The power of music to comfort, console and inspire

Since long before William Congreve wrote “Music has charms to sooth a savage breast, to soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak”,1 humankind has been fascinated by the power of music to comfort, console and inspire.

This is reflected in recent news reports on a study of music therapy to help adolescents and young adults cope with cancer treatment.2-4

In the study, 11- to 24-year olds were given either audiobooks or a form of therapy involving the creation of music videos while undergoing stem cell transplant treatment. Following treatment, the young people in the music therapy group showed better coping mechanisms, improved family relationships, and had greater social integration than their counterparts in the audiobooks group.

Professor Raymond MacDonald from Edinburgh University commented: "There is now quite compelling evidence to suggest that music, when used in the appropriate contexts, can have significant positive effects upon health and wellbeing."

There is certainly some evidence on the effects of music on health: CRD’s NIHR databases include systematic reviews of the effectiveness of music therapy for numerous conditions, including depression,6 psychopathology,7 dementia,8 sleep disorders,9 multiple sclerosis,10 autistic spectrum disorder,11 and acquired brain injury.12 The exact form of "music therapy" used varied widely between studies and conditions. Much of the evidence is broadly supportive of the potential therapeutic value of music, but confidence in these findings is often tempered by the fact that studies tend to be short-term, methodologically flawed, or limited to a specific context.

Nevertheless, while its presumed health benefits remain hard to quantify, music therapy is safe and conceptually appealing, so will probably continue to be adapted and applied in various health care settings.

References

  1. William Congreve. The Mourning Bride, 1697.
  2. Making music videos 'helps young cancer patients cope', BBC News, 28th January 2014.
  3. Music Therapy Could Build Resilience In Teen Cancer Patients. Huffington Post, 28th January 2014.
  4. Music therapy for young cancer patients. British Psychological Society, 28th January 2014.
  5. Robb SL, Burns, DS, Stegenga KA, et al (2014), Randomized clinical trial of therapeutic music video intervention for resilience outcomes in adolescents/young adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant: A report from the Children's Oncology Group. Cancer. doi: 10.1002/cncr.28355
  6. Maratos A, Gold C, Wang X et al. Music therapy for depression. CDSR.
  7. Gold C, Voracek M, Wigram T. Effects of music therapy for children and adolescents with psychopathology: a meta-analysis. DARE.
  8. Ueda T, Suzukamo Y, Sato M, Izumi SI. Effects of music therapy on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. DARE
  9. Wang CF, Sun YL, Zang HX. Music therapy improves sleep quality in acute and chronic sleep disorders: a meta-analysis of 10 randomized studies. DARE.
  10. Ostermann T, Schmid W. Music therapy in the treatment of multiple sclerosis: a comprehensive literature review. DARE.
  11. Gold C, Wigram T, Elefant Ct. Music therapy for autistic spectrum disorder. CDSR.
  12. Bradt J, Magee WL, Dileo C, Wheeler BL, McGilloway E. Music therapy for acquired brain injury. CDSR.

Page last updated: 30 January, 2014