Resources & references

 An individual who suffered from polio as a child described the impact of music therapy on his recovery over the years.

This case study explores a music therapy assessment of an autistic child in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It presents the stages of the assessment, assessment tools, and assessment findings.

Music therapist Natalia Garbarets explains what music therapy is, how it differs from musical education, and what are its benefits.

Read about a therapy program by an art and music therapist for transgender, nonbinary, and gender-questioning youth, supporting gender identity exploration and learn about the challenges and opportunities encountered during its pilot implementation.

Read a thesis exploring the literature around combining narrative therapy techniques with therapeutic songwriting techniques to support children and adolescents living through adverse childhood experiences. Trauma-informed care is highlighted, as well as a discussion surrounding both factors which can promote and which can hinder success of the approach.

Watch a video about the NGO Música para el autismo, which provides music opportunities, including music therapy, to autistic individuals. A session with one girl is included, as well as discussion of specific approaches, like the Benenzon method and neuromotor techniques.

This article introduces an adaptation of the music therapy and autism specific AQR-instrument. The author developed this adaptation following the requirement to report on the outcomes of his work at a school for children with autism. After introducing the AQR-instrument, the author describes how his adaptation enables him to produce bar charts illustrating client progress. 

This paper examines current literature in developmental psychology in order to discuss how music therapy can foster resilience in early childhood. Music therapy can help prepare young children and their families for handling adversity, increase parental sensitivity, and create multiple opportunities for families to develop adaptive interpersonal interaction patterns.

Read about the "Rise Up" program, an interdisciplinary program supporting children 9-17 years old from immigrant families in sharing their experiences and talents artistically with their community. Described by the director of one of the involved university departments as "community music therapy in action," the article also includes the reflections of music therapy students on their mentorship role in the program.

Read an article describing a study using music-based training to target the spectral resolution for deaf children with bilateral hearing loss, including at least one cochlear implant (CI). The training consisted of 12 weeks of 40 minute in person group music therapy sessions, as well as the use of an online music activities app 3 times a week for 15-30 minutes at a time. Results found that, in spite of the known limitation of CIs on spectral resolution, music training, facilitated by a music therapist, can improve spectral resolution perception in children with CIs.

Read a research article on the use of music in the lives of children with severe forms of cerebral palsy and multiple disabilities. Findings suggest that music is a very important method in allowing these children to connect with the world around them and interact with others, and that parents were often unaware of their child's potential, demonstrated especially through their musical interactions. Discussion for the collaboration between parents and professionals, particularly music therapists, is also included.

Simra was born with the rare conditions Lebers Amaurosis and Joubert Syndrome leaving her with total blindness as well as having poor muscle tone, co-ordination and balance. Watch as Simra explores the world through music with the help of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.