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Steamboat Springs — You are sitting in your car, and a certain song comes on the radio. A flurry of emotion pumps through your veins and transports you to a different time and place.

That feeling can leave as quickly as it came or change your mood for the entire day.

Music’s ability to reach us on a deep, emotional level has long fascinated scientists and spurred special therapies that use music to help people experiencing or recovering from challenges including autism, Alzheimer’s disease, grief, chronic pain, stroke and depression.

Orchestra opportunity

The benefits of music, as therapy and entertainment, for older adults, encouraged coordinators of the nonprofit Steamboat Symphony Orchestra to provide free admission to a matinee concert to hospice patients, low-income older adults and residents of long-term living facilities in Routt County.

Letters of invitation have been offered directly to facilities and organizations helping eligible people. The orchestra’s first concert is Sept. 5 at Strings Music Pavilion.

“We have a lot of local supporters and donors, and it’s just a way to give back. … Music plays a very important part in many people’s lives — maybe increasingly so for seniors and this group we are reaching out to,” said Lou Mathews, executive director of the Steamboat Symphony Orchestra.

Fifty-five musicians, including locals and out-of-town musicians, make up the orchestra, led by music director Ernest Richardson. The dedication and talent of the group, made up of full- and part-time musicians, make for a high-quality classical music experience people might not expect in a rural area.

“We are so incredibly proud of this orchestra,” Mathews said.

Music therapy

Various studies indicate that regularly listening to certain types of music can help reduce chronic pain, high blood pressure and stress; facilitate relaxation and concentration; and boost immunity, among other benefits.

During World War I and World War II, musicians would play for physically and emotionally traumatized veterans in hospitals. Veterans’ positive health response, and the realization that specially trained musicians could have an even more positive effect, drove the evolution of music therapy as a profession in the U.S.

Today, degree programs at Colorado State University and other schools train students to customize musical activities to the particular needs of individuals and groups.

Many music therapists specialize in helping certain populations. Neurologic music therapy, for example, focuses on stimulating brain or behavior functions in patients with conditions affecting their nervous systems.

People who have suffered strokes, for example, may be able to sing when they are having difficulty speaking. Therapy emphasizing rhythms and singing can help these people develop functional speech, explained Meridith Lager, a music therapist in Denver.

“The way the brain processes music is really fascinating,” said Lager, who works primarily with people who have Alzheimer’s disease and dementia living in skilled nursing and assisted living facilities.

Depending on patients’ needs, Lager may facilitate activities that involve singing familiar songs or making music with drums or hand-held percussion, dancing or moving to music to encourage exercise.

Sometimes, she will play music from the 1930s and 1940s to spur memories and discussion. She may work with physical therapists, occupational therapists or other professionals to reach specific goals.

“Almost immediately, I see a positive change in (participants’) mood and emotional states,” she said.

Overall, she aims to reduce participants’ anxiety and improve their self-esteem for a positive experience.

Music is a familiar and thus non-threatening activity for many people, which helps open the door for emotional stimulation where other activities are unsuccessful.

“It provides opportunities for self-expression when they have little control over other parts of their lives,” Lager said.

Structure and success

Audrey Lyons, a music therapist at the Julie Temple Healthcare Center in Englewood, develops music activities based on the skills and needs of patients with middle- to late-stage Alzheimer’s disease.

Once the activities become routine, they add structure to participants’ daily lives, boosting their confidence, reducing their anxiety and improving their attention span and listening skills.

“I’m able to set them up for success, and they feel good about themselves,” Lyons said. “Music helps provide structure and timing that motivates them and keeps them going.”

Lyons developed a playlist of residents’ favorite songs that are played on speakers in parts of the facility. The same songs are played during certain routines, such as walking to the dinner hall or getting ready for bed.

“We’ve noticed the environment is calmer, and there is less agitation,” she said.

Music therapy also can be helpful for families coping with the challenges of a loved one’s Alzheimer’s or dementia.

“You can get a glimpse of mom or dad once in a while through the use of music,” Lyons said.

For more information about music therapy, visit the American Music Therapy Association at www.musictherapy.org or the Colorado Association of Music Therapy at www.musictherapycolorado.org.

This article includes information from the American Music Therapy Association and www.emedexpert.com.

Tamera Manzanares writes for the Aging Well program and can be reached at tmanzanares@nwcovna.org. Aging Well, a division of Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, is a community-based program of healthy aging for adults 50 and older. For more information, visit www.agingwelltoday.com or call 871-7676.