Arts Practices to Improve our Everyday Wellbeing | An Interview with Kathleen Cicero

By Maddie Pivonka

To continue my inquiry into arts practices to improve our daily wellbeing, I interviewed Kathleen Cicero, an undergrad in Music Therapy from Eastern Michigan University. Kathleen will soon be on her way to becoming a certified arts therapist. 

I wanted to interview Kathleen because she is right at the cusp of transitioning from learning about music therapy to putting it into practice, and I think she has a lot of insight into why more people should and are becoming involved with arts therapies. We had a lovely conversation spanning topics from the basics of music therapy to further accessibility to creative youth. I have taken our conversation and summarized the main questions and answers we were able to touch on. I want to thank Kathleen for her time, and I hope you all enjoy our conversation on Music Therapy. 

Defining Music Therapy

I started our conversation with the simple question “If you were to define music therapy to someone who had no connection to the arts, how would you?” which gave Kathleen the opportunity to share her elevator pitch previously prepared in one of her courses. 

As a performer myself, I love the idea of having an elevator pitch for these types of questions because, as we mention later, spreading the word is a big way we can make more people aware of this field. She described music therapy as a parallel to other forms of therapeutic practices as it is “helping the client reach a non-musical goal through music…there is a deeper meaning the music is trying to achieve.” Some examples of non-musical goals are lowering anxiety, working through past trauma, or coping with current pain. Music has the incredible ability to facilitate this healing in a way most would not expect if they were not pre-exposed to music. 

Music Therapy’s Impact

I then went on to ask if the impact of music therapy could be seen on people with different characteristics and backgrounds. She commented on observing work done on a 6-year-old as well as a 70-year-old, with similar goals and outcomes. The physical, mental, and emotional benefits were apparent in both ages, no matter their prior experiences. After mentioning her time at school and her ability to work with clients under supervision, I moved onto learning more about therapy outside of a school or office environment. 

At first, I asked if music therapy had to be facilitated by a therapist or in a similar setting, to which the answer was a definite yes. I learned it is very important to differentiate between art therapy and the work certified therapists do versus the therapeutic application of the arts on a daily basis. It is possible to reap these benefits on our own, but credit is most definitely due to those who have dedicated their education and lives to this field. Through this question we were able to discuss other organizations outside of the hospital or office that offer an array of arts therapies to “meet the client where they are at.” 

Each of the mediums contained in arts therapy are so adaptable that there is almost always something for a client to connect to and work on. Whether that is writing music one day or mashing clay the next, it is all up to the client to listen to their inner compass. As someone who has mainly studied and worked with music, I applauded Kathleen’s knowledge and ability to speak on an array of art therapies. This also helps me build a broad picture of the arts and how they all connect back to similar goals, processes, and results. 

Practices Within Music Therapy

To dive deeper into the actual practices included in music therapy, I prodded Kathleen about the connection between the arts and wellness and the rise in the holistic mindset. She touched on the fact that these treatments are proactive and one way to reduce our need for pharmaceutical treatments. To be clear, there is no good, bad, or one-way to treat any case, but self-sufficiency and the ability to maintain our health are tools of which each of us should be equipped. Utilizing the arts allows us to get to the root cause of our symptoms and heal them from the inside out. Kathleen describes the arts based therapy method as “treating each client as a whole person,” which means that you take their mind, body, and soul all into consideration. They see past the surface level symptoms, which may be just physical, to pinpoint what is happening in the mental or spiritual realm. This is important because, as Kathleen emphasized, health looks different for everyone. Just because someone presents as physically or mentally healthy does not mean there isn’t something else going on. Each client is worked one-on-one to find the medium that serves them best. 

Coping is something not only mentioned by Kathleen when I asked her about the most prominent mental and physical benefits, but also something bridging between all art therapies. Coping is the process of acknowledging and living effectively with physical pain or another symptom. In one example Kathleen provided, a group with Parkinson disease tapped into an expressive outlet and had the opportunity to connect with others like them. She worked with them virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even through the screen they felt the connection. She also mentioned the work being done in hospice and home care to make them more comfortable. 

Stated beautifully she noted, “Music brings out things we don't alway show in our everyday life…it makes us engage differently…it can help increase self esteem and feelings of worth and belonging.” Breaking down walls we have put up to conform to societal norms allows us to become a more true version of ourselves, and that is something that can be discovered through music therapy. I could tell Kathleen had a deep appreciation for music, and that is something she will pass on to her clients. 

We then discussed in more detail the different types of treatment within music therapy. I did not know that there are actually four different categories or methods they utilize: recreative (playing pre-composed songs), receptive (listening to music), improvisation (creating music on the spot), and composition (writing music). As someone with little experience beyond listening to music and playing the recorder in middle school, I was interested to hear more about how each category serves a different purpose. Kathleen described it a jumping off point for them to dip their toe into musical exploration before dedicating time to a certain one. It can be frustrating during this time of exploration and interaction with each technique if it does not come easy to them. As Kathleen describes, it is challenging but so rewarding to find what works for each individual. 

The Next Generation & Music Therapy

My next question was “why is it important for youth to be aware of this conjunction between arts and wellness?” Branching off of that we were able to note the growing interest in art therapy seen in the next generations. Because of the increase in media coverage on the creative arts and art therapy, more people find out about these techniques and possible benefits. She gave the example of Gabby Gifford, a former United States representative, who utilized music therapy to rewire her brain after suffering a gunshot wound. More details on her story can be found in my next arts therapy resource blog. 

Kathleen also notes that simply starting conversations with family and friends can be a small act with the possibility of big change. That is why I applauded her elevator pitch because it was a great way to put her education and work into a digestible form. The people and youth who may not know about art therapy or are afraid to approach therapy in this setting are the ones who need to hear these stories and explanations. Who knows the impact one conversation, one click, one link, or scroll on social media can have. 

Breaking down the stereotypes behind health and wellness, we realized most things we learn about health are related to external characteristics like our physique and how we eat. We are constantly fed images of the one way to be healthy but there is no one-size-fits-all to health. Although mental health is gaining momentum, it is still not the first thing taught in a generic health class. It could open doors to students thinking about how to better themselves in ways other than basic exercise and eating well. 

Our wellness routines should be adaptable to what we need day-to-day instead of a strict regimen to achieve a physical goal. Shifting our mindset around things we already like to do is one way we can change our daily routine without sacrificing what we love. Doing this can make music therapy and art therapy as a whole much more achievable. There is also a stereotype around therapy that you have to have something wrong with you to seek help, but that is not the case. We shouldn’t need a reason to prioritize our health, besides wanting to better ourselves. Access to art therapy could be especially important for those who did not benefit from other forms of therapy and want to explore a new realm. 

Music therapy is applied in pediatric hospitals as well as in eating disorder facilities, which shows the range its effect can have. We started to brainstorm other ways to increase accessibility like workshops to spread awareness for how to become involved with the arts in a therapeutic form or playlists available online to choose from that are designed to support a certain health goal. Another example Kathleen provided that could easily be applied to people everywhere is choosing one goal to be achieved through music and designing a small plan with steps to do just that. Sometimes all we need is a question or idea planted in our minds to get us thinking and moving. With these tools, people everywhere could be proactive and begin to heal before they get to the point they need to seek help. These ideas are small steps to achieve big goals but, because of passionate people like Kathleen, I believe it is possible.  

Integration of Arts Therapy

Considering how the arts are being presented to our youth in schools and other similar facilities,  I noted how most schools have an “art credit”. This is similar to a science or language credit, which can be easily sufficed through one art class. But why stop there? Art is something that should be on an equal playing field with other courses. Of course there are rudimentary skills learned in math and english classes, but the social skills and creativity developed in arts courses are just as important for young people. Kathleen noted how a therapeutic application of the arts could be especially beneficial to high-strung middle schoolers and highschoolers. Things like listening to music to help ease anxiety and mediation are both techniques they could benefit from on a daily basis. 

As a college student myself, I am considering how I can find more peace throughout my busy day by utilizing music instead of scrolling on my phone. This thought led us to consider COVID-19 and what the next generation experienced in virtual education. The time they could have been physically exploring the arts was replaced with screen time, which could become a life-long habit. Along with not providing art in schools, there may be other issues such as finances that keep our youth from discovering the arts. Kathleen is thankful for her upbringing which allowed her access to music unlike some because after school programs and instruments are not cheap. It makes me question if schools are the gatekeepers to these artistic childhood experiences and how we can ensure every child has access to the arts. 

Breaking Down Barriers

We ended our conversation noting one last barrier to art therapy, which is of our own doing. Kathtleen pointed out that art therapy can be brought to anyone, but some just don’t know the impact it can have unlike those already involved in the arts. Adult clients will say, “oh i'm not a singer…” It’s not about being the best musician or being good because there is no one way to be a creative person. 

We each have the ability to create our identities, which is both liberating and terrifying. If we want to explore art, there should be no reason to not. We are all artists in some way, it's just that some of us have not explored that part of ourselves yet. Arts therapy could be the space to do such discovery and find another outlet to better our overall well being. 

My conversation with Kathleen certainly sparked multiple ideas in my head, and I hope it does the same for you. We were able to not only dive deeper into music therapy itself, but also discuss why it is gaining popularity. Arts therapy has and will continue to be impactful and it is people like Kathleen who exemplify the bright future this field has.