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The Healing Power of Music

Music therapy is increasingly used to help patients cope with stress and promote healing.

By Richard Schiffman

“Focus on the sound of the instrument,” Andrew Rossetti, a licensed music therapist and researcher said as he strummed hypnotic chords on a Spanish-style classical guitar. “Close your eyes. Think of a place where you feel safe and comfortable.”

Music therapy was the last thing that Julia Justo, a graphic artist who immigrated to New York from Argentina, expected when she went to Mount Sinai Beth Israel Union Square Clinic for treatment for cancer in 2016. But it quickly calmed her fears about the radiation therapy she needed to go through, which was causing her severe anxiety.

“I felt the difference right away, I was much more relaxed,” she said.

Ms. Justo, who has been free of cancer for over four years, continued to visit the hospital every week before the onset of the pandemic to work with Mr. Rossetti, whose gentle guitar riffs and visualization exercises helped her deal with ongoing challenges, like getting a good night’s sleep. Nowadays they keep in touch mostly by email.

The healing power of music — lauded by philosophers from Aristotle and Pythagoras to Pete Seeger — is now being validated by medical research. It is used in targeted treatments for asthma, autism, depression and more, including brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and stroke.

Live music has made its way into some surprising venues, including oncology waiting rooms to calm patients as they wait for radiation and chemotherapy. It also greets newborns in some neonatal intensive care units and comforts the dying in hospice.

While musical therapies are rarely stand-alone treatments, they are increasingly used as adjuncts to other forms of medical treatment. They help people cope with their stress and mobilize their body’s own capacity to heal.

“Patients in hospitals are always having things done to them,” Mr. Rossetti explained. “With music therapy, we are giving them resources that they can use to self-regulate, to feel grounded and calmer. We are enabling them to actively participate in their own care.”

Even in the coronavirus pandemic, Mr. Rossetti has continued to perform live music for patients. He says that he’s seen increases in acute anxiety since the onset of the pandemic, making musical interventions, if anything, even more impactful than they were before the crisis.

Mount Sinai has also recently expanded its music therapy program to include work with the medical staff, many of whom are suffering from post-traumatic stress from months of dealing with Covid, with live performances offered during their lunch hour.

It’s not just a mood booster. A growing body of research suggests that music played in a therapeutic setting has measurable medical benefits.

“Those who undergo the therapy seem to need less anxiety medicine, and sometimes surprisingly get along without it,” said Dr. Jerry T. Liu, assistant professor of radiation oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

A review of 400 research papers conducted by Daniel J. Levitin at McGill University in 2013 concluded that “listening to music was more effective than prescription drugs in reducing anxiety prior to surgery.”

“Music takes patients to a familiar home base within themselves. It relaxes them without side effects,” said Dr. Manjeet Chadha, the director of radiation oncology at Mount Sinai Downtown in New York.

It can also help people deal with longstanding phobias. Mr. Rossetti remembers one patient who had been pinned under concrete rubble at Ground Zero on 9/11. The woman, who years later was being treated for breast cancer, was terrified by the thermoplastic restraining device placed over her chest during radiation and which reawakened her feelings of being entrapped.

“Daily music therapy helped her to process the trauma and her huge fear of claustrophobia and successfully complete the treatment,” Mr. Rossetti recalled.

Some hospitals have introduced prerecorded programs that patients can listen to with headphones. At Mount Sinai Beth Israel, the music is generally performed live using a wide array of instruments including drums, pianos and flutes, with the performers being careful to maintain appropriate social distance.

“We modify what we play according to the patient’s breath and heart rate,” said Joanne Loewy, the founding director of the hospital’s Louis Armstrong Center for Music & Medicine. “Our goal is to anchor the person, to keep their mind connected to the body as they go through these challenging treatments.”

Dr. Loewy has pioneered techniques that use several unusual instruments like a Gato Box, which simulates the rhythms of the mother’s heartbeat, and an Ocean Disc, which mimics the whooshing sounds in the womb to help premature babies and their parents relax during their stay in noisy neonatal intensive care units.

Dr. Dave Bosanquet, a vascular surgeon at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, Wales, says that music has become much more common in operating rooms in England in recent years with the spread of bluetooth speakers. Prerecorded music not only helps surgical patients relax, he says, it also helps surgeons focus on their task. He recommends classical music, which “evokes mental vigilance” and lacks distracting lyrics, but cautions that it “should only be played during low or average stress procedures” and not during complex operations, which demand a sharper focus.

Music has also been used successfully to support recovery after surgery. A study published in The Lancet in 2015 reported that music reduced postoperative pain and anxiety and lessened the need for anti-anxiety drugs. Curiously, they also found that music was effective even when patients were under general anesthesia.

None of this surprises Edie Elkan, a 75-year-old harpist who argues there are few places in the health care system that would not benefit from the addition of music. The first time she played her instrument in a hospital was for her husband when he was on life support after undergoing emergency surgery.

“The hospital said that I couldn’t go into the room with my harp, but I insisted,” she said. As she played the harp for him, his vital signs, which had been dangerously low, returned to normal. “The hospital staff swung the door open and said, ‘You need to play for everyone.’”

Ms. Elkan took these instructions to heart. After she searched for two years for a hospital that would pay for the program, the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, N.J., signed on, allowing her to set up a music school on their premises and play for patients at all stages in their hospitalization.

Ms. Elkan and her students have played for over a hundred thousand patients in 11 hospitals that have hosted them since her organization, Bedside Harp, was started in 2002.

In the months since the pandemic began, the harp players have been serenading patients at the entrance to the hospital, as well as holding special therapeutic sessions for the staff outdoors. They hope to resume playing indoors later this spring.

For some patients being greeted at the hospital door by ethereal harp music can be a shocking experience.

Recently, one woman in her mid-70s turned back questioningly to the driver when she stepped out of the van to a medley of familiar tunes like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Over the Rainbow” being played by a harpist, Susan Rosenstein. “That’s her job,” the driver responded, “to put a smile on your face.”

While Ms. Elkan says that it is hard to scientifically assess the impact — “How do you put a number on the value of someone smiling who has not smiled in six months?”— studies suggest that harp therapy helps calm stress and put both patients and hospital staff members at ease.

Ms. Elkan is quick to point out that she is not doing music therapy, whose practitioners need to complete a five-year course of study during which they are trained in psychology and aspects of medicine.

“Music therapists have specific clinical objectives,” she said. “We work intuitively — there’s no goal but to calm, soothe and give people hope.”

“When we come onto a unit, we remind people to exhale,” Ms. Elkan said. “Everyone is kind of holding their breath, especially in the E.R. and the I.C.U. When we come in, we dial down the stress level several decibels.”

Ms. Elkan’s harp can do more than just soothe emotions, says Ted Taylor, who directs pastoral care at the hospital. It can offer spiritual comfort to people who are at a uniquely vulnerable moment in their lives.

“There is something mysterious that we can’t quantify,” Mr. Taylor, a Quaker, said. “I call it soul medicine. Her harp can touch that deep place that connects all of us as human beings.”

The Role of Music in Speech Therapy

For more than 50 years, music has been an integral element of routine care for children with speech impediments and hearing impairments. A great deal of research has been done that examines the role of music in an individual’s general health, as well as how music can be an effective intervention when it comes to speech and language challenges. So, it would only make sense that for both children and adults who struggle with communication issues, music should be considered an important part of their intervention and therapy plan.

Speech therapists use a wide variety of approaches, methods, and activities in their sessions, and each treatment plan is unique and focuses on the specific goals, needs, and strengths of each individual. If you think your child might benefit from speech therapy, you can learn more by scheduling your free introductory call today!

The Connection Between Music and Communication

Language and music are very closely connected at a fundamental level, as both require greater brain function and also involve cognitive skills, including attention, memory, and categorization. Music and grammar also use structures that must follow a particular order to make sense and appreciate it.

In addition, music and speech require a similar pitch. Musical sequences typically follow specific intervals, and speech also requires various frequencies when it comes to intonation, such as when a question is asked or a statement or exclamation is made. This element of speech is often referred to as ‘contour,’ and it is one that even young babies can detect.

How Does Music Therapy Help Communication Skills?

Music can have many benefits when it comes to improving communication skills. Both speech and singing require the coordination of the same mechanisms within the body. In order to speak or sing effectively, the following processes must function:

Respiration – Breathing Resonance – How airflow is shaped through the nasal and oral cavities Phonation – Initiating sound Articulation – Using the teeth and tongue to produce specific speech sounds Fluency – The ability to produce speech sounds easily and smoothly

By using a variety of interventions that involve singing as well as instrument play, music therapy can help to strengthen these processes to improve overall communication skills. If you want to learn more about the role of music in speech therapy, schedule your free introductory call today!

Can Music Facilitate Speech Recovery and Ease Pain?

The use of music in therapy is an evidence-based practice that uses music to address the cognitive, physical, emotional, and social needs of individuals of all ages. It is beneficial in various settings, such as hospitals and hospices. Music therapy has been proven to be helpful in reducing pain levels, promoting relaxation, improving communication skills, and providing comfort during challenging times.

One way music in therapy can be effective at reducing pain is through the use of rhythmical breathing exercises. These exercises involve focusing on a rhythm while taking slow, deep breaths, promoting relaxation of the body and mind. This type of approach has been shown to lower the heart rate and blood pressure, as well as decrease anxiety levels, all of which can lead to a reduction in overall pain levels.

An additional benefit of music in therapeutic settings is its ability to promote relaxation by providing a pleasant distraction from stressful feelings or thoughts.

Listening to relaxing music and creating a sense of peace and tranquility allows for more effective coping methods when dealing with challenging emotions or situations. In addition, some studies have suggested that specific types of musical interventions can have an analgesic effect because of their ability to activate the release of endorphins in the brain, which function as natural pain relievers.

How Does Music Help with Speech Therapy?

There are so many ways that music can be a beneficial part of speech therapy. The simplest way is through basic auditory stimulation. Music can expand the ability of the brain to process information. This can be beneficial in areas including behavior, skill development, sensory integration, and general coordination. Therefore, individuals who routinely listen to music can improve their speaking abilities as well as their capacity for focus. Auditory stimulation can work just as well during virtual speech therapy sessions as in-person ones.

Adults with speech problems caused by stroke or other forms of traumatic brain injury may benefit from Melodic Intonation Therapy. This is a form of therapy that is often used in situations in which the brain is damaged. This practice is rooted in the theory that using the unaffected hemisphere of the brain will help to gradually recover speech skills that have been lost in the damaged part of the brain. For instance, if an individual loses their ability to speak due to damage to the left side of the brain, MIT can be used to establish new ways to communicate. This type of therapy uses words and phrases that are supplemented by melodies, making the process of speaking closely resemble that of singing. MIT also takes advantage of the individual’s ability to sing, which in turn helps them improve their ability to speak.

For children, there are many different ways that speech therapists use music in their treatment sessions. The goal of using music in speech therapy is to help promote their language development, improve and ease their speech production, and support their overall communication skills. A recent study showed that children displayed significant improvement in their problem-solving skills, social skills, and how they interacted with others when music was a part of their speech therapy treatment plans.

Speech therapy can benefit individuals of all ages with a wide range of skills and challenges. If you would like to learn more about virtual speech therapy, get started by scheduling your free introductory call today!

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What to Know About Music Therapy

Music can help improve your mood and overall mental health.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Verywell / Lara Antal

Effectiveness

Things to consider, how to get started.

Music therapy is a therapeutic approach that uses the naturally mood-lifting properties of music to help people improve their mental health and overall well-being.  It’s a goal-oriented intervention that may involve:

• Making music
• Writing songs
• Listening to music
• Discussing music  

This form of treatment may be helpful for people with depression and anxiety, and it may help improve the quality of life for people with physical health problems. Anyone can engage in music therapy; you don’t need a background in music to experience its beneficial effects.

Types of Music Therapy

Music therapy can be an active process, where clients play a role in creating music, or a passive one that involves listening or responding to music. Some therapists may use a combined approach that involves both active and passive interactions with music.

There are a variety of approaches established in music therapy, including:

• Analytical music therapy : Analytical music therapy encourages you to use an improvised, musical "dialogue" through singing or playing an instrument to express your unconscious thoughts, which you can reflect on and discuss with your therapist afterward.
• Benenzon music therapy : This format combines some concepts of psychoanalysis with the process of making music. Benenzon music therapy includes the search for your "musical sound identity," which describes the external sounds that most closely match your internal psychological state.
• Cognitive behavioral music therapy (CBMT) : This approach combines cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with music. In CBMT, music is used to reinforce some behaviors and modify others. This approach is structured, not improvisational, and may include listening to music, dancing, singing, or playing an instrument.
• Community music therapy : This format is focused on using music as a way to facilitate change on the community level. It’s done in a group setting and requires a high level of engagement from each member.
• Nordoff-Robbins music therapy : Also called creative music therapy, this method involves playing an instrument (often a cymbal or drum) while the therapist accompanies using another instrument. The improvisational process uses music as a way to help enable self-expression.
• The Bonny method of guided imagery and music (GIM) : This form of therapy uses classical music as a way to stimulate the imagination. In this method, you explain the feelings, sensations, memories, and imagery you experience while listening to the music.
• Vocal psychotherapy : In this format, you use various vocal exercises, natural sounds, and breathing techniques to connect with your emotions and impulses. This practice is meant to create a deeper sense of connection with yourself.

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Music Therapy vs. Sound Therapy

Music therapy and sound therapy (or sound healing ) are distinctive, and each approach has its own goals, protocols, tools, and settings: 

• Music therapy is a relatively new discipline, while sound therapy is based on ancient Tibetan cultural practices .
• Sound therapy uses tools to achieve specific sound frequencies, while music therapy focuses on addressing symptoms like stress and pain.  
• The training and certifications that exist for sound therapy are not as standardized as those for music therapists.
• Music therapists often work in hospitals, substance abuse treatment centers, or private practices, while sound therapists may offer their service as a component of complementary or alternative medicine.

When you begin working with a music therapist, you will start by identifying your goals. For example, if you’re experiencing depression, you may hope to use music to naturally improve your mood and increase your happiness . You may also want to try applying music therapy to other symptoms of depression like anxiety, insomnia, or trouble focusing.

During a music therapy session, you may listen to different genres of music , play a musical instrument, or even compose your own songs. You may be asked to sing or dance. Your therapist may encourage you to improvise, or they may have a set structure for you to follow.

You may be asked to tune in to your emotions as you perform these tasks or to allow your feelings to direct your actions. For example, if you are angry, you might play or sing loud, fast, and dissonant chords.

You may also use music to explore ways to change how you feel. If you express anger or stress, your music therapist might respond by having you listen to or create music with slow, soft, soothing tones.

Music therapy is often one-on-one, but you may also choose to participate in group sessions if they are available. Sessions with a music therapist take place wherever they practice, which might be a:

• Community health center
• Correctional facility
• Private office
• Physical therapy practice
• Rehabilitation facility

Wherever it happens to be, the room you work in together will be a calm environment with no outside distractions.

What Music Therapy Can Help With

Music therapy may be helpful for people experiencing:

• Alzheimer’s disease
• Anxiety or stress
• Cardiac conditions
• Chronic pain
• Difficulties with verbal and nonverbal communication
• Emotional dysregulation
• Feelings of low self-esteem
• Impulsivity
• Negative mood
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Problems related to childbirth
• Rehabilitation after an injury or medical procedure
• Respiration problems
• Substance use disorders
• Surgery-related issues
• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Trouble with movement or coordination

Research also suggests that it can be helpful for people with:

• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Schizophrenia
• Stroke and neurological disorders

Music therapy is also often used to help children and adolescents:

• Develop their identities
• Improve their communication skills
• Learn to regulate their emotions
• Recover from trauma
• Self-reflect

Benefits of Using Music as Therapy

Music therapy can be highly personalized, making it suitable for people of any age—even very young children can benefit. It’s also versatile and offers benefits for people with a variety of musical experience levels and with different mental or physical health challenges.

Engaging with music can:

• Activate regions of the brain that influence things like memory, emotions, movement, sensory relay, some involuntary functions, decision-making, and reward
• Fulfill social needs for older adults in group settings
• Lower heart rate and blood pressure
• Relax muscle tension
• Release endorphins
• Relieve stress and encourage feelings of calm
• Strengthen motor skills and improve communication for children and young adults who have developmental and/or learning disabilities

Research has also shown that music can have a powerful effect on people with dementia and other memory-related disorders.

Overall, music therapy can increase positive feelings, like:

• Confidence and empowerment
• Emotional intimacy

The uses and benefits of music therapy have been researched for decades. Key findings from clinical studies have shown that music therapy may be helpful for people with depression and anxiety, sleep disorders, and even cancer.

Depression 

Studies have shown that music therapy can be an effective component of depression treatment. According to the research cited, the use of music therapy was most beneficial to people with depression when it was combined with the usual treatments (such as antidepressants and psychotherapy). 

When used in combination with other forms of treatment, music therapy may also help reduce obsessive thoughts , depression, and anxiety in people with OCD.

In 2016, researchers conducted a feasibility study that explored how music therapy could be combined with CBT to treat depression . While additional research is needed, the initial results were promising.

Many people find that music, or even white noise, helps them fall asleep. Research has shown that music therapy may be helpful for people with sleep disorders or insomnia as a symptom of depression.

Compared to pharmaceuticals and other commonly prescribed treatments for sleep disorders, music is less invasive, more affordable, and something a person can do on their own to self-manage their condition.

Pain Management

Music has been explored as a potential strategy for acute and chronic pain management in all age groups. Research has shown that listening to music when healing from surgery or an injury, for example, may help both kids and adults cope with physical pain.

Music therapy may help reduce pain associated with:

• Chronic conditions : Music therapy can be part of a long-term plan for managing chronic pain, and it may help people recapture and focus on positive memories from a time before they had distressing long-term pain symptoms. 
• Labor and childbirth : Music therapy-assisted childbirth appears to be a positive, accessible, non-pharmacological option for pain management and anxiety reduction for laboring people.
• Surgery : When paired with standard post-operative hospital care, music therapy is an effective way to lower pain levels, anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure in people recovering from surgery.

Coping with a cancer diagnosis and going through cancer treatment is as much an emotional experience as a physical one. People with cancer often need different sources of support to take care of their emotional and spiritual well-being.

Music therapy has been shown to help reduce anxiety in people with cancer who are starting radiation treatments. It may also help them cope with the side effects of chemotherapy, such as nausea.

Music therapy may also offer emotional benefits for people experiencing depression after receiving their cancer diagnosis, while they’re undergoing treatment, or even after remission.

On its own, music therapy may not constitute adequate treatment for medical conditions, including mental health disorders . However, when combined with medication, psychotherapy , and other interventions, it can be a valuable component of a treatment plan.

If you have difficulty hearing, wear a hearing aid, or have a hearing implant, you should talk with your audiologist before undergoing music therapy to ensure that it’s safe for you.

Similarly, music therapy that incorporates movement or dancing may not be a good fit if you’re experiencing pain, illness, injury, or a physical condition that makes it difficult to exercise.  

You'll also want to check your health insurance benefits prior to starting music therapy. Your sessions may be covered or reimbursable under your plan, but you may need a referral from your doctor.

If you’d like to explore music therapy, talk to your doctor or therapist. They can connect you with practitioners in your community. The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) also maintains a database of board-certified, credentialed professionals that you can use to find a practicing music therapist in your area.

Depending on your goals, a typical music therapy session lasts between 30 and 50 minutes. Much like you would plan sessions with a psychotherapist, you may choose to have a set schedule for music therapy—say, once a week—or you may choose to work with a music therapist on a more casual "as-needed" basis.  

Before your first session, you may want to talk things over with your music therapist so you know what to expect and can check in with your primary care physician if needed.

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Music Therapy

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Music therapy is a form of treatment that uses music within the therapeutic relationship to help accomplish the patient’s individualized goals . This evidence-based approach involves techniques such as listening to, reflecting on, and creating music under the guidance of a trained music therapist.

It’s not necessary to have a musical background to benefit from music therapy. People of all ages, from children to adults, may find it is a good fit for their therapeutic needs.

• When It's Used
• How It Works
• What to Expect
• What to Look for in a Music Therapist

Music therapy is often practiced one-on-one, but it can also be used in group settings, such as a hospital, correctional facility, or nursing home. It is generally most effective when used in combination with other therapies and or medications.

Music therapy can help people manage physical pain and has proven effective in treating a variety of health conditions, including cardiac complications, cancer, diabetes, and dementia . It can help:

• Lower heart rate and blood pressure
• Reduce stress
• Improve sleep
• Boost memory and cognitive function

Music can also have powerful effects on a person’s psychological health. It can influence anyone’s mood, causing a range of effects from providing comfort to soothing physical pain to boosting energy. Studies have shown that music therapy can be particularly helpful for people who have an autism spectrum disorder or depression .

Other psychological benefits of music therapy include:

• Lifting one’s mood
• Increasing joy and awe
• Reducing anxiety
• Alleviating depression
• Regulating emotions, particularly difficult ones
• Facilitating self-reflection
• Assisting in the processing of trauma

Humans have long appreciated the healing and cathartic power of music. Music taps into a primal sense of rhythm that we all possess. But modern music therapy began after World War II, according to the American Music Therapy Association. When community musicians visited hospitals to perform for veterans, the soldiers seemed to improve both physically and emotionally, eventually prompting the institutions to hire professionals for the job.

Music therapy continues to be practiced in hospitals, adding a therapeutic layer for patients hospitalized by illness or injury. It can help patients cope with emotional trauma and physical pain or feel more confident, joyful, and connected. Outside of a clinical setting, people can still enjoy these benefits, as music can stir emotion , prompt discussion, facilitate expression, and lower stress .

That power still holds when dementia or brain damage strikes. Music is processed and produced through a different pathway than verbal speech; bypassing that pathway allows patients to express themselves, communicate with loved ones, and experience the world more vibrantly.

After an initial assessment, a therapist will tailor techniques to fit a client's musical ability, interests, and specific needs. One approach is to create music—humming a nostalgic tune from one’s childhood , singing as part of a choir, or improvising on instruments such as the drums, piano, guitar, or chimes.

If the client is able to discuss the experience, a therapist might ask what memories the sounds provoke or what they’re feeling. The pair might listen to a song together and discuss the emotions and memories the song elicits. Or the client might write a song, which can illuminate a character or conflict in their lives or provide a cathartic release. The therapist could engage the client in breathing exercises, with or without music, to release tension and calm anxiety.

All of these exercises allow the therapist and client to explore the psychological, familial, social, cultural, and spiritual components of the person’s inner world. And clients don’t need to have any musical training or talent; the practice doesn’t focus on technical skills but employs music as a tool for reflection and communication.

While music therapy may not be a helpful approach for everyone, many people have found it beneficial. Start by looking for a board-certified music therapist. In the U.S., the certification process requires therapists to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree in music therapy at an approved institution, along with clinical training and a supervised internship. Therapists then must complete a board certification test. The Certification Board for Music Therapists grants practitioners the credential MT-BC (Music Therapist-Board Certified).

Seeking out a therapist with whom the client feels a connection is also valuable. Creating a strong foundation of trust and appreciation can help an individual embrace the process and find success in therapy.

You may want to ask the music therapist a few questions before getting started:

• How would they help with your particular concerns?
• Have they dealt with this type of problem before?
• What is their process?
• What is their timeline for treatment?
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What are the Benefits of Music Therapy?

After World War II, a new profession entered the arena – music therapy. With far-reaching benefits and in a variety of settings, the types and methods of music therapy have had a profound impact.

Used in conjunction with traditional therapies, positive psychology, and even as a stand-alone intervention, music therapy offers a variety of benefits. It is these benefits we will evaluate here.

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This Article Contains:

6 proven benefits of music therapy.

• What are the goals and objectives of music therapy?

What Effects Can Music Therapy Have on a Client?

What can music therapy be used for, 9 interesting facts and statistics, a look at the nordoff-robbins approach, relaxation and music therapy, 4 music therapy ideas and interventions, 12 recommended songs commonly used, 10 music therapy activities and exercises for adults, 5 group ideas and activities, technologies to support music therapy interventions, using music therapy in schools, music therapy for children, 5 ideas for kids, a take-home message.

Jillian Levy (2017) shares the six major health benefits of music therapy:

• Music therapy reduces anxiety and physical effects of stress
• It improves healing
• It can help manage Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease
• Music therapy reduces depression and other symptoms in the elderly
• It helps to reduce symptoms of psychological disorders including schizophrenia
• Music therapy improves self-expression and communication

What are the Goals and Objectives of Music Therapy?

This may include, for example, improving motor function, social skills, emotions, coordination, self-expression and personal growth (Therapedia, n.d.).

Common goals in music therapy, as identified by Everyday Harmony (n.d.) are the development of:

• Communication skills (using vocal/verbal sounds and gestures)
• Social skills (making eye contact, turn-taking, initiating interaction, and self-esteem)
• Sensory skills (through touch, listening, and levels of awareness)
• Physical skills (fine and gross motor control and movement)
• Cognitive skills (concentration and attention, imitation, and sequencing)
• Emotional skills (expression of feelings non-verbally)

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Music can affect a client’s attention, emotion, cognition, behavior, and communication (Koelsch et al., 2009). It can also help bring about relaxation and pleasure (Koelsch et al., 2009). Music also affects perception (Koelsch et al., 2009). Training in music promotes an individual’s skills in the decoding of acoustic features, such as pitch height and frequency modulation (Koelsch et al., 2009).

Music has various effects on the activity of a large range of brain structures (Koelsch et al., 2009). Functional neuroimaging studies have shown that listening to music can have effects on the core structures of emotional processing (the limbic and paralimbic structures) in both musicians and ‘non-musicians’ (Koelsch et al., 2009).

The peripheral physiological effects of listening to music and making music are still being looked into (Koelsch et al., 2009). However, given the effects of emotion on the autonomic nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system – and the fact that music has the power to evoke and modulate emotions – Koelsch and colleagues (2009) suggest that music therapy may be used to treat disorders associated with dysfunctions and imbalances within these systems.

Music therapy can be used for facilitating movement and overall physical rehabilitation and motivating clients to cope with treatment. It can provide emotional support for clients and their families, and provide an outlet for expression of feelings.

Credentialed music therapists can work with patients with an acquired brain injury (AMI). For example, music therapy helped congresswoman Gabby Giffords to regain her speech after she survived a bullet wound to her brain. Music therapy can be used to lessen the effects of dementia, reduce asthma episodes in both children and adults and help reduce pain in hospitalized patients.

Music therapy can also be used to help children with autism spectrum disorder to improve their communication capabilities. Furthermore, it can help premature infants improve sleep patterns and increase their weight gain. Finally, music therapy can be used to help individuals with Parkinson’s disease to improve motor function.

• 86% of users of the Nordoff-Robbins music therapy services said that music therapy had enabled them to develop social skills and interaction (Nordoff Robbins, n.d.)
• Your heartbeat changes to mimic the music that you listen to
• Distinguishing changes in sounds were found to be equipped in those as small as a developing fetus
• Listening to happy vs. sad music can affect the way you perceive the world around you
• An “earworm” is a song that you can’t seem to get out of your head
• A ‘brain itch’ is a need for the brain to fill in the gaps in a song’s rhythm
• Music triggers activity in the same part of the brain that releases dopamine (the ‘pleasure chemical’)
• Music triggers networks of neurons into an organized movement
• Learning a musical instrument can improve fine motor and reasoning skills

These interesting facts were sourced from Ashley Blodgett (2015).

How music can heal our brain and heart – Kathleen M. Howland

The following information was found on the Nordoff Robbins website .

In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the Nordoff-Robbins approach was developed by Paul Nordoff (an American composer and pianist) and Clive Robbins (a teacher of children with special needs from Britain). This is not a ‘method’. It is an approach designed to harness every person’s potential for engagement in active, communicative, expressive music-making.

The Nordoff-Robbins approach began as a form of collaborative music-making used to engage vulnerable and isolated children. Nordoff and Robbins term this ‘therapy in music’.

The Nordoff-Robbins approach emphasizes the importance of music-making in developing skills, a sense of self and a capacity for satisfying social interaction. It recognizes that all people, regardless of pathology, illness, disability, trauma or social isolation have the potential to make music.

The approach is well known for its work with children and adults with learning difficulties. This is because, like all forms of music therapy, the work has a non-verbal basis.

Every music therapist using the Nordoff-Robbins approach thinks strategically. Using their musical abilities, they help people in ways that are specific to each person, each group, or each community.

While most of us would agree that music can be relaxing, how is relaxation promoted with music therapy? To begin with, music can lead to relaxation of tense muscles. When you allow your muscles to relax and loosen your body, your mind relaxes too. Music is fun, cheap, and simple. It can decrease all the tension, worries and stress you may not even have been aware of (Scott, 2018).

Listening to music can also enhance other stress-relieving activities. For example, it can aid in practicing yoga , self-hypnosis or guided imagery . In other words, music can enhance the stress-relieving properties of other relaxing activities (Scott, 2018).

Music can also help the brain reach a meditative state. This promotes relaxation. Listening to music may be a less intimidating way for a client to practice meditation (Scott, 2018).

1. Singalong

Fandom (n.d.) suggest that music therapy sessions for groups or individuals may include singing together in a way less formal than a choir.

The singalong may use a songbook of the music therapist’s repertoire, or plain copies of popular song lyrics (Fandom, n.d.). Participants could sing preferred and highly familiar songs by memory, or learn a new song by rote (Fandom, n.d.).

Singalongs encourage participation in a fun, music-making process (Fandom, n.d.). They can be used to meet various goals and objectives, including teaching breathing exercises (Fandom, n.d.).

2. ‘Blackout song-writing’ (Seibert, n.d.).

In this session, the therapist provides clients with the lyrics to 4 – 5 different choices of songs which represent recovery – such as overcoming barriers, support, or struggles. Then, clients are encouraged to take some time to read the lyrics of the song they choose, and to select words from the lyrics to make up their own song.

The idea is to ‘blackout’ the lyrics which the client does not want in the song and to use the words that they have chosen to create their own song.

3. Musical Hangman (Seibert, n.d.).

This idea is to draw a thematic picture on a board, and ask clients to guess the missing word before the picture loses its details – e.g. to try and guess the word before the tree loses all its’ leaves.

Then, choose a thematic word and find songs that start with each letter of that word. The aim is for clients to listen to the songs and try and guess the target word. For example, the word ‘happy’ may have the songs “Hey Jude”, “A Little Ray of Sunshine”, “Praying” and so on.

Each letter that is guessed correctly earns the corresponding song to play and sing. The therapist can even coordinate songs that share a thematic idea as well as matching the letter.

4. Blues Song-writing (Seibert, n.d.).

The music therapist explains the background of the blues, so that the client understands the basics – i.e. having a line A, repeating line A and a subsequent line B. Ask the client to share something that they may be feeling ‘blue’ about, and to think of a solution to the problem or a coping mechanism. Then, brainstorm ideas as to how to make the statements sound poetic in song-writing.

After each client has had a chance to write their ‘blues’, have a continuous improvisation/singalong. Sing each person’s ‘blues’ as a group, following the same melody line. This activity can be extended using an iPad: clients can improvise on the blues scale keyboard on the app ‘ GarageBand ’.

According to Rachel Rambach (2011), the following are twelve songs that every music therapist should know:

• ‘American Pie’
• ‘Amazing Grace’
• ‘Blue Suede Shoes’
• ‘Blue Skies’
• ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’
• ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’
• ‘Lean on me’
• ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’
• ‘Take Me to The Ballgame’
• ‘This Little Light of Mine’
• ‘You Are My Sunshine’

The following are research-based music therapy activities (interventions) for adults, found in Wigram and colleagues’ 2002 book.

• Improvisation
• Singing well-known songs
• Vibroacoustic therapy This is a receptive form of music therapy. It involves music being played through speakers which are built into a chair, mattress or bed (which the client lies in). Then, the client directly experiences the vibrations that are brought about by the music (Wigram, Pedersen & Bonde, 2002).
• Stress-reduction techniques
• Music and movement
• Folk dancing or social dancing
• Vibrotactile stimulation
• Music reminiscence
• Music stimulation
• Songwriting

For more information about any of these activities, Wigram et al. (2002) provide the scientific references associated with each activity on pages 193 – 194.

Music therapy in groups are well-known, and the following activities can help you with your next group session.

1. ‘Beach ball autonomy’ (Seibert, n.d.)

Use a blow-up beach ball and draw on a range of shapes. Inside each, write genres, styles and generic artists. Toss the ball to a client. Whichever shape their thumb lands on describes the next song selection.

The therapist encourages the client to choose a selection of appropriate songs so that the therapist can choose the preferred song for that individual. The client also gets to choose whether the group will play instruments, sing, dance, or just listen.

2. Drumming Emotions (Fandom, n.d.).

Each member of the group writes down one word to describe the emotion that they are feeling on a slip of paper. The paper is then put in a hat/bowl and group members take turns in selecting a different piece of paper. The person will then ‘perform’ (demonstrate) on the drum the emotion that is written on the paper. The rest of the group listens and tries to identify who in the group the emotion belongs to.

3. Conversation Drum Circle (Fandom, n.d.).

The group plays a beat, and in pairs take turns in a ‘musical dialogue’ exchange.

4. Name-That-Tune! (Fandom, n.d.).

The music therapist asks clients to form two or three teams and to come up with a team name. Play appropriate music and each team has a turn at earning points for stating the name of the song, the group or artist, or sharing interesting, relevant facts about the song.

It can also be fun to open up the guessing to the whole group if they are unable to identify the song. You could play “free-for-all” lightning rounds or use TV show themes, or popular movie soundtracks.

5. Music trivia (Fandom, n.d.).

This game challenges teams to answer trivia questions on music and pop-culture.

Some interventions invite active engagement, such as through dancing or playing instruments, while others require patients simply to listen to music.

Sometimes, music therapists prescribing passive interventions may choose to invite their clients to take part in these interventions outside of scheduled therapy sessions.

Many will do so with the support of technologies that allow them to design and distribute customized interventions digitally.

For example, besides in-person interventions, such as drumming or sing-alongs, a music therapist might invite their client to listen to guided imagery recordings containing music.

Using a digital psychotherapy platform such as Quenza (pictured here), these pre-recorded audio clips can be sent directly to the client’s smartphone or tablet according to a predetermined schedule.

Likewise, therapists can use platforms such as this to design and administer reflections or exercises that invite clients to explore their emotional reactions or cognitive responses to different music therapy interventions, thereby supplementing the in-person therapy experience.

This is just a couple of examples of how music therapists might adapt the functions of a blended care platform like Quenza to design holistic treatment solutions for their clients. If you’d like to learn more about designing different therapy interventions using Quenza, take a look at this dedicated psychoeducation interventions article.

Music therapy can be used with school-aged students in their school setting. Music therapy can be used at school to focus on higher level social and academic skills, including empathy, turn taking, compromise and problem-solving skills in social situations (Jacobson & Artman, 2013).

It can be used to promote academic understanding in mathematics, such as teaching math facts, telling the time, and money concepts. Music therapy can also target academic improvement in reading and writing. For example, music therapy improves phonic and sight words, and story elements (Jacobson & Artman, 2013).

In schools, music therapy can be used to improve children’s behavior and wellbeing. It can help children learn classroom rules, improving attention and focus, and promoting self-expression (Jacobson & Artman, 2013).

Finally, music therapy can be used in schools to improve social skills and communication . For example, it can help with “wh” questions (who, what, where, and when) and develop vocabulary (Jacobson & Artman, 2013).

Music therapy can also be used in Special Education settings. For example, a music therapist may work with a special needs student in the consideration of an Individual Education Program (IEP). They may work with the IEP team and the student’s family throughout the music therapy process (Jacobson & Artman, 2013).

Music therapy can be a useful way to meet the various psychosocial needs of children, through engagement in song-writing and improvisation. It can provide children with opportunities for self-expression and communication. Music therapy can also give children the opportunity to identify their strengths , providing a way for them to maintain a sense of self-esteem .

For infants and children, a music therapist can use live, familiar music in conjunction with physical, social and cognitive activities to stimulate development. This also promotes interaction and encourages participation and motivation in young children. In order to reduce irritability, pain or anxiety, the music therapist can use soothing music. This also encourages child and family bonding.

To help develop creative self-expression in infants and young children, the music therapist and child can make music together and write songs.

Adolescents can play a more active role in coming up with their own music therapy program. With a therapist, adolescents can explore a range of musical activities and select what feels right to them.

Possible activities for adolescents are song-writing, improvisation and/or singing the songs by their favorite artists or bands. Adolescents may like to use technology to produce personalized audio/visual projects. The use of live music in addition to relaxation techniques can be an effective way to help reduce pain and anxiety in adolescents.

Clinical music therapy may benefit children who are chronically ill (or are long-term hospital patients) or have a developmental delay. It can help children who have autism or are isolated or bed-bound. Music therapy can be used for children who are anxious or depressed, are physically impaired or are frequently admitted to the hospital. Finally, clinical music therapy may benefit children who have experienced trauma.

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Music Therapy and kids. Peanut butter and jelly. Try out these wonderful ideas.

1. Leader of the band (Fandom, n.d.).

The therapist can sing a little song about who’s turn it is to be the ‘leader of the band’. Demonstrate to the group appropriate directions (such as “start”, “stop”, “LOUD”, “fast”, “slooooow”) or anything that the group will understand.

You may choose a child who is cooperating and listening to directions to be the leader. Children are highly reinforced for their behavior when they get to have a turn in communicating their preferred directions to the whole group.

2. “The Hello Song” from Dragon Tales (Fandom, n.d.).

This song, based on simple chords, is a suitable ‘hello’ song for children under 8 years of age. It brings together social skills, interactive responses and allows an opportunity to greet each child individually. This activity also incorporates vocal and musical opposites such as “high” and “low” and “fast” and “slow”.

3. “Hot Potato” (Fandom, n.d.).

The group passes an object around in a circle, and when the music stops the person holding the object can – answer a question; ask a question; say something about themselves, or discuss something related to treatment.

4. ‘Music bingo’ (Fandom, n.d.)

Create bingo sheets for children that use songs instead of letters and numbers.

5. ‘Pictionary’ (Fandom, n.d.).

Prepare cue cards with song titles written on them for individuals to draw pictures of while their team attempts to guess the song.

We all can attest to the power of music, and using it to teach, calm, and encourage recovery, make it a viable therapy to consider.

We hope this article has given you an indication of some of the benefits of music therapy, and look forward to your feedback and examples where music therapy has benefited your clients.

Continue Reading: 17 Best Drama Therapy Techniques, Activities & Exercises

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

• Blodgett, Ashley (2015). These 12 facts about music, and how they affect your brain, will astound you! Retrieved from https://www.unbelievable-facts.com/2015/04/facts-about-music.html/2
• Blood, A., & Zatorre, R. J. (2001). Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. National Academy of Sciences, 98 , 11818 – 11823.
• Bradt, J., & Dileo, C. (2010). Music therapy for end-of-life care. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1, Art. No: CD007169.
• Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service (n.d.). Music Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/fact-sheet-music-therapy/
• Everyday Harmony (n.d.). What is Music Therapy? Retrieved from www.everydayharmony.org/what-is-music-therapy/
• Fandom (n.d.). Music therapy activities wiki. Retrieved from https://musictherapyactivities.fandom.com/wiki/Music_Therapy_Activities_Wiki
• Forsblom, A., Lantinen, S., Särkämö, T., & Tervaniemi, M. (2009). Therapeutic role of music listening in stroke rehabilitation. The Neurosciences and Music III-Disorders & Plasticity: Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1169 , 426 – 430.
• Gerdner, L. A., & Swanson, E. A. (1993). Effects of individualized music on confused and agitated elderly patients. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 7 , 284 – 291.
• Geretsegger, M., Elefant, C., Mössler, K. A., & Gold, C. (2014). Music therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Review of Systematic Reviews, 6, Art. No: CD004381.
• Gold, C., Voracek, M., & Wigram, T. (2004). Effects of music therapy for children and adolescents with psychopathology: A meta-analysis. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45 , 1054 – 1063.
• Greenberg, D. M. (2017). The World’s First Music Therapist. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-power-music/201704/the-world-s-first-music-therapist
• Guetin, S., Portet, F., Picot, M. C., Pommie, C., Messgoudi, M., Djabelkir, L. et al. (2009). Effect of music therapy on anxiety and depression in patients with Alzheimer’s type dementia: Randomised, controlled study. Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, 28 , 36 – 46.
• Hillecke, T., Nickel, A., & Volker Bolay, H. (2005). Scientific perspectives on music therapy. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1060 , 1 – 12.
• Jacobson, V., & Artman, J. (2013). Music therapy in a school setting. Retrieved from https://williams-syndrome.org/sites/williams-syndrome.org/files/MusicTherapyTearSheet2013.pdf
• Klassen, J. A., Liang, Y., Tjosvold, L., Klassen, T. P., & Hartling, L. (2008). Music for pain and anxiety in children undergoing medical procedures: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Ambulatory Pediatrics, 8 , 117 – 128.
• Koelsch, S. (2009). A Neuroscientific perspective on music therapy. Annals of the New York Academy of Science, 1169 , 374 – 384.
• Levy, Jillian (2017). Music therapy: Benefits and uses for anxiety, depression and more. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/music-therapy-benefits
• Maratos, A., Gold, C., Wang, X., & Crawford, M. (2008). Music therapy for depression. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 1, Art. No: CD004517.
• Muzique (n.d.). Top 3 instruments to use in a music therapy session. Retrieved from https://www.muzique.org/muziqueblog/top-3-instruments-to-use-in-a-music-therapy-session
• Nordoff Robbins (n.d.). What is music therapy? Retrieved from https://www.nordoff-robbins.org.uk/what-is-music-therapy
• Rambach, Rachel (2011). 12 songs every music therapist should know. Retrieved from https://listenlearnmusic.com/2011/03/12-songs-every-music-therapist-should-know.html
• Rambach, Rachel (2016). My top 10 music therapy instruments. Retrieved from https://listenlearnmusic.com/2016/02/my-top-10-music-therapy-instruments.html
• Scott, Elizabeth (2018). Music relaxation: A healthy stress management tool. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/music-as-a-health-and-relaxation-aid-3145191
• Seibert, Erin (n.d.). Mental health session ideas. Retrieved from https://musictherapytime.com/2015/12/24/mental-health-session-ideas/
• Sena, Kimberley (2012). Guest Post: Essential iPad apps for music therapists. Retrieved from www.musictherapymaven.com/guest-post-essential-ipad-apps-for-music-therapists/
• Smith, Yolanda (2018). Types of Music Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.news-medical.net/health/Types-of-Music-Therapy.aspx
• Soundscape Music Therapy (n.d.). Music Therapy Methods. Retrieved from https://soundscapemusictherapy.com/music-therapy-methods/
• The American Music Therapy Association (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.musictherapy.org/
• Therapedia (n.d.). Music Therapy. Retrieved from https://www.theravive/therapedia/music-therapy
• Wigram, T., Pedersen, I. N., & Bonde, L. O. (2002). A Comprehensive Guide to Music Therapy: Theory, Clinical Practice, Research and Training . London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
• Wong, H. L., C., Lopez-Nahas, V., & Molassiotis, A. (2001). Effects of music therapy on anxiety in ventilator-dependent patients. Heart and Lung: The Journal of Acute and Critical Care, 30 , 376 – 387. 2
• Your Free Career Test (n.d.). What does a music therapist do? Retrieved from https://www.yourfreecareertest.com/what-does-a-music-therapist-do/

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Music therapy is one of the most important alternative therapies. Music, like any art form, is a way to find yourself. In my free time, I usually watch online streaming shows. I recently saw the Madama butterfly through Greek National Opera’s GNOTV

Thank you for informing on this. I plan on going to college to become a musical therapist.

Hi Haley, Thanks for reading. That’s brilliant — Best of luck with your career journey and studies! – Nicole | Community Manager

dear madam, thank you verymuch for giving us the knowledge about a most valuable topic.i am a researcher about music therapy.it is realy interesting to do research about music therapy.i hope you will publish more articles about music therapy,and new things about the topic.thank you again and wish you all the best.

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100+ fun activities for kids that will keep them entertained for hours! Target speech development through play and games. They won’t even know they are learning!

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Parent's Academy › Activities for Kids › Music for Kids › Kids Music and Speech Therapy

Kids Music and Speech Therapy

Stacie bennett.

Speech-Language Pathologist , Trenton , New Jersey

Feb 1, 2022 The effects of music and its benefits have been studied for quite a long time.

Music engages a wide range of processing mechanisms, from sound encoding (deciphering a trumpet from a flute) to higher cognitive functions such as sequencing, attention, memory , and learning. This is even more true if you are learning to play an instrument. 

Due to the level of cognition needed to play music, musicians have long been researched to study  brain plasticity as well as for investigating the intriguing possibility that musical knowledge transfers to other domains, such as language.

Can You Use Music in Speech Therapy?

Yes, you can! Since there has been so much research showing the positive correlation between using music in speech therapy sessions, many speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have been teaming up with music teachers or musicians in order to create treatment plans for their patients. 

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Whether it’s a collaboration between the two therapists in a therapy session or just the speech pathologist leading the session, when kids music is used in speech therapy, it can have a significant impact on people who suffer with speech and language disorders ( The ASHA Leader , 2012, Introduction paragraph and “Where is Music Therapy Headed” paragraph).

Speech therapy and music therapy have a lot in common. The ASHA Leader discusses how music therapists and speech therapists work with a lot of the same types of patients. Both music therapists and speech therapists work with people who suffer from developmental disabilities and hearing impairments. This specific ASHA article, “In Harmony” (2012) in The ASHA Leader , goes on to say that:

Research indicates that there are some shared neural networks between speech and music. The ASHA Leader , 2012, “What is Music Therapy”

Music therapy is not for everyone, however. Some patients can find it distracting or frustrating (e.g a patient who suffered a stroke). It’s important to gauge the reaction of the individual to see if it’s beneficial!

How to Use Music?

Kids music can be used in a variety of ways during a treatment session. You can have it playing as background music, have a client sing along to the song or you can have a child make up their own lyrics in order to work on vocabulary and grammar. 

In many cases, music has improved a patient’s motivation, attitude, and performance in his or her speech-language therapy ( The ASHA Leader , 2012). We can’t argue that music typically gives a feeling or emotion. Think of what you do when you hear your favorite song or if a song plays on the radio that you truly dislike. It evokes a reaction of some kind. 

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Case Study: Kids Songs and Therapy

I read about a case study that talked about a 4 year old boy, named Allen, who received speech-language therapy for his numerous health issues. Allen was unable to communicate like a child should for his age. Instead, Allen would use gestures to get peoples’ attention and to request actions (Geist et al., 2008, p. 313). 

According to this article, he had trouble understanding words and commands and could not communicate words or sentences clearly (Geist et al., 2008, p. 313). In addition, Allen would not participate in activities with other kids his age or try to communicate with them.

Allen was not engaged or interested in his speech and language therapy, however, he WAS interested in the music in his music therapy sessions.

The results of Allen’s music therapy indicated that social interaction increased in a 1:1 setting when using music as reinforcement. Geist et al., 2008, p. 313

This means he didn’t rely on gesturing to communicate; words were primarily used! Allen’s previous behavior decreased as his therapy involved music. 

In Allen’s case, the collaboration between speech-language therapy and music therapy was successful.

The Takeaway

So what’s the takeaway from all of the research and statistics? 

Basically, if your child loves music, it is worth a shot integrating it into the therapy session.

 If they seem bored or disinterested in regular speech therapy, play music in the next session and see if it makes a difference! Each child is unique and won’t react the same way! However, if music works, then use it!

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Music Therapy for Clients with Speech and Language Disorders

Music therapy is an effective tool for prompting responses or development in clients with various speech and language disorders.

What are Speech and Language Disorders?

Speech disorders and language disorders can vary across age groups and people, and can be caused by a range of different things.  These disorders impact those diagnosed with them by impairing their ability to communicate. Although speech disorders and language disorders are commonly grouped together due to their overlap in treatment and symptoms, they are slightly different. Clients with speech disorders can struggle with speech sounds or vocal clarity. Their rhythm of speech may be disrupted, which can present in the form of stuttering. People with speech disorders may struggle with articulation or pitch, as well as speech sounds. People with language disorders struggle more with the construction of language, both in their own speech and the speech of others. They may not be able to use words properly, express their ideas, or reflect grammar rules when they speak. 

According to a report done by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders in 2016, 7.7%, approximately 1 in 12 children, had been diagnosed with a speech or swallowing disorder. Some common speech disorders include aphasia, alalia, stuttering, lisping, and muteness. While the cause of these disorders is often unknown, they can be caused by brain damage due to injury, substance use, or neurological disorders. Physical impairments such as cleft palate can also cause speech and language disorders. In addition, those diagnosed with speech disorders, dementia and Alzheimers can also benefit from music therapy. 

No matter what specific struggles they have, it can be extremely difficult for clients with speech disorders to communicate their thoughts and feelings. Speech disorders can also interrupt the education of clients. Early intervention is key to making sure these disorders don’t cause an unclosable separation between the client and their academic or social lives. A common (early) intervention is a speech-language pathologist, but another viable option is music therapy.

Who Can Benefit? 

A variety of different speech disorders can be helped through the use of music therapy. 

One group of clients with speech disorders that music therapy has been proven to help is people with aphasia. Aphasia is a communication disorder that is often a direct result of a stroke, but it can also be caused by brain injuries or neurological disorders. Aphasia impacts an affected client’s ability to find the words they’re looking to say and disrupts their language. 

Another group of people who can benefit from music therapy are children who display speech delays. Children with a speech delay, or alalia, don’t make expected or “normal” progress towards speaking at the level that is appropriate for their age. A paper called “The Effect Music has in Speech Therapy” investigated the use of music in speech-language pathologists’s interventions with people diagnosed with speech and language disorders. This paper showed a strong correlation between music used in speech-language therapy and had positive results.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

What Interventions are Used?

Due to how many speech and language disorders there are and how much they vary,  interventions must be geared specifically towards each client. For this reason, there is often an intervention that may work very well for one specific speech or language disorder. Speech-language pathologists and music therapists can work hand in hand to develop and execute these interventions to help clients recover their speech and communication skills. 

For patients who have aphasia as a result of a stroke, medical rehabilitation measures are important. They attempt to cushion the damage to the brain. In addition to this rehabilitative medicine, music therapy is a tool that can help these clients regain control over their speech and language. In the case of these clients with aphasia, speech-language pathologists decided to turn to  music therapy when they discovered that their clients were unable to repeat sentences back to them in plain speech, but they were able to sing the sentence. The SLP’s were able to help the clients work through this sing-song speech over time and turn it into regular (talking) speech.  

A common language disorder in children is a speech delay , which is characterized as a child not developing language and communication skills at the rate they are expected to. Often these children struggle to sync their language with the conversational rhythm of everyday chatter. Fortunately, music is something that always has some type of steady observable rhythm. A 2010 study has shown that music improves the cognitive development of children that are delayed in their speech progress. The same study showed faster improvement in the speech delays in children that listened to music frequently than children who didn’t. It is important that the music played is at the appropriate level for children. These songs should be simple and have short lyrics in them so they are simple and easy to comprehend for the children. If they’re unable to properly understand and process the lyrics, then the music won’t help their speech development improve. Repetitive and catchy songs with hard consonants have proven to be the most effective in improving the speech development of speech delayed children.

To Sum it Up

To conclude, speech-language pathologists almost always come to mind when considering ways to help clients with diagnosed speech and language disorders. Speech-language pathologists are very effective and helpful on their own, but SLP’s in conjunction with music therapy is a wonderful combination. The reason this combination is so strong is that the relationship between music and language is very unique and intertwined. Both of them include vocal and auditory components and are relatively universal. Language also utilizes aspects that are more commonly associated with music, such as rhythm and pitch. At its very core, the crossover of speech-language pathology and music is a match made in heaven, and when put to use with clients, it makes a world of difference. 

Edited by Cara Jernigan on January 17, 2021

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The Impact of Music on Speech Therapy

For many decades, music has been an important part of daily care for children with speech impediments and hearing-impaired children. There have been a lot of studies that examine the role of music in people’s general health as well as an effective intervention when it comes to speech and language problems. It only makes sense that for children and adults who suffer from speech issues, music should be considered as part of their intervention. 

Music, Speech, Language

Language and music are connected at a very basic level. Both require higher brain function and it also involves cognitive skills such as attention, memory, and categorization. Grammar and music also make use of structures that follow a specific order in order to make sense and appreciated it.

Also, music and speech have a similar pitch. Musical sequences follow a specific interval and speech also uses frequencies when it comes to intonation, as is the case when people ask a question, make a statement, or make an exclamation. This characteristic of speech is called contour and it is one that even infants are able to detect.

Therapeutic benefits of music

Besides language, music has a lot of therapeutic benefits. It has been proven that auditory stimulation can improve listening skills, even for people who are hard of hearing. It can also help to improve how the brain processes information which can boost skills in areas like behavior and coordination.

  A study done in 2011 explored how music impacts social skills, another aspect of communication. Half of all the participants in the study exhibited signs of improved communication and problem-solving skills, as well as their ability to work well in groups and in interacting with other people.

  There is also compelling evidence that the type of music used for therapy has an enormous impact on the outcome. In a study that was one to explore the difference in brain function between musicians and non-musicians, it stated that brain function was significantly increased when the participants listened to classical music as opposed to rock music.

Music and speech

It is also revealed that there is a close relationship between music and speech. A study was done in 2013 in which six experts who are trained professionals in music theory were asked to determine the key in a sample music score. The timescales in the samples were restricted to closely match with speech processing. It was observed that the processing used in decoding speech is also used when it comes to music.

Music for speech-language therapy

There are a lot of ways music can be used in speech therapy. One way is through simple auditory stimulation. As previously mentioned, it can expand the brain’s ability to process information which can be beneficial in areas such as behavior, skill, sensory integration, and coordination. Therefore, clients who listen to music may improve their speaking skills as well as their ability to focus. Auditory stimulation can even be done through virtual speech therapy sessions.

  For adults with speech problems due to stroke, many patients have found benefit from Melodic Intonation Therapy. This is a type of therapy that is often used in cases where the brain is damaged. The theory is rooted in the practice that using the intact hemisphere of the brain will slowly help recover speech skills that have been lost in the damaged part of the brain. For example, if a patient loses their ability to speak because the left side of the brain has been damaged, MIT can be used in order to find new ways to communicate.

  The therapy uses words and phrases supplemented by melodies to make speaking closely resemble that of speaking. This type of therapy also takes advantage of a person’s ability to sing which helps them improve their ability to speak.

  For children, there are different ways that therapists can use music in their treatment sessions with children. The goal is to help with their language development, improve their speech production, and aid in their overall communication skills. In a study done in 2011, it was concluded that children showed significant improvement in their social skills, problem-solving, and how they interact with peers when music was incorporated in their SLPs.

Post Author: Eliza Brooks

Eliza  Brooks loves to write about personality development, mental and physical disabilities, and ways to overcome them effectively. She is currently working with Verboso, which offers online speech therapy for children to improve their speaking skills.

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What is Music Therapy? Elevator Speeches and Quick Pitches

Published on: Aug 30, 2019 | | 0 comments

  by Annie Roberson, MT-BC

If you’re a music therapist, a music therapy student, or someone who loves a music therapist, you’ve probably found yourself trying to quickly explain music therapy to a bewildered conversation partner in a taxi, at the grocery store, etc. In situations like these, having a prepared quick pitch or elevator speech about music therapy can go a long way to educate and advocate for the profession of music therapy! 

Read to the end for a free download of printable wallet cards and phone backgrounds to assist you in your pitches!

What is music therapy.

First, let’s take a look at the American Music Therapy Association ’s official definition of music therapy:

“Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” (AMTA, 2010).

There’s a lot of good stuff to dissect in that meaty paragraph! Let’s break it down.

Evidence-Based Use of Music

This means that clinical music therapy is guided by the best available scientific research. In other words, we have the data to support the results we see in music therapy sessions.

Individualized Goals

This means that we tailor each session to our clients’ unique needs and preferences – we’re not necessarily playing Mozart to relieve stress all day long! 😉

Within a Therapeutic Relationship

We’re not just making music to have fun – although we certainly do have lots of fun! – we’re actively working with our clients to address therapeutic goals like cognition, communication, socialization, emotional regulation, and motor skills.

A Credentialed Professional

To be considered a music therapist in the United States, an individual must pass the board examination administered by the Certification Board for Music Therapists in order to receive their MT-BC (Music Therapist – Board Certified) credential. Once an individual has passed their exam and earned their MT-BC credential, they are officially a music therapist and are eligible to provide music therapy services!

Did you know? The Certification Board for Music Therapists is an independent association that is a member of the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (ICE) and accredited by their National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCAA), making the CBMT a leader in the national credentialing field, particularly for professions with between 5,000 and 10,000 practitioners ( CBMT, 2019 ).

Completed an Approved Music Therapy Program

Yes, we really did go to school for this! There are hundreds of collegiate music therapy programs across the United States approved and regulated by the American Music Therapy Association. In order to even sit for the board exam, an individual must earn a degree from one of these approved programs, taking classes in music, psychology, music therapy techniques and applications for various settings and populations, as well as 1200 hours of clinical training spread out over the course of a degree and an internship typically lasting at least six months.

Want to learn more about becoming a music therapist? Check out this blog post!

Creating Your Elevator Speech

Chances are, you won’t have time to explain each part of the official definition of music therapy to a curious colleague in one elevator ride. That’s why having shorter, more digestible explanations in your back pocket is so crucial! 

I like to break my elevator speeches down to a bare-bones definition and throw in shorter stories or examples if I have time. I find that when people ask what music therapy is, often what they’re really asking is “what does your job actually look like?” 

Here are the quick-pitch “elevator speeches” I have ready to explain music therapy in a short amount of time.

Length of Elevator Ride: One Floor

“I’m a board-certified music therapist! I use music to help people work on their non-musical therapeutic goals like communication or motor skills.”

Length of Elevator Ride: Two Floors

“I’m a board-certified music therapist! I use music to help people work on their non-musical therapeutic goals. Just this morning, I used drumming to help my client with cerebral palsy strengthen her arms and extend her reach!” 

Length of Elevator Ride: Three Floors

“I’m a board-certified music therapist! I use music to help people work on their non-musical therapeutic goals. Just this morning, I used drumming to help my client with cerebral palsy strengthen her arms and extend her reach! Music therapists work with people across the lifespan from NICU babies to hospice care to address goals like communication, cognition, socialization, emotional regulation and expression, and motor skills.”

When the Elevator Gets Stuck

Woohoo! You have a chance to answer more in-depth questions about the incredible work that music therapists do every day! I like to follow each answer with some more personal information or experience, and a good story or two if the conversation permits to really solidify that personal connection.

Music Therapy FAQs

Here are my answers to some common music therapy FAQs:

Who do music therapists work with?

Music therapists work with all sorts of people! From NICU babies, folks with disabilities, people in neurological rehab, those in hospice care, and everyone in between, as long as someone is motivated by music and would benefit from working towards therapeutic goals, it’s likely that they might be a candidate for music therapy.

I work primarily with adolescents and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well as Autistic individuals.

What are therapeutic goals?

Therapeutic goals are skill areas that therapists and clients work together to strengthen. Music therapists address therapeutic goals including communication, socialization, cognition, emotional regulation and expression, motor skills, and spiritual skills, when appropriate.

For example, I use music to strengthen communication skills by prompting my clients to fill in the blanks to their favorite songs using vocalizations, sign language, and AAC technology! 

Where do music therapists work?

Music therapists work in hospitals, schools, rehabilitation facilities, correctional facilities, private practices, and mental health facilities, just to name a few.

I work for a music therapy private practice and work mostly in the home health setting, traveling all over DFW to do music therapy with individual clients in their homes.

I’ve never heard of music therapy before! Is it a new profession?

People have been discussing the healing benefits of music since Plato and Aristotle, but music therapy in America can trace much of its professional growth to the period surrounding World Wars I and II when it became clear that returning veterans responded very well to music in their physical and emotional rehabilitation. The first collegiate music therapy program was actually established at Michigan State University in 1944 !

Read more Music Therapy FAQs from the American Music Therapy Association here !

Start spreading the good news.

With your elevator speeches and FAQ answers prepared, you can confidently initiate conversations about music therapy and help advocate for the work that board-certified music therapists are doing every day!

Ready to put your skills to the test?

Grab your “Ask Me About Music Therapy” shirts and totes now from the Fort Worth Music Therapy Fund and help expand access to music therapy services in Northwest Texas while educating the public about our profession!

Annie Roberson, MT-BC

Music therapist – board certified, [email protected], download elevator speech kit here, get your free download.

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive a set of printable wallet cards and phone backgrounds to assist you in your elevator speeches!

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“Music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.” (AMTA, 2010).

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Effectiveness of music therapy: a summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of music interventions

Hiroharu kamioka.

1 Faculty of Regional Environment Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Tokyo, Japan

Kiichiro Tsutani

2 Department of Drug Policy and Management, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

Minoru Yamada

3 Kyoto University Graduate School Research, Kyoto, Japan

Hyuntae Park

4 Department of Functioning Activation, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan

Hiroyasu Okuizumi

5 Mimaki Onsen (Spa) Clinic, Tomi, Nagano, Japan

Koki Tsuruoka

6 Graduate School of Social Services, Japan College of Social Work, Tokyo, Japan

Takuya Honda

7 Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan

Shinpei Okada

8 Physical Education and Medicine Research Foundation, Tomi, Nagano, Japan

Sang-Jun Park

Jun kitayuguchi.

9 Physical Education and Medicine Research Center Unnan, Shimane, Japan

Takafumi Abe

Shuichi handa, takuya oshio.

10 Social Welfare Service Corporation CARE-PORT MIMAKI, Tomi, Nagano, Japan

Yoshiteru Mutoh

11 The Research Institute of Nippon Sport Science University, Tokyo, Japan

Associated Data

References to studies excluded in this review

Abbreviations: NICU, neonatal intensive care unit; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SR, systematic review.

The objective of this review was to summarize evidence for the effectiveness of music therapy (MT) and to assess the quality of systematic reviews (SRs) based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Study design

An SR of SRs based on RCTs.

Studies were eligible if they were RCTs. Studies included were those with at least one treatment group in which MT was applied. We searched the following databases from 1995 to October 1, 2012: MEDLINE via PubMed, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Web of Science, Global Health Library, and Ichushi-Web. We also searched all Cochrane Database and Campbell Systematic Reviews up to October 1, 2012. Based on the International Classification of Diseases , 10th revision, we identified a disease targeted for each article.

Twenty-one studies met all inclusion criteria. This study included 16 Cochrane reviews. As a whole, the quality of the articles was very good. Eight studies were about “Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-99)”; there were two studies on “Diseases of the nervous system (G00-99)” and “Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-99)”; and there was one study each for “Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-90)”, “Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-99)”, and “Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O60)”. MT treatment improved the following: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson’s disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality.

This comprehensive summary of SRs demonstrated that MT treatment improved the following: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson’s disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. MT may have the potential for improving other diseases, but there is not enough evidence at present. Most importantly, no specific adverse effect or harmful phenomenon occurred in any of the studies, and MT was well tolerated by almost all patients.

Article focus

Although many studies have reported the effects of music therapy (MT), there is no review of systematic reviews (SRs) based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Key messages

The key messages of this paper are as follows.

• This is the first SR of SRs of the effectiveness of cure based on music interventions in studies with RCT designs.
• Our study is unique because it summarizes the evidence for each target disease according to the International Classification of Diseases , revision 10 (ICD-10).
• We propose the future research agenda for studies on the treatment effect of MT.

Strength and limitation of this study

The strengths of this study are as follows: 1) the methods and implementation registered high on the PROSPERO database; 2) it was a comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases with no data restrictions; and 3) there were high agreement levels for quality assessment of articles.

This study has three limitations. Firstly, some selection criteria were common across studies; however, the bias remained due to differences in eligibility for participation in each original RCT. Secondly, publication bias was a limitation. Lastly, since this review focused on summarizing the effects of MT for each disease, we did not describe all details on quality and quantity, such as type of MT, frequency of MT, and time on MT.

Introduction

MT is widely utilized for treatment of and assistance in various diseases. In one literature review, the authors found seven case reports/series and seven studies on MT for multiple sclerosis patients. The results of these studies as well as the case reports demonstrated patients’ improvements in the domains of self-acceptance, anxiety, and depression. 1 Another review examined the overall efficacy of MT in children and adolescents with psychopathology, and examined how the size of the effect of MT is influenced by the type of pathology, the subject’s age, the MT approach, and the type of outcome. 2 The analysis revealed that MT had a medium to large positive effect (effect size =0.61) on clinically relevant outcomes that was statistically highly significant ( P <0.001) and statistically homogeneous. A more recent SR assessed the effects of musical elements in the treatment of individuals with acquired neurological disorder. 3 The results showed that mechanisms of recovery remained unclear: two of the three studies that examined mechanisms of recovery via neuro-imaging techniques supported the role of the right hemisphere, but reports were contradictory, and exact mechanisms of recovery remained indefinable. An interesting meta-analysis described results that justified strong consideration for the inclusion of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) MT protocols in best practice standards for NICU treatment of preterm infants: examples of these therapies were listening to music for pacification, music reinforcement of sucking/feeding ability, and music as a basis for pacification during multilayered, multimodal stimulation. 4

Examining the curative effects of MT has unique challenges. A review article by Nilsson 5 described how nurses face many challenges as they care for the needs of hospitalized patients, and that they often have to prioritize physical care over the patient’s emotional, spiritual, and psychological needs. In clinical practice, music intervention can be a tool to support these needs by creating an environment that stimulates and maintains relaxation, wellbeing, and comfort. Furthermore, the Nilsson article 5 presented a concrete recommendation for music interventions in clinical practice, such as “slow and flowing music, approximately 60 to 80 beats per minute”, “nonlyrical”, “maximum volume level at 60 dB”, “patient’s own choice, with guidance”, “suitable equipment chosen for the specific situation”, “a minimum duration of 30 minutes in length”, and “measurement, follow up, and documentation of the effects”. In addition, MT has been variably applied as both a primary and accessory treatment for persons with addictions to alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs of abuse. However, an SR 6 described that no consensus exists regarding the efficacy of MT as treatment for patients with addictions.

On the other hand, music may be considered an adjunctive therapy in clinical situations. Music is effective in reducing anxiety and pain in children undergoing medical and dental procedures. 7 A meta-analysis confirmed that patients listening to music during colonoscopy, which is now the recommended method for screening colon cancer, was an effective method for reducing procedure time, anxiety, and the amount of sedation. More importantly, no harmful effects were observed for all the target studies. 8 The usual practice following a cervical cancer abnormal cervical smear is to perform a colposcopy. However, women experience high levels of anxiety and negative emotional responses at all stages of cervical screening. An SR of RCTs evaluated interventions designed to reduce anxiety levels during colposcopic examination. Psychosexual dysfunction (ie, anxiety) was reduced by playing music during colposcopy. 9

The definition of musical intervention is complex, but the literature describes two broad categories of music interventions: music medicine and MT. 10 Music medicine is the use of passive listening (usually involving prerecorded music) as implemented by medical personnel. In music medicine studies, the subject’s preference for the music used may be considered by having him or her select from a variety of tapes. Alternately, some studies use predefined music stimuli that do not take the subject’s preferences into account. Furthermore, there is generally no attempt by the researcher to form a therapeutic relationship with the subject, and there is no process involved in the music treatment. In essence, music medicine studies usually allow one to assess the effects of music alone as a therapeutic intervention. In contrast, MT interventions most often involve a relationship between the therapist and the subject, the use of live music (performed or created by the therapist and/or patient), and a process that includes assessment, treatment, and evaluation. Patient preference for the music is usually a consideration in MT studies.

We were interested in evaluating the curative effect of MT according to diseases because many of the primary studies and review articles of much MT have reported results in this way. In particular, we wanted to focus on all cure and rehabilitation effects using the ICD-10. It is well known in research design that evidence grading is highest for an SR with meta-analysis of RCTs. Although many studies have reported the effects of MT, there is no review of SRs based on RCTs. The objective of this review was to summarize evidence for the effectiveness of MT and to assess the quality of SRs based on RCTs of these therapies.

Criteria for considering studies included in this review

Types of studies.

Studies were eligible if they were SRs (with or without a meta-analysis) based on RCTs.

Types of participants

There was no restriction on patients.

Types of intervention and language

Studies included were those with at least one treatment group in which MT was applied. The definition of MT is complex, but in this study, any kind of MT (not only music appreciation but also musical instrument performance and singing, for example) was permitted and defined as an intervention. Studies had to include information on the use of medication, alternative therapies, and lifestyle changes, and these had to be comparable among groups. There was no restriction on the basis of language.

Types of outcome measures

We focused on all cure and rehabilitation effects using the ICD-10.

Search methods for studies identification

Bibliographic database.

We searched the following databases from 1995 to October 1, 2012: MEDLINE via PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science, Ichushi Web (in Japanese), the Global Health Library (GHL), and the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM). The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommended uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals in 1993. We selected articles published (that included a protocol) since 1995, because it appeared that the ICMJE recommendation had been adopted by the relevant researchers and had strengthened the quality of the reports.

We also searched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews), the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (Other Reviews), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Clinical Trials or CENTRAL), the Cochrane Methodology Register (Methods Studies), the Health Technology Assessment Database (Technology Assessments), the NHS Economic Evaluation Database (Economic Evaluations), About The Cochrane Collaboration databases (Cochrane Groups), the Campbell Systematic Reviews (the Campbell Collaboration), and the All Cochrane, up to October 1, 2012.

All searches were performed by two specific searchers (hospital librarians) who were qualified in medical information handling, and who were experienced in searches of clinical trials.

Search strategies

The special search strategies contained the elements and terms for MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Ichushi Web, GHL, WPRIM, and All Cochrane databases ( Figure 1 and Table 1 ). Only keywords about intervention were used for the searches. First, titles and abstracts of identified published articles were reviewed in order to determine the relevance of the articles. Next, references in relevant studies and identified SRs were screened.

Flowchart of trial process.

Note: *Reduplication.

Abbreviations: CINAHL, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature; CENTRAL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; RCT, randomized controlled trial; SR, systematic review.

The special search strategies

Registry checking

We searched the International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), ClinicalTrials.gov , and the University Hospital Medical Information Network – Clinical Trials Registry (UMIN-CTR), up to October 1, 2012.

ICTRP in the WHO Registry Network meet specific criteria for content, quality and validity, accessibility, unique identification, technical capacity, and administration. Primary registries meet the requirements of the ICMJE. Clinical ClinicalTrials.gov is a registry of federally and privately supported clinical trials conducted in the US and around the world. UMIN-CTR is a registry of clinical trials conducted in Japan and around the world.

Handsearching and reference checking

We handsearched abstracts published on MT in relevant journals in Japan. We checked the references of included studies for further relevant literature.

Review methods

Selection of trials.

To make the final selection of studies for the review, all criteria were applied independently by four authors (ie, TH, JK, SJP, and TA) to the full text of articles that had passed the first eligibility screening ( Figure 1 ). Disagreements and uncertainties were resolved by discussion with other authors (ie, HK, KT, and YM).

Studies were selected when 1) the design was an SR based on RCTs and 2) one of the interventions was a form of MT. Protocols without results were excluded, and we included only completed studies. Cure and rehabilitation effects were used as a primary outcome measure. Trials that were excluded are presented with reasons for exclusion ( Table S1 ).

Quality assessment of included studies

To ensure that variation was not caused by systematic errors in the study design or execution, eleven review authors (HP, MY, HO, SO, SJP, TO, KT, TH, SH, JK, and HK) independently assessed the quality of the articles. A full quality appraisal of these papers was made using the combined tool based on the AMSTAR checklist 11 developed to assess the methodological quality of SRs.

Each item was scored as “present” (Yes), “absent” (No), “unclear or inadequately described” (Can not answer), or “not applicable” (n/a). Depending on the study design, some items were not applicable. The “n/a” was excluded from calculation for quality assessment. We displayed the percentage of descriptions that were present on all items for the quality assessment of articles. Then, based on the percentage of risk of poor methodology and/or bias, each item was assigned to one of the following categories: good description (80%–100%), poor description (50%–79%), or very poor description (0%–49%).

Disagreements and uncertainties were resolved by discussion with other authors (ie, KT and HK). Inter-rater reliability was calculated on a dichotomous scale using percentage agreement and Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ).

Summary of studies and data extraction

Eleven review authors (HP, MY, HO, SO, SJP, TH, TO, SH, JK, KT, and HK) described the summary from each article based on the structured abstracts. 12 , 13

Benefit and harm

The GRADE Working Group 14 reported that the balance between benefit and harm, quality of evidence, applicability, and the certainty of the baseline risk were all considered in judgments about the strength of recommendations. Adverse events for intervention were especially important information for researchers and users of clinical practice guidelines, and we presented this information with the description of each article.

Research protocol registration

We submitted and registered our research protocol to the PROSPERO (no 42012002950). PROSPERO is an international database of prospectively registered SRs in health and social care. 15 Key features from the review protocol are recorded and maintained as a permanent record in PROSPERO. This provides a comprehensive listing of SRs registered at inception, and enables comparison of reported review findings with what was planned in the protocol. PROSPERO is managed by UK Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD) and funded by the UK National Institute for Health Research. Registration was recommended because it encourage full publication of the review’s findings and transparency in changes to methods that could bias findings. 16

Study selection

The literature searches included potentially relevant articles ( Figure 1 ). Abstracts from those articles were assessed, and 63 papers were retrieved for further evaluation (checks for relevant literature). Forty-two publications were excluded because they did not meet the eligibility criteria ( Table S1 ). A total of 21 studies 17 – 37 met all inclusion criteria ( Table 1 ). The language of all eligible publications was English.

Study characteristics

The contents of all articles were summarized as structured abstracts ( Table 2 ). Sinha et al 17 reported that there was no evidence that auditory integration therapy or other sound therapies are effective as treatments for autism spectrum disorders. Mossler et al 18 concluded that MT as an addition to standard care helps people with schizophrenia to improve their global state, mental state (including negative symptoms), and social functioning if a sufficient number of MT sessions are provided by qualified music therapists. Bradt et al 19 indicated that music interventions may have beneficial effects on anxiety, pain, mood, and quality of life (QoL) in people with cancer. Bradt and Dileo 20 reported that there may be a benefit of MT on QoL of people in end-of-life care. Vink et al 21 reported that the methodological quality and the reporting of the included studies on dementia were too poor to draw any useful conclusions. Bradt et al 22 indicated that listening to music may have a beneficial effect on heart rate, respiratory rate, and anxiety in mechanically ventilated patients. Cepeda et al 23 reported that listening to music reduces pain intensity levels and opioid requirements on patients with chronic, acute, neuropathic, and cancer pain or experimental pain, but the magnitude of these benefits is small and therefore its clinical importance unclear. Bradt et al 24 reported that rhythmic auditory stimulation might be beneficial for gait improvement in people with stroke. Gold et al 25 indicated that MT may help children with autistic spectrum disorder to improve their communicative skills. Laopaiboon et al 26 indicated that music during planned cesarean section under regional anesthesia may improve pulse rate and birth satisfaction score. Bradt and Dileo 27 reported that listening to music may have a beneficial effect on blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anxiety, and pain in persons with coronary heart disease. Maratos et al 28 suggested that MT is accepted by people with depression and is associated with improvements in mood, but the small number and low methodological quality of studies meant that it is not possible to be confident about its effectiveness. de Dreu et al 29 reported that music-based movement therapy appeared promising for the improvement of gait and gait-related activities in Parkinson’s disease. Cogo-Moreira et al 30 concluded that there is no evidence available on which to base a judgment about the effectiveness of music education for the improvement of reading skills in children and adolescents with dyslexia. Drahota et al 31 reported that music may improve patient-reported outcomes in certain circumstances such as anxiety for hospital patients. Chan et al 32 concluded that listening to music over a period of time helps to reduce depressive symptoms in the adult population. Naylor et al 33 reported that there is limited qualitative evidence to support the effectiveness of music on health-related outcomes for children and adolescents with clinical diagnoses. Irons et al 34 concluded that because no studies that met the criteria were found, their review was unable to support or refute the benefits of singing as a therapy for people with cystic fibrosis. Irons et al 35 reported that they could not draw any conclusion to support or refute the adoption of singing as an intervention for people with bronchiectasis because of the absence of data. de Niet et al 36 concluded that music-assisted relaxation could be without intensive investment in training and materials and is therefore cheap, easily available and can be used by nurses to promote music-assisted relaxation to improve sleep quality. Gold et al 37 reported that MT is an effective treatment which helps people with psychotic and nonpsychotic severe mental disorders to improve global state, symptoms, and functioning.

A structured abstract of 21 systematic reviews

Abbreviations: ASSIA, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts; BPRS, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale; CAG, Cochrane Airways Group; CAIRSS, Computer-Assisted Information Retrieval System; CCDANCTR, Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register; CDCIG, Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group; CENTRAL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; CHD, coronary heart disease; CI, confidence interval; CINAHL, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature; ERIC, Education Resource Information Centre; Ham-D, Hamilton Depression Scale; ICTRP, International Clinical Trials Registry Platform; LILACS, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature; MbM, music-based movement; MD, mean difference; MeSH, Medical Subject Headings; NIH, National Institutes of Health; NNT, number needed to treat; PANSS, Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale; PD, Parkinson’s disease; PEDro, Physiotherapy Evidence Database; QoL, quality of life; RAS, rhythmic auditory stimulation; RCT, randomized controlled trial; RR, risk ratio; SANS, Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms; SDS, Self-rating Depression Scale; SDSI, Social Disability Schedule for Inpatients; SES, summary effect size; SMD, standardized mean difference; STAI-S, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – State; UPDRS, Unifed Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale; WHO, World Health Organization.

Based on ICD-10, we identified a disease targeted in each article ( Table 3 ). Among 21 studies, eight studies were about “Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-99)”. There were two studies in “Diseases of the nervous system (G00-99)” and “Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-99)”, and one study in “Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-90)”, “Diseases of the circulatory system (I00-99)”, and “Pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium (O60)”. Because there were a variety of target diseases, there were six articles in which we could not identify a single disease.

International classification of target diseases in each article

Abbreviation: ICD, International Classification of Diseases.

Evidence of effectiveness

Table 4 presents a brief summary of 21 SRs. Five studies (ie, schizophrenia for global and mental state and social functioning, 18 Parkinson’s disease for gait and related activities, 29 depressive symptoms, 32 sleep quality, 36 and serious mental disorders for global and social functioning 37 ) concluded that there are effects of the intervention.

Brief summary of 21 systematic reviews

Abbreviation: QoL, quality of life

Ten studies with a meta-analysis (ie, cancer for anxiety, pain, mood, and QoL, 19 advanced life-limiting illness for QoL, 20 mechanically ventilated patients for heart rate, respiratory rate, and anxiety, 22 multiple pain for intensity level and opioid requirement, 23 acquired brain injury for gait parameters, 24 autistic spectrum disorders for communicative skills, 25 cesarean section for heart rate and birth satisfaction, 26 coronary heart disease for blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, anxiety, and pain, 27 hospital patients for self-reported outcomes such as anxiety, 31 and various clinical conditions for health outcomes in children with learning and developmental disorder 33 ) concluded that there might be an effect of the intervention. An SR without a meta-analysis of depression reported that there might be an effect of the intervention. 28

Two studies (ie, autism spectrum 17 and dementia 21 ) described that the effect of intervention is unclear. There was no evidence for three studies (ie, dyslexia, 30 cystic fibrosis, 34 and bronchiectasis 35 ) because they were not RCTs.

Adverse events

There were no specific adverse events in any of the studies.

Quality assessment

We evaluated eleven items from the AMSTAR checklist in more detail ( Table 5 ). Inter-rater reliability metrics for the quality assessment indicated substantial agreement for all 231 items (percentage agreement 95.3% and κ =0.825). As a whole, the quality of the articles was very good.

AMSTAR is a measurement tool created to assess the methodological quality of systematic reviews

Abbreviations: CENTRAL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; MeSH, Medical Subject Headings; Can’t, can not.

This is the first SR of SRs of the effectiveness of cure based on music interventions in studies with RCT designs. Our study is unique because it summarized the evidence for each target disease according to ICD-10 classification. We assume that this study will be helpful to researchers who want to grasp an effect of MT comprehensively and could provide information that is indispensable for the organization that is going to make the guidelines according to each disease.

Twenty-one SRs based on RCTs were identified, and music intervention was clearly effective for five diseases (ie, schizophrenia for global and mental state and social functioning, Parkinson’s disease for gait and related activities, depressive symptoms, sleep quality, and serious mental disorders for global and social functioning).

A review of all SRs showed that there was no special adverse effect or harm associated with MT.

Tendency of target disease and outcome

The most commonly reported target diseases were “Mental and behavioural disorders (F00-99)”, 17 , 18 , 21 , 25 , 28 , 30 , 32 , 36 and the effect of MT on these diseases was improved mental health (eg, anxiety and mood), pain, QoL, and communication skills. The main reason given in these articles for improved mental health was that the beauty and rhythm of the music tone allowed the patient to be comfortable. In studies about the effects of MT on anxiety, discomfort, fear, and pain, MT has been variably applied as an accessory treatment for persons with addictions, 6 and as evasion of direct discomfort for undergoing medical device procedures such as colonoscopy, 8 colposcopy 9 and dental procedures. 7

The second most frequently reported target diseases were “Diseases of the nervous system (G00-99)”, 24 , 29 and the effects of MT on these diseases showed commonly gait parameters. MT is expected to improve gait and related activities such as rehabilitation in diseases of the central nervous system. There were also several studies that identified “Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-99).” 22 , 35 Improvements seen in these studies were mainly due to effects of singing on breathing function, such as respiratory rate, and on the circulation function, such as heart rate.

Validity of overall evidence based on quality assessment

We performed an evaluation of all SRs by the AMSTAR checklist developed to assess the methodological quality of SRs. There were no serious problems with the conduct and reporting of all target studies. This study included 16 Cochrane Reviews. 17 – 28 , 30 , 31 , 34 , 35 In the Cochrane Reviews, the eligibility criteria for a meta-analysis are strict, and for each article, heterogeneity and low quality of reporting are to first be excluded. Therefore, we assumed that the conclusion of each SR had enough validity.

Overall evidence

Most importantly, a specific adverse effect or harmful phenomenon did not occur in any study, and MT was well tolerated by almost all patients. MT treatment has positive effects for the following: schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders for global and social functioning, Parkinson’s disease for gait and related activities, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. We assume that the direct effects of MT are generally improvement of mental health and sense of rhythm, and reduction of pain. In addition, we assume that communication with other people improves through music, the sense of isolation disappears, and QoL rises.

Although further accumulation of RCT data is necessary, MT may be effective treatment for the following diseases and symptoms: cancer and/or advanced life-limiting illnesses affecting mental state and QoL, mechanically ventilated patients with impaired respiratory function and mental state, chronic pain requiring opioid treatment, acquired brain injury affecting gait parameters, autistic spectrum disorders involving communicative skills, cesarean section effects on heart rate and birth satisfaction, coronary heart disease effects on circulatory, respiratory function, and mental state, and self-reported outcomes for hospitalized patients and other patients with various clinical conditions. These SRs describe the need for additional high quality RCTs to assess the effect of MT.

Future research agenda to build evidence

Table 6 shows the future research agenda for studies on the treatment effect of MT. Because only SRs of RCTs were included in this study, their characteristic study designs limited our results to the assessment of short-term effects. Even if a study is not an RCT design, it is necessary to evaluate the long-term effects.

Future research agenda to build evidence of music therapy

Because studies of intervention using music vary in design, a consensus of the framework is necessary. 10 In this study, examination according to a detailed intervention method was not possible, but it would be important for future studies to define MT. Furthermore, studies to assess dose–response relationships according to each disease are clearly necessary. 18

Bowen et al 38 suggested that public health is moving toward the goal of implementing evidence-based intervention. However, the feasibility of possible interventions and whether comprehensive and multilevel evaluations are needed to justify them must be determined. It is at least necessary to show the cost of such interventions. We must introduce an interventional method based on its cost-benefit, cost-effectiveness, and cost-utility.

In addition, MT as an intervention is unique and completely different than pharmacological or traditional rehabilitation methods. Therefore, it may be necessary to add some original items like herbal intervention, 39 aquatic exercise, 40 and balneotherapy 41 to the CONSORT 2010 checklist as alternative or complementary medicines.

Strength and limitations

This review has several strengths: 1) the methods and implementation registered high on the PROSPERO database; 2) it was a comprehensive search strategy across multiple databases with no data restrictions; 3) there were high agreement levels for quality assessment of articles; and 4) it involved detailed data extraction to allow for collecting all articles’ content into a recommended structured abstract.

This review also had several limitations that should be acknowledged. Firstly, some selection criteria were common across studies, as described above; however, bias remained due to differences in eligibility for participation in each original RCT. Secondly, publication bias was a limitation. Although there was no linguistic restriction in the eligibility criteria, we searched studies with only English and Japanese keywords. Thirdly, in order to be specific to SRs based on RCTs, it ignores some excellent results of primary research by other research designs. Fourthly, as a point of terminology for MT, because we applied a broad definition to the use of music in medicine, it may be more confusing or a bit misleading in the cultural context of Western health care.

In addition, since this review focused on summaries of effects of MT for each disease, we did not describe all details on quality and quantity such as type of MT, frequency of MT, and time on MT. Moreover, we could not follow standard procedures as estimates of the effects of moderating variables. Finally, because we broadly defined MT as music appreciation, musical instrument performance, and singing, we could not assess a specific intervention.

This comprehensive summary of SRs demonstrates that MT treatment improved the following: global and social functioning in schizophrenia and/or serious mental disorders, gait and related activities in Parkinson’s disease, depressive symptoms, and sleep quality. MT may have the potential for improving other diseases, but there is not enough evidence at present. Most importantly, a specific adverse effect or harmful phenomenon did not occur in any of the studies, and MT was well tolerated by almost all patients.

To most effectively assess the potential benefits of MT, it will be important for future research to explore 1) long-term effects, 2) a consensus of the framework of music intervention, 3) dose–response relationships, 4) the cost of the intervention, and 5) development of the original check item in MT.

Supplementary material

Acknowledgments.

We would like to express our appreciation to Ms Aya Maruyama (methodology of MT), Ms Rie Higashino, Ms Yoko Ikezaki, Ms Rinako Kai (paperwork), and Ms Satoko Sayama and Ms Mari Makishi (all searches of studies) for their assistance in this study.

This study was supported by the Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants (Research on Health Security Control ID No H24-021; representative Dr K Tsutani) from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in 2012.

Author contributions

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data. All authors took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.

Ethical approval

No ethical approval was required.

Data sharing

No additional data are available.

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

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Using Music to Treat Aphasia

The San Francisco Chronicle recently had an interesting article about Mindy Rowland using music to find her way back from aphasia. A ski accident four years ago left her with a concussion and aphasia. She couldn’t find words anymore, and she had to leave her job because communication was too difficult. She was in speech therapy and seeing doctors when she had a breakthrough, courtesy of Elton John.

Speaking Through Music

Her husband left on music and came home to find “Mindy singing along to Elton John’s ‘Tiny Dancer.’ At this point, Mindy could hardly string words together, but for some reason she could sing.” It’s something we’ve spoken about before with Randy Travis and the movie Still Sophie .

The article states :

Music therapy has been used to treat people with traumatic brain injuries in many cases, for people who suffer strokes or car crashes or other situations that cause trauma to the brain … Once Mindy started singing, she saw similar strides. Stew said her speaking is 10 times better now than it was before she started singing.

Mindy performed at Folk Fest, singing the songs “seamlessly, never needing to pause to remember a line.” It’s a place where the words still come fluidly.

Why Music Works

There has been plenty of research done in using music to treat aphasia. One theory is that because music crosses the hemispheres of the brain , it creates new neural pathways for language. In addition, music is ripe with repetition and patterns , two things that aid memory.

Is music therapy right for you? There are plenty of ways to formally and informally engage with music. Some clinics may offer melodic intonation therapy (MIT) or neurologic music therapy (NMT). You will need to inquire with individual local practices if they provide music therapy.

But while you’re waiting, try throwing on familiar albums and seeing if you connect with music in the same way. We hope that melodies help you find words again.

Do you find it easier to sing than speak ?

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Music therapy.

Music therapy is an evidence-based approach to treatment for people of all ages including infants; children; people with autism, ADHD, and other disabilities; neurodiverse individuals; and seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia. 

Music Lessons

Learning music can start by choosing your favorite songs, then setting goals to fit with your schedule and skill level. Music therapists are classically trained musicians who's clinical skills help people feel successful right away.

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Since infants and children are especially motivated by music, music therapists use activities like singing, drumming, scarves, books, and movement to target developmental milestones.

Music therapy also has a unique effect on speech and language centers of the brain. Click here to learn how music therapy directly addresses communication goals. 

Life On Music strongly believes in an neurodiversity-affirming approach to music therapy. Music therapy supports autistic people by using familiar activities like singing, dancing, drumming, and instrument playing to address social, emotional, developmental, and communication goals.

By using familiar singing, movement, and instrument playing, music therapy gives seniors the opportunity to maintain the skills required for daily living. Music therapists are specially trained to work with seniors, including people with Alzheimer's and dementia, in group and one-on-one settings.

The Music Therapy Difference

Meet milestones.

Music therapy is different from other therapies because music connects almost every area of the brain. This means life skills learned in music therapy are achieved faster and are maintained outside the session.

Rhythm, melody, and repetition have a profound impact on attention and mood. Music therapists increase resilience by facilitating interventions to label feelings, work through frustration, and regulate emotions.

Increase Resilience

Build confidence.

Combined with board-certified music therapists' training, music interventions allow participants to feel at-ease and emotionally regulated, which is the best opportunity to practice and build on life skills.

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Speech on Music for Students and Children

Speech on music.

Good morning to one and all present here! We all know about music. I am going to deliver my speech on Music. Music is a pleasing arrangement and flow of sounds in air and of course, it varies in rhythm and systematic method.  It is also art or skill that musicians possess and hence they are capable to give a musical performance for the audience.

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Music is one of the most important boons of God for all living beings. Music is the subject that classifies all the rhythmic sounds into a system and anyone may learn and practice it. Not only that but also the plants, animals can enjoy the harmony, pleasant rhythm of the musical sounds.

Different Styles of the Music

The style of music has changed dramatically throughout the various ages of the time period. Mainly there are six eras in music history. These are the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Twentieth Century. Music has been and always will be a popular form of entertainment for many of us.

The dictionary defines the music as an art of sound in time which expresses ideas and emotions both significantly through the elements of rhythm, melody, and harmony.

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Music has the Power to Heal

Music is a form of a melody that soothes into our body and helping us to feel refreshed and relaxed. It helps us to get rid of the anxiety and stress of our everyday life. Music is undoubtedly a great way of healing the pain. It makes us forget about unpleasant and disturbing thoughts by taking us in the world of melody.

Music can bring the back old memories in our present time. Music therapy restores us from several problems and emotions in our daily life. When we attend music therapy it helps our brain functioning quicker and helps us keep calm.

The Medicinal Effect of Music

Whatever problems we may have, that will flow out of our brain. Even it also helps the doctor and psychologist to identify the state of our brain and behaviors. Well, according to researchers and practitioners of music therapy is a big tool for all of us.

Indeed, music can heal people in many difficult situations. Music can make a big difference to people with brain injuries and it can activate the brain in alternative ways. It helps often bypassing the damaged areas, allowing people to regain movement as well as speech.

Therefore, music actually changes the structure of the brain, giving people new chances to move and speak. Also, various studies have shown that music therapy can regularize the heart and breathing rates. Even it can help cancer patients. In the field of psychology, music is very useful to help people suffering from depression and sadness. Also, children with developmental disabilities may get support from music in many ways.

In the end, I will say that being skilled in any component of music is a gift of God.  I salute the great musicians who pacify me during my low times and let me celebrate my good times.  Music as a hobby is the best alternative indeed.

Music is an effective way of healing the stress of anyone of any age. It is highly effective and supportive to relieve the person from any kind of mental or physical problem. So, we all be always live with music.

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