Skip to main content

Appalachian Today

News and events at Appalachian State University
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Accolades
  • Alumni
  • Arts and Humanities
  • Athletics
  • Awards and Honors
  • Community Engagement
  • Diversity
  • Events
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Global
  • Health and Wellness
  • Publications
  • Research and Creative Works
  • Safety
  • Scholarships
  • Students
  • Sustainability
☰ Menu
  • Events
  • Webcams
  • Podcasts
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • Contact

Music as medicine; professor studies music therapy’s effects on heart disease patients

View larger image

Appalachian State University’s Christine Leist, an assistant professor of music therapy, is studying ways music can benefit women with heart disease. Photo by Jane Nicholson

Posted March 8, 2013 at 5:53 p.m.

BOONE, N.C. — Listening to music can be relaxing, invigorating or charged with emotions.

Dr. Christine Leist, an assistant professor of music therapy at Appalachian State University, thinks music also can benefit women who have had or are at risk of heart attack.

She is seeking women between the ages of 50 and 80 for a research study this summer to learn if her hypothesis is correct.

Leist’s research is an extension of her dissertation completed while at Michigan State University as well as her personal experience with someone who had heart disease.

“I became interested in heart disease and the applications of music therapy after my mother died suddenly of a heart attack,” Leist explained. “We didn’t know she had heart disease. So when I began my dissertation, I wondered if there were beneficial interventions in music therapy that could be helpful for people with heart disease.”

A preliminary study conducted for her dissertation found that music therapy appeared to decrease tension and anxiety for those participating in the therapy. “I also found an unexpected result – an increase in vigor and activity,” she said. “If you can use music therapy to decrease, tension, anxiety or depression and also increase vigor and activity, that would be really powerful especially for those who are really motivated to follow the exercise and diet protocols that their physician has recommended.”

Leist’s latest research will focus solely on women who have heart disease and how listening to relaxing music with images as well as singing can help them reduce any stress and anxiety that accompany their the diagnosis and motivate them to become more active.

Leist is being assisted in her work by Alexa Dorris, a graduate student from Indianapolis enrolled in the music therapy program in the Hayes School of Music and a recipient of a university Graduate Research Associate Mentor (GRAM) program. The GRAM program provides graduate students with stipend for approximately 20 hours a week of work for and with their graduate faculty mentor.

“Women with heart disease tend to be diagnosed later in life and they tend to die quickly after the diagnosis,” Dorris said. “Research suggests that’s because stress and emotional factors are more of a risk factor for women who have heart disease, especially as they tend to put family first which can affect lifestyle factors such as overeating or lacking of energy or vigor to do things.”

Leist says her field can be challenging for those who don’t understand what music therapy is. “My specialty is adults with medical needs. Music therapy with older adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s helps them reconnect with their world or have meaningful interactions with others. Calming music can engage the parasympathetic nervous system and help calm patients. Music therapy can also help patients manage pain. It’s a powerful gift to be able to take your mind elsewhere by listening to music,” she said.

For more information, contact Leist at [email protected] or 828-262-6663.

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

About the Hayes School of Music

The Hayes School of Music prepares young musicians for professional lives as performers, composers, music educators, music therapists, conductors and music industry professionals, ensuring the next generation of musical leadership for the state, region and nation. Noted for quality instruction by national and internationally recognized faculty musicians, the school offers four undergraduate degree programs and three graduate-level programs. Learn more at https://music.appstate.edu.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

Share

Topics

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Health and Wellness
  • Research and Creative Works

What do you think?

Share your feedback on this story.

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian

Share

Topics

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Faculty and Staff
  • Gifts and Grants
  • Health and Wellness
  • Research and Creative Works

Other Recent Posts

  • 20 App State ROTC cadets commissioned to serve as Army second lieutenants
    20 App State ROTC cadets commissioned to serve as Army second lieutenants
  • App State awarded $2.3M to advance innovation in NC agriculture
    App State awarded $2.3M to advance innovation in NC agriculture
  • Kristen S. Bonatz appointed general counsel and vice chancellor of institutional integrity at App State
    Kristen S. Bonatz appointed general counsel and vice chancellor of institutional integrity at App State
  • Campus emergency siren test to be conducted June 4
    Campus emergency siren test to be conducted June 4
  • App State student-athletes extend 3.0 GPA streak to 26 straight semesters
    App State student-athletes extend 3.0 GPA streak to 26 straight semesters
  • App State nursing program receives $1 million commitment from Bedford Falls Foundation
    App State nursing program receives $1 million commitment from Bedford Falls Foundation
  • 4 new and reappointed App State Board of Trustees members to begin new terms July 1
    4 new and reappointed App State Board of Trustees members to begin new terms July 1
  • App State awards degrees to over 4,200 graduates ready to shape the future
    App State awards degrees to over 4,200 graduates ready to shape the future
  • Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
    Student research and creative projects spotlighted at App State’s annual showcase
  • Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
    Will Sears appointed vice chancellor of university advancement at App State
  • N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
    N.C. Governor Josh Stein to address graduates at App State commencement
  • App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction
    App State honors 29 students, faculty and staff with 2025 Awards of Distinction

Archives

Appalachian Today is an online publication of Appalachian State University. This website consolidates university news, feature stories, events, photo galleries, videos and podcasts.

If you cannot find what you're looking for here, please refer to the following sources:

  • Podcasts may be found at Appalachian State University Podcasts
  • Stories and press releases published prior to Jan. 1, 2015 may be found in University Communications Records at the Special Collections Research Center.
  • A university-wide Google Calendar may be found at Events at Appalachian
  • Events
  • Videos
  • Galleries
  • In the News
  • Research & Arts
  • Awards
  • Experts
  • All News
  • Topics
  • Subscribe
  • For the media
  • COVID updates
  • Contact

App State

Copyright 2025 Appalachian State University. All rights reserved.

University Communications
ASU Box 32153
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-6156
[email protected]

Abouts

Disclaimer | EO Policy | Accessibility | Website manager: montaldipa (beltmr) .. | Website Feedback

Facebook Twitter YouTube Instagram LinkedIn Snapchat