m. Music doth sooth the savage beast...and sometimes people too

m. Music doth soothe the savage beast...and sometimes people too Music is not as simple as you might think. There are concepts that are absolute some that are much more subtle and some that depend. It is a powerful tool no matter what your goals and intentions. There are some types of music that are simply not relaxing. Many years ago I was working with a young man in therapy. He was about 12 years old. We were talking about stress reduction and he said that he relaxed to music from the band Metalica. Instead of disagreeing with him, I suggested we check it out. He brought his Metalica in and I hooked him up to some simple biofeedback that would measure changes in his stress levels at his fingers tips. (Remember that under stress our blood is focused on the large muscle groups to allow us to fight or flee, the hands are not a large muscle group and while they may perspire, they do not generally warm under stress. Both the perspiration and the heat can be measured for an indicator, as well as muscle tension.) After doing this I turned on the Metalica as loud as he would like and left the room. After a few pieces had finished, I returned to the room, turned off Metalica and we looked at the readings. There was no need for any argument about whether Metalica would help him relax, it was obvious that it did the opposite. Point #1. In order for music to be relaxing, it needs to be enjoyable to the individual; however, some music, even if enjoyable, is not relaxing. Country music, especially some of the older pieces, can be relaxing, if the person listening, enjoys the music. Have you ever driven down a highway at 55mph, 65mph, 75mph or faster, then suddenly come across a town that you must drive through at 25mph? When ever I do this, it feels like it will drive me crazy. Going at what seems like a snails pace, in comparison to what I was going is not relaxing for me or for most people I know. It is more relaxing to gradually slow down. It can be stressful when it has to be done abruptly. Point #2. Most of us, unless very practiced and skilled in relaxation, need a gentle transition to a more relaxed state. The tempo of the music should be just a little slower than your tempo. As you relax, play quieter music with a slower tempo. Perhaps the most relaxing music available is baroque. The rhythm is almost perfectly suited to the rhythm of the brain when it is the most tranquil and open to learning. The most relaxing piece that I know of is Pachelbel's Canon. The version that is the most relaxing is at half the normal speed and is Daniel Kobialka’s found on Timeless Motion. He also has some great relaxing music for children. Gentle music can also help with transitions. Especially when working with children, if there are regular transitions that they go through during the day, start paring the instruction with a particular piece of music. After a while, you can delete the instruction. The music can be the cue that it’s time to transition. If going from a quiet activity to a louder more fast past activity, such as from reading to playing outside, try music that is just a little faster tempo than their current activity but not as fast as what they will go to. If there are things that must be done before going to play outside, it will make it easier to complete the transition activities. If you want to transition from a play time to story time (hopefully it will be in a different location even if in the same room as context is also very important), play music with a slower tempo than the play time tempo, but not slower than the story time tempo. Once in the story time place, you can play music with just a little slower tempo, but you want them to listen and enjoy the story, not go to sleep. Note: Music, with deep breathing and muscle tightening and relaxing are a great combination.