Music Therapy Threatened

During my time at ASU I have had several horn students who were majoring in music therapy. We have a strong program in this field and I would welcome you to check it out if you are interested.

I have a bit of a unique link to this therapy as not only do we train music therapists at ASU, but also I have a son who has benefited from music therapy. Right now in fact his favorite therapy is music therapy, and it for him is a great therapy as it combines so many things in ways that are effective for our goals of improved communication and motor skills. The current therapist has been very creative and effective with my son.

In Arizona, however, music therapy as a service provided to handicapped children could very soon become a thing of the past. In today’s Arizona Republic we read,

Under the recent state-ordered budget cuts, the Arizona Department of Economic Security must slash its costs by $150 million, affecting a range of programs, including aid for the disabled and their families.

The reimbursement rates for most disability therapies are being cut by 10 percent. But for music therapy, DES is slashing in half its hourly reimbursement from $40.10 to about $18.48.

The reductions in services, plus staff cuts and furloughs, save the department about $20 million in general fund dollars, nearly $218,000 of that from the music-therapy rate cut.

Statewide, this rate cut affects 2,650 individuals in music therapy, DES said.

Given the magnitude of the overall budget cuts, “it would have been impossible for the agency to absorb such a substantial reduction and not have a significant impact on the children, adults and families we serve,” Liz Barker Alvarez, a spokeswoman, said Tuesday.

To put a personal face on that, my son would be one of the individuals impacted, beginning next week. Reading on in the article we have a good overview of what music therapy involves from my colleague Barbara Crowe, who is nationally recognized in the field.

Music therapy is more than 50 years old. Scientific studies show its benefits are extensive.

Patients with memory-destructive diseases such as Alzheimer’s show improvements in memory, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

Barbara Crowe, director of Arizona State University’s music-therapy program, said music has such a powerful effect on development and memory because its impact on the brain is widespread.

Scans have shown all areas of the brain light up when a patient responds to music. Scientists have found music influences the middle brain, where memories are established. Also, the section of the brain that processes rhythmic sounds touches the area of the brain in charge of physical movement.

Still, skeptics remain unconvinced.

Crowe said she believes that’s because music is something almost everyone enjoys but has effects that few people outside of the scientific community understand.

Music therapists must attend four years of college and pass an exam for national certification from a federal-accredited board. Coursework includes studies in anatomy, psychology and music. Re-certification is required every five years.

Certified music therapists identify skills that clients or patients struggle with, such as socialization or movement. They come up with therapy plans to improve those skills by using musical instruments, songs, motion and touch.

“What we do with clients is much more than just going in and playing songs,” Crowe said.

I personally still feel that music therapy is a great field, and we will continue music therapy in some form with our son. I hope that it is a therapy that remains open to him and others who clearly can benefit.