TRIGGER YOUR RELAXATION RESPONSE

What if there was a path to health and wellness that required less pain medication, faster healing and recovery, and a more positive healing journey experience overall?

What if the process of healing could simply be less stressful?

As a Certified Music Practitioner, I provide live music at the bedside of individual patients, choosing music and sounds to suit the needs of patients in a moment-to-moment basis.

Why music? For thousands of years, music has been used to help with pain reduction, lowering blood pressure, reducing stress & anxiety, stabilizing heart rate, and more.

[See the research]

Therapeutic music benefits caregivers as well.

If you are interested in trying a Therapeutic Music Session, please contact me.

WHAT IS THERAPEUTIC MUSIC?

If you have ever been in the hospital, you might recognize some of these experiences:

There’s fear and uncertainty about the diagnosis or getting to an actual diagnosis
It’s hard to sleep and you are exhausted
- Medical staff barge in at various, unpredictable times needing something from you
- Annoying, uncontrollable sounds are constant within the facility and from your monitors
Caregivers do their best, but they are stressed for you too
To prevent additional worry and stress, you put on your best face even though you feel miserable
All you want to do is go home.

Imagine this is all happening when you get a knock on the door, and I walk into your room. After introducing myself, I say, “My name is Tess Miller. I am a Certified Music Practitioner here at the hospital. I provide around 15 minutes of relaxing music at the bedside, and I was wondering if you would be interested in receiving this service, provided by the facility?

Fortunately for you, you say “Yes.”

Then I say, “Because it is therapeutic music, all you need to do is get comfortable and allow the sound to wash over you. Falling asleep would be the biggest compliment you could give me.”

Visit the How It Works page for more info.

Return on Investment (ROI) for Healthcare Facilities

That Hire Therapeutic Musicians?

Patient satisfaction is known to go up in facilities that provide therapeutic musicians. Higher patient satisfaction = higher Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.
Therapeutic music is in compliance with EP2 in The Joint Commission Pain Management Standards➚. Additionally, therapeutic music provided to patients with opioid addiction is in compliance with EP4.
Faster healing = potential faster patient turnover rates
Staff exposure to therapeutic music sessions can reduce stress and retain staff.
Patients with less anxiety means an increase in staff efficiency.
Therapeutic musicians add positive publicity to any facility.

Read about an example therapeutic session, see more answers to frequently asked questions about therapeutic music, or contact me.

Therapeutic Music vs. Music for Entertainment

How is Therapeutic music different from going to a concert or listening to recorded music?

Want to experience an example of therapeutic music for yourself? Listen to me play some therapeutic music examples on my Facebook page or on this website.

Contact me for more information.

Therapeutic Music Examples

Basic Example 1

Basic Example 2

As I provide music at the bedside, I am constantly paying attention to how the patient is responding to the music so that I can make changes in tempo, style, mood, etc. if necessary.

You May or May Not Recognize What I Play

I start my sessions by telling them that they may or may not recognize the music I provide. My choice depends on what’s going on for the patient. Factors I consider include whether they are experiencing pain, nausea, elevated blood pressure, exhaustion, etc. I choose what to play based on what is happening for the patient in the present moment.

If a patient is awake but trying to relax, I might start with something like “Come by the Hills.” The tempo is steady and comforting. The phrases end with happy harmonies that help the patient settle in perhaps for a nap.

Familiar Tunes Are Not Always Best

There have been times when I have tried to play a familiar tune like “Over the Rainbow” only to have a patient or visitor wave me off. Sometimes people aren’t ready for the waterworks that familiar songs can sometimes trigger. And in some cases, the structure of melodies might be too much for whatever the patient is experience. Therefore, some sessions might focus on providing soothing, improvised sounds.

In this example, a simple scale is used with a regular rhythm. (coming soon)

This could be something I play for someone who is extremely agitated or anxious. The sounds distract while the silences offer a break from tension. (coming soon)

How I Make Changes Mid-Tune

Observation is key to a beneficial therapeutic music session. As I watch for patients’ reactions to the music, I might notice that the tempo, mood, style, or song altogether needs to change.

In this example, I start with a familiar tune. (Coming soon)

Let’s say the patient’s brow begins to furrow and they are not responding well to the choice. Watch how I change the song into something different while maintaining the structure and momentum.

Less is More

Consider how music as a service is different from music as entertainment. As an entertainer, I would be trying to impress the listener and keeping their mind engaged in the process. Music as a service is about creating a healing environment.

The mind need not be involved as the music is working with the recipient’s body to engage the relaxation response. Therefore, less is more in a therapeutic music session.

This is a tune called “Dona Nobis Pacem.” Notice that I simplify the tune as I go. Notice what this does for your body.

(coming soon)

(In an actual session, I would take longer to make these changes but am keeping examples brief. Someone falling asleep might benefit from these gradual changes.

Where Can Therapeutic Music Happen?

Oncology
Palliative care
General care
Dialysis unit
Hospice
Nursing home

Pre-op
O.R.
Post-op
ER
Obstetrics
NICU
ICU

Read some of the research that supports therapeutic music. Learn more about my training as a Certified Music Practitioner, or see ways to contact me.