Hi there! My name is Hanna and I am one of the board certified music therapists here at Brinkley Brown Mental Wellness.
What comes to your mind when you hear ‘music therapy’? I’ve heard some interesting responses such as “So, do you teach music to kids?”, “Do you just play music and help people relax?”, “Oh that must be such a fun job! You just sit around and sing happy songs to make people feel better, right?”. Often times these questions are asked with no intended harm so I’ve found it’s a great opportunity to advocate for my profession and share a little more about what we do and how we got here!
My personal experience included a 4 year college education in Music Therapy and Psychology; training to play trumpet, guitar, piano and hundreds of percussion instruments; singing; all while learning and using clinical skills to be ready to work as a Board Certified Music Therapist. We are “real” therapists who get to incorporate music in our work. It’s amazing.
There is so much joy that comes from being a music therapist, and equally pain or discomfort knowing that music therapy has changed lives or saved lives, but there’s still something missing when it comes to accessing services. So, let’s take that bull by the horns and serve up some facts today!
In fancy terms, “Music Therapy is the clinical & 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. Music therapy interventions can address a variety of healthcare & educational goals: Promote Wellness, Manage Stress, Alleviate Pain, Express Feelings, Enhance Memory, Improve Communication, Promote Physical Rehabilitation, and more.” (American Music Therapy Association, 2005).
In ‘normal’ terms, this means music therapists are educated, clinical trained and certified professionals who use and adapt music and its many facets to work toward any therapeutic goal someone may have. Similar to how physicians have specialties, or other clinical professionals can receive more intensive trainings or certifications to expand their knowledge and competence, music therapists have access to specialized courses and certifications such as: Neurologic Music Therapy, Trauma Informed Music Therapy, Analytical Music Therapy, Guided-Imagery and Music fellow, Hospice and Palliative Care Music Therapy, NICU Music Therapy, Vocal Psychotherapy, Music-Assisted Childbirth… the list goes on! Did you know that you can get a doctorate degree in music therapy?
One of my favorite interventions to use in music therapy sessions is lyric analysis. It’s just like it sounds- we analyze the lyrics of the song and pull apart the metaphors, find common themes, relate it to our lives are lived experiences, dive into how the music itself supports or challenges the lyrics, and build insight toward how we navigate our world and understanding of ourselves. I always say that “Oftentimes we just need that one person to say that one thing in this one specific way on the right time and day for it to click”, and I am a firm believer that music helps us access these understandings. Fortunately, it’s not just something I say, but the science of music and the brain and music therapy research supports these claims! I think it’s the coolest thing ever. It is an utter privilege to say I am a board-certified music therapist and I have had the opportunity to watch music therapy make a difference in someone’s day, understanding of disease or difficulty, and find their empowerment to make a next or new step. I am so excited to be a part of the Brinkley Brown Mental Wellness team, and will always take the opportunity to explain more about this multifaceted field that I love and get to do as a job!