While many of us think of musical therapy as a recent development, the truth is that society has been music to help heal others for thousands of years. It is reported that as early as 400 B.C., Hippocrates played music for mental patients. In the thirteenth century, Arab hospitals contained music rooms for the benefit of the patients. In the United States, Native American medicine men often employed chants and dances as a method of healing patients. Musical therapy as we know it in the modern world began when musicians began to visit injured soldiers in hospitals to help them in the healing process both physically and emotionally.
Music therapy today is an established health care profession and the practitioners (ie. musicians) must be certified in order to best serve their patients. This article from Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee provides some insight into the profession and the different types of musical therapy that are utilized.
I also came across a very interesting piece about a 67 year old Ormond Beach, Florida man who walked away from music for 40 years then came back to it in his sixties and became a certified Music Therapist. After seeing how his Dad responded to music being played for him while I hospice, he felt drawn back to the piano and now helps patients of all ages in various stages of their recovery. For more on this please read: Hospital Music Man Back on the Piano after 40 years
Right now we're only scratching the surface on what music therapy is all about. As we at LoveSongs.com dive deeper into our mission we'll be bringing more news about how musical therapy is changing people's lives, both the patients and the musicians, one story at a time. Look for us to devote at least one post per week to this important topic and for us to be sharing new research and experiences from all over the world.
Nico & Vinz - "Am I Wrong" proves it ain't wrong to go your own way
Once or twice a week we like to feature a new song that really gets our attention. Nico & Vinz is a Norwegian musical duo out of Oslo and have taken American pop radio by storm with their song "Am I Wrong". After having some success in Norway, Sweden and Denmark they signed with Warner Brothers music and crossed over the Atlantic. The duo originally went by the name Envy, however this was changed over to "Nico & Vinz" when being launched in America due to trademark concerns (apparently there are some musical Envy's stateside :). "Am I Wrong" first hit US radio in April 2014 and quickly rocketed up to #4 on the Billboard chart and cracked the ITunes Top 10 as well. This uptempo pop gem with some very creative melodies is matched by equally refreshing lyrics:
I ain't trying to do what everybody else doing, just cause every doing what they all doin' ..
Basically says what we all should be doing - don't follow the crowd instead make your own way - then they hit you with this chorus to drive home their message:
"So am I wrong?
For thinking that we could be something for real?
Now am I wrong?
For trying to reach the things that I can't see?
But that's just how I feel,
That's just how I feel
That's just how I feel
Trying to reach the things that I can't see"
That's all for today, the end of our July 4th holiday weekend. We'll be back tomorrow with another post about how music is changing our world.
Music, Love & Laughter
~Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com
p.s. KEEP MUSIC ALIVE Day #6 – Visit our first post from Tuesday July 1st for more information about our mission
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