A Wind Of Musical Change:
The Power of Music and Transition
by Anna Tsangaris, MT-BC

Music has been used to welcome transition for centuries and is almost always present during ceremonial rites of passage and all types of commemorations in life. When used during religious or spiritual ceremonies, it can serve as a form of prayer and offer spiritual support and assistance. Music can also have an effect on the environment by energizing or calming, thereby shifting our mood. You don’t have to be a musician to experience its therapeutic benefits. Simply engaging in listening can give one the energy, strength, endurance, and motivation for change. Take a look at how an athlete would use music to run a marathon for example. 

Music therapy as an established health profession has been used to treat a variety of maladies for over half a century, however, the healing use of music has been documented throughout the dawn of civilization as divulged in the writings of the ancient Greeks and made evident in the ancient healing music of our indigenous peoples carried to this day.  The same way a runner would use music to achieve a goal – the finish line, the music therapist uses music to achieve a wide range of possible individualized goals, which may include areas such as pain management, physical rehabilitation, increased relaxation, stress management, speech recovery, socialization, improving communication, and promoting overall wellness. 

People are quite musical whether realized or not. We are naturally rhythmic. Our speech can be perceived as both rhythmic and melodic. Our heartbeats, the rhythm of our breath, and our natural cycles have a rhythm of their own.  Music is also processed in many areas of the brain, which might explain why a patient with dementia is able to remember and sing the words to a favorite song from youth. The profound neurological impact makes music a viable tool for speech recovery and rehabilitation after trauma. Recently, is the story of congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her remarkable recovery to walking and talking with the assistance of music-based therapy. Music, no doubt, has the power to accelerate change and we are discovering this more and more. There are tons of data that support the power of music and its abilities to assist the healing process. 

We can also use music in our daily lives for personal growth and transition and the new season is a great time to establish a routine to work toward our own personal goals. The crisp Autumn air coming in introduces a new, fresh energy that can be revitalizing. It is a time to celebrate and reap the rewards of summer while preparing to turn inward for winter. Here are some simple ways you can use music to inspire change within you:

1. Dig through your collection of music and search for songs that contain the word “change” in the title. Select a few songs. Sit down in a quiet area and listen to each song while analyzing the lyrics. Reflect on the message of the song and how it relates to your present situation.

2. Create a playlist of songs that empower you or inspire you to move. Listen to this playlist as you drive, walk, clean, or jog – anything that involves movement. 

3.  Select a piece of music that resembles wind to you. It can be vocal music, flute, piano, etc. It can be classical, jazz, new age, or any genre you like. Try to choose a piece that is fluid and moving. Sit in a quiet room where you will not be interrupted. Open a window enough to allow fresh air into the room. Breathe in the air and connect with it in the present moment. Close your eyes, listen, and allow the music to relax you. As you continue to mindfully breathe and relax, visualize the change that you would like to see within you. See and feel yourself move with the music and the wind. Imagine the steps you will need to take to get where you would like to be. When you are ready, open your eyes and affirm to yourself “I move as the music and the wind”. Write down your experience and anything that has come to mind during this exercise. Feel free to revisit this exercise as often as you would like until you achieve the desired outcome.

Anna Tsangaris is a Board Certified Music Therapist and the founder of Integrative Sound Holistics.  She has been practicing music therapy throughout Long Island and New York City since 2006 and rocking the music scene with her original music for over 14 years.  Contact her at integrativesounds@aol.com. For more information about music therapy, please visit www.musictherapy.org.