Resources & references

Music therapy is an ancient and yet very modern practice that has the power to heal and transform our brains and bodies in significant ways. Kathleen Howland, speech language and music therapist explains how music really does have the power to heal our brain and heart.

This video exposes a case study of a child who was born without eyes and has always feared medical procedures. She is enrolled in music therapy at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s to decrease her anxiety.

University of Louisville (UofL) Health is integrating music therapy into its care plan for inpatient psychiatric patients at UofL Hospital. This video introduces you to Katelyn Farris, the music therapist who is helping patients relax and recover through the soothing sounds of music.

Watch the interaction between registered music therapist, Grace Elliot, and her client in their music therapy session, working on goals of communication, motor skills and regulation.

Watch how music therapy is being used to help individuals with neurological conditions work towards their goals. It includes patient testimonies and perspectives from a music therapist.

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The Jamboree is an intergenerational music therapy program where children and their accompanying adults join residents in retirement or long term care homes for weekly group sessions of singing, movement, instrument play, and guided social interaction led by a certified music therapist.

Click here to read the intervention guide of this program.

A music therapist speaks with the mother of a young client who receives music therapy services. Learn how music therapy has helped her son, who is diagnosed with Angelman syndrome, find the motivation to achieve his therapeutic goals, including improved social and physical skills.

This video features the story of a young patient's healing from leukemia, who benefitted from music therapy during her hospital stay. Testimonials from the child, the parents, the music therapist and a pediatrician are shown.

This video shows 6 short excerpts from music therapy sessions, led by Dr. Alan Turry at the Nordoff-Robbins Center for Music Therapy; each excerpt is preceded by the presentation of the goals planned. 

Daniel Torres explains how music stimulates the brain, what humanistic music therapy is, and how music therapy applies these principles to support development and rehabilitation across ages and needs.

Music therapist Sheila Pereiro shares about her experiences working with diverse populations and how music therapy can improve self-expression, connection with others, and quality of life.

Learn about a child with a neurologic disorder who received music therapy services and watch interviews from the child's mother, the music therapist, and a music therapy student.