One in five children and young people in the United Kingdom have a probable mental health condition and feel unhappy with their lives, presenting the lowest life satisfaction across Europe. Children and young people’s needs are now believed to have drastically exceeded the capabilities of the national healthcare system, and there is a call to radically rethink the scope of support and early interventions. In this pilot randomised controlled study, we aimed to investigate the delivery of a school-based music therapy intervention and to test whether all elements of the study design (e.g. recruitment, randomisation, follow-up) can work together in a larger study. The process and outcomes were evaluated by children and teachers through standardised questionnaires of quality of life, well-being and life functioning (Child Outcome Rating Scale), emotional and behavioural difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire with impact supplement), and biomarkers (FitBits) assessing children’s sleep. Adherence to the therapeutic protocol was rated by the researcher and the music therapist. Overall, improvements were observed in all outcome measures. However, in questionnaires of quality of life and Child Outcome Rating Scale, these improvements did not reach statistical significance when baseline differences were considered. Significant improvements were observed in the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire with impact supplement and in children’s sleep, with children attending music therapy sleeping ~35 min longer than those who did not. All sessions were given an average rating of 9/10, indicating that children’s session quality ratings were high and consistent across sessions. Sample size calculations for future large-scale studies were performed, and recommendations were provided regarding how to improve the effectiveness of music therapy from children’s perspectives.
The Calm Place technique is an imagery-based stabilisation strategy used to support emotional regulation in children experiencing distress in school settings. This study examined whether integrating a Music Imagery-based intervention into the Calm Place technique enhances sensory engagement, imaginative detail, and emotional connection in children attending special education programmes. Eight elementary school students participated in three individual sessions. Session 1 involved the Calm Place technique without music, followed by a drawing and a verbal description of the imagined environment. In Session 2, AI-generated images based on each child’s initial description were presented alongside a selected music track within a Music and Imagery framework. In Session 3, a music listening intervention was applied; preparatory instructions were provided before music listening to facilitate internal exploration of the Calm Place, followed by narrative recounting and a second drawing. Drawings and narratives were analysed thematically across sessions. Results suggested that Music and Imagery was associated with richer sensory, emotional, and relational dimensions in children’s safe place representations. Drawings in Sessions 2 and 3 demonstrated greater complexity and personal symbolism, while narratives reflected enhanced vividness, emotional safety, and relaxation. These findings indicate that Music and Imagery may enhance Calm Place interventions within special education contexts.
This article explores the work of an anti-racist book group, whose genesis stems from the 2021 British Association of Music Therapy Race Awareness Panel. The group, initially formed by white music therapists grappling with white supremacy, expanded to include Black and Brown activists, including other arts therapies. They utilised the art technique of the cadavre exquis (exquisite corpse) to examine racial tensions and belonging. Inspired by Layla F. Saad's work in challenging understandings of whiteness, this article employs the cadavre exquis to express both differences and shared experiences, demonstrating that belonging is cultivated, not assumed. This Surrealist technique involving collaborative, unseen artistic contributions reflects the group's process. Participants contribute written pieces and musical offerings in response to a central theme (Examining emergent cultural content from within and without: What's in the room and where do I belong?), highlighting the impact of events like the murder of George Floyd and the pervasive nature of systemic racism from the viewpoints of Brown, Black, and white bodies. This collaborative approach seeks to create a space for open, honest, and sometimes painful dialogue, aiming to deepen understanding, foster connections, and promote action against racial injustice.
Music therapy is emerging as an inexpensive, non-pharmacological alternative to drug therapy in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Several studies have identified the potential of music therapy to improve cognitive functions in patients at all stages of Alzheimer's disease progression. However, existing reviews do not specifically evaluate the many music therapy techniques available from the perspective of a professional musician. Methods of music therapy vary in music choices, familiarity and level of participation. As such, this review aimed to systematically evaluate the impact of music therapy on cognitive function and any parameters that maximise efficacy. A systematic review was conducted according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines with studies published between 2010 and 2025 across nine databases. Thirty-four major studies examined the effects of music therapy on cognition in patients with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Across the literature, music therapy significantly improved cognition, attention and executive function, self-awareness and perception, and short-term, working, verbal and motor memory. Thus, recent literature demonstrates beneficial impacts of music therapy on cognition in Alzheimer's disease. Active music therapy techniques were the most effective, involving singing and rhythm exercises, and familiar and preferred music. Ultimately, music therapy is recommended as an early intervention in Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment to prevent further cognitive decline.
Sustainable behaviours, in particular environmental sustainability, are a key theme across the healthcare landscape and are increasingly discussed in the field of music therapy. This article is a position piece exploring different perspectives in the area, aiming to raise the profile of the topic for Music Therapists. Three areas of sustainable behaviour are used as a framework for the article, first through the presentation of a literature review and then examples of music therapy practice. The three areas are: work with people with climate anxiety (care for others), reflective practice and sustainable careers (self-care), and prevention in work with service users and the practicalities of environmental sustainability (caring for the environment).
This is an exploratory, qualitative, interview-based study investigating the subjective clinical experiences of Nordoff-Robbins music therapists with regards to the following questions: 'To what degree can aspects of "disfluency" be considered sources of creativity within the Nordoff-Robbins approach to music therapy?' and 'How can music therapists articulate these aspects of their practice, to contribute to shifting discourses around "fluency"?'. I draw on the work of Claypole who advocates for 'disfluency' to be deemed a source of creativity. I suggest that the concept of 'fluency' is useful for music therapists, encouraging consideration of how the people we work with experience themselves in time. I posit that a central goal of music therapy is to bring 'flow', and that there is perhaps a tension between this and valuing someone's experience of disfluency. The interviews reveal that, perhaps uniquely among therapeutic interventions, Nordoff-Robbins music therapists can simultaneously value a person's disfluency, while offering an experience of fluency in the music. I conclude by drawing on the interviews to recast the binary of fluency versus disfluency and explore language that embraces the diversity of ways in which people 'flow'.
Batten disease is a rare neurodegenerative condition affecting approximately 150-200 children and young people in the United Kingdom. It leads to progressive loss of skills, with most individuals not surviving beyond adolescence. While current research primarily focuses on clinical trials for gene and enzyme replacement therapies, there remains an urgent need for therapeutic and educational strategies that support affected children and their families in the present. Music has been identified as a meaningful support mechanism for individuals with Batten disease, yet empirical research in this area is limited. Drawing on developments in neuroscience and music therapy, this study explores how music supports children with Batten disease through semi-structured interviews with parents and carers. Thematic analysis revealed three key themes: music and well-being; music's role in supporting functional skills; and the use of music in care settings. Findings highlight music's emotional, communicative, and functional value, providing insights for educators and healthcare professionals. This research contributes to the growing evidence base for music-based interventions for rare neurodegenerative conditions.
Radiation therapy can be challenging for children and youths, regarding medical and psychosocial aspects. Music therapy is increasingly recognized as effective and appreciated biopsychosocial support in medical settings, but music therapy in pediatric radiation oncology is sparse. This exploratory pilot study aimed to explore possibilities and experiences of a music therapy service for children and youths undergoing radiation therapy. The study included quantitative and qualitative data; patients' and parents' self-reported scores on satisfaction with music therapy, interdisciplinary experiences and collective reflections obtained through focus group interviews, and the distribution of predicted and actual use of anesthesia for the patients during treatment. Descriptive statistics were used to report on numeric and categorical variables, and qualitative content analysis was used for the interviews. The results showed that patients and parents were highly satisfied, and more patients than predicted completed the treatment without anesthesia. Important factors were identified regarding the psychosocial assessment of patient needs, timing, interdisciplinary collaboration, and possible redistribution of resources. The study demonstrated that music therapy was well received by the patients and likely had a positive impact on the overall treatment quality. Including music therapist in interdisciplinary teams may positively impact individual adaptation of treatment and the use of resources.
In 2023, the National Clinical Guideline for Stroke published updated guidelines for the treatment and rehabilitation of people surviving strokes. Approximately 240 people suffer a stroke every day in the UK. Post-stroke music therapy is evidenced to improve functional communication, mobility and cognitive functioning while improving patient mood and engagement in rehabilitation. This is a case study of a clinical audit that aimed to compare the music therapy service against the guidelines surrounding the intensity of therapy in rehabilitation, a patient's opportunities for social interaction and interventions for anxiety, depression and psychological distress post stroke. The audit was carried out between November 2023 and February 2024 as part of Chiltern Music Therapy's service at Wycombe Stroke Unit, Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust. Anonymous quantitative and qualitative data was collected after every music therapy session and used to generate information and statistics relating to the stroke guidelines. The findings of this audit suggest that the music therapy provision meets stroke guidelines and other national standards for stroke survivors while providing an enjoyable, engaging intervention with benefits for mood, anxiety and social interaction opportunities. Furthermore, larger-scale randomized controlled trials are recommended.
This article describes the author's experience of undergoing a close-to-death incident during the first term of training to become a music therapist, and the ways in which the impact of almost dying and the personal transformation prompted by the training course affected each other. The author asserts that the inevitable existential reflection and learning following the period of sudden illness was greatly enhanced by several aspects of the training course; most notably - the containment of the cohort and experiential group, the infant observation module and the clinical placement undertaken in her second year when working with a client with suicidal ideation. The awareness of death that was afforded through the illness is described as enhancing the trainee therapist's skills, empathy and understanding in being able to withstand the fear of the unknown when working with death. The author concludes by acknowledging that, in writing this article, she has been able to reach a place of acceptance and to fully appreciate the personal and professional transformation that was gleaned through this formative and frightening period.
A conference report of the 13th European Conference of Music Therapy, held in Hamburg, Germany, on the theme of "Bridges".
This case study explores how principles of motor learning and neuroplasticity - specifically the tenet of 'use it and improve it' - were enhanced through music therapy to support rehabilitation goals for an individual with traumatic brain injury (TBI) and diffuse physical injuries.A combination of individual music therapy sessions and joint sessions with physiotherapists targeted mobility goals, including safe sit-to-stand transitions and improved walking. Patient-preferred music was used to boost motivation, alongside Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT (TM)) techniques including Musical Attention Control Training (MACT), Musical Mnemonics Training (MMT), and Rhythmic Auditory Stimulation (RAS). These interventions aimed to enhance motor planning, coordination, and timing for smoother movement and gait.Initially requiring substantial support, sessions focused on priming rhythmic synchrony to promote the patient's movement in response to external auditory cues. As movement patterns became internalised - consistent with the Transformational Design Model (TDM (TM)) - the music-informed behaviours transferred into daily functional activities with increased safety and fluidity. The patient showed marked improvement in attention, awareness, sequencing, standing, and walking.This case highlights the synergistic potential of combining music therapy with physiotherapy to increase participation in repetitive motor learning tasks, thereby optimising functional neuroplasticity and supporting recovery in TBI rehabilitation.
