I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for… Music Therapy!

For those of you who read my last installment, you’ll know this blog post is a continuation of my last – which is going to discuss more of the history of music therapy and how far we have come as a profession over the last 70 years. Kick back, grab your favorite summer treat and prepare to be blown away by the greatness that is Music Therapy!

To make things a little different – this will be in a timeline format.

18th Century

• The earliest known reference to music therapy in the United States was an unsigned article in Columbian Magazine entitled “Music Physically Considered.”
  • This article presented basic principles of music therapy that are still in use today.
  • This article also provided evidence of music therapy practices in Europe.
  • Most importantly, the author discussed how music in the treatment of disease required a properly trained practitioner.

19th Century

• Several authors wrote about the use of music to treat physical and mental illness.
• The earliest documents produced during this period were dissertations written by two medical students.
  • Edwin Atlee “An Inaugural Essay on the Influence of Music in the Cure of Diseases” 1804
  • Samuel Mathews “On the Effects of Music in Curing and Palliating Diseases” 1806
    • Mathews recommended using music that matched the mood of the patient which is now known in music therapy practice as the iso-principle.

19th Century Educational Institutions

• Perkins School for the Blind had a rich music curriculum.
• American Asylum for the Deaf also had a successful music program.
• When music therapy was being developed in educational settings, there was a renewed interest in its use as a treatment for disease.
• “Music As A Medicine” 1874, cited a number of American and European sources to support that musical response was linked to physiological, psychological, and sociocultural attributes.

Early 20th Century Music Therapy

• Eva Vescelius was one of the most influential figures to advance the course of music therapy during the first two decades of the 20th century.
  • She promoted music therapy through numerous publications and The National Therapeutic Society of New York.
  • Vescelius also had a short lived journal entitled Music and Health, 1913
• The first course work in music therapy to be offered through a university was organized and taught by Margaret Anderton.
  • She taught classes at Columbia University in NY.
  • Like Vescelius, she felt that musicians should be thoroughly trained as therapists before working with patients.
• Isa Maud Ilsen was also an important pioneer in the movement to promote music therapy.

The Development of the Music Therapy Profession

• In the 1940’s, the use of music in the treatment of psychiatric disorders became more widespread.
• By the conclusion of WWII, many US medical facilities recognized the value of music as therapy.
• During the 1940’s Michigan State University, University of Kansas, Chicago Musical College, College of the Pacific, and Alverno College started programs to train music therapists.
• In 1950, the National Association for Music Therapy was founded.
• In 1971, the American Association for Music Therapy was founded.
• In 1985, a board certification exam was created to strengthen credibility of the field. The certification board for music therapy is the reason behind our credentials MT-BC. http://cbmt.org/
• In 1998, the American Music Therapy Association was founded. http://www.musictherapy.org/
• Present day – approximately 5,000 music therapists are currently practicing in the United States.

We’ve come a long way as a profession in just 70 years – can you imagine the impact we will have 70 years from now?! Where do you see the field of music therapy going?

Resources

Davis, W.B., Gfeller, K.E., & Thaut, M.H. (2008). An introduction to music therapy: Theory and practice (3rd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Music Therapy Association, Inc.