NORTH DAKOTA ( KXNET ) — Just a few strums of a ukulele can immediately transport people to a place of peace and calmness.

This mysterious effect is the reason board-certified music therapist Lorrie Kubicek helps people take up the instrument after they’ve been diagnosed with a major health condition.

“Instead of saying ‘I have to go to the hospital for my chemo,’ patients start saying, ‘I have to go to the hospital for my ukulele lesson,'” she explained.

Music therapy is more than a diversion, it demonstrates how art and science work together. The ancient roots also helped rehabilitate World War II veterans — in mind, body, and spirit.

Music therapy strikes a chord in different areas of medicine because of personally tailored interventions like singing, songwriting, playing an instrument, listening to music, or moving to the beat.

It’s also been proven to help people manage disease symptoms and treatment side effects by restraining stress, soothing pain, promoting sleep, and boosting focus.

“Music connects you to a part of yourself that’s well,” Kubicek concluded, “and that’s true no matter what patient population we’re working with. Music remains, no matter the challenges a person is facing.”

Studies have also shown that music may be the best medicine for the brain, especially classical music. A research review suggested that music therapy can improve memory, attention, and orientation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

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