Resources & references

This research article studies the effects of music therapy for patients with a terminal illness who are receiving end-of-life care within a family context. It studies the impact that music therapy can have on patients' immune system, quality of life, quality of sleep, and anxiety and depression levels.

Read a thesis paper on the potential uses of songwriting in a music therapy context to assist women who have experienced unplanned pregnancy loss through the grief process. 

Written by experienced American music therapists, this book explores how music therapy can enhance the quality of life for older adults, including those with physical impairments, Parkinson’s, stroke, or dementia. It also offers strategies for caregivers to use music in supporting physical, cognitive, emotional, and social well-being.

This article reviews existing research on the use of music therapy to support veterans and military personnel. It identifies primary music therapy techniques utilized in the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to best meet their broad and complex needs.

Read an article that discusses the underlying neural mechanisms of pain across the lifespan, and how various aspects of music-based intervention may assist in pain management.

Read about the feasibility of online sessions within the creative art therapies through three case studies of veterans who received either art therapy, dance/movement therapy or music therapy . Sessions were held via in-home, synchronous clinical video telehealth.

This chapter in the book, Music Technology in Therapeutic and Health Settings describes the use of music technology as part of music therapy sessions at the Perkins School for the Blind. Diverse music therapy technology tools and their clinical use are described: voice output communication aids and switches, soundbeam device,  and music production softwares.

This pilot research investigated eight most commonly used Bruscia’s (1987) clinical improvisation techniques utilised in music therapy with autistic clients: imitating, reflecting, synchronising, extending, symbolising, holding, incorporating, and rhythmic grounding. Improvisations were recorded using LogicPro connected to MalletKAT instruments. Improvisations were analysed using music-adapted technology, the MIDI Toolbox.

Read a scoping review, updating a previous study done in 2021, on the use of virtual music therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics discussed include facilitators, barriers, equipment and education considerations, and the nuances of virtual music therapy.

Read a case study presenting the use of the non-verbal voice in music therapy for a young girl with severe intellectual disabilities, complex needs, and autism to build connections within herself and with the music therapist.

Read an article conceptualizing the therapeutic functions and adaptations of voice-work with individuals experiencing chronic traumatic stress, including exploration of the complexities of trauma work in the context of ongoing threat. Key adaptations in this context, as compared to work in time-bound trauma, include prioritizing safety, resource development, and relational support, rather than processing of trauma, as well as the use of softer, more structured approaches.

Children with autism have historically received individual music therapy sessions; however they can also benefit from small group work where they can have a shared musical experience.