Playing and singing music with others helps with my chemo side-effects. It has helped more than any other musical thing that I’ve tried.
Music Therapy
The week I was diagnosed with cancer, I looked up music therapy. Was there anyone local where I could get treatment? Would it help with cancer or was it more targeted towards other diseases? What exactly does music therapy entail?
Well, I found a list of what a typical therapist does during a music therapy session. I found similar lists all over the internet. Here it is:
- Create music. You might compose music, write lyrics, or make up music together
- Sing music. Use your voice to share a piece of music.
- Listen to music. Enjoy the sound and lyrics.
- Move to music. It can be as simple as tapping your toes together or as complicated as a coordinated dance.
- Discuss lyrics. Read or listen to the lyrics of a song and talk about their meaning.
- Play an instrument. Use an instrument like a piano, guitar, drums, etc. to share music.
I took one look at that list above and said, “I do all of those things a lot because of what I do.”
I asked my oncologist about music therapy and she said that all they do is a drum circle, which is canceled right now due to covid.
Chemo Side-Effects
One of my side-effects from chemo is my heart races. The first time it happened, I didn’t know what to do. After I thought about it for awhile, I remembered a study that came out a few years ago about heartbeats syncing in choirs.
I set out to see if playing or singing music helps with my chemo side-effects.
Experimentation
Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional and I’m not a scientist. These are my personal results, they’re not a study. If someone would like to contact me to further these findings, please do.
I made my kids sing with me and it helped! My heartbeat went from 120 down to 100. It stayed down there for a good couple of days.
I had a few friends come over and sing with me. My heartrate went all over the place, but about half an hour after they left, it settled down for a few days. I never checked my heartrate afterwards, but it didn’t bother me so that was good.
Then I decided to experiment. I made my oldest child play flute and clarinet duets with me. She’s in her fifth year and the duets were a little on the easy side for me. My heartbeat went from 115 down to 90.
I had my youngest play flute duets with me. No change, but she’s only in her second year and the duets might be too easy for me.
I played flute and trombone duets for half an hour with a friend. My heartrate went from 110 down to 70. Jackpot!
Piano was more of a hinderance than a help. Another chemo side effect I have is that I’m shaky. My aim is gone. I can’t hit jumps for the life of me and that’s frustrating.
So, what I discovered was that singing OR playing a wind instrument helps with my chemo side effect by calming down a racing heart. The harder the music was, the more effective it was at bringing down my pulse.
How I’ve been Implementing My Findings
In order to keep my pulse in a good place, I’ve been calling on my music friends to play or sing with me. I try to have at least one person over to the studio or the shop every two or three days.
I’m only playing with my musician friends who have volunteered to do this and cycling through my friends so I don’t become a burden to them. I also don’t set up a session with them when I’m going through a lot of fatigue.
Knowing that these sessions are coming up are something for me to look forward to. They’re fun and exciting. We’re basically sight-reading the whole time, which always makes for a ton of curveballs and extra laughs.
I’m so glad that I remembered that study and have been implementing it to the best of my ability. I hope it helps you, too!
