In 900 A. D., the monks of Cluny began a work that was simple and clear: to help relieve the suffering associated with physical illness through the use of music. And while they probably would not have phrased it in quite the same way, they discovered some very interesting correlations between musical technique and human anatomy. Namely, that there are correlations between 1) melody and neurology, 2) harmony and respiratory/circulatory systems, 3) rhythmic structure and metabolism.

 

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to these visionary monks and musicians in Western music therapy. In short, "music therapy" is not something new and it's roots can be traced back at least as far as the monastery in Cluny in the West, and perhaps even farther back in Eastern and in Native cultures.

 

I have drawn heavily from this tradition in my own work developing harp therapy programs for Stanford, Lucile Packard and Salinas Valley hospitals. I have spent literally thousands of hours on I.C.U., Cardiac, N.I.C.U., Maternity, P.I.C.U., and Oncology units. The benefits that patients have received from this particular program include:            

 

    •Stabilized heart rates

    •Regulated blood pressure

    •Improved respiratory functions

    •Reduced time spent in recovery processes

    •Increased lucidity in those with memory loss

    •Clients "forgetting" to use their morphine drip

    •A direct channel of communication, through hearing, after other senses are not functioning

    •Emotional release for end of life clients and family members

    •A gentle passing facilitated by the combination of supportive loved ones and the power of music      

 

Finally, I would like to say that pure music, like unconditional love, has no agenda. It does not prefer one situation over another, but rather, is available to all simultaneously and without preference. In order to offer this ultimate gift, the musicians own agenda must decrease, while the non-agenda of music itself increases. Offering something that is both beautiful and without agenda gives a powerful witness to the illuminating Melody offered eternally on the Instrument of Unconditional Love.