Resources & references

This video presents music therapy sessions led by Kelly Sweeney and Jessie Palmer, board-certified music therapists (United States), to patients in the Carilion Clinic Hospice. Note: The beginning (2m 33s) corresponds to the excerpt shown in the lesson on music therapy. 

This study explores the feasibility and effects of music therapy on anticipatory nausea and vomiting, stress, pain and quality of life in adolescents undergoing chemotherapy. A significant reduction in anxiety, nausea and vomiting, both pre-post single sessions and between different sessions, was observed. Results support the feasibility of introducing music therapy with adolescents undergoing chemotherapy. Perceived stress and psychological/physical wellbeing were improved in participants.

This study examined whether a 6-part music therapy intervention was feasible, acceptable, and beneficial among adults with sickle cell disease and chronic pain. Interviews revealed two themes related to participants’ experience of music therapy: 1) participants learned new self-management skills and 2) music therapy improved participants’ ability to cope with pain. 

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of music therapy on pain and anxiety in pediatric burn patients during nursing procedures. The results from the qualitative and quantitative data indicated that music therapy reduced pain, anxiety, and behavioral distress, while increasing mood and enhancing relaxation. 

This article explores the efficacy of music therapy interventions in palliative care and their therapeutic impact on physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual well-being.

Music therapists work across populations and age groups to assist with pain management, from children during painful procedures to people at end-of-life care. Music therapists address acute, chronic as well as procedural pain.

This video (in Spanish) explains how music has been used therapeutically throughout history. It describes how music was used in ancient civilizations, the Middle Ages, the renaissance, the baroque period, and the modern age, when music therapy was established as a profession.

This article summarizes many ways in which music therapy is used in medical institutions. Testimonials from patients and interviews with therapists are featured. 
 

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. 

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.