Music Therapy Articles

Ego is a latent force in an individual organism, which determines the `fight or flight’ mechanism when one encounters threats from outside. Music plays an effective role in ‘sizing up’ one’s ego to a containable level. Read on to know how….  Ego, like consciousness or soul, is considered the very essence of one’s being. Without […]

How does music heal? Though it is still a mystery, there is belief that music stimulates the pituitary glands whose secretions affect the nervous system and blood flow.  Music therapy can be applied at all ages — from an unborn child to the terminally ill. The first sense that develops in the foetus is the

Toccata is a popular piece of music in the Western  world, which is as curious as the very word sounds! It is a virtuoso piece of music which is better executed with the key-board or a plucked string instrument. Imagine ‘click’, `click’. ‘click’ on these instruments with quick touches (on the keys), resulting in rapidity

It is a well-known fact that Indian classical music attaches great importance to serenity and a thoughtful state of mind as its primary goal. As such, it helps in balancing the left and right hemispheres of the brain, which are assigned the functions of analysis and intuition respectively by the neurologists. In Indian systems of

The ancient raga system of India is known for its emotional content and impact. Ragas were selectively used along with appropriate rhythms and beats to address turbulent minds and to balance emotional upheavals during unbearable losses, trauma and other emotional lows experienced by our forefathers. ‘Raga Chikitsa’ was one of the ancient texts which dealt

In Indian traditions, different ragas have been associated with different categories of emotional states. These were based on the accumulated experience of human society. Raga has also been used as a melodic stimulus, capable of inducing well-defined emotional states, not only in the singer or performer, but also in listeners.  `All music which depicts nothing

The ancient raga system of India is well-known for — centuries for its emotional content and impact. The ragas have been selectively used along with appropriate rhythms and beats to address the turbulent minds and to balance the emotional upheavals during unbearable losses, trauma and a lot more. ‘Raga Chikitsa’ is one of the ancient

The term ‘Proto raga ‘ was created by the volunteers of Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai (www.nada.in) in the year 2005, when they were engaged in working on ‘appropriate ragas’ which could influence listening by the special children in a workshop organized at Visakhapatnam. The workshop was originally intended to observe the psychological and

In recent times, music therapy has gained world-wide recognition as a non-invasive complementary approach to medicine. With an ever-expanding body of research literature as its base, music can be prudently used for its therapeutic role towards making healthy individuals, and thereby a hale and hearty society.  What makes a Music Sedative?  Sedative music, we all

The beauty of the Reggae music lies in its care free, laid back and liberal way of singing and toning, reflecting gay abandon, which intrinsically went with the philosophy of the Hippies of the Sixties.  Reggae is a music genre, associated with Jamaica of the late Sixties.  The origin of this name is controversial. While

Martin Luther King, the famous American Black leader once said: music is a discipline and a mistress of good manners. She makes people milder and gentler, more moral and more reasonable.  His words can be a gospel for many music therapists around the world, for the role of music in disciplining the public is widely

The brain is a human organ, which is least understood in science, despite the significant strides made by biological research in the 21st century. Medical researchers are still straining to unfold the mystery of this organ which is the controller of our thinking, speech and action.  The knowledge of this organ will definitely improve the

Music therapy is a long-recognised art and science in India, although this expression has found a place in society only recently. It was Nada Centre for Music Therapy, a modest organisation which started the propagation of the concepts and practices relating to music therapy amongst Indians who had lost the ‘music’ in their life, despite

It is often a matter of debate among music therapists around the world as to what really makes a raga system for its emotional and as a consequence, its therapeutic value, which makes it stand taller before its other counterparts elsewhere. This short write-up here makes an attempt to answer these queries.  Indian music is

Emotions play an important role in our music application.  It is the emotion in music which makes it attractive and habit forming for the listeners.  The emotions in music are also known to heal its listeners from their various mental problems and deficiencies for centuries.  Right from the day of Plato, music is known for

In this article, the focus is on a very essential feature conceived in Indian classical music traditions, namely, gamaka, which is capable of oscillating and/or massaging the mind which gets hardened or sick due to environmental pressures and life- situations.  We all know that an Indian raga is often viewed by music therapists as a

The term `psychoacoustics’ essentially refers to the modern study on the way sound emanations are perceived by human beings. The study includes how we listen, our psychological responses, and the physiological impact of music and sound on our nervous system. In the realm of psychoacoustics, the terms music, sound, frequency, vibrations etc. become interchangeable, as

‘In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God’ — The Bible  Ancient and primitive human societies across the world had interpreted life and lived with more compassion and reverence than what we find in today’s world. Even the concepts and practices relating to healing were thus

An Indian raga is often viewed by music therapists as a highly complex sequence of notes (swaras) which are cyclic, emotional, inward-looking and meditative. It is also used in practical sessions aimed at emotional healing for those who are traumatised or mentally unstable. A very essential feature conceived in Indian classical music traditions is Gamaka,

Proto-ragas have a positive impact on mentally challenged children. These ragas have an impact on the moods and behaviour of these children.  The term ‘Proto-raga’ was changed by the volunteers of Nada Centre for Music Therapy, Chennai (www.nada.in) in the year 2005, when they were engaged in working on ‘appropriate ragas’ which could influence listening