What is Music Therapy?
"Music Therapy" sounds like a new therapeutic method, but it has a long history. In the old days, music was used by witch doctors to help curing diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine has also treated patients with the "five-tone therapy". Right now, music therapy is a profession based on research-based evidence. Music therapists use music to help people with different ages and needs, to improve or maintain their physical and mental health. Some countries have included music therapy into the allied health care system, even covered by the insurance.
Music Therapist
Music Therapist is a person who registered under music therapy association. Except playing musical instruments, Music Therapist learnt various of therapeutic skills from Bachelor or Master in Music Therapy. As temporary, there is no registration system in Hong Kong, all music therapists are registered in overseas. If you are interested to verify the qualification of a music therapist, please refer to the association website. In case of therapist registered in Australia, you may find the therapist information from Australian Music Therapy Association website. You can as well check the member lists in Hong Kong Music Therapy Association for therapists who registered as member.
Therapeutic Goals
In the early stage of the therapy, music therapist will assess and set therapeutic goals for participants in the sessions and gather the background from referral. As everyone is unique, the therapeutic goals will be different from each other. For example, for autistic children, one may focus on his social skills, one may focus on emotion regulation.
Can I join without music knowledge?
Definitely yes. Music therapy is not music education. No musical experience or knowledge is required for participants. During the music therapy sessions, participants are allowed to play the musical instruments freely, in ways that will not hurt themselves, others and the instruments.
Have you ever seen the babies who danced or move along with the music? In Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, there is a “music-child” concept which indicates that all people have “music child” in their body which connects with music easily. However, this characteristic is hidden when we grow up. During music therapy, we can re-connect to the “music child”, enjoy the music and express our inner-self.
