How Music Listening Becomes Therapy

Approaches based on musical listening are mainly characterized by fostering introspective work and processing of one's emotional experiences. Increasingly, the scientific literature has shown that even listening to music based on the patient's personal tastes (preferred music listening) without direct interaction can produce therapeutic effects in different clinical settings. However, in many cases, a clear therapeutic rationale and specific application protocols are still lacking.

The lecture will introduce a novel approach called Therapeutic Music Listening, which integrates the subjective component of listening (patient's musical tastes) with the structural and parametric characteristics of the music in relation to the therapeutic aims. The presentation will cover theoretical-applicative bases, therapeutic outcomes, and research perspectives of this intervention.

Another perspective in the field of therapeutic music listening will also be introduced: the use of Melomics-Health, an algorithm that creates music for therapy. This technology simplifies music composition, reducing it to a monody, while shaping and modulating the music according to therapeutic needs. Preliminary data regarding the use of Melomics-Health in various clinical fields will be presented.

Bio

Prof. Alfredo Raglio, PhD is a Music therapist and researcher. After completing an academic musical and music therapy education, he obtained a Doctorate in Biomedical Sciences. He is the Head of the Music Therapy Research Laboratory at the Maugeri Scientific Clinical Institutes IRCCS in Pavia (Italy), and also the Head of the Music Therapy Service at the Fondazione Bassano Cremonesini for Psychiatric Disabilities in Pontevico (Brescia, Italy). He serves as the scientific and educational coordinator of the Master's program in Music Therapy promoted by the University of Pavia (Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine) and the Master degree in "Theories and Techniques in Music Therapy" promoted by the "Giuseppe Verdi" Conservatory of Music in Milan (Italy). He is the author of numerous scientific and informative publications in the field of music therapy.