Resources & references

What would you think if you met a person who had lost his ability to speak after having a stroke, but who could sing with perfect clarity? Harvey Alter, president and founder of the International Aphasia Movement, spoke regarding his first-hand experience on music's power to heal at the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function's 2008 Music Has Power Awards Benefit.

Click here to find out more about the therapeutic use of music in speech rehabilitation.

Pain is one of the most common and difficult symptoms to manage in adult burn patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This systematic review and meta-analysis provide an update of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) using music therapy or music medicine interventions with adult burn patients. It provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of music interventions this population. However, more high-quality RCTs are needed to establish guidelines.

This  systematic review examines existing scientific literature on the effects of music therapy on individuals living with Parkinson's disease. Results display a great diversity of evidence, confirming positive effects on in motor, communication, emotional, and cognitive skills.

A research paper offering theoretical perspectives from music therapy researchers around the world on the implications of music therapy as a recovery-oriented practice in mental health and recommendations to maximize support for recovery of mental health patients.

This case report highlights how neurologic music therapy supported the interdisciplinary rehabilitation of a severely injured American service member, improving physical, cognitive, speech, and language skills while offering emotional support.

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.

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.

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. 

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. 

This study reviews existing research to compare the effects of music therapy in addition to standard care versus standard care alone, or to standard care plus an active control intervention, on psychological symptoms, substance craving, motivation for treatment, and motivation to stay clean/sober.

The objectives of the study were: i) to describe the characteristics and effectiveness of music therapy interventions which aim to improve health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness, and ii) to describe the experience of music therapy for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness. Conclusion: qualitative studies provide moderate to strong evidence for improved health-related outcomes for adult informal carers of adults with life-threatening illness pre-bereavement.