Resources & references

Concordia University produced the "Children's Right to Music" documentary.  The videos included in this documentary introduce music therapists interacting and using music with groups of children that are autistic or with some disabilities, in schools or community settings adapted to support their development and meet their needs.

This study aimed to investigate clinical effectiveness of a structured eight-week mindfulness-based music therapy (MBMT) program on improving mood regulation in older women with blindness. 

This qualitative study explores the lived experience of inter-active listening (IAL), an individualized music therapy experience in which the therapist plays music or sings while the patient engages through listening. The study found that a receptive music therapy referred to as IAL was associated, in cancer patients in an acute palliative care unit, with increased emotional and spiritual well-being and a greater sense of connection to self and others.

This paper describes a Performing Arts Program, representative of Community Music Therapy. Adults with developmental disabilities participated in community-based performing ensembles — instrumental/vocal groups and American Sign Language (ASL) music interpretation groups. The Performing Arts Program was successful in fostering community engagement, social networking, and friendship building. Implications for the changing trends in music therapy are discussed.

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. 
 

The Department of Creative Arts Therapies, from Concordia University in Montréal (Québec) offers the Music Therapy Graduate and Master's Programs, and coordinates the clinical internships required to become a certified music therapist in Canada.

This study explored perspectives and social needs of aging adults with IDD as expressed by them through actions, words, music, and art that they shared in a university community Art Hive. Using collaborative and participatory methods, this research contextualizes the Art Hive as a place of social, creative, and relational engagement and inclusion.

This video (in Spanish), includes interviews with Antoni Aceves and Joel Olivé from Spain and Rolando Benenzon from Argentina. Each of them is highly experienced music therapists and provide a definition of music therapy, explain its potential applications, and describe its therapeutic benefits.

This study aimed to co-design an international best practice agenda for research into music therapy for informal carers of patients pre- and post-death bereavement. Results show that the effectiveness of music therapy in supporting informal carers across the bereavement continuum should be prioritised. This should be done using a mixed methods design to draw on the strengths of different methodological approaches to building the evidence base. It should involve service users throughout.

The purpose of this study was to design and pilot a music therapy-driven grief processing assessment instrument with bereaved adolescents receiving group songwriting interventions. Grief process areas were developed through a descriptive analysis of a total of 123 songs previously written by bereaved adolescents who received weekly music therapy and grief counselling over a period of 36 months. 

In this video produced by Shaw TV, Jennifer Buchanan of JB Music Therapy in Calgary demonstrates the effectiveness and impact of music therapy on a 97 year old war veteran who has cognitive impairments due to dementia.

This study presents music therapy group work with six soldiers diagnosed as suffering from combat or terror related PTSD. Some reduction in PTSD symptoms was observed following drumming, especially increased sense of openness, togetherness, belonging, sharing, closeness, connectedness and intimacy, as well as achieving a non-intimidating access to traumatic memories, facilitating an outlet for rage and regaining a sense of self-control.