February 16, 2022
Music therapy consists of listening to, playing, and writing music. But it’s not just a music class. It’s a way to help people connect to their emotions and past by firing up their brain. According to Brian Harris, music is one of the only sensory experiences that can access almost all parts of the brain.
“When you listen to music or engage with music in any way, all the different lobes in your brain are firing and lighting up. This doesn’t ever happen in any other medium other than music. So it’s really the only thing that can access your entire brain,” said Erin Blanchette, a music therapist at Timberline Knolls residential treatment center.
When someone has a neurodegenerative disease, like dementia or Alzheimer’s, music causes neurons in the brain to change and adapt. Blanchette has seen this firsthand while using music to help patients with various mental illnesses and diseases.
