit. Music therapy is becoming a trend inside of the developmental disability field and differentiates from music entertainment on many levels.

First, music therapy is a series of goal oriented and planned musical activities that aim at achieving a desired result from the individual involved in the therapy. For example, you may see someone living with cerebral palsy involved in a music therapy session. In a session like this you may see activities where the individual is given a shaker or maraca while the music therapist plays a tune on a guitar. The goal here would be for the individual to use whatever motor skills they have to move the shaker and participate in the music. In this way it makes the movements feel less like exercise to the individual but more of an encompassing musical experience. Through this the music therapist may be looking to improve fine motor skills of the individual through small movements with a shaker or maraca. You would never find this in live music entertainment. And this outlines the biggest difference between the two sources of music: “Entertainment” and “Therapy.”

Inside of the entertainment world there is usually a goal to make the most money and have the most people see you. Music therapy is quite the opposite. Music therapy is a field where the amount of people who see the sessions are minimal and it is not designed to just bring in the most money. It is almost always person-centric and very personable. It is not uncommon for a therapist to develop meaningful relationships with the people they provide sessions too. This is a connection in music to enrich lives. This is actually an area where I believe the entertainment industry and music therapy can relate. Many people would never realize that they play certain music when they have certain feelings and music therapy uses ideas like this to help individuals achieve goals.

Have you ever heard a song that triggered a memory? Maybe a childhood lullaby or rock ballads that can make you remember a first love. The entertainment industry is very good at producing material that can really become a milestone in someone’s life. Music therapy relies on these kinds of techniques as well. For instance, if someone living with dementia or Alzheimer’s enters a therapy session in order to enrich his or her life. The music therapist may, and most likely will, play songs that are of an age related sense. This is in hopes of getting that individual to remember something from their life that may have not been accessible without music. In this case therapy becomes a key to the mind for these certain individuals. Entertainment can sometimes do this without even knowing. In this way, therapy and entertainment relate. The main way that these two differ is in their core goals; Therapy aims to enrich with goal-oriented strategies, while entertainment aims to reach the most people in order to turn a profit.

All in all, both sides of music here are beneficial in their own ways and can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes. Either way, music therapy has a way of connecting individuals with their own thoughts and abilities that other therapies may not be able to do.