Resources & references

Legacy work is the process of creatively expressing and documenting one's life, with the goal of leaving the legacy for future generations. Music therapists can offer unique opportunities to create legacy work due to the music medium that is the basis of their work. Three contrasting case studies, incorporating patient, family and therapist perspectives, are presented to illustrate music therapy legacy work.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of a single music therapy session to reduce pain in palliative care patients. This research validates that a single music therapy intervention incorporating therapist-guided autogenic relaxation and live music was effective in lowering pain in palliative care patients.

Discover a group music therapy session in Spanish designed for older adults with Alzheimer’s disease—one that supports physical movement, stimulates cognitive abilities, enhances interpersonal connection, and encourages emotional expression.

Learn more about the benefits of music therapy for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer's disease

Learn more about music therapy in Spanish

Joanie Ayotte, certified music therapist, explains how music therapy helps achieve therapeutic goals with seniors living in a nursing home (CHSLD).

Valérie Saulnier, a professional singer and music therapist presents the benefits and applications of music therapy for people living with Parkinson’s disease. Music can help them regain fluid motion, improve cognitive abilities, enhance coordination, facilitate rhythmic movement, and support social and emotional functioning. 

Listen to an interview featuring Dr Alison Talmage, a music therapist who recently published a handbook for helping and establishing therapeutic choirs to be more accessible to individuals with neurologic conditions. She discusses the benefits of therapeutic singing, including the neuroscience underlying the approach, as well as providing anecdotes on some of the participants in her choir.

The objective of this study was to explore the effects of an interdisciplinary singing-based therapeutic intervention (ParkinSong) on voice and communication in people with Parkinson’s disease. The results show that ParkinSong is an engaging intervention with the potential to increase loudness and respiratory function in people with mild to moderately severe PD.

The aim of this study is to test the feasibility and acceptability of an online mode of delivery for a Parkinson’s singing intervention (ParkinSong) as well as remote data collection procedures. This mode of delivery aims to increase the accessibility of singing interventions.

Parkinson's disease is a neurological condition that affects movement, among other skills. Kerry Willis, a board certified music therapist, explains how neurologic music therapy enhances neurorehablitation through movement, singing, and instrument playing.

This study explored family members’ perceptions of music therapy experiences of a relative in palliative and hospice care, alongside patient self-reports and music therapist assessments of change. Patients showed significant improvements in pain, depression, distress, and mood, while family members reported immediate positive effects on both patients and themselves.

Music therapist Natalia Garbarets explains what music therapy is, how it differs from musical education, and what are its benefits.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of Remini-Sing RCT, community-based therapeutic choirs led by music therapists and offered to individuals with dementia and their caregivers. Preliminary results  showed a decrease in anxiety and depression. Considering the limited number of participants, the article also addresses the issue of  recruitment and retention of participants, to help future research and improve sustainability of such programs.