The Improve Your Mood Playlist

by Amy Thomas | Sep 1, 2022

Blog Written By Rebecca Szalay

Do you ever notice when you are feeling down that you gravitate towards music that reflects that mood? How about when you’re excited? Do you change the music if a slow or sad song comes on because you feel happy? Music has the ability to express every emotion and we can prolong those moods by continuously listening to those same emotional pieces. Our emotions and events in our lives and how we handle them shape who we are and the decisions we make in the future. Sometimes, when feeling down, we are not ready to talk to someone. We need time by ourselves, but we don’t always know how to get out of that bad place.

How do we use music to get us out of that “funk” or negative emotion when we are not in the mood for the happy stuff?

The Iso-Principle

It’s called the iso-principal. “[Iso-principle is] a technique by which music is matched with the mood of a client, then gradually altered to affect the desired mood state. This technique can also be used to effect physiological responses such as heart rate and blood pressure” (Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008).

Make Your Playlist

Making a playlist for your mood is a very effective way to use the iso-principle at home. Give it a try by following these steps:

1) First, understand that you are allowed to feel bad. If you are sad, mad, puzzled or just feeling “emotional,” it’s okay. We all have those times and need to work through them. Let’s make a playlist.

2) Start with songs that match your mood. Those ones you gravitate towards that speak to your soul and your current emotional state. Pick a couple of these songs, this is a gradual process.

3) Then, choose a few songs that are less sad/mad but not quite as energetic as something like “Happy” by Pharrell Williams.

4) Start focusing on your breathing. Use the slow pace of the song to breathe in and out and focus on calming. This will help you lower your heart rate and blood pressure, allowing you to calm and start heading towards a physical baseline. The purpose of this playlist is to gradually bring yourself from the negative to the positive. It is a set of songs that, when they are done, help you know that you will be okay, you can do this, and that negative feeling will not last forever. The playlist does not need to end in dancing around the kitchen to your favorite upbeat songs (although if it does, you will have fun doing so).

The intent behind your playlist is to help you to move on and be okay doing so. This process can take a while depending on how you feel. If you create this playlist ahead of time and save it, it is ready when you need it.

If you have any questions about making a mood playlist or want to share your “good mood” songs with us, we would love to hear from you!

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Music Therapy for Children with Chronic Pain

by Amy Thomas | Nov 2, 2021

Blog written by Katie Pistilli, MT-BC

Chronic pain impacts an individual’s entire life. Not only are there physical symptoms to cope with, but there is the emotional struggle of accepting that the pain is indefinite. While chronic pain is a tragedy for anyone going through it, children experience a special set of challenges. Kids with pain syndromes might have fewer social opportunities to make friends and develop hobbies, adding another layer of complexity and mental health concerns. Kids cope with the same emotional turmoil as adults, if not more, but have a more difficult time expressing it.

Research shows that it is essential to approach chronic pain in children from multiple angles. Not only should the child work with medical doctors to manage their pain and symptoms, but they should also receive mental health support to ensure depression and anxiety are addressed. There is extensive research on how music therapy can assist children in coping with both the physical and emotional symptoms of chronic pain.

Music Therapy Interventions

Music therapy interventions are activities that are meant to address specific goals in a child. For chronic pain, a music therapy intervention may aim to help them relax and distract their mind from the pain. These activities may also prompt conversations to help children accept their pain and diminish feelings of sadness or anger. No matter what the goal may be, a music therapist will always use evidence-based practice or techniques supported by research in their activities.

Music-Assisted Relaxation

If a therapist uses Music-Assisted Relaxation, they hope to help the child relax their body and calm the sensory system. When a child is constantly in pain, their nervous system is on high-alert. This may contribute to anxiety and greater sensitivity to pain. It is important to help children acquire relaxation-based skills so they can independently learn to relax and diminish some of their pain.

Music-Assisted Relaxation can look like:

Playing live music on guitar or piano and reading a script.
Mindfulness-based scripts are often used. The child may be encouraged to write a script that encompasses what brings them peace, positive memories, or favorite things (smells, foods, places)
The therapist may facilitate breathing exercises to music.

Active Music Engagement

Like music-assisted relaxation, Active Music Engagement is also a great way to separate the child’s focus away from their pain and calm their body. These types of interventions are slightly more active on the child’s part and address the thoughts and feelings that they may be experiencing. The goal with Active Music Engagement is to help the child process through thoughts, experiences, and anxieties about the future.

Here is an example of an Active Music Engagement intervention:

Writing a chant about pain experiences and positive outlook on the future.
Participating in that chant with the therapist.
Play along with instruments such as the drums or a xylophone.

Live Patient-Selected Music

Using Live Patient-Selected Music is one way that therapists will help children sort through complex thoughts and emotions related to chronic pain. By using music that the child chooses, the therapist can get a sense of what they may be feeling but can’t express through words.

Using music of the child’s choice, the therapist may:

Encourage the child to highlight words or lines that stand out to them.
Prompt the child to keep the beat of the song with them using instruments.
Pose questions that facilitate discussion about pain and emotions.

Music therapy interventions address chronic pain symptoms in children from both a physical and mental health lens. The interventions above are proven to help calm the child’s body while also addressing the difficult emotions they experience. Research shows that children with chronic pain benefit from a multi-disciplinary approach to their treatment, and music therapy does just that!

Is there a young person in your life who experiences chronic pain? If you think music therapy may benefit them, please don’t hesitate to reach out! Our team of qualified therapists are ready to help.

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Developing Emotional Maturity in Children Using Social-Emotional Learning

by Amy Thomas | May 11, 2021

Blog post written by Katie Pistilli

If you’re a parent or professional in the education world, you’ve probably noticed a new buzzword: Social-Emotional Learning. What is Social-Emotional Learning, and what does it have to do with public schools?

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) was a term coined by an organization called CASEL, The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.

According to CASEL, Social-Emotional Learning is “the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.”

SEL guidelines are proven to:

Increase student’s pro-social skills
Cultivate skills needed to maintain positive relationships
Increase academic performance
Decrease anxiety and depression.

The impact of SEL curriculum spans well into a child’s adulthood, with evidence showing that children exposed to SEL are less likely to experience poverty or incarceration.

SEL is based on the acquisition of 5 core competencies: self-awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness.

A social-emotional learning curriculum not only has an impact on individual students, but their community as a whole.

Music Therapy and Social Emotional Learning

In many ways, music therapists have addressed these benchmarks for decades in our schools. We know the innate social-emotional benefits of making music with others, learning an instrument, and interpreting music. Here are a few specific ways that music therapy addresses the 5 core SEL competencies:

1) Self-Awareness

Self-Awareness ranges from identifying emotions to more complex skills such as linking thoughts to feelings. In music therapy these skills can be addressed with:

Putting thoughts and feelings to music while songwriting.
Asking the question: Is this song happy or sad?

2) Self-Management

Self-Management encompasses skills related to managing emotions and coping with stress. In music therapy, we can address these skills with:

Participating in a drum circle, expressing complex emotions while playing and regulating the body with rhythm.
Calming the body by breathing in time, using music to slow heart rate, and using mindfulness-based interventions.

3) Responsible Decision-Making

Responsible Decision-Making involves the ability to think critically of one’s actions and how our behavior impacts those around us. In music therapy this might look like:

Learning how to play instruments and take care of them.
Listening to peers in a group, being respectful and responding with kindness to their ideas.

4) Relationship Skills

Relationship skills involve social behaviors such as developing friendships and communicating with others. Since music is an innately social experience, it is common to address these skills in music therapy.

Learning social songs to help children remember and learn the nuances of social behavior such as having conversations or what to do when someone gives a complement.
Cultivating a hobby or shared interest with a classmate through music.

5) Social Awareness

Social Awareness skills involve understanding the perspectives of others and cultivating empathy. In music therapy this may look like:

Discussing the meaning behind lyrics and considering what an artist was trying to express.
Sharing instruments and taking turns during group music making experiences.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught us that now more than ever it is essential to take social-emotional learning seriously. The children in our community have so much to gain from adults in their lives valuing these skills.

If you think music therapy could be a helpful resource for a child you know to work on Social-Emotional Learning skills, please contact us. We would love to hear from you!

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Science and Music: A Partnership that Changes Lives

by Amy Thomas | Jan 25, 2021

Written by Katie Pistilli

Would you ever go to a doctor or physician of any kind, whose practice doesn’t value and implement current research and scientific evidence? My guess is, you probably wouldn’t. Our health and wellbeing is important and we want to be confident that our doctors, therapists, psychologists, etc are well-informed and guiding us with the most up-to-date medical advice.

This is called evidence based-practice. It’s a universal value among professionals. By using evidence-based practice, the clinician is ensuring they are implementing interventions that are proven by research to be effective towards targeted goals of the patient. Without it, professionals would be simply following their intuition based on their own experience. While there is value in personal experience, it is essential to implement practice that is backed by research.

How does this apply to Music Therapy?

Evidence-Based Practice is one of many factors that make music therapists professional clinicians and is an essential pillar of the music therapy profession. In fact, it’s front-and-center in its definition:

“Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” – The American Music Therapy Association

Like other professions, the work done by music therapists is based on scientific research and proven results. As music therapists, we stay up to date with trusted publications for new information and research. One is called The Journal of Music Therapy, another is Music Therapist Perspectives.

How do we use evidence-based practice?

As it applies to music therapy, we use evidence-based practice to create a treatment plan for our clients. This comes after an initial assessment is completed and recommendations are made for treatment.

As part of the plan, specific goals will be identified. Once they are, the therapist should then seek out research and interventions that are proven to be effective in accomplishing that specific goal.

The therapist may consider these questions:

What are my client’s goals?
What are their areas of need that may hinder them from achieving those goals (diagnosis, abilities)?
What are my resources (instruments, space)?
How can I adapt this research for my client’s interests and age?

Here’s an example. Say a music therapist is working with a child to maintain grasp in their hands. In music therapy, we utilize instrument playing to the beat of the music in order to address these kinds of goals. The anticipatory nature of rhythm and song can truly assist an individual learning functional movement such as grasp, or even walking. The technical term for this evidence-based technique is rhythmic entrainment.

A similar concept applies for individuals working on fluency in their speech. Perhaps they have a hard time speaking a full sentence and have to pause or repeat words often. Through evidence-based music therapy techniques such as Rhythmic Speech Cuing or Therapeutic Singing, the therapist uses natural musical element such as melody and rhythm to address their client’s goal area.

Why is it Important?

Utilizing Evidence-Based Practice is an ethical matter. If a therapist begins to implement treatment without it, there is always the potential for harm. As a field that continues to strive for licensure and recognition at the state level, it is essential that music therapists maintain this professional competency. Not only does evidence-based practice ensure the most ethical and effective treatment for our clients, but it supports the validity of our profession as it becomes more respected and recognized.

For more information regarding the use of research in the music therapy profession CLICK HERE.

The post What is Evidence-Based Practice was first published on Upstate Music Therapy Center.

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8 Strategies For Quality Sleep

by Amy Thomas | Aug 14, 2020

Getting less than the required amount of sleep can affect your health, your mood, and your brain’s ability to function. This is true for children and adults. The longer you go without the sleep you need, the more the harmful effects compound. The recommended hours of sleep fall between 7-8 hours. So, it pays to make sleep a priority every night of the week, even if you need to cut back on some of your current evening activities.

If this is hard for you or your family, you are not alone. We know that more than one-third of adults are sleep deprived. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2016/p0215-enough-sleep.html

10% of children in the United States have a sleep issue. The percentage rises to 50% to 75% in children with mental health and neurologic/developmental disorders. In addition, children need even more sleep than adults. Children ages 5 to 10 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep; those ages 10 to 17 require 8.5 to 9.25 hours. Children are getting enough rest if they can fall asleep within 15 to 30 minutes after going to bed, wake up easily at the correct time, and are awake and alert all day without napping.

What happens when you sleep?

Blood pressure drops

Breathing becomes slower

Muscles are relaxed

Blood supply to muscles increases

Tissue growth and repair occurs

Energy is restored

Immune system is strengthened

Hormones are released, such as: Growth hormone, essential for growth and development, including muscle development

For these reasons and more we want to be sure to make sleep a priority. Sleep’s most obvious benefit is energy. With a good night’s sleep, your mind is alert, and your body is responsive and resilient. You can learn more quickly and better remember what you learned. Your judgment is more likely to be on target, and your reaction time optimized. On the other hand, lack of sleep can negatively affect your mood and your ability to think and function. Your productivity and your creativity are likely to be compromised as a result.

Over time, lack of sleep can have consequences on your physical health. Heart disease, high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, depression, and anxiety are among the many conditions that have been linked to insufficient sleep.

8 Strategies for Sound & Sustained Sleep

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Dim the lights after dusk.
Get blackout curtains if very sensitive to the light.
Put electronic devices away 60 minutes prior to laying down.
Get thirty minutes of exercise each day.
Watch what you eat in the evening including, avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol & hard to digest food.
Set the temperature in the room around 65 degrees.
Practice relaxation such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and music listening.

We suggest the following music for relaxation and sleep. Each one is unique in its composition. Try all of them to determine if one is more helpful than another.

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Health Benefits of Drumming

by Amy Thomas | Jul 24, 2020

For years we have seen the research that music, singing, playing an instrument, and even listening to specific music can increase the capabilities of the brain. These activities result in the brain being stimulated on both sides an occurrence called hemispheric synchronization. It is astounding to see brain imaging of a person in the presence of music compared with when they are not. Look at the image below. The brain’s reaction to music shows the dramatic increase in areas that are stimulated, accessed, and can be altered by the musical sound & rhythm.

From the release of dopamine, a feel-good chemical, our attention is focused away from a negative stimulus to something pleasant and engaging. Music has a huge impact on the brain and our emotions. Music can alter our breathing and heart rate as well as improve our state of mind. This helps keep things like depression and anxiety at bay. Music can reduce the perception of pain and even alter patterns of pain, depression, and disability. Music occupies the mind with something familiar and soothing. This creates an environment of comfort and a sense of safety.

As we explore the specific health benefits of drumming, you might be surprised at the vast areas within the brain that drumming can impact. It has been determined that drumming synchronizes the right and left hemispheres. We have learned that when the logical left hemisphere and the intuitive right hemisphere of your brain begin to pulsate together, your inner guidance system, or intuition, becomes stronger.

Drumming also appears to synchronize the lower areas of the brain (non-verbal) with the frontal cortex (language and reasoning). This integration produces feelings of insight and certainty. For these reasons, therapeutic drumming may be a powerful tool in helping retrain the brains of people who have some level of damage or impairment. Those diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), have suffered a stroke, or have a neurological disease such as Parkinson’s are appropriate candidates for therapeutic drumming.

Finally, music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves. Slow beats create the slow brain waves that are associated with hypnotic or meditative states. Faster beats may increase more alert and concentrated thinking. When Beta waves used for concentration change to Alpha waves your body and mind will begin to calm and feel more relaxed. This may be helpful to individuals suffering from depression and anxiety.

Professional drummer Alex Rüdinger has faced and battled depression. Drumming has been an integral part of his recovery. His story is quite powerful and worth the read. https://audient.com/2019/04/02/rudi_drums/

What about those who are not professional drummers? Can drumming be helpful to untrained musicians? There have been some comprehensive studies done with individuals suffering from anxiety and depression who have no musical training that has shown very nice results.

The study, Effects of Group Drumming Interventions on Anxiety, Depression, Social Resilience and Inflammatory Immune Response (2016), explored whether a music-making intervention, specifically group drumming, could improve mental health over several weeks. Additionally, in order to ascertain the physiological effects of drumming, the study explored whether psychological responses were found in parallel with a reduction in pro-inflammatory response.

Their hypothesis was that across ten-weeks of group drumming there would be a decrease in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and improvements in social resilience and mental wellbeing. It was determined that ten weeks or more of group drumming for 90 minutes each session did decrease anxiety and depression as opposed to the control group who did not receive group drumming. In addition, they were thrilled to document that these participants also maintained decreased levels of anxiety and depression at the 3-month follow-up.

Considering the many health benefits of drumming it is an excellent option for those experiencing mental health challenges. Are you interested in getting involved in a group this Fall? Send us a message by using our Contact Us link. We would love to speak with you more.

Works Cited

Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L. A., Steptoe, A., & Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PloS one, 11(3), e0151136.