THE CONNECTION SPHERE

written by Hayden Leung   August, 2025

Introduction

            Loneliness strikes our society with intensity, especially to the communities residing in rehabilitation centers. These rehab centers, intended to provide assistance for those recovering from a physical or mental disability, have become a target of loneliness. The patients there often experience limited mobility and cognition, resulting in social isolation. However there may be a solution. Particularly musical therapy may be the solution to breaking the cycle of loneliness of these individuals in rehab centers. This intervention has already been established as an efficient way in improving social and emotional health. According to Dhippayom (2021), he exclaims how participation in music can alleviate your mood. Which suggests the question if participation in music can also alleviate mood in those residing in rehab centers. This inquiry led to explore the different interventions that could be implemented in these communities to eliminate their sense of loneliness.

            The particular approach of active music listening stood out to me. According to Dhippayom (2021), I have found that the participants actively engaged with music experienced a significantly higher improvement in their emotional health. This finding implied to me that the key to eliminating feelings of loneliness, there would need to be full engagement with the music. For example, there seems to be a better correlation to mental health improvement when individuals are concentrated on listening to music, rather than listening to music in the background. Further Kiernan and Davidson (2021) explained how during COVID-19 and the isolation that occurred with it, music listening was able to create an immersive space that helped alleviate isolation. The situation explained in Kiernan and Davidson aligns with the current community of patients in rehab centers, as isolation is present in both situations.

            To continue, to ensure the implementation of music therapy in rehab centers, we must present to these centers with a proven variety of benefits. Research by Janzen et al. (2021) demonstrated that music therapy has resulted in improvements of both emotional and physical well being. Music’s proven ability to alleviate the emotional and physical well-being raises its qualification to be presented at rehab centers. Similarly, Xue and Wang (2021) presented a finding that connected the correlation between tempo of a music, to the heartbeat of the body. The researchers have found that certain music tempos were able to relax the heart rate and reduce stress. These findings highlight the impact of music in promoting emotional healing and physical recovery. Overall, by implementing engagement in music activities for patients in rehab centers, we will be allowing them to improve their physical and emotional health.

            To further highlight musical therapies' value, we must explore its origin. Sanivarapu (2015) highlights the use of music in ancient Indian traditions, as ragas music was typically used as a way to heal the body and mind of individuals. Furthermore, music therapy has a massive scale, with its root tying back to ancient traditions, which strengthens its possibility of relevance in a rehabilitation environment.

            Examining these findings by other researchers, the goal I had presumed, was to incorporate a session of active music listening in those residing in rehab centers. I would also like to concentrate on utilizing only live instrumental music during these sessions to ensure that the patients are engaged with the performers. With this music intervention, there needed to be a form of data collection in order to detail the true extent that these active live listening session would have on the sense of loneliness in those residing in rehab centers. Particularly the research of Li (2022) demonstrated the effectiveness of surveys in measuring emotional changes, as concluded that their music intervention was able to significantly improve patients emotional health. Their usage of surveys proved to be effective in their case. Similarly, Yokoya et al. (2018) used surveys to track mental health trends. Which offered them a data graph to determine the patients well-being over the course of their study period. The usage of surveys in both of these research, attracted me to utilize this data collection form.

            Despite substantial research on music therapy, there remains a gap in understanding the specific impact of live instrumental music on loneliness in rehabilitation centers. While Janzen et al. (2021) focused on music’s benefits for emotional and physical recovery, they did not examine its direct effects on just the loneliness component. While Cheetu et al. (2020) emphasized the role of music in building social interactions, they did focus on specifics of active engagement to live music. Because live music allows for the listening of raw notes and keys, without a deterrence in the audio quality from recording devices, it raises a question on whether it would provide a different result on the sense of loneliness scale of those in rehab centers. My research aims to fill this gap by investigating how live instrumental performances encourage social interaction, and reduce loneliness. By focusing on the qualities of live music, this study will contribute to refining the current research and information on music therapy practices.

            To conclude, live piano music therapy is a promising method to reduce loneliness among elderly individuals in rehabilitation centers. Participation in music listening has demonstrated emotional benefits, and piano music's psychological, social, and physiological effects make it a comprehensive intervention. Drawing on historical traditions and modern research, live music therapy has the potential to benefit emotional health, encourage social connections, and improve overall well-being. By focusing on live performances, my research aims to fill gaps in current literature and provide insights into music therapy's role in reducing loneliness. Implementing live piano sessions could enhance the research on music therapy and improve the quality of life for elderly individuals in rehabilitation settings.