Victoria Gonzalez | Vaquero Radio
World Music Therapy Week is nationally recognized during April 10 to 15 as a way for music therapists and advocates to raise awareness for music therapy.
The week is aimed to boost the usage of music therapy as a way to foster better mental and general health.
UTRGV Associate Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology Andres Amado said music therapy is a credentialed profession.
“With licensed professionals who have studied psychology and music and different forms of intervention, … can create a therapeutic experience that’s very specific to a need,” Amado said.
Amado said he has experience in medical ethnomusicology and has engaged in some of the studies with the literature of music therapy.
According to the Cleveland Clinic website, people of all ages can benefit from music therapy mentally, emotionally, physically, socially and cognitively.
Amado shared how music has impacted him during rough patches in his life.
“Music provides for a really effective way to channel emotions and deal with emotions,” he said. “So, it’s always been a great source of inspiration.”
A common misconception about music therapy is that an individual needs to be musically intelligent. However, Amado said music therapy can be of use to everyone despite their musical background.
“I believe we are all musically intelligent to a degree,” he said. “And depending on your cultural upbringing, then we are taught that some people are more musical than others. We all have different abilities, but I think we are all innately musical in different ways.”
Amado highlighted why music therapy is effective.
“There are scientific studies that show different responses and interventions that can be done with music,” he said “There is also a lot of empirical evidence on different forms of music that can be used in healing.”
This is Victoria Gonzalez for Vaquero Radio.
