The Reading / Listening - Music Therapy - Level 1

Music can help patients recover from surgery. Doctors in India played flute music to a female patient. Before her operation, doctors gave the woman drugs to make her sleep. The drugs blocked pain signals and relaxed the woman's muscles. However, the part of her brain that helps her listen stayed active. Doctors say she could still hear music. This means she needed fewer painkilling drugs. She woke up faster and was more alert after surgery.

A doctor explained why music helps patients. She said music wasn't just background music. It helped patients feel less pain and need fewer painkillers. Another doctor, who is a music therapist, agreed. She said music is important in the operating theatre. She said her aim is for patients to "wake up clear-headed, alert… and ideally pain-free" after surgery. She said music helped control pain and reduce patients' stress.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Music Therapy - Level 0 Music Therapy - Level 2   or  Music Therapy - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.cancernursingtoday.com/post/music-therapy-offers-recovery-benefit-after-laparoscopic-crc-radical-resection
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c231dv9zpz3o
  • https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251027/Intraoperative-music-therapy-reduces-anesthetic-use-and-physiological-stress.aspx


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Music can help patients recover
  2. flute
  3. a female
  4. doctors gave the woman drugs to
  5. The drugs blocked pain
  6. relaxed the woman's
  7. she needed fewer painkilling
  8. She woke up faster and was
  1. make her sleep
  2. patient
  3. more alert
  4. muscles
  5. from surgery
  6. signals
  7. music
  8. drugs

Paragraph 2

  1. A doctor explained why music
  2. background
  3. It helped patients
  4. a music
  5. music is important in the operating
  6. wake up clear-
  7. She said music helped control
  8. reduce patients'
  1. feel less pain
  2. stress
  3. theatre
  4. pain
  5. helps patients
  6. therapist
  7. music
  8. headed

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Music can (1) _________________________________________________ from surgery. Doctors in India (2) _________________________________________________ to a female patient. Before her operation, doctors gave the woman drugs to make her sleep. The drugs (3) _________________________________________________ and relaxed the woman's muscles. However, the part of her (4) _________________________________________________ her listen stayed active. Doctors say she could still hear music. This (5) _________________________________________________ fewer painkilling drugs. She woke up faster and was (6) _________________________________________________ surgery.

A doctor (7) _________________________________________________ helps patients. She said music (8) _________________________________________________ music. It helped patients feel less pain and (9) _________________________________________________. Another doctor, who is a music therapist, agreed. She said music is important in (10) _________________________________________________. She said her aim is for patients to "wake up (11) _________________________________________________... and ideally pain-free" after surgery. She said music helped control (12) _________________________________________________ patients' stress.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Musiccanhelppatientsrecoverfromsurgery.DoctorsinIndiaplayedflut
emusictoafemalepatient.Beforeheroperation,doctorsgavethewoma
ndrugstomakehersleep.Thedrugsblockedpainsignalsandrelaxedthe
woman'smuscles.However,thepartofherbrainthathelpsherlistensta
yedactive.Doctorssayshecouldstillhearmusic.Thismeanssheneeded
fewerpainkillingdrugs.Shewokeupfasterandwasmorealertaftersurg
ery.Adoctorexplainedwhymusichelpspatients.Shesaidmusicwasn'tj
ustbackgroundmusic.Ithelpedpatientsfeellesspainandneedfewerpai
nkillers.Anotherdoctor,whoisamusictherapist,agreed.Shesaidmusic
isimportantintheoperatingtheatre.Shesaidheraimisforpatientsto"w
akeupclear-headed,alert...andideallypain-free"aftersurgery.Shesai
dmusichelpedcontrolpainandreducepatients'stress.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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