iStock/Sheila Alonso
Program showcases music’s therapeutic power.
On any normal day, the sounds in a library are typically limited to the rustling of book pages, the sounds of children’s story time or the occasional whisper from a librarian. However, libraries across Hennepin County, including the Wayzata and Westonka libraries, were filled with the sounds of thumping drums, chanting voices and rhythmic song.
Music for Healing was a free, four-week course, which was supported by Minnesota’s Arts & Cultural Heritage fund and coordinated by the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. MacPhail teaching artist Joey Clark conducted sessions at various libraries and presented research, demonstrating how music impacts the brain and nervous systems and taught attendees how to harness those effects for health benefits. “Other cultures have acknowledged [music’s capacity for healing] for thousands of years,” Clark says.
While the program was aimed primarily toward adults ages 55 and older, participants of all ages were welcome. Clark discovered that even college students enjoyed the material. “Everybody said that they left on a cloud,” says Westonka librarian Frances Owens.
Participants could attend each session individually or all four, and Clark delved into different topics each week. The first session was dedicated to what Clark terms as musical interventions. “I play a song, and we talk about how that song affects your mood and how you’re feeling in your body at that moment,” he says. The second session explored the impact of music on memory and mobility. Week three focused on music’s influence on the vagus nerve, a structure in the body that transmits signals among the brain, digestive system, the heart and the voice box (larynx). The fourth and final week centered on hands-on percussion, featuring the use of various types of drums.
“[Music] is, in my opinion, more powerful than most [perscription] drugs,” Clark says, adding that music has been said to wean people off of pain medication.
The type of music that fosters healing on an individual level varies from person to person. “Choosing music is like choosing what drug you’re going to buy at CVS,” Clark says. “There is music that is really healing for some people that would not be healing for others.”
When searching for the music that works best for you, Clark says experimentation is key. Listen to your favorite playlists, and pay attention to how the music makes you feel. The songs that will build you up and boost your confidence will likely be completely different from the ones that calm you down and ease your nerves.
“Making the music is a much more profound and effective solution than just by being an active listener,” Clark says. But if making music isn’t your jam, Clark says, “Engaging in the music in some way, like by dancing around your apartment while you’re listening to something, is so much more powerful in the healing process than just sitting and listening. The more parts of your body that are involved, the more chemical responses that arise in your brain.”
As with any medical- or health-related topic, check with your healthcare provider if necessary.
To learn if the music program is offered at your library, call MacPhail Center for Music at 612.321.0100, or email contact@macphail.org.
Westonka Library
2079 Commerce Blvd.; 612.543.6175
Wayzata Library
620 Rice St. E.; 612.543.6150
