How to begin Conversations using Music

Which song do you love to listen to over and over? Why is it your favorite song? Does it make you feel better? Well, that is what music therapy is all about. It doesn’t matter if its Bachata, the Beatles, Brad Paisley or Bruno Mars.

Speaking during a webinar series by Rotary Club of Lang’ata, US-based singer, producer and music director David Hunter described music therapy as the new tool that will help initiate therapy conversations especially in cultures or societies where therapy is not a priority and often viewed as a form of weakness.

According to the father of three, therapy is critical regardless of the cultural setting because anyone’s ability to grow and develop is based on specific variables that must balance out. “I think that music therapy can be used as a means to start conversations. It can be a way of maybe introducing a thought or an idea without it being intrusive in a way of addressing an issue,” he said in part.

David, who has worked with big names in the industry such as Kelly Rowland, went on to paint a picture of how music therapy can be used to slowly help individuals open up and release their burdens especially those in societies where therapy is still a foreign concept.

“So, if a song is speaking about a concern you have, you can use it to introduce the thought like, hey, listen to this song and tell me what you think about it. Because right now we’re talking about social injustice and things that are affecting our communities in a particular song. So, this will open a playing field for a conversation to start. And this conversation will be the beginning of a form of therapy because it gets to the individual and they start to speak up about their own personal experiences,” he added.

 “Sonic Intervention is a project I chose and it is a form of music therapy that specifically addresses emotional and social support for people that have dealt with trauma, or in current times, such as situations with COVID19,” he said. However, anyone can listen to music but, according to David, who believes in continually seeking new sounds and higher standards in his approach to his music projects, Sonic Intervention is a special type of therapy because it professionally incorporates music in the healing process of an individual.