Music therapy uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs. It involves using music interventions within a therapeutic relationship to accomplish individualized goals. Music therapy is an evidence-based allied health profession that utilizes music's non-invasive properties to assess functioning and design treatment plans. Assessments evaluate areas like communication, cognition, motor skills, and social/emotional status through engaging clients in music activities like singing, moving, and playing instruments. The humanistic approach views individuals holistically and music therapy aims to facilitate skill development and transfer to daily life through strong motivators like music.

1. Music
Therapy
&
the
Mind-Body-Spirit
Connection
Presented by:
Gsus
Music Therapy Services & Center, LLC
Sharolyn Ferrer-Lippke, BM, MT-BC, MMT, DRUMBEAT Facilitator
Chris Lippke, BM, MT-BC, MMT, DRUMBEAT Facilitator
www.gsusmusictherapy.com

2. What is music therapy?
Music therapy is the clinical and
evidence-based use of music
interventions to accomplish
individualized goals within a
therapeutic relationship by a
credentialed music therapy
practitioner.
Music therapy is an established allied
health profession under the CAM
(complimentary alternative
medicine) title in which music is
used within a therapeutic
relationship to address the
physical, emotional, cognitive,
and social needs of individuals.
www.gsusmusictherapy.com

3. • A music therapist becomes
board certified by successfully
passing the board certification
examination and therefore
earning the credential Music
Therapist – Board Certified
(MT-BC).
• Ensures a standard of
excellence in the development,
implementation, and promotion
of accredited certification
programs for music therapy
practice.
www.cbmt.org
Who is a music therapist?

4. AMTA
Professional Competencies
- AMTA Standards of Practice
- AMTA Code of Ethics
- AMTA Professional Competencies
C.17.1 – select or create music
therapy experiences that meet the client’s
objectives
&
C.19.2 – modify treatment approaches
based on the client’s response to therapy
www.musictherapy.org

5. “Music after all is the background score to our
lives, not merely surviving in our memory
banks long after so many of our seemingly
stronger memories have faltered, but
serving to remind us of who we were at a
given moment of our lives, where we
were, what we dreamed of, what we
feared, and of course who we loved.”
~ Eddie Daniels ~
Jazz clarinetist
“Music is the soundtrack of your life.”
~ Dick Clark ~
Radio/Television Personality
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an
explosive expression of humanity. It’s
something we are all touched by. No
matter what culture we’re from, everyone
loves music.”
~ Billy Joel ~
Singer/Songwriter/Performer
Why music therapy?

6. Music activities serve
as strong
motivators for
enduring
participations in
interventions that
are designed to
facilitate skill
strengthening and
new skill
development that
transfer readily to
family and
community life.
David, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008

7. Music therapy interventions are used to treat individuals
who have varying needs for rehabilitation, restoration,
and/or support to become fully integrated within their
environment.
Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008

8. Music therapy utilizes music as a non-invasive
medium/environment in which the music therapist can
assess cognition, physical, and psychological functioning.
www.mtabc.org, 2012

9. Assessments in Music
Therapy
Assessment provides the
information that indicates
physical health, psychological
health, independence,
meaningful relations, and
ability to deal with the
environment. Evaluation of all
this information is used to
design treatment interventions,
set and revise treatment goals,
and determine treatment
effectiveness at each stage of
the treatment process.
Davis, Gfeller, & Thaut, 2008

10. What do we assess?
Communication
Cognition
Motor
Social
Affect
Musicality
Biorhythms
Listening
Moving
Playing
Singing
THROUGH

11. emWave2

12. e
m
W
a
v
e
2
Patented technology using HeartMath science to
improve wellness and facilitate personal growth based
on learning to change the heart rhythm pattern to
create coherence.

13. emWave2
1. Provides consistent pre- &
post-test analysis
2. Provides in-the-moment
feedback for immediate
analysis
3. Provides accumulated data
for research & review

14. What Is Coherence?
“It [coherence] is the harmonious flow of information, cooperation, and order
among the subsystems of a larger system that allows for the emergence of more
complex functions. This higher-order cooperation among the physical
subsystems such as the heart, brain, glands, and organs as well as between the
cognitive, emotional, and physical systems is an important aspect of what we
call coherence. It is the rhythm of the heart that sets the beat for the entire
system. The heart’s rhythmic beat influences brain processes that control the
autonomic nervous system, cognitive functioning, and emotions, thus leading us
to propose that it is the primary conductor system. By changing the rhythm of
the heart, system-wide dynamics can be quickly and dramatically changed.”
Doc Childre, Founder HeartMath©System, LLC
www.heartmath.com, 2012

15. Why coherence?
Because we are RHYTHM.
We measure HR (heart rate), HRV
(heart rate variability), RSA
(respiratory sinus arrhythmia), and
BVP (blood volume pulse) to aid in the
therapeutic process. We do this
because we embody rhythm in the
pulmonary rhythm of breathing, the
cardio rhythm of the heartbeat, and the
circadian rhythm of sleeping and
waking. The human body is a powerful
rhythmic convergence of multiple beats
working together in the groove of life.
We breathe, talk, eat, chew, sleep,
wake, and move to a rhythm. We are
walking, talking, ticking, tocking
polyrhythms or multiple beats.
Steven, 2012

16. The Humanistic
Approach
Based on the holistic
concept of self (an
individual’s consciousness
of their identity), free will
(we all can choose our
actions), and
unconditional positive
regard (we are all unique,
valued, and respected).
When an individual is dealing
with a disease, illness, or
injury, the mind, the body,
and spirit are all engaged
in the healing process.

17. Methods in Music Therapy
Music is one of the few
activities that involves
using the whole brain. It is
intrinsic to all cultures and
has surprising benefits not
only for learning language,
improving memory and
focusing attention, but also
for physical coordination
and development.
Levitin, 2006

18. NMT
Neurologic Music Therapy
NMT – Neurologic Music
Therapy model based in
neuroscience (* training
levels)
a. TIMP – Therapeutic
Instrumental Music
Playing
b. OMREX – Oral
Motor
& Respiratory
Exercises
c. RAS – Rhythmic
Auditory Stimulation

19. CMT
Creative Music Therapy
CMT – Creative Music Therapy
model based in humanism, the
humanistic approach
a. Nordoff-Robbins –
improvisation &
composition based
b. Behavioral Approach –
music for specific
change
c. C-BMT – Cognitive–
Behavioral Approach –
replacement of
undesirable thinking

20. Gsus
Harmonies
Nonprofit
• Gsus
Harmonies
Chimers
• Gsus
Harmonies
Joyful Noise
Community Chorus
• Gsus
Harmonies
Shadows
• Gsus
Harmonies
Community Music
Makers

21. Medical Benefits of
Music Therapy
Overall cardiovascular health
a. Increases blood flow & oxygenation
b. Increases energy production enzyme
stimulation which converts food to
energy
c. Decreases the risk of chronic disease
like heart disease, high blood pressure,
& cholesterol

22. Medical Benefits of
Music Therapy
Physiologic benefits
a. Increases stroke volume
b. Increases healthy cholesterol while
decreasing unhealthy triglycerides
c. Increases overall immune health

23. Medical
Benefits of
Coherence
Neurologic benefits
a. Increases production of
endorphins & other
neurotransmitters secreted by
the brain & passed through
CSF
b. Regulates all 4 brain wave
functioning (alpha, beta, theta,
delta)
c. Bridges association areas for
memories & creates
association areas for new
material

24. Case Study 1
“In less structured (musical) forms, such as…religious and
spiritual music…take on a hypnotic quality that can induce
trance states. Just how music induces the trance is not
known… This in turn causes a shift in brain-wave patterns,
easing us into an altered state between consciousness that may
resemble the onset of sleep, or the netherworld between sleep
and wakefulness, or even a druglike state of heightened
concentration coupled with increased relaxation of the
muscles.”
Levitin, 2008

25. Case Study 2
“When we experience music in the background, we passively
hear and do not actively listen. …auditory processing is
entirely unconscious at this level – not just automatic, but
wholly separate from the experience we associate with “me”.
Listening is led by anticipation. …”Give them time to chew on
it.” [silence] It is much easier to switch to another channel, to
pop in a different sound.”
Jourdain, 1997

26. Case Study 3
“Music can be used effectively to reduce anxiety & enhance relaxation. Patients
frequently report exacerbated breathing difficulties when experiencing
stressful situations. Interventions, including elicitation of the relaxation
response, social support, and exploration of coping techniques for stress
management are attempts to minimize stress’ impact on coronary artery
disease and pulmonary disease. The relaxation response involves a set of
physiologic changes, including decreased heart and respiratory rate, decreased
blood pressure, and lower oxygen consumption, and therefore can be
successful in moderating physiologic distress, as well as decreasing anxiety
(Medich et al., 1991).”
Mandel, S.E., 1996

27. “ Music expresses feeling and
thought, without language; it
was below and before speech,
and it is above and beyond all
words. "
~ Robert G. Ingersoll ~
(1833-1899)
“Just as certain selections of music
will nourish your physical body
and your emotional layer, so
other musical works will bring
greater health to your mind.”
~ Hal A. Lingerman, author ~

28. “Music speaks what cannot be
expressed,
Soothes the mind and gives it rest,
heals the heart and makes it whole,
Flows from Heaven to the soul.”
~ Anonymous ~

29. Bibliography
Davis, W.B., Gfeller, K.E., & Thaut, M.H. (2008). An introduction to music therapy: Theory and
practice, 3rd edition. Silver Spring: The American Music Therapy
Association.
emWave2. (2011). emwave2. Retrieved from www.heartmathstore.com
Gerrig, R.J. & Zimbardo, P.G. (2008). Therapies for psychological disorders.
Psychology and Life, eighteenth edition (487-513). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Jourdain, R. (1997). Music, the brain, and ecstasy: How music captures our imagination. New
York, NY: Harper Perennial
Levitin, D. J. (2006). This is your brain on music: The science of a human obsession. New York,
NY: Penguin group.
Levitin, D. J. (2008). The world in six songs: How the musical brain created human nature. New
York, NY: Penguin group.
Koenig, H.G, McCullough, M.E., & Larson, D.B. (). Handbook of religion and health. New York,
NY: Oxford University Press.

30. (Bibliography cont.)
Mandel, S.E. (1996). Music for wellness: Music therapy for stress management in a rehabilitation program. Music
Therapy Perspectives, 14, 38-43.
Miller, E.B. (2011). Bio-guided music therapy: A practitioner’s guide to the clinical integration of music and biofeedback.
London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Stevens, C. (2012). Music medicine. The science and spirit of healing yourself with sound. Boulder, CO: Sounds True, Inc.
Swingle, P.G. (2008). Biofeedback for the brain: How neurotherapy effectively treats depression, ADHD, autism, and
more. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Van De Graff, K. M. & Fox, S.I. (1998). Integration and control systems of the human body. Concepts of Human Anatomy
& Physiology, fourth edition (344-545). Dubuque: Wm. C. Brown Communication, Inc.
Young, C. & Koopsen, C. (2011). Spirituality, health, and healing: An integrative approach second edition. Sudbury, MA:
Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

31. Questions?
Contact us:
Sharolyn Ferrer-Lippke, BM, MT-BC, MMT,
DRUMBEAT Facilitator
Owner - Gsus
Music Therapy Services & Center LLC
www.gsusmusictherapy.com
gsus.musictherapy@gmail.com
512.754.9631 (office)
Owner – Gsus
Harmonies Nonprofit
gsus.harmoniesnonprofit@gmail.com
512.695.9555 (cell)
Chris Lippke, BM, MT-BC, MMT,
DRUMBEAT Facilitator
Co-Owner - Gsus
Music Therapy Services & Center LLC
www.gsusmusictherapy.com
gsus.musictherapy@gmail.com
512.754.9631 (office)
Co-Owner – Gsus
Harmonies Nonprofit
gsus.harmoniesnonprofit@gmail.com
512.738.5751 (cell)