Healing through music

Speaker:

Suzanne B. Hanser, professor of Music Therapy, Berklee College of Music Boston (USA)

--> Read the interview with Suzanne Hanser

Discussants:

Davide Robbiani, director of the IRB and professor at USI

Giuliano Bellorini, musician and musicologist, lecturer at USI and the “G. Verdi” Conservatory, Milan (I)

Music programme:

Interzones for solo vibraphone and tape - Bruce Hamilton (1966*)

Performed by: Leonardo Tirindelli (vibraphone) and Danilo Gervasoni (live electronics)

Research in recent decades shows how music has an impact on various medical specialities. The body of research is very broad and includes random clinical trials, mixed methods and mechanistic research in the field of neuroscience to examine psychosocial and physiological responses to specific musical programmes.

The first lecture presented a range of clinical applications for music (e.g. during labour and delivery to ease the pain of contractions, to help relaxation and to counter depression and anxiety). Literature has shown how different musical techniques can be used to advantage in various clinical settings.

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Psychological stress and anxiety are, after pain, the most frequent cause of suffering in hospital patients. Music definitely has an analgesic, antianxiety and stress- relieving effect, as shown by various systematic reviews that look at dozens of random studies carried out on adults and
children. Studies show that music has a real and significant analgesic effect on pain, although of moderate entity. A key review by Chanda and
Levitin details a number of studies showing that music reduces the levels of cortisol, a hormone responsible for the harmful effects of stress. In the face of much scientific evidence, it appears that music could be an important therapeutic resource to complement traditional treatment.

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Speaker:

Luisa Lopez, doctor and neurophysiopathologist at the Villa Immacolata Care Home and Fondazione Mariani Milano

--> Read the interview with Luisa Lopez

Testimonial:

Dawn Rose, senior researcher, Hochschule Luzern

Discussants:

Giacomo Simonetti, USI professor, head of paediatrics at the Italian Swiss Paediatric Institute

Music programme:

One study, one summary for marimba, junk percussion and digital audio - John Psathas (1966*)

Performed by: Gaspare Renna (marimba) and Danilo Gervasoni (live electronics)

Like with language, most people acquire basic musical skills by interacting with the environment: through simple exposure to music and innate predisposition, and children acquire the musical skills they need for any formal music training as they develop. 

Music and language share functions and associations. A great deal of evidence suggests that music education has a positive effect, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses are beginning to appear in scientific literature showing causal relationships between music and non-musical areas like language, cognition and performance. We can think of music as one of the cognitive tools essential for healthy ageing. 

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Speaker:

Christian Gold, professor at NORCE Bergen (NOR)

--> Read the interview with Christian Gold

Testimonial:

Antoni Rodriguez-Fornells, researcher at CBPU and ICREA Barcelona (ES)

Discussants:

Andrea Raballo, USI professor in psychiatric medicine

Music programme:

NoaNoa for flute and live electronics - Kaija Saariaho (1952*)

Performed by: Letizia Caspani (flute) and Danilo Gervasoni (live electronics)

Many mental health problems are linked to emotional, relational, social and low motivation issues. It is therefore not surprising that music, a highly rewarding social art related to the emotions, has been used to promote mental health. Systematic reviews of random controlled studies have shown that music therapy has beneficial effects, and also highlights the limitations of current research, especially the lack of diversity in results.
Music therapy differs in terms of activities, settings and goals. We therefore need more detailed research to better understand which kind of music therapy (from listening to different types of active music therapy approaches) conducted by whom and in which setting, is most valuable for certain patients and aims.

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Speaker:

Liila Taruffi, researcher at Durham University (UK)

--> Read the interview with Lilia Taruffi

Testimonial:

Paolo Paolantonio, musician and researcher at Conservatorio della Svizzera italiana

Discussants:

Cristiana Sessa, USI professor and head of the Gynaecological Cancer Department

Music programme:

Auriga for piano and live electronics –2022 - Danilo Gervasoni (1987*)

Performed by: Bruna Di Virgilio (piano) and Danilo Gervasoni (live electronics)

Research into music psychology has highlighted the marked effects that listening to music has on sense of well-being, quality of life and emotions.
This lesson offers an overview of the importance of listening to music and its role in health and well-being throughout life. A wide range of evidence suggests that singing lullabies during pregnancy can strengthen the bond between mother and child. In adolescents, music can help build personal and social identity, promoting self-control, self-expression and participation in the community. Adults often listen to music in everyday life to regulate emotions and psycho-physiological functions. In difficult situations, like the Covid-19 pandemic, many people found music a resource for coping with and managing isolation. Music also continues to offer valuable support for better health in old age.

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