Music is Medicine Event at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

2023-12-06 18:29:45

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) hosted the first “Music is Medicine” event to highlight the impact of music on mental health and well-being.

Xavier Becerra, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services

The event, which took place in the Great Hall of the HHS headquarters building, featured local musicians, including:

HeatStroke Band and Show, DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department  

The Golden Years Choir, Vida Senior Center  

U.S. Public Health Service Corps Ensemble, HHS 

3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Steel Drummers, Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School

Secretary Xavier Becerra opened the event with a speech in which he discussed the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to mental health and will describe actions taken in recent years to improve access to mental health services.

There is something regarding music, especially live music, that excites and activates the body and mind. Scientific evidence has shown that music can help reduce stress and anxiety, and provide ongoing pain relief, or simply help people connect with a healthy part of themselves. “When it comes to health, there are cases where expensive things or difficult treatments are not needed, there are simple ways like music that is healing,” he said.

Then Maria Del Rosario, PhD, Chair, National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), said in her speech that we cannot achieve a country of opportunities if that is not accompanied by access to the arts for mental well-being. ”We are still learning how the arts help us navigate health,” she said.

Scientific evidence can have several positive effects on mental health, and these effects have been supported by various scientific research such as:

Stress and anxiety reduction: Listening to relaxing music can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. Music has the ability to influence the nervous system, decreasing the production of stress-related hormones, such as cortisol. Mood Enhancement: Music can elevate mood and increase feelings of happiness. Listening to music you like activates the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter related to pleasure and reward. Pain relief: Music can serve as a distraction from pain and reduce the perception of it. In medical settings, music is often used as a complementary therapy for pain management. Promoting relaxation: Soft, calm music can induce a state of deep relaxation, helping people fall asleep or reduce muscle tension. Cognitive stimulation: Music can improve concentration and memory. In some cases, music has been used to help people with neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s. Emotional expression: Playing an instrument or composing music can be an effective way to express emotions and release emotional tensions.

We met one of the Latinas who sang in the Golden Years choir called Leopoldina Villanueva, an 85-year-old Honduran, and she told us how music has benefited her in her life: “I came to this country and lost a son in Honduras since I “They killed because of the violence in the country, when I am surrounded by music I have been able to feel that I live once more and it fills voids,” she said. “I love to sing and dance, I participate in all the activities, you have to enjoy.”

Leopoldina Villanueva

The event concluded with the band HeatStroke, a DC go-go band made up of firefighters and paramedics who began performing during the pandemic to help each other and address mental health with the healing power of music.

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