Resources & references

This book chapter examines the uses of music therapy for pain management in adults medical settings. It delineates criteria for referral and assessment, and an overview of methods and techniques.

This study examines parental perception of music therapy for children in a university hospital's pediatric intensive care unit (ICU). It found that the positive potentials of music therapy in pediatric ICU care reported in other studies could be used to promote the psychological well-being of parents and children, reduce anxiety, and manage pain.

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.

 An individual who suffered from polio as a child described the impact of music therapy on his recovery over the years.

Read a research study on the impact of music therapy during burn care in a pediatric setting for the medical professionals providing the care. Results indicated that survey respondents felt more relaxed, less stressed, better patient compliance  and a better overall experience when music therapy was present than when it was not.

This article explores how music therapy can serve as a self-care management resource for improving self-efficacy and mediating the relationship between vulnerability factors and health outcomes for patients with sickle cell disease. Accordingly, it is important for appropriate patient reported outcomes to be used within practice and research to capture these important domains and improve our understanding of how music therapy can help individuals with chronic pain achieve meaningful outcomes.

A music therapy program in the waiting room of a burn unit uses active music therapy experiences to support patients, by enhancing pain management and reducing pain perception.

This article provides recommendations for music therapy practice and research among individuals with chronic pain using sickle cell disease as an exemplar condition. The research on music therapy for chronic pain management has shown that music therapy is particularly helpful in improving people's pain-related self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is well recognized to play an essential role in effective management of chronic pain.

This article discusses the positive benefits on well-being of adding music therapy to kangaroo care, which stresses the importance of skin to skin touch for preterm infants.

Watch certified music therapist, Laurie Perez, support Karen, a hospital patient, in providing connection and something to look forward to amidst her medical treatment.

Click here to read more about how music therapy can support medical patients

This is a summary of a study, which reveals promising findings for the application of improvisational music therapy in assuaging the multidimensional acute pain of adult patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). 

This paper delineates the design and development of the mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program implemented in a pilot study and includes clients’ narrative journal responses. Conclusions and recommendations, including recommendation for further exploration of the function of music in mindfulness practice are provided.