Resources & references

A randomized controlled study examined music therapy’s impact on healthy ageing in older adults without cognitive disorders. Participants in individual, small-group, and large-group music therapy showed significant improvements in cognitive function, while the control group experienced a decline. All music therapy groups also reported reduced depressive symptoms, whereas the control group showed no change. Differences in cognitive improvements across therapy formats suggest that music therapy can be tailored to individual needs.

Click here to read a general information article discussing this study.

Read a post exploring different adaptive instruments for use with various disabilities in music therapy contexts, including simple adaptations like adaptive guitar picks and mallet cuffs as well as more high-tech options like the eye-harp.

Emotional and physical healing can come from a single song that masks the pain, according to a burn a patient at the Birmingham Hospital. They never knew the power that music would play in healing during such a traumatic time of their life. This article includes a video (2:15).

This article describes how music therapy can be an anti-oppressive and affirmative service for LGBTQ+ individuals. It describes the benefits of music therapy in both group and individual settings, and describes an example of how one client benefited from a music therapy program.

This report tells how music therapists help the various needs of students in a school for the blind. Different music therapy interventions are described, and music therapists explain how they address goals based on their students' Individual education plan. 

Research conducted at the University of Melbourne demonstrates that familiar songs can stimulate brain responses that other stimuli cannot in children with severe brain injuries. This article suggests that music therapy can facilitate neurorehabilitation and speed recovery.

Click here to read the study referenced in this article.

Read an article discussing an intergenerational music therapy group, led by music therapist Hayley Cann, aiming to bridge gaps and forge social connections between school children and seniors.

Read an article about the STROKESTRA program, developped in partnership with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The program supports stroke survivors and caregivers in their recovery through collaboration with professional musicians, clinicians, music therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and physical therapists. One participant noted that, beyond playing instruments or recovering physically from a stroke, the program fosters a sense of community.

Music therapists often begin sessions with a hello song and end them with a goodbye song. Read about the function of these songs to support music therapy goals with children.

Click here to see an example of a hello song in both French and English.

Read a news article detailing a performance by students with emotional and behavioural challenges at a school. Erin Steiner, the music therapist at the school, explains that while they call it a show, the performances and displays are truly a presentation of the culmination of the year's work in music and art therapy sessions.

This article examines music therapy's role in supporting addiction recovery, the types of musical experiences that benefit this clientele, and its potential limitations.

This article summarizes many ways in which music therapy is used in medical institutions. Testimonials from patients and interviews with therapists are featured.