Resources & references

This reference book offers a  comprehensive look at the use of music therapy with elderly and those living with dementia based on the research and experience of experts from around the world. It can serve as a resource for caregivers and families of individuals with dementia or Alzheimer's disease and for music therapists.

Click here to see an example of how music therapy has been used in dementia care

This brief entry is a summary of a peer-reviewed article. It explains succinctly what is music therapy in palliative care. 

Click here to read the related research study.

This video shows work by music therapist Carolyn Williams with children at Sick Kids Medical Hospital, in Toronto. Parents talk about the impact that music therapy has had on the development and the recovery of their child, while the music therapist comments on the actions and reactions of the children in the video. 

This video (in Spanish) includes an interview of Dr. Mark Ettenberger who works as a music therapist in Colombia. He explains what music therapist is, who can benefit, how it can be applied, and what are its therapeutic benefits.

Les Impatients is an organization that helps people living with mental health problems, offering art-based services. With Dany Bouchard, a certified music therapist, and people participating in his group music therapy sessions, the reporter Alexandre Courteau explored this discipline and shared some participants' testimonies on how music therapy has changed their life.

This article describes a music therapy program in a maximum security psychiatric state facility. Brief descriptions of the patient population, admission and discharge criteria, safety and security concerns, music therapy interventions, and behavioral strategies are given in order to provide a picture of the program and the concerns associated with this population.

Cette étude rapporte que la musicothérapie (MT) pourrait être utilisée comme thérapie adjuvante en soins intensifs pédiatriques (SIP), pour l’anxiété et la gestion de la douleur. L’objectif de cette étude était d’examiner la perception de la musicothérapie par des parents d’enfants en SIP d’un hôpital universitaire. L’étude corrobore les potentiels positifs de la MT en SIP rapportés dans d’autres études:la musicothérapie pourrait être utilisée pour promouvoir le bien-être psychologique des parents et des enfants. 

This video (in Spanish) includes interviews from Carla Navarro, Pedro Vinuesa, María Martínez-Gil, and Paula Ramirez who are music therapists in Spain. They explain what music therapy is, who can benefit, and how it can help people of all ages. Clients who received music therapy also describe how music therapy improved their life.

In this video (in Spanish), Marcela Lichtensztejn, a music therapist in Argentina, provides a description of music therapy. She explains what music therapy is, its therapeutic benefits, how it can be applied clinically, who can benefit, and how it can affect the brain. Please note that the sound quality in the second half of the video is inaudible.

In this video (in Spanish), Natalia Garbarets, a music therapist in Spain, explains what music therapy is, how it differs from musical education, and what are its benefits.

This article provides a rationale as to why musical interaction supported by a qualified music therapist can offer a potential pathway for improved attachment between the parent and infant. Two strong trends are revealed: the international breadth of the developing work by music therapists within family-centred contexts of practice, especially work with infants and their parents in the early years; and the use of theoretical principles of communicative musicality (Malloch & Trevarthen, 2008) combined with knowledge of early musical skills.

This article is available in French full-text translation. 
 

This video shares the story of three people who have been supported through the power of music.
Music therapy helps people of all ages find their voice. Music therapy is unique in connecting at an emotional level, while improving speech, movement and learning skills.