E. Thayer Gaston

E. Thayer Gaston was a psychologist active in the 1940s-1960s who helped develop music therapy. E. Thayer Gaston was named to the Music Educators Hall of Fame in 1986.

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 * 1) Music is a means of nonverbal communication deriving potency from its wordless meaning.
 * 2) Music is the most adaptable of the arts being utilized with individuals, groups, and in various locations.
 * 3) Through participation or listening, music may lessen feelings of lonesomeness.
 * 4) Music elicits moods derived from emotions and has the capability of communicating one’s good feeling for another.
 * 5) Music can dissolve fears of closeness because its nonverbal nature allows an intimacy that is nonthreatening.
 * 6) Music, in most cases, is sound without associated threat.
 * 7) The shared musical experience can be a form of structured reality upon which the therapist and the patient can form a relationship with some confidence.
 * 8) Musical experiences possess an intimacy because listeners and performers derive their own responses from each musical experience.
 * 9) Preparation and performance of music can bring about a feeling of accomplishment and gratification.