The healing power of music Andrew Rossetti, a licensed music therapist in New York, uses guitar music and visualization exercises to help calm patients undergoing medical treatments. Music therapy is increasingly used to help patients cope with stress and promote healing. John Smith via The New York Times. by Richard Schiffman (NYT NEWS SERVICE) .- Focus on the sound of the instrument, Andrew Rossetti, a licensed music therapist and researcher, said as he strummed hypnotic chords on a Spanish-style classical guitar. Close your eyes. Think of a place where you feel safe and comfortable. Music therapy was the last thing that Julia Justo, a graphic artist who immigrated to New York from Argentina, expected when she went to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Union Square Clinic for treatment for cancer in 2016. But it quickly calmed her fears about the radiation therapy she needed to go through. The fears were causing her severe anxiety.