Resources & references

Previous literature in music therapy suggests a need for greater clarity and insight concerning correlations between music and spirituality for the modern clinician. The purpose of this article is to provide a clear explanation of these correlations and some possible implications for the practice of music therapy.

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 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 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 fact sheet from the American Music Therapy Association provides information about music therapy practices for substance abuse recovery. This page provides information on potential outcomes of music therapy, contraindications for music therapy, the clinical process, research areas, and a client testimonial.

This informational page from the Music Therapy Association of British-Columbia provides an overview of music therapy practices in a mental health context. It describes why music therapy may be effective in addressing mental health needs, lists examples of mental illnesses where music therapy can help, presents different approaches and activities that can be used, and provides literature supporting the use of music therapy for mental health.

Pain is one of the most common and difficult symptoms to manage in adult burn patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This systematic review and meta-analysis provide an update of Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) using music therapy or music medicine interventions with adult burn patients. It provides preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of music interventions this population. However, more high-quality RCTs are needed to establish guidelines.

This research paper offers a theoretical perspective of recovery as an integral part of modern mental health services. It presents the views of four music therapy researchers situated in Australia, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom. This article elaborates on the implications of music therapy as a recovery-oriented practice and includes recommendations to maximize support for recovery of mental health patients.

 This video shows examples of music therapy sessions and perspectives from music therapists and the Children's Hospital in Boston, MA.

This brief entry is a summary of a peer-reviewed article. It explains succinctly what is music therapy in palliative care. 

This fact sheet from the American Music Therapy Association provides information about music therapy practices for adults with mental health and substance use challenges. This page provides information on relevant definitions and statistics, the types of mental health settings in which music therapists work, potential outcomes of music therapy, contraindications for music therapy, the clinical process, and effectiveness research.