Resources & references

Masters thesis that analyzes concepts of social paediatrics applied to music therapy. Results describe the application of these concepts by music therapists working within this approach. 

Songwriting, used in many cultures as a mourning practice, can inform bereavement music therapy sessions and research. This study explored the perspectives of three Cape Breton Island songwriters and found it supports grief expression, personal growth, and connection.

Read a thesis paper exploring the use of music therapy to target gross motor skills in young children with congenital blindness/visual impairments. Two case studies are presented, and five common themes are explained.

Read a literature review exploring childhood cerebral visual impairment (CVI) and the ways that music therapy can be used to approach CVI-related goals.

This thesis details a qualitative study on music therapy process resulting in the new concept of musico-relational competence. The project began with an exploration of music processes in the context of outpatient adult psychiatry. An ethnographic and ethnomusicological approach to the analysis of the video data (including music analysis) is used, focusing on the meaning making process of participants in the study.

This study was the first application of group drumming to be used for an entire treatment session in an acute psychiatric setting. This was also the first research trial to use drumming alone to influence the mood of in-patient psychiatric individuals. Results of this study indicate that a group drumming protocol can be successfully utilized as part of the psychosocial training program in a hospital setting. 

Read a thesis paper on the potential uses of songwriting in a music therapy context to assist women who have experienced unplanned pregnancy loss through the grief process.