The Newsleaders
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay Invoice
The Newsleaders
No Result
View All Result

PineCone Pet Hospital MillerCarlin Serving all of central Minnesota locations!

Albany: 320-845-2035
Holdingford: 320-746-9994
St. Cloud: 320-252-7004
Upsala: 320-573-6234
Toll-free: 1-800-644-4058
Collegeville Stearns Bank
Home Opinion Column

Music therapy isn’t what you think

May 18, 2018
in Column, Opinion, Print Editions, Print Sartell - St. Stephen, Print St. Joseph
0
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

We sat in a circle and were each given a drum. There were tentative glances all around, mild taps searching out to see how the drums worked. No, this wasn’t some crazy hippy drum circle (I’m not that kind of liberal), but a music therapy session with coworkers. 

Music therapy sounds like it should be some sort of fake pseudo-science, like phrenology or flat Earth, but it’s actually completely rooted in clinical evidence. According to the American Music Therapy Association, music therapy is defined as the use of music within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive and social needs. 

Music therapy is not just rockin’ out to your favorite band, though. Instead, music therapy involves creating music, moving to music and even listening to music in a therapeutic context. 

As we sat in our little circle, my coworkers and I glanced a little nervously at each other. We are a new team; the most senior of us has only been here for a year, the least only a few months. We are a mix of ages; our youngest a scant 23 (a prime of life for you math nerds), our oldest in his 60s. None of us knew really what to expect.

Our music therapist is a student working on her thesis for her master’s in music therapy. She starts us off each playing with the drums to just get a feel for the kind of sounds they can make. Very quickly we realize as individuals, we’re all musicians (two of us in band, two choir singers), and we naturally fall into a group tempo. Our rhythms weave in and out of each other. Inadvertently, we are making music. 

After a few minutes of play, our therapist gives us a little rundown about music therapy. Each music therapy session should have goals. Our goal is just to communicate anything that is giving us some anxiety at the moment. We each vocally state our anxieties, and then, one by one, we are to play on our drums what our anxiety feels or sounds like. 

It’s fascinating.

For some, the sound of their anxiety is a steady, pounding, threatening boom. For others, it is light taps you can barely hear, but always present. As we play, the physicality of the drum helps work out some of the tension. It’s a distraction that allows us to perhaps be more open than we are naturally inclined to be as stoic Midwesterners.

The path to becoming a licensed music therapist is as rigorous as any other therapist. Not only does the music therapist need to be a proficient musician with several instruments (a degree in and of itself), but also needs to complete coursework in psychology, biology, counseling and behavioral sciences. There is also a certification exam and 1,200 clinic hours. Frankly, it sounds really hard to a guy who spends his days drawing dumb comics.

As our time came to a close, everyone felt a little calmer. Even though we didn’t really talk about things, the act of coming together and fitting our own beats in with each other, layering our anxieties on top of each other, seemed to be effective. As a team-building exercise, our new team came together a bit better than before. 

Sadly, we didn’t get to keep the drums.

Previous Post

CR 29 road project begins; Pinecone Road next

Next Post

SMS Yes! team youngest, best in region

Next Post
SMS Yes! team youngest, best in region

SMS Yes! team youngest, best in region

Please login to join discussion

CMCU Twitter Follow us on
Twitter
for the latest news!
Facebook Follow us on Facebook
for the latest news!
calendar Click here
to view our
calendar
of events!

Go Fund Me # 1 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Elizabeth Brunsvold
Cultural Connections
Jim Berg & Mary Kruger
Mary & John Davis
Sandy Denne
Bobbi & David Gouker
James & marry Graeve
Juliana Howard
Julia Joplin
Linda Kmitch
M. Molus
Sheila Nahan
Go Fund Me # 2 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!

Peggy & Michael Roske
Judy Scheuerell
Geraldine Schwab
James Stotko
James Towler
Anna Trobec
Kaye Wenker
Ellen Wahlstrom
Leona Wieland
Jeanie Wilkens
GAGEN & VASUGI RAMANATHAN
Go Fund Me # 3 Thank You
Newsleader
Supporters!
Nicole Borg
Erica Karger-Gatzow
Dane & Lori Listug-Lunde
Nadine Martin
Doris Minnerath
Merry Mund
Marilyn Peitso
Stephen Schwanke
Dianne Tuff
Dale Zacher
Private Donors

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Funeral for Marilyn ‘Lynn’ P. Borgert, 86 & Eugene ‘Gene’ J. Borgert, 89
  • 6 candidates selected for Sartell-St. Stephen superintendent
  • Kluesner appointed to St. Joseph City Council
  • Wood sentenced for killing two children
  • A list of school superintendent finalists expected March 1

City Links

Sartell
St. Joseph
St. Stephen

School District Links

Sartell-St. Stephen school district
St. Cloud school district

Chamber Links

Sartell Chamber
St. Joseph Chamber

Community

Calendar

Citizen Spotlight

Criers

People

Notices

Funerals/Visitions

Obituary

Police Blotter

Public Notices

Support Groups

About Us

Contact Us

News Tips

Submissions

Advertise With Us

Print Advertising

Digital Advertising

2021 Promotions

Local Advertising Rates

National Advertising Rates

© 2021 Newleaders

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Sartell – St. Stephen
    • St. Joseph
    • Sports
  • Opinion
    • Column
    • Editorial
    • Letter to the Editor
  • Community
    • Calendar
    • Citizen Spotlight
    • Criers
    • People
  • Notices
    • Funerals/Visitations
    • Obituary
    • Police Blotter
    • Public Notices
    • Support Groups
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Submissions
  • Archives
    • Sartell-St. Stephen Archive
    • St. Joseph Archive
  • Advertise With Us
    • Print Advertising
    • Digital Advertising
    • 2021 Promotions
    • Pay Invoice

© 2021 Newleaders

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In