Music can elicit powerful emotional responses, soothe or heal wounds, motivate individuals, or serve as a creative outlet for artists.
Music transcends cultures, languages, and lifestyles; show two individuals the same song and they may each interpret it differently.
Music has been found to stimulate dopamine release, the chemical linked with rewards and pleasure, which explains its addictive qualities.
Music Enthusiast
An avid music enthusiast is someone who appreciates various types of genres and artists. These individuals typically own an extensive music library that they enjoy revisiting frequently, often searching out the latest releases. Furthermore, music enthusiasts often love live concerts and often purchase concert tickets. Some may even play instruments and want to learn.
Musicians tend to love all forms of music and find it hard to go a day without listening to their favorites. Listening can bring out strong emotional responses in them; songs may both bring happiness and sadness for them. Music serves as a form of self-expression for them and they look forward to connecting with artists through their works.
Music enthusiasts are an invaluable source of knowledge, teaching others about various genres or artists. Melophiles – or music lovers – tend to socialize with like-minded individuals who share similar musical interests and are not afraid of trying new things. Historically they would meet at record stores to talk about recent albums they had purchased; now these individuals enjoy sharing their love of music with others through this hobby known as Melophilia.
Music Obsessive
Musical obsessions are intrusive recollections of songs or pieces that recur repeatedly in one’s mind and cause anxiety, often becoming ego-dystonic. Individuals suffering from musical obsessions may seek to neutralize this intrusion through compulsive behaviors such as listening to other forms of music – often not related to what has been playing repeatedly in their head – at high volumes through headphones; often at no better result than trying to manage her musical obsessions effectively which lead to significant distress and impairment of daily functioning.
Musical obsessions can vary in their content, from single songs or series of them over time, typically popular music but also including jingles or cell phone ringtones, lasting months to years in duration. Musical obsessions are widely underestimated clinical phenomenon – not included on Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Symptom Checklist (Y-BOCS), misinterpreted as psychotic phenomena, and are frequently missed when diagnosing OCD; over 100 cases have been reported, often among young adults.
Patients suffering from musical obsessions can be treated successfully using similar strategies as those applied to other forms of OCD. Antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), including Clomipramine, and cognitive behavioral therapy are the preferred treatments; in the case of this specific patient fluoxetine provided an incredible reduction in her musical obsessions allowing for a richer and more fulfilling lifestyle overall.
Musical Obsessives possess an intense love of music and are always searching for unknown artists that no one else knows about. Their quest is to be the first person to discover an up-and-coming artist and feel great joy when their song goes viral on social media platforms such as Spotify or Soundcloud. A true Music Obsessive loves sharing his or her favorite bands or artists with his/her friends!
Music Junkie
Music fans, or “music junkies”, tend to listen to a wide range of genres and artists. With playlists tailored for every occasion and knowing all their favourite songs by heart, these listeners never go a day without listening to some form of audio entertainment. A true fan can tell you all the lyrics to all their favourite tunes as well as explain what each means personally to them.
These individuals are devoted to music, often spending a great deal of money to ensure they have top-of-the-line equipment to achieve optimal sound quality. They often quote song lyrics verbatim from memory and may have their favorite artist or band that they admire more than any others.
Attending live concerts is something they love doing and they make sure they see all their favourite musicians perform live at least once; perhaps more often if a concert left an emotional impression. These music fans typically own an extensive collection of records and CDs.
One will know the difference between good and bad music, as well as being able to assess whether a band they are listening to fits their taste or not. They will be fans of the artists themselves and support them financially when possible; additionally they may recommend music to others and also be aware of any new releases by their favorite bands that would like to hear as soon as possible.
Music Therapist
Music can be an immensely effective means of tapping into our innate rhythmic sensibility and having an instantaneous impact on emotions, which explains why healthcare professionals often play music to patients during recovery or bedside care sessions. Meanwhile, music therapy takes this concept even further by applying musical experiences toward meeting specific clinical goals.
Music therapy professionals work across healthcare and educational environments to offer clients therapeutic benefits such as promoting physical rehabilitation, relieving stress levels and improving overall quality of life. Furthermore, trained music therapists utilize their training to aid those experiencing anxiety and depression.
Music therapy sessions may be conducted individually or as part of a group and tailored specifically to each client’s needs. A music therapist will first meet with their client to assess individual goals, music preferences and past musical experiences to create a customized treatment plan unique to every session. They may also liaise with healthcare providers for holistic approaches to treatment.
Sessions may either focus on the creative process, where a client actively contributes to creating music through song improvisation or drumming; or on the receptive one, whereby music listening experiences provide relaxation while providing opportunities to discuss thoughts, feelings or ideas generated by listening to certain pieces of music.
Music therapy goes beyond music-based interventions: rhythm and melodic activities can also help develop motor skills, encourage emotional expression and communication, foster social interactions and support cognitive stimulation to promote memory and attention. Music therapists must keep meticulous records of assessment and progress reports as well as regularly evaluate and adapt treatment plans according to observed outcomes and client needs.
Music therapists can be found working across healthcare and educational settings such as hospitals (NHS and private), schools, pupil referral units, day centres, care homes, hospices and private practices in the UK. In order to practice as a music therapist you must possess an approved music therapy degree from an accredited institute and register with the Health Care Professions Council (HCPC).