The Reading / Listening - Music Therapy - Level 2

Music played during surgery can help patients recover. A study was conducted by doctors in India. They played flute music to a female patient. She was having an operation. Before the operation, doctors gave the woman drugs to put her to sleep. The drugs blocked pain signals and relaxed the woman's muscles while she was asleep. However, even when the drugs made the woman sleep, the part of her brain that helps her listen stayed partly active. Doctors say she could still hear music. This means she needed fewer painkilling drugs, woke up faster, and was more alert after surgery.

The lead researcher explained why music helps patients. She said music is more than just simple background music. She said music helps patients to feel less pain and need fewer painkillers. A co-researcher, who is a specialist in anaesthesia and music therapist, agreed. She believes music is important in the operating theatre. She said: "Our aim is early discharge after surgery. Patients need to wake up clear-headed, alert… and ideally pain-free." She said music helps manage pain and reduces patients' stress after they wake up.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Music Therapy - Level 0 Music Therapy - Level 1   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 played during
  2. They played flute music to
  3. doctors gave the woman drugs
  4. The drugs blocked pain
  5. relaxed the woman's
  6. Doctors say she could still
  7. she needed fewer painkilling
  8. more alert
  1. hear music
  2. drugs
  3. muscles
  4. to put her to sleep
  5. after surgery
  6. surgery
  7. signals
  8. a female patient

Paragraph 2

  1. music is more than just simple
  2. She said music helps
  3. feel less pain and need
  4. a specialist
  5. music is important in
  6. Patients need to wake
  7. She said music helps manage
  8. reduces patients' stress
  1. fewer painkillers
  2. after they wake up
  3. the operating theatre
  4. pain
  5. background music
  6. in anaesthesia
  7. up clear-headed
  8. patients

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Music played during surgery can (1) _________________________________________________. A study was conducted by doctors in India. They played flute music to a female patient. She was (2) _________________________________________________. Before the operation, doctors gave the woman drugs to put her to sleep. The drugs (3) _________________________________________________ and relaxed the woman's muscles while she was asleep. However, even when the drugs made the woman sleep, (4) _________________________________________________ her brain that helps her listen stayed partly active. Doctors say she could (5) _________________________________________________. This means she needed fewer painkilling drugs, woke up faster, and was more (6) _________________________________________________.

The lead researcher (7) _________________________________________________ helps patients. She said music is more than just simple background music. She said music helps patients to (8) _________________________________________________ and need fewer painkillers. A co-researcher, who is a specialist in anaesthesia (9) _________________________________________________, agreed. She believes music is important in the operating theatre. She said: "Our (10) _________________________________________________ discharge after surgery. Patients need to wake up clear-headed, alert... and (11) _________________________________________________." She said music helps manage pain and reduces patients' (12) _________________________________________________ wake up.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Musicplayedduringsurgerycanhelppatientsrecover.Astudywascond
uctedbydoctorsinIndia.Theyplayedflutemusictoafemalepatient.She
washavinganoperation.Beforetheoperation,doctorsgavethewoman
drugstoputhertosleep.Thedrugsblockedpainsignalsandrelaxedthew
oman'smuscleswhileshewasasleep.However,evenwhenthedrugsma
dethewomansleep,thepartofherbrainthathelpsherlistenstayedpartl
yactive.Doctorssayshecouldstillhearmusic.Thismeanssheneededfe
werpainkillingdrugs,wokeupfaster,andwasmorealertaftersurgery.T
heleadresearcherexplainedwhymusichelpspatients.Shesaidmusicis
morethanjustsimplebackgroundmusic.Shesaidmusichelpspatientst
ofeellesspainandneedfewerpainkillers.Aco-researcher,whoisaspeci
alistinanaesthesiaandmusictherapist,agreed.Shebelievesmusicisim
portantintheoperatingtheatre.Shesaid:"Ouraimisearlydischargeaft
ersurgery.Patientsneedtowakeupclear-headed,alert...andideallyp
ain-free."Shesaidmusichelpsmanagepainandreducespatients'stre
ssaftertheywakeup.

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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