Until recently, the bulk of research on music’s connection to healthcare and overall wellbeing has been anecdotal and qualitative. As a result, healthcare and community organizations are often challenged to justify the financial investment into a dedicated music and art therapy program. Part of Back to the Beat’s mission is to demonstrate the benefits of complementing traditional healthcare with therapeutic music and art. Additionally, these accredited services can aid in various healthcare organizations’ evidence-based research. Rather than trying to describe the benefits of these therapies, these organizations are able to see for themselves how music and art may help patients in their recovery and overall wellness.
How we do this:
- Prescriptive music is tailored to a patient’s needs during their recovery. This type of music aids in pain management as it promotes the relaxation response and deals directly with many of the issues that exacerbate pain. From 2018-2019, Back to the Beat’s experienced music Practitioner (CMP) provided 45 patient-hours of therapeutic music to orthopedic, cardiac, cancer and rehabilitation patients, one-on-one at their bedside at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
- Live music that is provided in general open areas, waiting rooms and hallways helps to recharge a weary caregiver, nurse, doctor, family member and in some cases gives the patient some respite from too many well-intentioned visitors in need of distractions.
- Back to the Beat’s Music and Art Destinations unit provides interactive music and art therapy sessions for caregivers, staff, and families on a mobile basis. At the heart of these sessions is the communal support of the music, the safe space created by our experienced art therapist and the opportunity to express (with or without words) our present experiences.
- Back to the Beat has organized concert-style events in the hospitals, memory care units, and senior living centers to celebrate health awareness weeks and national recognition days for healthcare.
- Back to the Beat plans to create in-service events to promote and familiarize hospitals and wellness community organizations with therapeutic music and art and its benefits to their patients.