Ideal for music therapy: the Kalimba

As an intuitively playable instrument, the Kalimba is the ideal companion for music therapy . The gentle sounds have positive effects on physical and mental health. Especially for the breastfeeding patients and sensitive topics The quiet instrument offers opportunities to express oneself.

What is music therapy?

If the language has long since failed or patients have problems, access to their feelings To find the right solution, sounds can work wonders. Music therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses instruments, the voice and other musical forms of expression to create closeness between patients and therapists. This creates completely new communication spaces .

Especially those patients who find it difficult to communicate with the outside world, for example due to dementia, depression or autism spectrum disorders, benefit from music therapy. In individual or group sessions, patients learn to use sounds to communicate with others. sensitive dialogue with the therapists In this way, they can express their feelings and their hidden inner selves.

The effects of music therapy are manifold: withdrawn patients find a Space to communicate . The playful approach promotes creativity and brings new vitality. Melodies penetrate deeper into people than mere words. Tones and melodies have an effect invigorating and calming .

Used correctly, they can stabilize health status and promote well-being. Patients who have had a stroke can regain their motor skills more quickly. Music therapy has been proven to reduce stress in cancer patients during radiation treatment. And it has also been shown that the oxygen saturation in the blood and the respiratory rate of premature babies improve under the influence of gentle melodies.

In short: music therapy is for all people enriching for a wide variety of disorders.

How does music therapy work?

Mostly the active music therapy Here, patients express themselves through musical improvisation and enter into a dialogue of sounds with the attentive therapist, who responds with an instrument or his voice.

The receptive music therapy has its charm: active listening The sounds and vibrations affect the body and psyche of the patient. Significant images and memories come to the surface. Here, in the therapeutic process, associations be worked on.

As a rule, a reflective conversation between therapist and patient the session.

Music therapy instruments: Why the Kalimba is ideal

The Kalimba in Active Music Therapy

In music therapy, instruments are used that no previous knowledge demand and played intuitively This also applies to the Kalimba, making it ideal for active music therapy. Similar instruments such as chime bars, the xylophone, triangles or drums are also used. The focus here is not on musicality or beautiful melodies, but on the Meaning of sounds , own expression and improvisational action.

The kalimba can be played immediately. Patients hold it in both hands and can simply pluck the reeds with their thumbs. Classical tunings , like A minor on the B9, are perfect because there are no wrong notes.

The Kalimba is a quiet instrument . Patients can use it very well fragile topics For louder sounds, the Hokema Sansulas covered with skin to amplify the sound. Because the instrument is so easy to play, it is suitable for all ages and patient groups.

This makes Kalimbas so Can be used in many ways : in early musical education, in therapeutic work with children and adolescents or in various mental disorders such as dementia.

In receptive therapy

But also in the receptive variant the sounds of the Kalimba find a direct path to the hearts of the patients. The atmospheric, overtone-rich sounds of the ancient African instrument subtly fill the room without being intrusive, and allow the creative thought experiment to.

That the small Kalimbas and Sansulas are so easy to transport and at any time ready for immediate use makes them ideal companions for music therapists.

Kalimbas for use in music therapy

For over 30 years, Hokema has been producing Kalimbas and Sansulas in the German manufacturer We lovingly handcraft high-quality instruments for use in music therapy, for relaxation techniques and for playing on the stage .