Resources & references

This intervention guide is designed for music therapists and recreation and leisure/activity team members who support individuals living in retirement and long-term care (LTC) homes and wish to provide intergenerational music therapy experiences to their residents. The creation of the Jamboree was a collaborative process between the music therapist and the director of recreation at the Village of Riverside Glen LTC home in Guelph, Canada. The team advocates that creating intergenerational opportunities can benefit the health and well-being of both younger and older individuals. 

The Jamboree is an intergenerational music therapy program in which young children, typically between the age of 0-4, and their accompanying adults (e.g., parent, grandparent, guardian) take part in weekly music therapy sessions along with residents living in retirement or LTC. During each session, a certified music therapist leads the group in singing songs, moving to music, using instruments and props (e.g., drums, scarves, bubbles) and gently facilitates interaction between participants. Additional care providers (e.g., recreation team members) observe, support and can participate in the program alongside the residents.

This video (in Spanish) presents a child with a neurologic disorder who received music therapy services in Spain. It includes interviews from the child's mother, the music therapist, and a music therapy student.

 Music Therapist Miya Adout describes her approach in working with elderly populations in a long term care setting, focusing on supporting empowering musical experiences, also aplicable in mental health settings

An anthology of selected writings and presentations by Carolyn Kenny from 1979 to 2006. This volume includes two books, The Mythic Artery and The Field of Play; articles from journals about Music Therapy and Indigenous Studies, chapters in books on Music Therapy; and previously unpublished papers and case study. This volume clearly reveals, perhaps for the first time, the important interplay between Kenny’s lifelong work in Music Therapy and her parallel work in Indigenous Studies. It also integrates many disciplines that both influence and are influenced by Music Therapy education, practice, and research.

Previous literature in music therapy suggests a need for greater clarity and insight concerning correlations between music and spirituality for the modern clinician. The purpose of this article is to provide a clear explanation of these correlations and some possible implications for the practice of music therapy.

This interdisciplinary book guides the reader through principles, techniques, and exercises for incorporating music into grief counseling, with the end goal of further empowering the grieving person. Music has a unique ability to elicit a whole range of powerful emotional responses in people - even so far as altering or enhancing one's mood - as well as physical reactions. The book uses musical expression to help the bereaved find meaning in loss and hurt, and move forward with their lives. 

Music therapy is often used to improve well-being. A new study hints that for people with dementia, listening to music can induce lingering emotions even if they don't remember listening.

This article explores the evidence-based benefits of music therapy among adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It references existing research showing how music enhances communication, cognitive functioning, physical activity, memory, reality orientation, and quality of life.

Learn more about the benefits of music therapy by seeing a music therapy experience in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beNTuTLHm9Q 

The brain often seems to hold on to its ability to understand musical communication long after other skills are lost to dementia. This video features a certified music therapist and an older adult with Alzheimer’s disease singing a familiar song, showing how music enhances self-expression, interpersonal interaction, and musical communication through vocal improvisation and singing familiar songs. 

Learn more about the benefits of music therapy for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease: https://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/FactSheet_Music_Therapy_and_Dementia_Care_2021.pdf https://issuu.com/adbourne/docs/aged_care_today_autumn_2023/47

This fact sheet explains the benefits of music therapy for older adults with memory disorders including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It also describes the clinical processes and neurological impact of music therapy, and the importance of working with a professional music therapist. 

See an example of a music therapy session in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlrULP7VABo 

The primary purpose of this handbook is to educate music therapists and healthcare professionals about the uses and evidence-based benefits of music therapy practices with older adults including those in hospice care, health and wellness programs, intergenerational programs, and those living with Alzheimer’s disease,