Resources & references

This webpage from the British Association for Music Therapy offers a series of podcast audio episodes about music therapy, its benefits, and related topics.

This article explains how music therapy can help people cope with grief in a variety of ways. It can help create connection with a deceased loved one. It can help those grieving to explore spirituality (hope and meaning in life) and deal with challenging emotions. Many people have an intimate connection to the songs that have helped them through bereavement.

Watch a video on how music therapist Loghan Puhach uses music therapy to support residents at the Riverview Health Centre.

Mental health dementia wards in the National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom provide specialist care for people with dementia experiencing acute levels of distress. This study tested the feasibility of delivering a standardised music therapy protocol on these wards and the suitability of the research methods.

This fact sheet from the American Music Therapy Association provides information about music therapy practices for adults with mental health and substance use challenges. This page provides information on relevant definitions and statistics, the types of mental health settings in which music therapists work, potential outcomes of music therapy, contraindications for music therapy, the clinical process, and effectiveness research.

Read a Cochrane review on the effects of music therapy for autistic people, updated in 2022. Results show with moderate certainty an increased chance of global improvement and quality of life for autistic individuals, as compared to placebo and standard care conditions. Notable limitations include the age of participants, with no results able to be drawn between autism and music therapy for individuals older than young adults. Long-term effects are also understudied. 

In this video, an incredible family shares their story of how Music Therapy at Camp Kerry improved their lives after the death of their loved one.

This research article evaluated how music therapy can help children, teenagers, and young adults with cancer and blood disorders. It determined that music therapy is highly beneficial to have in an interdisciplinary team to manage symptoms and provide psychosocial care. 

Read an article on the use of music therapy for premature babies in level 3 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) settings. Results demonstrated significant improvements in physiological and stress markers even after a signle 15-minute session.

Click here to read the abstract of the original study.

This video features an interview with music therapist Heather Fellows. She discusses the ways in which music therapy can assist those faced with  grief to learn how to process, cope and walk through the journey of bereavement.

Watch music therapist Erica Santiago explain what music therapy is and how it can support patients in hospice care.

Listen to music therapist Savannah Zimlich explain how she uses music therapy with individuals with multiple disabilities, including intellectual and developmental disabilities. She equally discusses how interdisciplinary collaboration assists these individuals in reaching their full potential.