MS in Harmony is a digital offering
designed to help people living with multiple sclerosis achieve
mind-body harmony through music therapy techniques
MSinHarmony.com offers educational
content and music therapy informed video exercises, facilitated by
credentialed music therapists, specifically designed for people
living with MS
#MSinHarmony Instagram challenge – led
by Courtney Platt – aims to spread mind-body harmony in support of
those living with MS
Today, Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and the American Music
Therapy Association, a premier organization aimed at progressing
the therapeutic use of music in rehabilitation, special education,
and community settings1, announce their partnership with
award-winning actor, singer and songwriter Ben Platt (“The
Politician,” “Dear Evan Hansen”) and his sister-in-law Courtney
Platt, a dancer, choreographer and actor (“So You Think You Can
Dance,” “Glee,” “VH1’s Hit the Floor,” “The Simpsons”) who lives
with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS), to launch MS in Harmony.
MS in Harmony is the first and only digital offering of its kind
and guides people living with multiple sclerosis on how they may
achieve mind-body harmony through music therapy.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
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“Music is a huge part of who I am, and it has always had the
power to shift my emotional and mental state,” said Ben Platt.
“Music therapy harnesses the power of music to evoke physical and
mental responses,2,3,4 and I’m so proud to be involved with MS in
Harmony for my sister-in-law Courtney – and everyone living with
MS.”
MS is a disease of the central nervous system that affects
nearly one million people in the United States.5 It can trigger a
wide range of mental and physical symptoms that can be hard to
predict, change over time and uniquely impact those living with the
condition.6 Physical symptoms can include limb and foot numbness,
difficulty walking, and balance challenges.7,8 Mental symptoms can
include memory loss or worsening memory, difficulty processing
information, and trouble concentrating and with divided
attention.7,9 Research has shown that music therapy may have an
impact on both the physical and mental symptoms of MS – as well as
some of the emotional challenges that can be associated with the
condition, including depression, low self-esteem, and
anxiety.10,11,12,13,14 MS is a chronic condition for which there is
currently no cure.15
“There’s a growing body of research on the potential benefits of
music therapy for people living with MS – and still, many people
living with the condition may not have the opportunity to give it a
try,” explains Deborah Benkovitz Williams, President of the
American Music Therapy Association. “MS in Harmony makes music
therapy-based exercises widely accessible to people with MS and
their care partners, and we’re proud to partner with Bristol Myers
Squibb on this important initiative.”
The MS in Harmony centerpiece – MSinHarmony.com – provides
educational information about the potential physical, mental and
emotional effects of MS, and offers visitors an interactive and
engaging opportunity to explore music therapy for themselves (and
with friends and/or family) – from the safety and comforts of their
own homes – through a variety of video techniques designed
specifically for people living with MS and led by credentialed
music therapists. Some of the videos feature Ben and Courtney
Platt.
“As a lifelong dancer, a lover and believer in the power of all
things musical – and someone living with relapsing MS, MS in
Harmony is an amazing experience for me. I’m so glad to have music
therapy as another tool to help me manage my condition – and I am
so incredibly excited to be able to share the potential of music
therapy with the rest of the MS community,” said Courtney
Platt.
In an effort to help spread mind-body harmony across Instagram,
Courtney Platt is kicking off the #MSinHarmony social challenge –
and asking everyone (those with MS – and others as well!) to dance
and sing it out to their favorite song, share their video on
Instagram, tag #MSinHarmony, and challenge three others to do the
same. Anyone can follow the challenge on Instagram via
@MSinHarmony.
“At Bristol Myers Squibb, patients are our purpose,” said Tina
Deignan, Senior Vice President, and U.S. Business Unit Head for
Immunology at Bristol Myers Squibb. “The experiences and stories of
people living with MS, like Courtney, inspire and drive us to push
beyond conventional solutions to serious diseases, and we're
thrilled to have the chance to share music therapy with the MS
community through MS in Harmony.”
To learn more – and experience the power of music therapy, visit
MSinHarmony.com.
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease of the central nervous
system that affects nearly one million people in the United
States.5 With MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin
sheath that covers the nerves.16 The myelin damage disrupts
communication between the brain and the rest of the body.17 It can
trigger a wide range of mental and physical symptoms that can be
hard to predict, change over time and uniquely impact those living
with the condition.6 Ultimately, the nerves themselves may
deteriorate — a process that's currently irreversible.18
Relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS), including clinically
isolated syndrome, relapsing remitting disease, and active
secondary progressive disease, is characterized by defined attacks
of worsening neurologic function.19 These attacks — often called
relapses, flare-ups or exacerbations — are followed by partial or
complete recovery periods (remissions), during which symptoms
improve partially or completely with no apparent progression of
disease.19 RMS is the most common disease course at the time of
diagnosis.19
About Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose
mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines
that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more
information, visit us at MSinHarmony.com or follow BMS on LinkedIn,
Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
About the American Music Therapy Association
The American Music Therapy Association is a nonprofit based in
Silver Spring, MD whose mission is to advance public awareness of
the benefits of music therapy and increase access to quality music
therapy services in a rapidly changing world. For more information
about the American Music Therapy Association, visit us at
musictherapy.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook and
Instagram.
____________________________________
1 About the American Music Therapy Association. American Music
Therapy Association. https://www.musictherapy.org/about/amta/.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 2 Mori K, Iwanaga M. Two types of peak
emotional responses to music: The psychophysiology of chills and
tears. Sci Rep. 2017;7:46063. Published 2017 Apr 7.
doi:10.1038/srep46063 3 Blood AJ, Zatorre RJ. Intensely pleasurable
responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions
implicated in reward and emotion. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.
2001;98(20):11818-11823. doi:10.1073/pnas.191355898. 4 Arjmand H-A,
Hohagen J, Paton B and Rickard NS (2017) Emotional Responses to
Music: Shifts in Frontal Brain Asymmetry Mark Periods of Musical
Change. Front. Psychol. 8:2044. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02044 5 How
Many People Live with MS? National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/How-Many-People.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 6 MS the Disease. National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/Newsroom/MS-the-Disease.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 7 MS Symptoms. National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis/MS-Symptoms.
Accessed November 25, 2020. 8 Gait or Walk Problems: The Basic
Facts Multiple Sclerosis. National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/NationalMSSociety/media/MSNationalFiles/Brochures/Brochure-Gait-or-Walking-Problems.pdf.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 9 Speech Problems. National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis/MS-Symptoms/Speech-Disorders.
Accessed November 25, 2020. 10 Gallagher L and Bethoux F.
Therapeutic use of the arts for patients with multiple sclerosis.
US Neurology. 2017;13(2):82–9. doi:10.17925/USN.2017.13.02.82 11
Aldridge D, Schmid W, Kaeder M, Schmidt C, Ostermann T.
Functionality or aesthetics? A pilot study of music therapy in the
treatment of multiple sclerosis patients. Complement Ther Med.
2005;13(1):25-33. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2005.01.004 12 Emotional
Changes. National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Symptoms-Diagnosis/MS-Symptoms/Emotional-Changes.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 13 Thaut M, Peterson D, McIntosh G,
Hoemberg V. Music mnemonics aid verbal memory and induce learning –
_related brain plasticity in multiple sclerosis. Front Hum
Neurosci. 2014;8:395. Published 2014 Jun 13. 14 Ghai S, Ghai I.
Effects of Rhythmic Auditory Cueing in Gait Rehabilitation for
Multiple Sclerosis: A Mini Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Front Neurol. 2018;9:386. Published 2018 Jun 11.
doi:10.3389/fneur.2018.00386 15 National Multiple Sclerosis
Society, Comprehensive Care.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Comprehensive-Care.
Accessed November 25, 2020. 16 Definition of MS. National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Definition-of-MS.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 17 What is Myelin? National Multiple
Sclerosis Society.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Treating-MS/Comprehensive-Care.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 18 AJMC. The Pathologic Foundations of
Multiple Sclerosis: Current Considerations.
https://www.ajmc.com/view/the-pathologic-foundations-of-multiple-sclerosis-current-considerations.
Accessed December 15, 2020. 19 Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS).
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Types-of-MS/Relapsing-remitting-MS.
Accessed December 15, 2020.
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Bristol Myers Squibb Media Inquiries:
media@bms.com
Claire Gillespie Claire.Gillespie@bms.com
American Music Therapy Association Media
Inquiries: 301-589-3300
Jennifer McAfee jmcafee@musictherapy.org
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