Resources & references

Watch how music therapist Jessie Habluetzel supports children in a pediatric hospital setting. Two case examples are shared, including one child undergoing a bone marrow transplant, and another with both Down Syndrome and leukemia. 

This research article evaluated how music therapy can help children, teenagers, and young adults with cancer and blood disorders. It determined that music therapy is highly beneficial to have in an interdisciplinary team to manage symptoms and provide psychosocial care. 

Watch as music therapist Kelsey MacDonald provides music therapy sessions to a patient with dementia at Aberdeen Hospital and listen to testimonials from the patient's daughter and the director of the palliative care unit.

This book chapter explains the effects of music therapy in palliative care. It is derived from the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine (5th Ed) published by the Oxford University Press. Note: The link includes the full text of the chapter (i.e., 18 pages plus references).

This research article reviewed existing studies to evaluate the efficacy of music therapy in supporting adults going through cancer treatment. The results showed that music therapy was effective in improving psychosocial wellbeing, pain management, and enhancing quality of life.

This article describes different techniques, interventions and outcomes of teens during cancer treatment. They describe how writing lyrics, making videos helped them get through grueling treatment and connect with others, study found.

Music therapist Deforia Lane shares her experience of how music therapy has been used to help an unborn child. Dr Lane also takes you inside University Hospital Seidman Cancer Center to experience first hand the response of their patients to music therapy.

This study explores how music therapy support groups improve physical, psychological, and social well-being in cancer patients and caregivers, showing benefits in pain, mood, stress, anxiety, and overall quality of life.

Watch how certified music therapist Bridget Shevlin intervenes in a pediatric hospital centre to support children with complex illnesses at different moments, but even as they undergo medical treatments.

Read an article comparing the effects of telehealth sessions of music therapy to telehealth sessions of cognitive behavioural therapy on anxiety in cancer survivors. Results found that both interventions were led to significant improvements in anxiety levels. 

This paper delineates the design and development of the mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program implemented in a pilot study and includes clients’ narrative journal responses. Conclusions and recommendations, including recommendation for further exploration of the function of music in mindfulness practice are provided.

The purpose of the current investigation was to examine the efficacy of a music therapy protocol on mood states and levels of group cohesiveness in adult oncology patients. Participants took part in "music making" sessions (where the mechanism for change included the process of making music) and "music responding" sessions (where the mechanism included the process of responding to music).