Resources & references

Music therapy enhances neuroplasticity among adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). Watch interviews from medical professionals and a music therapist, testimonials from clients, and live music therapy experiences.

This research article investigates how music therapy can improve rehabilitation among individuals with physical impairments, neurological conditions, and developmental diagnoses. The study reviews existing literature and demonstrates that music therapy is effective in improving physiological, psychological, cognitive. and emotional functioning among patients.

The aim of this study was to learn how music therapy sessions, held prior to the death of a loved one, impact spirituality in surviving caregivers of advanced cancer patients. Pre-loss music therapy can potentially assist caregivers during times of bereavement, as they retain memories of joy and empowerment, rather than memories of pain and distress, and find meaning through transcendence.

The purpose of this investigation was to systematically review and analyze the existent music therapy literature addressing psychosocial needs of informal caregivers. Three categories were developed to sort and synthesize the literature including articles with interventions targeting joint informal caregiver (ICV) and care receiver (CR) participation, ICG specific participation, and CR specific participation. Most studies utilized an experimental design and incorporated a variety of active music therapy techniques in a group format or songwriting.

This study reviews research on rhythmic auditory stimulation, a neurologic music therapy technique that enhances gait in individuals recovering from stroke or living with Parkinson’s disease, or other neurological conditions.

This research article studies the effects of music therapy for patients with a terminal illness who are receiving end-of-life care within a family context. It studies the impact that music therapy can have on patients' immune system, quality of life, quality of sleep, and anxiety and depression levels.

Read a thesis paper on the potential uses of songwriting in a music therapy context to assist women who have experienced unplanned pregnancy loss through the grief process. 

This article describes music therapy services offered at the adult psychiatry department of the Montreal General Hospital.

Watch the 6th episode of a documentary series hosted by Gregory Charles about the therapeutic effect of choir singing and music among adults living with Alzheimer's disease. Two sequences (at 4:05 and 11:30) feature a exploratory group music therapy session with dyads composed of 4 choir members and their caregivers, as well as interviews with Suzanne Caron, President, and Tanya Lavoie, music therapist, from the National Music Therapy Institute. Note: this video is available with closed captioning and a transcript.

This article reviews existing research on the use of music therapy to support veterans and military personnel. It identifies primary music therapy techniques utilized in the treatment of trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to best meet their broad and complex needs.

This article provides general information on how music therapy can support individuals with various mental health needs. It explains what music therapy is, who can benefit, how it can support adults and teens, and music therapy experiences that are beneficial in offering emotional support.

This article presents a study exploring the use of music therapy interventions for pain management in adults. Findings show that recreative and music-assisted relaxation and imagery interventions were significantly more likely to reduce pain intensity than receptive only interventions and also suggest that male patients, medicaid beneficiaries, and patients with sickle cell disease were less likely to report pain reduction.

Click here to read the referenced study.