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Jeff Miers: The healing power of music

October 08, 2017 - 08:05 AM Sometimes it seems to me that the music knows more than I do. Lyrics from a favorite Flaming Lips tune of mine had been popping into my head at random all through June and July, and I was simultaneously trying to ignore them and discern whatever it was they were trying to tell me. The Lips' song "In the Morning of the Magicians" pokes its finger into some serious existential issues, as its narrator makes his way through the brief-but-emotionally-resonant space between the first morning bird's call and the rising of the sun. It begins with the singer pondering the qualitative differences between love and hate, his thinking still a bit fuzzy as he emerges from a dream. It ends with a rather......

Using music to break barriers in homelessness, mental health

September 26, 2017 - 07:00 AM In a session here at Psych Congress, Vijay Gupta, MM, director of Street Symphony and violinist, illustrated the power of music in mental health and homelessness. Gupta established Street Symphony, a classical music outreach non-profit organization that performs for homeless and criminalized individuals in Los Angeles. The session began with a performance of a Schumann piece by Gupta and his colleagues. According to Gupta, Schumann struggled with mental illness himself, as did Bach, Beethoven and several other famous classical musicians. “[I began to realize] in this music, I wasn’t just telling the story of some dead white guy,” Gupta said. “But I was......

Music In Health – How It Is Helping

September 22, 2017 - 07:00 AM The power of music in health was explored and at the heart of discussions once again at the recent Music and Memory Symposium at the Sydney Opera House.As part of the key event, the results of a recent Music and Arts trial, brought about by a partnership between Arts Health Institute and the New South Wales Agency for Clinical Innovation (ACI), were announced. The trial implemented the Music and Memory program within 21 clinical settings at 10 NSW Local Health Districts over 12 months. ACI’s Raj Verma spoke about the surprising lessons learnt about improving a patient’s journey while the NSW Minister for Health and Minister for Medical Research; Brad Hazzard acknowledged that......

5 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know Music Could Do For Your Mind And Wellbeing

September 20, 2017 - 07:33 AM Most people spend a large part of their day listening to music. The radio’s an essential part of the school run, a workout would be boring without a great playlist, and you can’t dance a Saturday night away in silence. Scientists have been researching the benefits of listening to music too, with some surprising results – in fact, researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands and Sydney’s University of Technology recently found listening to ‘happy music’ can make us more creative. The study saw 155 participants being asked to assess their current mood, before being split into five groups. One group did not listen to......

Become Better Than You Ever Thought Possible

September 01, 2017 - 08:05 AM Why are some people so good at what they do whereas others struggle with the most basic of tasks? Have you ever wondered if you were capable of achieving more in your work and life? This question is what researcher Anders Ericsson has spent most of his career pondering. And the answers might surprise you. In his recent book, Peak, Ericsson points out the obvious fact that many people in our world appear as if they are endowed with certain genetic gifts and abilities that seem downright superhuman. But where do these gifts actually come from? Can anyone become an expert? Or is that category reserved for only the elite? Take the example of famous composer Mozart, who at the age......

Healing Hands - In music, a therapy for all

August 25, 2017 - 08:05 AM “Music hath charms to soothe the savage breast.” – William Congreve, in “The Mourning Bride,” 1697. Music plays an important role in the daily life of many people. Some rely on music to get them through their morning routine, while others listen to it to stay inspired during a workout. Many folks even have their iTunes on when they’re cooking a meal, taking a shower or folding the laundry. And how many of you, when you hear a tune from your past, think back on those times and reflect on what you were doing back then? Music is quite often linked to mood. A certain song may make us feel happy, sad, energetic or relaxed. In fact since music can have such......

Guitars for Vets Program Teaching Music and Healing

August 17, 2017 - 08:05 AM OMAHA, Neb. — Friday was graduation day for veterans in the 10-week Guitars for Vets program. The program wasn't just about learning to play a new instrument. It was also about healing. Air Force veteran Jon Goff said times were tough for him. "Depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, those types of things," Goff said. The newfound love of music helped to change him. "When your mind's racing and your thoughts are all over the place, to put your mind on something like trying to work on a chord pattern, or trying to get a strum down with a song that you've been trying to get, it really helps out because next thing you know, you're an hour or two hours down the road and your mind's......

Mom Turned Loss of Her Daughter Into Legacy of Music

August 13, 2017 - 05:42 PM After Nikki McCarthy lost her daughter Sam to a rare blood disorder, she channeled her grief into a charity that honors Sam’s memory by providing the healing power of music to young hospital patients. Hoda Kotb learned of Nikki and her work as part of TODAY’s Summer of Yes series, which let Hoda combine two of her loves — music and surprises. In this case, the music comes from a special song Nikki’s daughter sang for her mom. And later, Nikki was then surprised by the musician who recorded the radio hit. At the center of it all is Sam McCarthy, who spent years in and out of hospitals because of fanconi anemia, a rare genetic disorder. “She was......

Music As Medicine

July 23, 2017 - 08:00 AM SCIENCE WATCH Music as medicine Researchers are exploring how music therapy can improve health outcomes among a variety of patient populations, including premature infants and people with depression and Parkinson’s disease. By Amy Novotney The beep of ventilators and infusion pumps, the hiss of oxygen, the whir of carts and the murmur of voices as physicians and nurses make rounds — these are the typical noises a premature infant hears spending the first days of life in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While the sounds of such life-saving equipment are tough to mute, a new study suggests that some sounds, such as lullabies, may soothe pre-term......

How Music Helps Resolve Our Deepest Inner Conflicts

July 16, 2017 - 07:00 AM Billions of people enjoy music; many feel that they can’t live without it. Why? It’s a question that has puzzled scientists and philosophers for centuries. 2,400 years ago Aristotle wondered, “Why does music, being just sounds, remind us of the states of our soul?” In the 19th century Darwin tried to decipher if our ability to create music evolved by natural selection. Of all human faculties, only music seemed beyond understanding; flummoxed, he came to the conclusion that “music is the greatest mystery.” More than 200 years ago, Kant declared music useless. And near the end of the 20th century, celebrated psychologist Steven......

News

Jeff Miers: The healing power of music

Using music to break barriers in homelessness, mental health

Music In Health – How It Is Helping

5 Amazing Things You Didn’t Know Music Could Do For Your Mind And Wellbeing

Become Better Than You Ever Thought Possible

Healing Hands - In music, a therapy for all

Guitars for Vets Program Teaching Music and Healing

Mom Turned Loss of Her Daughter Into Legacy of Music

Music As Medicine

How Music Helps Resolve Our Deepest Inner Conflicts

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