The field is growing in Hong Kong, and has a particularly strong background in Australia, USA, UK, and Canada.
The main music therapy techniques used in IMTC include music improvisation, creation, re-creation, and receptive methods – each provides its own unique advantages.
Music has historically been used for therapeutic purposes in various civilizations before evolving into the modern and scientific form of therapy it is today.
It is understood that, through music, some areas of the brain can be accessed and stimulated in ways not possible through other means. Most information is processed separately in different parts of the brain, but music stimuli tends to be processed through the whole brain.
Research shows that music can optimize brain functioning in a way that improves performance across an array of tasks (pertaining to cognitive, social, communication, physical, and emotional functioning). Studies show that people perform many of these tasks better with music than without. Research-driven parallels between non-musical functioning and music-assisted tasks provide a scientific rationale for the use of music in therapy.
