When Music Heals
- Lisa Foydel
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to highlight ways we can support mental health and well-being. Music is one of the most powerful and accessible resources that help people cope with stress, anxiety, and depression. Whether you’re listening, singing, or playing an instrument, music can provide comfort, connection, and hope.
The Science Behind Music and Mental Health
Music is far more than entertainment. It has profound effects on both the brain and body. Engaging with music activates regions of the brain involved in memory, emotion, movement, decision-making, and reward, helping to regulate mood and promote healing.
A 2019 study by the Canadian Center of Science and Education found that college students who listened to classical music daily for two months experienced significantly lower levels of anxiety. Even small, consistent doses of music can make a meaningful difference.
Music also benefits the body by:
Lowering heart rate and blood pressure
Relaxing muscle tension
Releasing endorphins, the body’s natural mood boosters
Relieving stress and encouraging calm
Music Therapy: A Path to Healing
Music therapy (one of the many music professions we highlighted last month) is a specialized form of healthcare that uses music to improve mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Sessions may involve playing an instrument, composing music, listening to music, singing, and dancing. A trained therapist customizes each session to match the individual’s needs and goals.
Studies have shown that music therapy is highly effective for treating depression, anxiety, and trauma, especially when combined with traditional treatments like psychotherapy and medication.
Bethany Cook, PsyD, a Chicago-based psychologist and music therapist, encourages her clients to use music intentionally. When feeling overwhelmed, she suggests listening to instrumental pieces without lyrics. “Music without words allows listeners to project their own feelings and struggles into the sound,” Cook explains. “It creates a safe space to process difficult emotions.”
The Mental Health Benefits of Playing Music
While listening to music is powerful, playing an instrument deepens the experience, offering even greater benefits for mental health. Research has shown that playing music can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression while building resilience and emotional strength in the following ways.
Reduces stress and anxiety: The rhythmic, repetitive nature of playing helps lower cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone, promoting relaxation. Surya Sundar, an MCM violin student, told us, “I feel a sense of calm when I play the violin. I tend to pick up and play the violin for a few minutes when I feel stressed.”
Boosts mood and happiness: Playing music triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward, which helps lift one's mood and provide a sense of accomplishment.
Builds self-confidence: Learning to play a musical instrument and expressing yourself creatively strengthens self-esteem. Doing it well is an additional benefit!
Encourages mindfulness: Playing requires focus and presence, quieting racing thoughts and providing a break from stress.
Playing an instrument isn’t always about becoming a virtuoso. It’s a way to unwind, challenge yourself creatively, and connect with others. This is true for people of all ages. See our article on how playing music can help children and teens here.
Music Builds Connection and Community
Isolation and loneliness are major risk factors for depression and suicide. Music has a unique ability to bring people together, fostering belonging and social support.
Shared music experiences create powerful connections. Research by Dingle et al. (2021) shows that group music-making can reduce loneliness and improve overall emotional well-being.
We encourage our students to join groups like the Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra or participate in our Summer Chamber Music Camp as a way to connect and perform with other musicians. Over the years, we’ve seen incredible friendships form through the shared experience of making music - sometimes during formal rehearsals with a conductor, and other times simply while laughing and playing pop songs or even jingles for fun. These moments of connection show us the joy of building connections and community through music.
Tips for Using Music as a Coping Tool
If you’re ready to bring music into your mental health toolkit, try these strategies:
Choose music intentionally: Pick songs that reflect the mood you want to achieve, not necessarily the mood you’re currently in.
Go instrumental when overwhelmed: Playing or listening to music without lyrics leaves room for your personal interpretation and emotional processing.
Engage actively: Sing, dance, or play along to experience music physically, not just passively.
Find a group: Joining a chamber group, a chamber orchestra or full orchestra at school, or MPO provides both creative expression and social support.
Music as a Path to Hope
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when social interaction was severely limited, we witnessed firsthand the profound impact music can have. Brian Hoffman, Midwest Conservatory of Music Director and cellist, recalls, “a few bright memories from these times, when music was able to (safely) bring me together with friends. We wanted to create something beautiful for others to enjoy, but we discovered we had also been missing the profound joy of playing together.
“In December 2021, I was invited to Evanston to record a Bach Cello Suite and live chamber music at an institute for Memory Care patients, learning and playing music that was especially meaningful to my own grandparents' generation. "Performing" before an array of cameras and microphones, the music we recorded there was shared and appreciated by many patients in many facilities.
“In October 2020, I collaborated with two friends, a soprano and a pianist, to perform a live-streamed concert presented by the 19th Century Club in Oak Park. We had a great time rehearsing outdoors in the backyard of a Chicago home, often drawing a crowd from down the alleyways. Neighbors and strangers alike were thrilled to connect and experience music together, as brief and informal as it was. The concert itself was performed in an empty concert hall. While our trio performed together from opposite ends of the stage (social distancing), our streaming concert reached many individuals and families in their homes. We received such warm feedback after the performance. As artists, this also made us feel useful after many of our performance opportunities had suddenly disappeared. I remain very grateful for the unexpected and uplifting gift of music during those difficult times!”
Suicide Prevention Awareness Month is a reminder of the importance of connection, understanding, and hope. Music offers all three. It provides a safe outlet for self-expression, eases stress and anxiety, and strengthens bonds with others.
You don’t need to be a professional musician to benefit. Whether you’re humming a tune in your kitchen, strumming a guitar, or attending a local concert, music can be a source of healing and resilience.
If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out for help. The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.
Even in difficult times, music reminds us that harmony and hope are always within reach.