In ancient Greek mythology, the nine muses and daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, presided over music, song and dance. Indeed, the word music is thought to have derived from the Greek word ‘mousike’ meaning ‘Art of the Muses’.
Transcending cultures and playing an important part of people’s everyday lives, music has an important role in ceremonies, religious events and is a great social activity!
The medium of music is sound, made up of common elements; Pitch, Rhythm, Timbre and Texture:
- Pitch – Presides over melody and harmony and is a part of sound we can hear, whilst melody is a sequence of pitches, rising and falling and sounding in succession.
- Rhythm – Is music’s pattern in time.
- Timbre – Is what makes a musical sound different from another, even when they have the same pitch or volume.
- Texture – Is the overall sound of a song or musical piece, formed by the melodic, rhythmic and harmonic combinations in composition.
Recently, the therapeutic qualities of music have been studied to understand its physiological and psychological benefits in the treatment of a wide range of medical conditions, in hospital and community settings, including; Depression, Anxiety, Autism, Dementia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Cancer, Antenatal and Perinatal and Pre-operative and Post-operative care.
A recent study ‘Soothing the Heart with Music’ (Fallek, Corey, Qamar, Vernisie, Hoberman, Salwyn, Fausto, Marcus, Kvettan, Lounsbury, 2020), investigated the “feasibility and effectiveness of introducing music therapy for patients on 4 inpatient units in a large urban medical centre. Capacitated and incapacitated patients on palliative care, transplantation, medical intensive care, and general medicine units received a single bedside session led by a music therapist.” Over a 6-month period the study team delivered Music Therapy to 150 patients. Modelling showed that patients reported reduced anxiety post session. The team reported that “Music therapy was found to be an accessible and adaptable intervention, with patients expressing high interest, receptivity, and satisfaction.” Also, that it was “feasible and effective to introduce bedside music therapy for seriously ill patients in a large urban medical centre.”
To find out how MediMusic has combined the common elements of music with technology, to meet the needs of hospitals and support care in the community Contact Us.
Our Music Therapy services can be tailored to small or large organisations on single sites or across multiple locations, 24/7 and 365 days a year.
