When I sit on public transport around Sydney, I have noticed in the past year that there is a huge change in the way humans go about their daily commute. There is one thing people are doing which gains in numbers everyday. It went from one or two people, to a select few, and now we are in the period where at least half of the people I see are using them. It is a change in technology that has gripped the nation and now makes the old way of doing things seem really old, very quickly.
If you haven't guessed… I'm talking about Bluetooth headphones. A notion which was probably discussed and dropped many times because it 'wouldn't catch on'. Someone made the call to abandon the headphone jack and like all new technology, those plug style ear pieces are now seen everywhere. As I fumble with my headphone wire and spin it over my head to make sure I don't get tangled, I see people out of the corner of my eye, wireless and free.
In observing the freedom and debating the frequency harm these little plugs could cause, one thing is very clear as I look up and down the train carriages or watch people step on and off the bus. An incredible amount of people are listening to audio from their phones and music players.
Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, however people are accessing sound, it seems to be present in everybody's lives. The beauty of the smart phone and the ease of finding and listening to your favourite tunes means we can self-medicate to whatever mood we feel. Reminiscent, oh yes, there's your favourite band from secondary school. Thoughtful, enjoy a podcast from a person with something outrageous to say. Getting ready for an event, listen to something that will get your heart pumping and feet moving. Time for bed? Here's a mindful soundscape to help you breathe your way into a peaceful sleep. It's easy. And we're in control.
I have so much belief that music the ultimate healer. I see this every day when I watch people dancing as they run up the stairs, smiling and tapping their steering wheels in traffic, daydreaming away from their busy life. Music is there for everyone when we need it. So why music therapy, and why a music therapy blog?
Music comes in when words don't need to speak. The music does the talking. The rhythm, the melody, the harmony, the lyrics, the dynamics. The elements of music can be applied therapeutically to aid areas of life where we might need a helping hand. In areas such as communication, social interaction, fine and gross motor skills, rehabilitation, speech and language, grief and loss. These can all be influenced positively and magically by music.
So if we can all feel the effects of music in this winding life of ours, then I would like to accompany it with a blog which gives life to the research and knowledge out there, enabling us to become bigger, stronger and more informed. Like the technological changes happening every day, let's be the ones to push forwards into the unknown and experiment with the here and now.