Music therapy is has been a natural healing practice for centuries, but only became a professional approach in the 1950s. It is an effective way to treat health problems attributed to the inner ear. Many ailments such as depression, stuttering, lack of balance and poor concentration have all been linked with ear issues. Other than physical problems, music therapy can also address psychological, cognitive, psychosocial and emotional needs. Some claim that it increases productivity and creativity.

Music therapy can be of benefit to people from all walks of life, both adults and children.

– Children: It is particularly helpful for children with learning disabilities, hearing and speech problems. It has been proven to help toddlers who are late walkers and talkers, concentration of children with ADHD and ADD, autism.

A recent study conducted in Germany took 12 children with developmental problems. They split the group into 2. One group received music therapy treatment, and the other group was the control. By the end of the study, there were significant differences between the groups. Hearing, hand-eye coordination, speech and general communication skills were greatly improved in the group that received music therapy. The study took one step further and exchanged the groups; the second groups now received the therapy and were found to 'catch- up' with the first group. Because music therapy has also been clinically proven to reduce stress depression, it can help children to deal with hospitalization by reducing stress and pain.

– Performers: Actors and singers use music therapy to improve dull and flat voices. Apart from improving their pitch, coordination, balance, their memory is also sharpened. Well known singer Sting has used music therapy and talks about it openly in his biography.

– Language Learners: Fine tuning your hearing through music therapy allows to hear the exact pronunciation of words in the language being learnt. For example, an English speaker learning French, after sharpening their hearing through music therapy, would hear their teacher or teaching tapes, as a French person would hear them.

There are many studies that have been done in a hospital setting that have proven the effectiveness of music therapy. A recent study that investigated anxiety following surgery involved two groups of post-surgery patients, one group went through music therapy during this period and one group didn't. The researchers concluded that those who went through the music therapy program experienced far less anxiety.

Music therapy has also been found to help back pain. Japanese researchers conducted a study in which classical musicians were selected. They were asked to remain in an up-spine position for 2 hours and the number and frequency of complaints of back pain were recorded. There was no music being played. After five days, the subjects were put in the same position again, but this time, music was played. Complaints of pain were significantly reduced.

Although music therapy is a fairly new development in complementary care, it is fast catching the attention of health professionals. Even pediatricians acknowledge the fantastic results seen in late developing children. Everyone at any stage in life can benefit from music therapy, from children right up to the elderly.