Resources & references

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.

Read about the program DRUMBEAT (Discovering Relationships Using Music, Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes and Thoughts), which shows significant improvements in students' self-esteem, and internalizing and externalizing behaviours, as reported by both teachers and students.

Ryan Judd, a board-certified music therapist, explains why hello songs are used in music therapy sessions. He also provides an example of a hello song and demonstrates how it can be adapted for both children and teenagers.

Discover a playlist of 22 music videos created by certified music therapist, Tiana Malone to target various speech sounds for children. The videos are designed to be accessible to low-vision children.

Click here to read an article on speech and language development among children pertinent to music therapy.

Learn how music therapy is used in Australian schools to support children's learning and development, including the availability of different programs. 

Music therapist Lisa Martino explains and shows how she uses music therapy to support students, including those with multiple disabilities, at the Perkins School for the Blind.

One of the few controlled researches that focus on parental bonding and music therapy. Music therapists working with families address relationship and interpersonal communication issues; this research documents how music therapy supports mutuality and reciprocity in parent-child interactions.

Read an article examining the body synchrony of autistic children with their therapists during music therapy sessions. Results of this video microanalysis showed that while there was no significant change in the autistic children's ability to synchronize with therapists at the end of their treatment period, there was a significant increase in the ability of therapists to synchronize with the autistic children. The potential implications of this finding for both future research and practice are discussed.

Read a study on the use of music therapy in burn patients, including both adults and pediatric cases, which found that participants in the music therapy program reported a significant reduction in pain compared to those not participating in the music therapy program.

The purpose of this study was to measure the effects of music therapy-based bereavement groups on mood and behavior of grieving children. The investigator concluded that participation in music therapy-based bereavement groups served to reduce grief symptoms among the subjects as evaluated in the home. Teacher and self-evaluations were less conclusive. 

A board-certified music therapist sings a hello song to a child with a chronic condition, in an individual music therapy session with his caregiver. Through singing and instrument play, the child improves his nonverbal communication skills.

Read how musical interaction supported by a qualified music therapist can offer a potential pathway for improved attachment between parent and infant. This article is also available in a French full-text translation.