Adolescent Medicine & Child Psychology

Music is a very important element that connects quickly the child with the environment and with emotions (Del Olmo 2010‐2015). In our experience at the Hospital “La Paz” from Madrid since more than a decade, we have found that music applied therapeutically provides information to the medical and

nursing staff about who are the patient, relative to their emotional state, level of pain anxiety, and their mental and psychological problems, such as has been seen in the different units which are held music therapy sessions in this hospital. Music therapy sessions are performed with live music, where the child participates in an active way, playing the instrument and / or singing.

The music therapist helps the child to carry out a coherent musical performance with an emotional meaning for him. The music therapist organizes an artistic space for the children where it is easy to have a beautiful experience with music Musical Improvisations of familiar childrens songs or proposed by the music therapist changes immediately the environment. In words of Wallon (1951/1985) it will have a direct impact on the biology of hospitalized children.Having a musical experience, (active musical experience) allows immediate release of endorphins and improves physical and mental patient responses (S. Malloch, 2004; J.Standley, 2002; J. Del Olmo 2010; Loewy, 2013; Del Olmo 2015) 2.Therefore, we should take into account the importance of these active musical experiences in recovering and preventing the development of hospitalized children.