Furkan Cakin

Although music has been used as a therapeutic and medicinal healing agent throughout history, music therapy has only become a credentialed profession in the 18th century. Research shows that music can promote physical rehabilitation, manage stress, improve communication, enhance memory, alleviate pain, and help to express feelings. Many people are not informed about what music therapy is and do not understand that it is research based and has measurable results.

I know from personal experience that a single song has the power to change a person’s mood. Different chords release different endorphins in your body. A minor chord usually has a sound that the human mind relates to as sad or dark whereas a major chord sounds happy and light. Some songs are so moving to an individual that they cause a person to cry for reasons they cannot explain. This phenomenon illustrates the strong psychological affect that music can have on a person. I can understand how music can be used as a therapy to release emotion or used as a way to learn how to relate to others through emotional music. Music can also be scientifically used to access different parts of the brain that aren’t normally used.