Music and Medicine in Spain: History and New Developments of a Growing Discipline

Abstract

The strong link between music and medicine has been documented in Spain since the 17th century, showing that the therapeutic effects of music have been known for centuries. The development of music therapy as a scientific, independent discipline on the Iberian Peninsula begins in the 1960s due to the pioneering work of Serafina Poch. Since then, the interest in music and medicine both by specialists and public has constantly increased. Nowadays, music therapy is taught in public universities and private institutions, and a growing number of health care and educational centers is implementing music therapy projects each year, producing also an increase in the research on the subject. A sore point, which we hope can be resolved soon, is that music therapy in Spain has not yet been recognized with an official title and as an independent profession, leading to fragmentation of the field and leaving the door open to professional intrusion.

Keywords: music therapy, music medicine, Spain.