Resources & references

This textbook provides an overview of practical and comprehensive guidance on the application of music therapy in clinical settings. The chapters are written with an evidence-based approach written by scholars and practicioners in music therapy and related fields.

Music therapy offers a holistic way to help people of all ages manage pain. Learn how it can support goals such as improving mood, regulating emotions, and easing discomfort.

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.

Music therapists at the Montreal Children’s Hospital use instruments, vocals, and musical experiences to support children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional goals while promoting healing and a sense of safety for children and their parents through music therapy.

A music therapy group for individual's with Parkinson's disease is hosted on a weekly basis at Drury University. A music therapist and participants share how the sessions improve neurorehabilitation and symptom management through drumming, instrument playing, and singing.  The text includes an audio excerpt embedded in the article.

This news report describes the impact of music therapy on blind/visually impaired children.

This literature review explores existing research pertaining to speech and language development in young children, both in the field of music therapy and from other fields which may be relevant to music therapy practice. It seeks to determine the treatment implications for music therapists.

Click here to watch a playlist of music videos to target speech sounds.

Read an article featuring an interview with Julie Dawn Reid, a music therapist, explaining how music therapy can be used and what it may look like with individuals in addictions recovery. A discussion of the risks of music in this population, especially due to the strong associations between certain types of music and substance use is also included.

This study compares the impact of play-based and music-based group sessions on attention behaviours in blind/visually impaired preschoolers. Results indicated greater attentive behaviour in the music-based sessions.

Read a Cochrane review on the use of music interventions for acquired brain injury. Results indicate positive effects in motor and communication/speech rehabilitation, as well as on quality of life, and that interventions lead by a qualified music therapist were more effective.

This systematic review indicates that music interventions compared to standard care may have beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, hope, pain, and fatigue in adults with cancer. The results of two trials suggest that music interventions may have a beneficial effect on anxiety in children with cancer. For several outcomes, music therapy interventions delivered by a trained music therapist led to consistent results across studies. The abstract is available in many languages. 

This video presents music therapy sessions at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital in the Tertiary Palliative Care Unit led by Sheila Killoran, certified music therapist.