Active vs. Passive Music Therapy
Listening to music is an essential part of my daily routine. It’s especially necessary when I am doing simple tasks like driving or house work. Sometimes, it’s easy to connect with your emotions while listening to music. Playing an instrument, on the other hand, can promote a different relationship with music. For me, I often notice more about a song once I pick up an instrument to play along. However, both listening and playing are prominent parts of each music therapy session I conduct.
Music therapy combines active and passive music to address the needs of the participants. Active music therapy can be singing, playing an instrument or moving rhythmically. Passive music therapy includes listening to music, reminiscing, and lyric discussion.
There are a number of studies investigating the different effects of active and passive music therapy on the brain. Passive music therapy tends to work towards goals regarding pain management, emotional understanding, and increased attention. Although active music therapy can sometimes overstimulate participants, it is also effective at increasing engagement and uses more parts of the brain. There is even a recent study which shows that active music therapy decreases sympathetic autonomic nervous system activity while passive music therapy increased sympathetic activity in healthy subjects (McPherson, et al. 2019).
I enjoy using a combination of both active and passive music therapy in each of my sessions. Offering choices to actively participate or to simply listen empowers participants to make choices and adjust their experience. I provide simple percussion instruments, scarves, and stretchy bands to engage participants. Adding in passive MT helps to create a balance that supports my clients without overwhelming them. Effective utilization of each is essential to meet the goals of each individual.
McPherson, T., Berger, D. S., Alagapan, S., & Fröhlich, F. (2019). Active and passive rhythmic music therapy interventions differentially modulate sympathetic autonomic nervous system activity. Journal of Music Therapy, 56(3), 240–264. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thz007
