Resources & references

An online destination for discovery & deeper understanding.

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The purpose of our database is to provide an easy access to knowledge about music therapy and its application with a diverse array of clientele.  We therefore propose a selection of pertinent references, however not exhaustive, given that each week more research and other information are published around the world. 

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          272 results
          Musicothérapie à la maison de soins palliatifs Saint-Raphaël
          2021
          Type of reference
          General information
          Language
          French
          Subtitle
          French
          Source / Publisher
          Saint-Raphaël Palliative Care Home and Day Center

          This video features Anna Lacourse, certified music therapist (Quebec) who presents her work with a patient at the Saint-Raphaël Palliative Care Home and Day Center (Montreal). The patient gives a testimonial and describes the benefits he has experienced through music therapy.

          Musicothérapie et santé mentale : l’expérience de musicothérapeutes québécois
          2017
          Type of reference
          Scientific publications
          Author
          Guylaine Vaillancourt
          Language
          French
          Source / Publisher
          Revue officielle de l’Association canadienne des musicothérapeutes

          The objective of this phenomenological research is to document the experience of music therapists practicing in mental health with adults receiving services in community and hospital settings in Quebec. Reflections, recommendations, research ideas, and the results of interviews are presented here. It is hoped that this work will help to foster the use of music therapy practices in mental health, an innovative and creative approach.

          Musique, musicothérapie et développement de l'enfant
          2005
          Type of reference
          General information
          Author
          Guylaine Vaillancourt
          Language
          French
          Source / Publisher
          Éditions CHU Sainte-Justine, collection du CHU Sainte-Justine pour les parents

          This book is available in an official English edition by the Publisher.

          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.

          See the record of the book Music, Music Therapy and Child Development
           


           

          Neurobiological Foundations of Neurologic Music Therapy: Rhythmic Entrainment and the Motor System
          2014
          Type of reference
          Scientific publications
          Author
          Michael Thaut, Gerald C. Mcintosh and Volker Hoemberg
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          Frontiers in Psychology

          Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system’s motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g. fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al, 1999). Physiological, kinematic and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of Neurologic Music Therapy.

          New institute for the promotion and support of music therapy
          2021
          Type of reference
          General information
          Author
          Suzanne Caron
          Language
          French
          Source / Publisher
          Revue canadienne de musicothérapie (RCM)

          After 35 years in the field of information technology followed by some time in politics, Suzanne Caron became a music therapist and founded the National Music Therapy Institute. Its mission is to raise awareness of and facilitate access to music therapy. A number of steps had to be completed before the dream of launching this Institute could become a reality —a process that demonstrated the importance of a determined, flexible, and creative approach. The COVID-19 pandemic— a tragedy in many respects—led the Institute to explore music therapy online for autistic people and family caregivers, and to develop training that would facilitate the transition for music therapists across Canada. The future looks promising for this Institute, whose story has yet to unfold.

          New perspectives on music in rehabilitation of executive and attention function
          2019
          Type of reference
          Scientific publications
          Author
          Yuko Koshimori & Michael H. Thaut
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          Frontiers in Neuroscience

          Modern music therapy, starting around the middle of the twentieth century was primarily conceived to promote emotional well-being and to facilitate social group association and integration. Therefore, it was rooted mostly in social science concepts. More recently, music as therapy began to move decidedly toward perspectives of neuroscience. This has been facilitated by the advent of neuroimaging techniques that help uncover the therapeutic mechanisms for non-musical goals in the brain processes underlying music perception, cognition, and production. In this paper, we focus on executive function (EF) and attentional processes (AP) that are central for cognitive rehabilitation efforts. To this end, we summarize existing behavioral as well as neuroimaging and neurophysiological studies in musicians, non-musicians, and clinical populations. 

          New resource helps create intergenerational connections through music therapy
          2021
          Type of reference
          General information
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          Schlegel- UW Research Institute for Aging

          This article describes the Intergenerational Jamboree music therapy intervention. The benefits for yound children and older adults are outlined, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed. A complete guide is provided for music therapists who wish to implement the Jamboree in their community. 

          New University of Limerick graduate using music therapy to treat chronic pain
          2024
          Type of reference
          General information
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          University of Limerick

          An article about Katie Fitzpatrick, who has dedicated her education and career to music therapy and is blazing a trail in the treatment of chronic pain.

          Nordic Journal of Music Therapy
          Type of reference
          General information
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          GAMUT - The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre (NORCE Norwegian Research Centre and University of Bergen),

           The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy serves the international community of music therapy by being an avenue for publication of scholarly articles, texts on practice, theory and research, dialogues and discussions, reviews and critique. Publication of the journal is based on the collaboration between the music therapy communities in the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and the three Baltic Countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

          It Is Not Just Music and Rhythm . . . Evaluation of a Drumming-Based Intervention to Improve the Social Wellbeing of Alienated Youth
          2012
          Type of reference
          Scientific publications
          Author
          Simon Faulkner, Lisa Wood, Penny Ivery and Robert Donovan
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          Children Australia

          The Discovering Relationship Using Music, Beliefs, Emotions, Attitudes & Thoughts (DRUMBEAT) program used drumming as a way of engaging at risk youth in a form of musical expression, while simultaneously incorporating themes and discussions relating to healthy relationships with others. The results support the underlying program theory, that combining the therapeutic potential of musical expression with basic cognitive–behavioural therapy can be used successfully to deliver a range of social learning outcomes, including emotional control, improved relationships and increased self-esteem.

          Opera legend Renee Fleming teams up with Dr. Francis Collins to study how music can improve health
          2024
          Type of reference
          General information
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          PBS News Hour

          In this news report, giants in their fields of music and science, soprano Renee Fleming and phyician and geneticist Francis Collins, are merging their knowledge to propel advancements in body and mind. Recent discoveries are shared. A recent international gathering of researchers, therapists and artists took stock of what is known and what is yet to be discovered. 

          Orchestrating a New Path for Multiple Sclerosis: Achieving Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Rehabilitation Goals Through Physical and Music Therapy
          2023
          Type of reference
          Scientific publications
          Author
          Megan Weigel, Brian Hutchinson, Wendy L. Magee, Kevin Leong, Tom Sweitzer, Jamie L. Weiss, Wendy Su, Renée Fleming
          Language
          English
          Source / Publisher
          International Journal of Multiple Sclerosis Care

          This research article investigates who how music therapy and physical therapy can benefit individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). It demonstrates how these types of therapies can enhance rehabilitation, treat symptoms, decrease the use of medication, and improve overall wellbeing.