And parents of young children are buying special releases of Mozart tailored for toddlers and infants. Whether any of these steps achieve the intended results is not yet under formal study. No one disputes the lift we can get from music, at least no person who has ever danced a step or tapped a toe. Music stirs the emotions and body energy by finding its way into a sensory brain center called the limbic system. The greatest excitement about music therapy is that sounds somehow enter the body at a cellular level.
Brain waves play a role, too.
The human body vibrates at a certain frequency, which is an accepted fact among doctors involved in sonic therapies used in hospitals and medical practices. Moore said doctors are most comfortable with music therapy when its effects on health can be quantified. He commended music therapists for developing such research, but saved his highest praise for their certification process, which contributes to professional standards of care. The Richmond, Va.-based Certification Board for Music Therapists oversees a national certification process that includes formal education, internships, board exams and continuing education requirements. What attracted DeNeve to music as a healer is more instinctual than tangible -like explaining why one prefers Mozart more than Bach or the Spinners to the Islay Brothers.