Resources & references

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.

Read an article introducing music therapy, how it works, who it can benefit, and explaining the scientific mechanisms underlying the field.

 Music therapy improves the health of premature babies and boosts parental bonding.

Click here to watch a video about this article. 

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 

This article describes different techniques, interventions and outcomes of teens during cancer treatment. They describe how writing lyrics, making videos helped them get through grueling treatment and connect with others, study found.

Research article about how neurologic music therapy can enhance neurorehabilitation among stroke patients, traumatic brain injury, autistic individuals, and those with learning disabilities.

Discover the benefits of music therapy in the treatment of chronic pain in adults, in this article about research projects from Dr Katie Fitzpatrick and Dr Joke Bradt.

Learn about the National Music Therapy Institute, founded by music therapist Suzanne Caron—its mission, vision, and history, along with key projects developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, including online music therapy for family caregivers, autistic individuals, as well as training initiatives for music therapists.

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.

Read an article detailing the work of Rebecca Lappa, a music therapy masters student, who, having just completed a trial program with a hospital for her final practicum is now working with the hospital to find funding for a longer term project. She explains the ways that music therapy helps babies in the NICU, and also shares that she was a NICU baby herself.

Discover what music therapy is, how it can be implemented, and the therapeutic areas it can support, as explained by music therapist Gabriela Echauri.

This article summarizes findings from a research article that explores the musical skills required to be a music therapist. Findings were gathered based on the opinions of a dozen music therapists in the United States and have implications for the education and  training of future music therapists.

Click here to read the research study referenced in this article.