Charles, I have to add to this thread without reading the many messages in it - I'm a bit behind in my reading having recently had a stroke myself. So pardon me if I say things already said by others.
Music Therapy is bullshit, but music is therapeutic. As a harpist I've been in some discussions of this. Several members of my harp ensemble are official trained Music Therapists, and I have a CD I was given by a harpist/composer for covering her booth at a harp festival. The CD has specific tunes for the various stages of disease and dying. Bull, each of us is different. The selections for the "terminal", as defined by the academic discipline of Music Therapy (I'm waiting for an academic discipline of the best way to scratch a cat's ears) is soothing and saccharine. Personally I'd prefer a rousing march from a brass quartet. I have no plan to "go gentle into that good night", I'm going kicking and screaming. I had a message a while back on the harp list from a young lady who was going into an academic experiment as to the best harp music for patients in the ICU. Having been in ICUs about six times in the last seven years I pointed out that the best thing for a harpist to do would be to stay out of the way of the ICU nurse, and to not trip over the IVs, and to not worry about the music. Dogs and cats are known to be very therapeutic for patients, but the ICU ain't the place for them. The harpists claim scientific evidence that the special features of the harp are especially therapeutic. I can't argue with that, the harp is unique in a way. Someone mentioned a violinist friend who is doing Music Therapy for wounded soldiers. Dare I say that the violinist isn't doing Music Therapy (he mentions that they like their requests). He is making music for the troops (as contrasted to performing a fixed plan). That is a good thing, but it isn't Music Therapy. Music Therapy is a trained occupation with rules as to the play depending on the condition of the patient (at least as far as I can gather from the Music Therapists I know). I was asked by the young lady on the ICU study what I'd do. I'd "noodle" the harp a bit. Make some note sequences in differing modes and speed, no particular tune. Watch the patient's reaction (which might be quite subtle in the case of the semicomatose), then follow up on the sounds that seem to work. That latter is probably why the harp is said to be suited to therapy, it has a nice resonance when picked as single notes, and it can fully chord them. The lute could be a therapeutic instrument, but that would need patients who like renaissance or baroque music (or other fixed pieces). The lute, and any other instrument (I'd love to hear Bach trumpets in my hospital room, but my roommate and the people in the next corridor might not), are of help to some in hospital. When one is in extremis it is not always clear what will help. And there is certainly no "one size fits all" for each condition, as is implied by Music Therapy. Play it, if they like it play it again. If not, try something else. I don't claim to speak for all patients, but at my age I've had more experience in hospitals lately than I'd prefer. Music, dogs and cats, and anything comforting is a help. But there is no specific that applies to all. when my mother was going out, fifteen years ago at 88 (and semicomatose) I played her recordings of her favorite Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. Each patient is different. Best, Jon ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Browne" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Lutelist" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 3:29 PM Subject: [LUTE] Music Therapy > A Happy New Year to all! > There was an article in one of the UK national newspapers recently about > Harpists being 'employed' in operating theatres and in Chemotherapy Units to > help reduce tension and anxiety in patients. I followed this up by looking at > various links to formal Music Therapy and I gather that the Harp, among other > instruments, is often used because of its particular properties. I wondered > whether the lute would be similarly useful. Has anybody on the list experience > of this? > best wishes > Charles > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
