Effects of Regulative Music Therapy on the Mind and Body in Subjects with Music Experience

Abstract

This study aims to investigate how a few months of regulative music therapy (RMT) influences the mind and body in subjects with music experience. Twelve healthy subjects (4 males and 8 females, mean age: 26.5±7.9 years) were recruited and categorized based on music experience into two groups: a group with music experience and a group without music experience. Saliva samples were collected before and after each experiment, and the subjects’ salivary levels of cortisol and secretory immunoglobulin A (S-IgA) were analyzed in relation to their musical experience. The subjects also completed the psychological stress response scale (SRS)-18 questionnaire before and after the experiment, and the resultant data were examined vis-à-vis music experience. In addition, the subjects were asked to give feedback via free description and interview. The study revealed both a physiological stress index (S-IgA levels) and a psychological stress index (SRS-18 scores) of the subjects with music experience were affected by continuing RMT, resulting in noteworthy stress reductions. However, according to the open answers, the subjects with music experience were very sensitive to the instrument they had practiced for a long time and particular about their taste in performance.