COVID and Music Therapy

At the beginning of the lockdown in 2020, people in Italy sang from their balconies and windows to boost each other’s morale. Music has a way of connecting people, lifting our spirits, and can even be applied in medical care to help those who are struggling with illnesses. For the last two years, there has been no health problem more pressing than COVID-19, in terms of the infection, as well as the psychological and emotional effects of lockdown. Dr Lori Gooding, Associate Professor of Music Therapy, Florida State University, and Dr Indra Selvarajah, Medical Music Therapist, from Universiti Putra Malaysia, join us to share how medical music therapy has played a role in the pandemic, and whether it can help patients with long COVID. Dr Gooding is also President of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) and former Chair of the Covid-19 Taskforce for AMTA.

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