Resources & references

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. 

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the efficacy of music therapy on pain and anxiety in children undergoing clinical procedures. Conclusion: Music is effective in reducing anxiety and pain in children undergoing medical and dental procedures; it can be considered an adjunctive therapy in clinical situations that produce pain or anxiety.

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. 

 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 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 interdisciplinary book guides the reader through principles, techniques, and exercises for incorporating music into grief counseling, with the end goal of further empowering the grieving person. Music has a unique ability to elicit a whole range of powerful emotional responses in people - even so far as altering or enhancing one's mood - as well as physical reactions. The book uses musical expression to help the bereaved find meaning in loss and hurt, and move forward with their lives. 

Music therapy is often used to improve well-being. A new study hints that for people with dementia, listening to music can induce lingering emotions even if they don't remember listening.

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.

This video features an individual who was paralyzed due to a motor vehicle collision and participated in music therapy sessions in a hospital in Alberta, Canada. The video includes clips of music therapy sessions, testimonials from the patient, and interviews from certified music therapists.

This paper updates an earlier review that encouraged the music therapy community to continuing investigating the efficacy of music therapy in treatment of substance abuse. 12 studies met inclusion for this review. The most common music therapy method to be investigated was lyric analysis, followed by music and imagery methods, and then songwriting. Recommendations include suggestions for reducing bias in future studies and continued research.

This article explores the evidence-based benefits of music therapy among adults with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It references existing research showing how music enhances communication, cognitive functioning, physical activity, memory, reality orientation, and quality of life.

Learn more about the benefits of music therapy by seeing a music therapy experience in action