From harpist to music therapist: Singaporean tells why she made career switch during Covid-19 pandemic – TODAY

One of the secret magic of using music as a form of therapy, Ms Koh said, is its ability to excite and motivate patients.

Anyone can benefit from music therapy because musical training or background is not needed for one to enjoy music. For some patients who may not be as responsive to music or dislike music, Dr Tan said that the therapist may refer them to other rehabilitative services.

Ms Koh noted: When we first tell the patients we are doing music therapy, many of them think that they are just going to sit back and listen to music. But they often end up doing plenty of things during their therapy session.

For example, we had a patient who had undergone a knee replacement surgery. She complained of being very tired after 30 seconds of standing, but had no problems doing so when we played a three- to four-minute song.

Ms Koh explained that other than distracting patients from pain and discomfort, for instance, music is also emotionally uplifting and provides a source of motivation.

This is especially so when you play something that the person really enjoys listening to and loves. For example, for older folk, it could be a Teresa Teng song, she said, referring to the Taiwanese singer who was a household name in the 1960s and 1970s with her hit ballads and folk songs.

Ms Koh joked that thanks to her internship at St Lukes, she has built up an even wider repertoire of retro songs in various languages, including Malay, as well as songs in Chinese dialects such as Cantonese, Hokkien and Teochew.

On some weekends, she still performs part-time at hotels and events.

Studies here and abroad have shown that music therapy can improve well-being as well as reduce symptoms of pain, mood and depression.

Mr Eng from AMTS pointed out, for instance, that music therapy has been shown to be effective in managing behavioural and neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia such as agitation, aggressive behaviour and anxiety.

At St Lukes Hospital, research studies are underway to look into the benefits of music therapy for pain management, psychosocial support, palliative care and rehabilitation, Dr Tan said.

Music therapy is listed as one of the recommendations in the Ministry of Healths clinical practice guidelines for dementia.

The guidelines mention the effect of music on agitated behaviours, and how music can be used to induce therapeutic effect, reduce caregiver distress, increase meaningful interactions, and improve mood and socialisation, Mr Eng said.

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From harpist to music therapist: Singaporean tells why she made career switch during Covid-19 pandemic - TODAY