Music is said to 鈥渟oothe the savage beast.鈥� It can be a way of calming heartache, pain and emotions. No, it can鈥檛 conquer the coronavirus beast, but it can help soothe the nerves of people riding out the agonies of the epidemic.

That鈥檚 where students and teachers from the music therapy program of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music come into play. They have decided to make use of their music training to help ease people鈥檚 anxiety over the viral outbreak and the rigors of being cooped up at home.

鈥淔ind yourself a comfortable position and close your eyes.鈥�

Feng Zhuoyan, a sophomore in music therapy education, is using visual software on a laptop to talk to a housewife who is anxious because her husband works at a medical institution in Shanghai.

鈥淚n addition to anxiety about her husband鈥檚 occupation in these trying times, her limited social life makes her restless,鈥� Feng explained to Shanghai Daily. 鈥淲hat I have been doing is helping her try to shift her focus and find peace in mind.鈥�

Feng and seven other students are members of an online music therapy project initiated by the conservatory earlier this month. Under the instruction of professors, the student 鈥渢herapists鈥� are volunteering their services to those in need of help.

鈥淲e prefer calling them 鈥榲isitors鈥� instead of 鈥榩atients,鈥欌�� Feng said, 鈥渂ecause they are just ordinary people in need of temporary psychological help. I鈥檓 extremely happy when I receive positive feedback from my visitors. It is satisfying to help people.鈥�

According to Professor Yang Yanyi, one of the instructors in the project, music therapy is still a relatively new concept in China.

鈥淪ocial practice and application play an important part in our education,鈥� said Yang. 鈥淢usic therapy students have been frequently involved in community service and hospital volunteer activities. What is special about this project is that the whole procedure is conducted online instead of the traditional face-to-face method.鈥�

Music therapy is an interdisciplinary major that integrates musicology, psychology, sociology, and education theory and practice. It employs specific music activities to achieve the purpose of maintaining, restoring, improving and promoting physical and mental well-being. The major, better developed in the United States and some European countries, is just emerging in China.

Yang said the project was initially designed to help medical professionals ease the stress of their work during the epidemic.

鈥淎part from doctors and nurses tending novel coronavirus patients at the front line, other medical professionals, including those working in Shanghai鈥檚 hospitals, are under great pressure too,鈥� said Yang. 鈥淭hey are exposed to more potential dangers than before. The increase in patient anxiety also affects medical staff.鈥�

Yang said the project is accessible to the general public regardless of occupation or location. People can make appointments through the project鈥檚 official WeChat account (shcm1927). The eight music therapists each work three-hour shifts from home.

Tong Xinxin, a senior majoring in music therapy, has served more than 20 people in the past two weeks. Most of them were women aged between 30 and 50, including medical staff from the Yueyang Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Shanghai Ruijin Hospital and Shuguang Hospital.

Tong said some of them were stressed by heavy workloads and some were suffering anxiety after reading continuous negative news during the epidemic.

Each therapy session lasts for about half an hour. Tong said she most often uses what she calls a three-step 鈥渞elaxation treatment.鈥�

鈥淭he first step is to play some soft music and instruct the visitor to relax physically,鈥� Tong said. 鈥淚n the second step, I play some music with natural sounds, like birds singing and a river flowing, while asking the visitor to picture what they hear. The purpose of this step is to encourage the visitor to fully engage his or her imagination and shift focus from anxiety.鈥�

She continued: 鈥淭he third step is to ask the visitor to move his or her body a bit and observe their surroundings when returning to the real world from the imagined one. That way, we hope they will return to real life in a more relaxed mood.鈥�

The music used by the therapists is chosen from a musical library the team gathered during preparation for the project. It鈥檚 not necessarily famous or classical pieces, but rather music that serve specific functions.

The library has been expanding as therapists gain more understanding of those they are treating. The professors organize online conferences every day to allow the student therapists to exchange ideas and discuss problems they have encountered.

The therapists do follow-up calls to people they have treated to ask how they are doing and determine if further treatment might be beneficial.

Tong said one of the major difficulties the therapists have encountered is the gear needed for online sessions.

鈥淲e teach them how to use certain software and try to maintain a smooth treatment procedure,鈥� said Tong. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as convenient and efficient as face-to-face communication, but we are doing our best under these special circumstances.鈥�

Both Tong and Feng confessed they themselves experienced some anxiety before the start of the project because online treatment was a new experience for them, too. A one-week training session ahead of the project and continuous communication among therapists and their instructors helped them overcome their initial worries.

鈥淔or myself, I was not confident enough about the online format,鈥� said Feng. 鈥淏ut the outcome can be described as satisfying. I鈥檓 happy to use this project as a means of popularizing music therapy among the public.鈥�

The Shanghai Conservatory of Music introduced music therapy as a major about 10 years ago. The program recruits no more than six students each year. Some students start their own clinics after graduation, and some go to work for medical or mental institutions, special education schools and prison programs.

鈥淢usic therapy has broad application,鈥� said Yang. 鈥淔or example, we have designed background music for some hospitals in Shanghai to create a relaxing, harmonious atmosphere. Music therapy can also be used in clinical treatment.鈥�

Recommended
therapy music

For relaxation:

Bach: 鈥淕oldberg Variations鈥�

Grieg: 鈥淟yric Pieces鈥�

Brahms: 鈥淭wo Rhapsodies,鈥� 鈥淚ntermezzo in E Minor鈥�

Erik Berglund: 鈥淟ake of Enchantment鈥� from 鈥淗arp of the Healing Waters鈥�

Stanton Lanier: 鈥淎waken the Dawn鈥� and 鈥淒ecember Peace鈥�

Dave Grusin: 鈥淥n Golden Pond鈥�

For revitalization:

Johann Strauss Jr: 鈥淢orgenbl盲tter鈥�

Haydn: 鈥淧iano Sonata in E Minor鈥�

Mozart: 鈥淓ine Kleine Nachtmusik鈥�

Vivaldi: 鈥淐oncerto for Violin and Strings in A Minor鈥�