Alejandra J. Ferrer: Music and Medicine

What drew you to the field of music therapy, and what has kept you here throughout your career?

Since I was a young child, music has been a central part of my life and an enormous part of my identity. Growing up, I remember playing instruments, performing in an orchestra, listening to music, and attending concerts. I have also always had an interest in psychology and health. When I learned about music therapy as a profession, I was immediately drawn to it. I loved the idea of using music to help others and knew that it would be my career.

I remember some of my first experiences with clients being so powerful and transformative. They were intense, painful, and challenging, but also deeply moving and life-changing. It is working with my patients and witnessing the difference that music therapy can make in their life that has kept me in my field all these years. Some of the most powerful experiences in my life have been with my patients. They have taught me so much. It has been my honor and privilege to serve so many incredible people.

My faith has also provided the inspiration and dedication needed to serve my community in a variety of ways. Christian values, including love, kindness, humility, goodness, and gentleness are present daily in both my personal and professional life. Practicing compassion and generosity towards everyone, especially those who need it most, being nurturing, and working towards making the lives of those around me better have driven much of who I am and what I have chosen to do with my life. For me, Christian service is a way of life, and I am aware of the privileged position that I am in where being of service to others is possible.

Research has shown that overall music is inherently good for us! Exposure to music, especially our favorite music, can increase our levels of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins, boost our immune system, and even help counteract our body’s biological stress response. Music has also been shown to promote relaxation, elevate moods, reduce the perception of pain, enhance sleep, decrease fatigue, support mental alertness, and improve overall quality of life.

Exposure to music, especially our favorite music, can increase our levels of feel-good chemicals like dopamine and endorphins, boost our immune system, and even help counteract our body’s biological stress response.

From my experience as a music therapist, I’ve witnessed that musical memory is powerful, especially the music that we loved and emotionally connected to during our teen and early adulthood years. There is a strong link between music and memories. I have worked with many older adults with advanced dementia. They may have minimal to no orientation to people, place, and time, feel anxious and agitated, and be socially withdrawn. Without fail, these same patients experience a cognitive awakening when I present them with their favorite music from their teen years/early adulthood. We might observe them smiling, laughing, singing, and moving to the music including clapping, foot tapping, and dancing. We may also see more attentive behaviors like better eye contact, engaged physical posture, and more interested facial expressions. This results in an immediate increase in social interaction and a greater level of awareness. Patients in earlier stages of dementia can often reminisce and recount lived experiences with great accuracy when prompted by music.

In your work you’ve used music to help cancer survivors, treat mental illness and substance abuse disorders, help care for people with memory loss and individuals in assisted living, and help NICU babies and adults and children with developmental disabilities. In what ways have you personally observed music to be a healing balm or form of “medicine” to these diverse populations you have served?

It is important to acknowledge that music is intrinsically powerful, but that its benefits are not left up to chance. Rather, from the moment the therapist and client meet, the interactions (musical and non-musical), occur in a systematic process. All aspects of the interaction are intentional, methodical, and follow evidence-based guidelines of what constitutes good therapy. It is the interaction between the client, therapist, and music that results in the positive outcomes that we see. 

Here are a couple special moments from my clinical experience that I love sharing:

• Cancer patients: I remember walking into a patient’s room a couple of days following their surgery. The surgery had taken a huge physical and emotional toll on this patient, who had been battling stage IV cancer for several years. I had been working with this patient through those years and knew them and their family very well. Walking into the room and seeing them in such a state was very difficult. We talked a little bit about the surgery and how he was feeling. Afterwards, I started singing some of the patient’s favorite songs in a slow, quiet, gentle, somewhat sober manner. Musically, I was trying to match his emotional state as a way of reflecting and validating his experience. I intentionally left out lines or verses of certain songs that I felt were not congruent with the patient’s emotional state and experience in that moment. The patient took notice of this, pointed it out, and it led to a deep, meaningful discussion, where lots of thoughts and emotions were expressed. When I left the room, the patient appeared a little brighter. He was smiling, appreciative, and even made a few jokes regarding the situation.
• Older adults: One of my most favorite memories is of a patient with advanced dementia. I would see this patient twice a week in a group setting on a memory care unit. This patient was minimally responsive until one day when I played a great song called, “I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles,” a popular song during the 1920s. In addition to the song, I blew soap bubbles, many of the patients played instruments, and I encouraged them to reach for the bubbles. It was a fun, rich, sensory experience that the patients loved. All of a sudden, the patient smiled as joyfully as I had ever seen her. She was mouthing the lyrics and extending her arms in the air, visually tracking the bubbles, and trying to catch as many as possible. She even tried standing up! I had never seen such a response from her. The music resulted in a cognitive awakening. The patient was fully present and actively engaged in the group for several moments. She enjoyed herself immensely and it’s truly one of the most beautiful moments I’ve ever witnessed.