Resources & references

Music therapist Sheila Pereiro shares about her experiences working with diverse populations and how music therapy can improve self-expression, connection with others, and quality of life.

In 1997, a music therapy program was first piloted in a community mental health clubhouse and six months later expanded to five community mental health group homes, in British Columbia, Canada. An article published in 2000 described the predominantly song-based approach of that program and documented the participant's evaluation of it, concluding that the client-centred empowerment model of consumer inclusiveness appeared to contribute significantly to the rehabilitative effect of the program. In this article published in 2020, the authors report on the current status of the program, including new data.

Two music therapists use music therapy to help older adults living with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. They show how singing, instrument playing, and other music therapy techniques can enhance physical movement, cognitive stimulation, and relaxation.

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

Heather Overly, a board-certified music therapist, discusses how music therapy can support children with  developmental disabilities. Through live session examples and interviews, she demonstrates how group music therapy can meet therapeutic goals such as self-expression, academic skills, and social skills.

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. 

Click here to learn more about the benefits of music therapy for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

A comprehensive guide to music therapy with young children, providing a detailed examination of development from birth to age five, with theoretical perspectives and extensive scales of developmental milestones. The author categorizes development within five levels. An expansive catalog of musical goals is provided for singing, playing, moving, and musical understanding within each level.

This informational page from the Music Therapy Association of British-Columbia provides an overview of music therapy practices in a mental health context. It describes why music therapy may be effective in addressing mental health needs, lists examples of mental illnesses where music therapy can help, presents different approaches and activities that can be used, and provides literature supporting the use of music therapy for mental health.

Leticia Prieto Alvarez, a music therapist at Hebrew Senior Life, explains the benefits of music therapy for older adults and provides examples of active music therapy experiences in group and individual settings. 

Watch how certified music therapist  Amy Smith supports children in a pediatric hospital setting, with specific examples from neonatal intensive care (NICU) and rehabilitation.

Watch how music therapy is provided in a pediatric hospital setting to work on a variety of goals with children with diverse needs.