Argumentative Essay On Music Therapy

Brian Jantz quickly paces through long hospital halls, acoustic guitar in hand, playing along side a 4-year-old oncology patient singing her special version of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider.” The music continues on the elevator, and the calming melody follows the girl all the way to her previously dreaded X-Ray. This is a typical occurrence for Jantz, one of the estimated 5,000 AMTA approved music therapists in the United States. Over the last decade, several advances have been made in the indescribable field of music therapy.

My purpose in writing this paper is to demonstrate ways music therapy is a creative and effective alternative to support patients and help them improve without medication. Although music therapists don’t play the same role as doctors or nurses in medical facilities, they are needed for causes other therapists cannot fulfill. Furthermore, every hospital should hire full time music therapists and make them a necessary part of their staff. Music therapy should be integrated into traditional medical care, because it improves medical conditions, and enhances the lives of young hospital patients by relieving stress and depression.

The American Music for Therapy Association was first recognized in 1971, but it was certainly not the beginning of Music Therapy.

What exactly is music therapy? Essentially, it is the use of music to achieve non-musical goals, such as providing opportunities for non-verbal expression, and encouraging relaxation for stressed patients. Music therapists have multiple approaches designed to make music therapy a unique experience for every case, making it an extremely versatile profession. A very common misconception is the myth claiming that music therapists are not real medical professionals, despite the obvious scientific research that has concluded