Do we need to hear from experts that listening to music, tapping our feet in rhythm to music, or humming a familiar tune is good for us? My own curiosity about how music gets us moving, smiling, or recalling things we haven’t thought of in years led me to Music Therapy and research: McGill Unversity’s Dr. Daniel Levitin has found that as a result of exposure to music, levels of immunoglobinA, an antibody linked to immunity, increases; In another study he found significant evidence of music’s anti-anxiety properties. Montreal Neurological Institute’s Dr. Zatorre has found that a brain structure called the striatum is stimulated by music to release dopamine which increases feelings of pleasure. Music therapists are continually training to integrate and apply research findings into practice in order to better serve people of every age, from babies to Alzheimer’s patients.

Nejama Ferstman BA, MTA, Certified Music Therapist @ ShiriMusicTherapy, ShiriMySong.ca