Introduction
The invention of music was a significant point in history from just listening, to getting people more engaged in productive activities and medicinal. Even though music can not be given a set time on when it was officially invented, scientists have already proved that music activates a number of regions in the brain that help the brain create new neuro-pathways around damaged areas and heal them (Fusar-Poli et al., 13).
Most do not know what it is true powers are and the effects that it has on healing us emotionally, mentally, and physically. As the first clinical trial to test out how music can create the human body to heal itself and act in accordance with the type of sound played. This was a groundbreaking tool to be used for years to come. It not only provided practical benefits but also helped with furthering outreach with therapeutic services nationwide.
Discussion
Music surrounds people all the time, there are many different genres, and people began to use music both to create ambiance, to spark their imagination, and just to concentrate on studying. Over time scientists, doctors, and researchers became interested in the phenomenon of music, they were able to practically prove that comfortable music has a positive effect on the body, affecting more than a million neurons at the same time (Bader 5). In addition, Bader’s research has shown that along with brain activity, a person experiences moral uplift and emotional stabilization (7).
Based on this, Turkish scientists and students from Anadolu University conducted a large-scale study that tested the benefits of listening to music for people suffering from long-term depression (Tang et al. 11). Of the 55 randomized controlled trials conducted, more than 95% of control participants were found to improve morale with therapeutic music listening (Tang et al. 34). After this study, scientists around the world began to test the effectiveness of music therapy (Celia 4).
On October 10, 2020, the World Mental Health Organization (WMHO) at its annual meeting presented an initiative to bring music therapy into the ranks of medical practices to combat mental illnesses (Clements-Cortés and Hope 1). This moment was the beginning of a practical study of the benefits of music therapy for the mental and physical condition of a person.
Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis, a major research work on the benefits and overall effects of music therapy, combines many sources and observations over the past twenty years (de Witte et al. 135). That is why this research paper will build on the background of de Witte’s work. Using the methodology as an example, the benefits of music therapy are immediately visible, the stress reduction of which reaches 93% in the short term and up to 85% in the long-term view (de Witte et al. 144).
Among other things, this research also raises debatable questions, to which scientists do not yet have unequivocal answers: what factors influence the effect of music, what kind of music is suitable for therapy, whether the effect of therapy will be maintained after it is completed (de Witte et al. 146). With all that said, for the upcoming research paper, there are still enough unexplored theories and gaps that need to be researched.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the upcoming research paper will consist of several stages, the first of which will be an in-depth literature review, in which I will analyze and synthesize the most appropriate reliable sources for research. Following this, I will describe the methodology of my research, conduct the research work itself, and write down my major findings. After that, I will mention the omissions and gaps left behind by me for future research work.
Annotated Bibliography
de Witte, Martina, et al. “Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta -analysis.” Health Psychology Review, vol. 16, no. 1, 2022, pp. 134-159. Web.
This is a reliable informational resource that reviews most of the research on the topic of music therapy over the past twenty years. As both a literature review and a research paper, de Witte brings together the most detailed research on the benefits of music therapy and compares them to each other (136). After that, the work considers the background of the topic and leads to a discussion about issues that have not yet been explored by scientists. Despite it, the study has its own limitations in terms of technical unpreparedness for full-fledged music therapy and time limitations, which also do not allow us to see the whole picture (de Witte et al.141). However, the study has already concluded that music therapy helps to cope with emotional load and stress at a medium-high level and that this field of science needs to be further explored (de Witte et al. 146). I agree with the authors of this article in view of the importance of music therapy research.
Tang, Qishou, et al. “Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” PloS one, vol. 15, no. 11, 2020, p. e0240862.
This 2020 research paper looks at music therapy for a specific psychological illness: depression. Using the possibilities of current technologies, specific genres of music and 55 control groups for detailed consideration, scientists at the Turkish University were able to deduce the specific effectiveness of music therapy, which would later be proven also by de Witte in his study (4). Music therapy directly helps fight depression in the short term, because 95% of subjects in each control group experienced short-term improvements due to therapy (Tang et al. 5). Research on the effects of music therapy in the long term is still ongoing, but I believe this study is also a useful part of the researchable project in terms of the example of the benefits of music for people.
Works cited
Bader, Rolf, and Rolf Bader. “Neurophysiology of Music.” How Music Works: A Physical Culture Theory, 2021, pp. 173-180.
Clements-Cortés, Amy, and Hope Pascoe. “Music and music therapy to support mental health and wellness.” The Canadian Music Educator, vol. 62, no. 1, 2020, pp. 59-62.
Fusar-Poli, Laura, and Cecilia Guiot. “Cardiovascular and emotional effects of music.” Brain and Heart Dynamics, 2020, pp. 891-911.