Resources & references

This report tells how music therapists help the various needs of students in a school for the blind. Different music therapy interventions are described, and music therapists explain how they address goals based on their students' Individual education plan. 

This study evaluated the feasibility and potential benefits of a drum circle activity designed to improve the affective experience of patients, families and staff in a large pediatric hospital. This preliminary study supports the usefulness of group drumming to enhance the well-being of pediatric hospital patients, families and staff.

This video showcases the Jared Kurtin Music Therapy Program at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, which is a clinical and evidence-based program for hospitalized infants, children and their families. This hospital is a leader in creative medical treatment options and has the first established pediatric music therapy program in the San Francisco Bay Area.

This chapter details a unique music therapy songwriting program, Hear Our Voices, and the songwriting process of the Little Saints, a group of “at-risk” fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The authors, who were also the music therapists working with this group, discuss the relevance of Hip-Hop culture, and its musical framework, to the music therapy process, and to the success of the program. 

 Music therapy is an ancient and yet very modern practice that has the power to heal and transform our brains and bodies in significant ways. Kathleen Howland, speech language and music therapist explains how music really does have the power to heal our brain and heart.

 This article describes the ways music therapy has been applied to help children cope with anxiety related disorders

This video exposes a case study of a child who was born without eyes and has always feared medical procedures. She is enrolled in music therapy at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s to decrease her anxiety.

This article examines the use of the non-verbal voice in music therapy with children with severe learning disabilities, complex needs and autism. Recent literature on the use of the voice in music therapy is summarised and links are made between the aims of music therapy and those of special educational establishments. Theories regarding the voice and the self, and the important connection between body awareness and emotion as precursors to learning are referred to, particularly in relation to learning disability.

This book chapter provides an overview of research on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), descriptions of key components of resilience in child development and trauma-informed care, and recommendations for music therapists. 
How can music therapy foster resilience in children who have lived though adverse experiences? How can music therapists provide trauma-informed care to their most vulnerable clients?"mmandations pour les musicothérapeutes. 

This intervention guide is designed for music therapists and recreation and leisure/activity team members who support individuals living in retirement and long-term care (LTC) homes and wish to provide intergenerational music therapy experiences to their residents. The creation of the Jamboree was a collaborative process between the music therapist and the director of recreation at the Village of Riverside Glen LTC home in Guelph, Canada. The team advocates that creating intergenerational opportunities can benefit the health and well-being of both younger and older individuals. 

The Jamboree is an intergenerational music therapy program in which young children, typically between the age of 0-4, and their accompanying adults (e.g., parent, grandparent, guardian) take part in weekly music therapy sessions along with residents living in retirement or LTC. During each session, a certified music therapist leads the group in singing songs, moving to music, using instruments and props (e.g., drums, scarves, bubbles) and gently facilitates interaction between participants. Additional care providers (e.g., recreation team members) observe, support and can participate in the program alongside the residents.

This study describes an interprofessional intervention program, combining the expertise of an occupational therapist and of a music therapist to systematically teach piano keyboarding to preschool children with impaired vision. We conducted a small, mixed methods non-randomized pilot case study to determine how such a program could be successfully embedded into a preschool setting, to examine if fine motor skills improve post-intervention, and to study the perceived effects on participants and their families.