Resources & references

Three therapists use instruments and voices — and parents — to reach kids "where they're at" and promote healing and a feeling of safety. Music therapists at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (Pascal Comeau, Julien Peyrin and Christelle Jacquet) sing and use instruments to help children get in touch with their emotions and find calm when undergoing procedures.

This news report describes the impact of music therapy on children with visual impairment. A parent speaks about the changes they have seen on their child, and their hopes for the future. 

This pilot study had two purposes: First, to document and compare attentive behavior during music and play-based group instructional sessions and second, and to document and compare 4 group participation behaviors during music and play-based sessions. Discussion regarding differential outcomes among participants, as well as an exploration of theories related to music, arousal, and attention are discussed in an effort to guide future research.

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 book, written by music therapist Guylaine Vaillancourt, is divided in two parts. This book is intended to make parents, educators and care-givers aware of how music and music therapy can benefit children. It also explains how the purposeful use of music by music therapy professionals can restore, maintain or enhance physical and psychological well-being of children. 
 

This research study interviews experienced music therapists of diverse cultural backgrounds. The results provide recommendations on how to build safety in the therapeutic relationship among children and adolescents who have experienced trauma.

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.

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 accessible video explains what is a visual impairment and how it affects children. It summarizes 5 different research articles about music therapy for children with visual impairment. It also provides a list of practice guidelines for music therapists working with children who have a visual impairment.

This video shows examples of music therapy sessions and perspectives from music therapists and the Children's Hospital in Boston.

Board Certified music therapy program at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Funded by Children's Miracle Network - Herskey. By manipulating the elements of a song, music therapists help control a patient's pain and anxiety, ease adjustment to the hospital setting and promote rehabilitation.

 Presentation by Tanya Lavoie, certified music therapist, working at the Montreal Children's Hospital.