Music Therapy Sessions Research Articles

Music therapy in neonatalogy with premature babies and their parents

Music therapy sessions in neonatal units, as part of a survey of practices, favoured the infant's physiological and behavioural stability as well as the parent-infant relationship throughout their time in hospital. Beneficial for the newborn, this concept, still a pioneering practice in neonatal units, could be combined with early developmental care intervention programmes.

"Parent-infant music therapy is a support tool for the relationship"

Music is a powerful support and facilitation tool favouring the relationship, which can be used with infants in hospital or in daycare centres. An interview with Laetitia Sarazin, a professional flautist and teacher at the Conservatory of Caen, who has led music therapy sessions in hospitals with newborns and premature babies, and Marie-Cécile Paris, a choreographer and contemporary dance teacher with whom she has organised body- and music-based therapy workshops for parent-infant groups and daycare centres.

A Pilot Study Investigating Research Design Feasibility Using Pre-post Measures to Test the Effect of Music Therapy in Psychiatry with People Diagnosed with Personality Disorders

Introduction: The objectives of the pilot study were (a) to investigate the feasibility of the research design (referral procedure, data collection procedure, measurement tools, and treatment doses/frequency); (b) to develop and evaluate the PROMT treatment manual; and (c) to test the use of flexible and or multiple interventions as part of the treatment options. Findings from this investigation aim to prepare for a future outcome study of music therapy treatments for patients with personality disorders, that are inspired by analytically oriented music psychotherapy and mentalization-based treatment.
 Methods: Four participants assessed and diagnosed with personality disorder received 40 sessions of individual music therapy. Pre and post measures of outcome variables looking at attachment style, helping alliance, symptom severity, interpersonal problems, and quality of life were evaluated for inclusion in the design. Interviews with clinicians were used to further evaluate the manual.
 Results: All participants completed treatment. Outcome measurement provided usable information and also showed some positive changes in the four cases. The research design was found to be usable for a larger study. The treatment manual was evaluated as usable, but specification on how to use mentalization-based treatment in music-based interventions is required in a future manual.
 Discussion: In light of the current findings, we discuss several factors relevant to a possible future outcome study, including the research design, theoretical model, and specific elements of the treatment manual. We also discuss the potential of using flexible and/or multiple interventions as part of the treatment options. We conclude that integration of mentalization-based treatment into music therapy seems promising, but further development of the treatment manual is needed.

Defining the Therapeutic Singing Voice: An Analysis of Four Music Therapists’ Clinical Work

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to examine the ways music therapists use their singing voices in music therapy sessions and, in doing so, to provide a working definition of the therapeutic singing voice. Four music therapists were observed leading at least 10 music therapy sessions each in order to examine the ways they used their singing voices in clinical practice. Interviews with each of these therapists, at the completion of session observations, enriched these observational data. Data were analyzed in two stages. First, individual singing voice profiles were developed for each music therapist, and second, these profiles were integrated to define essential singing voice characteristics. These characteristics included flexible postures and physicality, diverse breathing methods and strategies of phonation, flexible resonance strategies, improvisational skills, and knowledge of diverse music genres. Implications for vocal education and training in music therapy programs are discussed.

Bridging the Clinic to Community: Music Performance as Social Transformation for Military Service Members.

The use of music performance in music therapy with military service members is discussed as a vehicle for social transformation and reintegration. The use of performance in music therapy is not without controversy primarily because therapy is considered a process, not a product, and confidentiality and privacy are essential components of therapy. However, others have argued that public performances can validate therapeutic changes in clients, give voice to their experiences, raise awareness of social issues within their communities, transform perceptions of injury, or illness in audience members, and may result in the clients gaining support and validation from their communities. We discuss the potential of music performances to contribute to individual development, reinforce rehabilitation, enhance function, and facilitate change at the community level to support reintegration of military service members. We illustrate this through two brief case reports of service members who received music therapy as part of their treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other psychological health concerns at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a Directorate of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, United States. The service members wrote, learned, and refined songs over multiple music therapy sessions and created song introductions to share with audiences the meanings and benefits gained from integrating performance in music therapy. The case reports also include excerpts of interviews conducted with these service members several months after treatment about their experiences of performing and the perceived impact of their performances on the audience and greater community.

Experience of group art therapy with music improvisation in the integrated treatment at a psychiatric Day Hospital: preliminary results

The study aims at evaluating the resocializing effects of music therapy as add-on therapy in the course of integrated, pharmacological and psychological, treatment. During a six months period, 24 patients belonging to a psychiatric Day Hospital were recruited and divided into 2 groups. An accurate music anamnesis was collected for each patient. Group 1 (n=11) received as add-on therapy 14 improvisational music therapy sessions on a weekly basis, while group 2 (n=13) received 7 improvisational music therapy sessions alternated with 7 listening music therapy sessions, on a weekly basis. The response to music therapy was evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the add-on therapeutic process through a music therapy observation form consisting of 9 variables. In both groups there was a good response from patients affected by mood disorders as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder, while schizophrenic patients response was either absent or reduced. The improvement of the variable interaction between the components, sharing of the instrument, facial expressions and tension was significantly higher in the group that received as add-on therapy both improvisational music therapy and listening music therapy. The findings suggest a significant role of the improvisational music therapy in gaining a re-socializing effect within a therapeutic group. The effectiveness turns out to be greater if the improvisation is combined with a listening therapy, aimed at educating the patient to a greater openness to the expressive aspect of sound. The active-passive music therapy association could then bring a valuable contribution as an add-on rehabilitative treatment.

Una propuesta de intervención a través de la musicoterapia para optimizar el nivel de arousal en niños con TEA

This article deals with the implications of the level of arousal in children with ASD, and its implications for attention deficits that are part of the nuclear characteristics of the diagnosis or comorbid with it, such as ADHD or anxiety disorder. This variable of attention will be treated through music therapy, with different methods such as improvisation. The results will be obtained through questionnaires filled out by families and speech therapists, in order to be able to observe the generalizations of the objectives achieved in the music therapy sessions. After all this the conclusions obtained are the benefits of music therapy in this population, and the improvement of several behaviors of the users through the improvement of the level of activation and an adequate stimulation.

The effect of music therapy on hemodialysis patients' quality of life and depression symptoms.

ABSTRACTIntroduction:The sources of stress involved in chronic kidney disease (CKD) can lead to depressive states, directly affecting the hemodialysis patient's quality of life (QOL). There are few reports and studies on therapeutic interventions that aim to minimize depressive symptoms in these patients and an even greater shortage of studies using music therapy.Objective:This study evaluated the effect of music therapy on QOL and depressive symptoms in hemodialysis patients.Method:This was a music therapy intervention study in which 23 patients were evaluated regarding QOL and depression symptoms at two distinct stages - before and after the intervention. Eight sessions of music therapy were conducted, with two weekly sessions and an average duration of 75 minutes. The intervention was conducted by the music therapist herself, using specific music therapy techniques, besides voice and guitar to conduct harmonic and rhythmic support for the groups' sound-music production.Results:The patients showed a significant reduction in depression symptoms (p < 0.001) and better QOL results, with significant differences in the following dimensions: functional capacity (p = 0.011), pain (p = 0.036), general health (p = 0.01), vitality (p = 0.004), mental health (p = 0.012), symptom and problem list (p = 0.01), and overall health (p = 0.01).Conclusions:Intervention with music therapy constitutes an effective option in the treatment and prevention of depressive symptoms and improved QOL of HD patients.

Development and Evaluation of a Quantitative Analysis System for Robot-assisted Musical Therapy

Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder which impedes the normal development of social and behavioral skills and causes the affected subject to be anxious and unable to interact and communicate with others. Among the various forms of therapeutic approaches, music therapy is a commonly used method for improving their social skills. In our work, we developed a quantitative analysis system for accurate and timely feedback from the subjects, and aimed to create a high adaptability music therapy session with the use of the Waseda Anthropomorphic Saxophonist Robot No.5 (WAS-5). In the session, subjects are asked to perform a repetitive gesture to match the tempo of music played by WAS-5. Through an image processing algorithm for getting the human skeleton position, the tempo of the rhythmic movement can be calculated. WAS-5 will update the tempo accordingly to the feedback so that the subject can match their movement to the music tempo more easily. With the system, we expect to apply the robotic and motion capture technology in the field of psychology and child development which will allow for an adaptive and individually tailored therapy program with quantised evaluation standard.

Impact of an Active Music Therapy Intervention on Intensive Care Patients.

Nonpharmacological interventions appear to benefit many patients and do not have the side effects commonly associated with medications. Music-based experiences may benefit critical care patients. To examine the effect of an active music therapy intervention on physiological parameters and self-reported pain and anxiety levels of patients in the intensive care unit. A study was conducted using a pretest-posttest, within-subject, single-group design. The study population consisted of a convenience sample of 52 patients. Study participants received a 30-minute music therapy session consisting of either a relaxation intervention or a "song choice" intervention. The music therapist recorded the patients' vital signs before and after the intervention, and patients completed self-assessments of their pain and anxiety levels before and after the intervention. After the intervention, significant decreases (all P < .001) were found in respiratory rate (mean difference, 3.7 [95% CI, 2.6-4.7] breaths per minute), heart rate (5.9 [4.0-7.8] beats per minute), and self-reported pain (1.2 [0.8-1.6] points) and anxiety levels (2.7 [2.2-3.3] points). No significant change in oxygen saturation level was observed. Outcomes differed between the 2 intervention groups: patients receiving the relaxation intervention often fell asleep. The results of this study support active music therapy as a nonpharmacological intervention in intensive care units. This study may lay the groundwork for future research on music therapy in critical care units using larger, more diverse samples.

The Impact of Music Therapy Sessions on Children Diagnosed with Progressive Chronic Illness – a Pilot Program

The Impact of Music Therapy Sessions on Children Diagnosed with Progressive Chronic Illness – a Pilot Program

Verbal affordances of active and receptive music therapy methods in major depressive disorder and schizophrenia-spectrum disorder

Previous research on active and receptive music therapy methods mostly reports on response to musical processes and therapeutic impact. Preceding such interests, our study examined qualitatively the verbal affordances during a course of eight individual music therapy sessions among twenty participants with a major depressive disorder or a schizophrenia-spectrum psychotic disorder. Audio-video recordings of 131 sessions were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis, following which comparisons for music therapy method and diagnostic group were made.The themes that emerged from the thematic analysis, reflect the content of verbal responses to participation in active music making, receptive music listening and client-therapist dialogue. These themes were i) not to feel; ii) to do or not to do; iii) grappling with the desired future; iv) hurt and fear of undesirable outcomes; v) sadness, brokenness and futility; vi) anger, trust and vulnerability; vii) desire for connection with and affection of others; viii) barricaded from being (in the) present; ix) tensing and un-tensing; x) personal relating to one’s musical expression; xi) reflections on the music and music making in therapy, xii) resilience in courage and xiii) invigoration and liberation.The emerging verbal affordances showed responses within a therapeutic relationship that express inter- and intra-personal connection, increased motivation, grappling with difficulty, emotional expression, and the reclamation of energy, spontaneity and resilience.

Music therapy intervention in cardiac autonomic modulation, anxiety, and depression in mothers of preterms: randomized controlled trial

BackgroundMothers of preterm infants often have symptoms of anxiety and depression, recognized as risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases and associated with low rates of heart rate variability (HRV). This study aimed to evaluate the influence of music therapy intervention on the autonomic control of heart rate, anxiety, and depression in mothers.MethodsProspective randomized clinical trial including 21 mothers of preterms admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of a tertiary hospital, recruited from August 2015 to September 2017, and divided into control group (CG; n = 11) and music therapy group (MTG; n = 10). Participants underwent anxiety and depression evaluation, as well as measurements of the intervals between consecutive heartbeats or RR intervals for the analysis of HRV at the first and the last weeks of hospitalization of their preterms. Music therapy sessions lasting 30–45 min were individually delivered weekly using receptive techniques. The mean and standard deviation of variables were obtained and the normality of data was analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The paired sample t-test or Wilcoxon test were employed to calculate the differences between variables before and after music therapy intervention. The correlations anxiety versus heart variables and depression versus heart variables were established using Spearman correlation test. Fisher’s exact test was used to verify the differences between categorical variables. A significance level of p < 0.05 was established. Statistical analysis were performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20.ResultsParticipants in MTG had an average of seven sessions of music therapy, and showed improvement in anxiety and depression scores and autonomic indexes of the time domain (p < 0.05). Significant correlations were found between depression and parasympathetic modulation using linear (r = − 0.687; p = 0.028) and nonlinear analyses (r = − 0.689; p = 0.027) in MTG.ConclusionMusic therapy had a significant and positive impact on anxiety and depression, acting on prevention of cardiovascular diseases, major threats to modern society.Trial registrationBrazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (no. RBR-3x7gz8). Retrospectively registered on November 17, 2017.

A randomised controlled pilot and feasibility study of music therapy for improving the quality of life of hospice inpatients

BackgroundEvidence about the effectiveness of music therapy for improving the quality of life of palliative care patients is positive but weak in terms of risk of bias.MethodsThis study aimed to determine the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy for improving the quality of life of hospice inpatients, as measured by the McGill Quality of Life questionnaire. Objectives included recruitment of 52 participants over 12 months and provision of data to support the calculation of the required sample size for a definitive randomised trial, taking into account the retention rates of recruited participants; and evaluation of the viability of the intervention and the acceptability of the assessment tool. The design was a single-centre, researcher-blinded randomised pilot and feasibility study involving two parallel groups. Participants were recruited from one inpatient hospice unit in Northern Ireland. Eligibility criteria were an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of two or lower and an Abbreviated Mental Test score of seven or more. Consenting patients were randomly allocated to the intervention or control group using a 1:1 allocation ratio. The intervention group received up to six individual music therapy sessions over 3 weeks in addition to usual care. The control group received usual care only.ResultsFifty one participants were recruited over 12 months. Twenty five were allocated to the intervention group and 26 to the control group. Seventy one percent of participants were lost to follow up by week 3, the proposed primary endpoint. The primary endpoint was moved from week 3, when 71% were lost to follow up to week 1, when 33% were lost. The McGill Quality of Life questionnaire was generally acceptable to participants. In order to detect a small to moderate effect size of 0.3, a fully powered study would require the recruitment of 698 participants.ConclusionsA Phase III randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy in improving the quality of life of hospice inpatients is feasible.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02791048. Registered 6 June 2016.

Songs created by military service members in music therapy: A retrospective analysis

A successful transition to civilian life is challenging for many service members returning from deployment. Psychological and physical injuries may hamper successful reintegration into home life and communities and, as a result, many service members report feeling lonely, isolated and misunderstood. This study analyzed 14 songs written by 11 active-duty service members with post-traumatic stress disorder, mild traumatic brain injury, and psychological health conditions, who received music therapy services at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, a Directorate of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the United States of America. Service members wrote songs over the course of two or more individual music therapy sessions. Latent thematic analysis of the song lyrics yielded four main themes: (a) personal struggles and barriers to recovery, (b) moving forward, (c) relational challenges, and (d) positive relationships and support. The songs offer a window into service members’ lived experiences of military service, injury, recovery, homecoming, and transition from active-duty. Songwriting enabled service members to share their thoughts, emotions, fears and hopes with family, friends and other providers, often for the first time, and as such played an important role in their personal growth and recovery process. This is the first study to examine the therapeutic benefits of songwriting in a military population.

Development of vocal communication in children with autism spectrum disorder during improvisational music therapy

ABSTRACTThis preliminary study examined vocal communication in children with autism spectrum disorder during improvisational music therapy. It investigated trends and patterns of vocal development, and identified and categorized vocal interventions during music therapy sessions. The research is based on rigorous‎ video microanalysis of 4 cases of children who received music therapy over the course of 5 months. One session per month was analyzed for each case, yielding data from a total of 20 sessions. The cases and sessions were selected based on a purposeful sample strategy, so as to choose materials with apparent vocal expressions that are likely to illuminate the focus of the investigation. ‎The findings revealed that, in most cases, vocal communication developed over the course of the music therapy sessions and that this development is not linear, but rather is characterized by complex development patterns. In addition, 16 key vocal interventions used by the music therapists throughout the treatments were categorized.

A Survey of Music Therapy Methods on Adolescent Inpatient Mental Health Units.

Mental health settings are common workplaces for music therapists. Few studies have examined the clinical practice and effectiveness of music therapy in adolescent inpatient mental health settings. Additionally, there is little research that discusses how music therapy is implemented and how patient needs are addressed in sessions. The primary purpose of this study was to survey music therapists working in inpatient adolescent mental health treatment regarding their clinical practice to (1) identify goals addressed in music therapy sessions and (2) examine music therapy interventions utilized in adolescent inpatient mental health units. Participants included board-certified music therapists in the United States who were members of the Certification Board for Music Therapists and reported as working or having worked with adolescents in inpatient mental health settings (N = 64). The survey contained 35 questions about demographics, session structure, goals addressed, interventions utilized, and perceptions of the effectiveness of music therapy. The most commonly addressed goals were to improve self-expression, improve self-esteem, increase positive socialization, and increase knowledge and use of coping skills. The most commonly utilized interventions included song discussion, followed by lyric analysis, and songwriting/song composition. In clinical practice, music therapists utilize many different interventions to address a wide range of goals. Goals and interventions utilized are influenced by patient diagnoses, session structure, length of stay, strength of rapport with patients, and theoretical orientation.

Rap in Music Therapy with Appalachian Youth with Adverse Childhood Experiences

Children and adolescents in Appalachia are often exposed to Adverse Childhood Experiences and may have higher levels of depression, anxiety, and aggression than youth in other areas of the United States. The unique challenges of working with youth in Appalachia and the unexpected prevalence of rap as a preferred genre are summarized in this article. Rap is a frequently requested genre with youth in Appalachian Ohio and the youth in the area frequently identify with common themes in rap such as social criticism, social empowerment, humanistic values, and negative behavior criticism. Despite success with these methods within music therapy sessions, this Caucasian music therapist has experienced internal conflict due to the potential for cultural appropriation by using rap music in music therapy with clients who are not indigenous to Hip Hop Kulture. Discussion of the implications of therapeutic application, this therapist’s self-reflections and supervision process, potential for appropriation, and personal outcomes are included.

Digital instruments and their uses in music therapy

ABSTRACTTechnology could represent an ally in easing the formulation of a bond between music therapist and client. So far, both scholars and therapists have claimed that the implementation of technology could be paramount in transforming the client’s therapeutic process, beyond representing a new and effective methodology for session analysis. This article proposes the implementation of musical technologies within the daily practice of music therapy, the latter understood as the appropriate field for the application of interactive systems technology, which track the user’s movements and transform them into audiovisual and haptic feedback. The article presents an exploratory review of the use of digital instruments, based on motion tracking, in order to develop a new basis for music therapy procedures, and discusses how specific features of digital musical instruments could benefit music therapy sessions. All discussions are set within the framework of embodied cognition. We provide a discussion on how multisensory integration may be used in the treatment of clients with severe cognitive and motor difficulties. We advocate the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the practice of music therapy, and propose future lines of research concerned with the design of multimodal and empowerment-based technologies.

Meet Hui in music: a case report of group music therapy for a Chinese male prisoner

ABSTRACTThis case report illustrates the change process of one inmate participant in a music therapy group. The case was selected from a research project of group music therapy for offenders. The participant, Hui, a male inmate, participated in 20 biweekly sessions of group music therapy for male adult inmates in a Chinese prison. Three methods, music improvisation, music and imagery, and song writing, were used in the therapy. Music therapy led Hui (pseudonym) to change from a defensive isolated man into a person who was able to experience and share his emotions with other group members through music. In this case report, we detail the transformative process of Hui and elaborate the music therapist’s reflection from theoretical and cultural perspectives. Later, the theoretical issues related to treatment in offender rehabilitation context are discussed in-depth. By making the intervention process transparent, we hope this case report can help readers to understand how the effects of music therapy on decreasing anxiety and depression and improving self-esteem that have been found in research may have taken place in the intervention.