Category Archives: Research

“Music therapy uses musical experiences and the relationships that develop through them to enable communication and expression, thus attempting to address some of the core problems of people with ASD,” (Geretsegger, et. al, 2014). This study is an analysis of ten randomized control trials (RCTs) that compare music therapy to standard or ‘placebo’ therapy, and no treatment.  Music therapy can look several different ways throughout a course of treatment, it can include improvisation, singing/vocalization, listening to live and recorded music, active music making and several other experiences. These interventions can directly support people with ASD to improve and develop communication (verbal and non-verbal), social skills/interactions, initiating behavior, social-emotional reciprocity, and…

There is a wealth of research supporting music therapy in mental health treatment, but a surprising lack of research regarding music therapy for women with addictions. In “Women’s perceptions of the usefulness of group music therapy in addictions recovery”, Gardstrom, Klemm, & Murphy (2017) look to the women within treatment for their thoughts about the effectiveness of music therapy in their own treatment.  Participants engaged in two, 50 minute group  music therapy sessions per week and there were about 10 women in each session. On average, women in the study attended one to five music therapy sessions before leaving the facility. Sessions were flexible and focused upon the immediate and…

How well you are able to walk and get around is something that many of us don’t think about.  However, if you have multiple sclerosis (MS), it can be a challenge and getting tired is a part of life.  Therefore, researchers looked at using musical cues to help improve walking gait and endurance for those with MS.  There is no doubt that if you are able to ambulate better, your quality of life improves! Seebacher, Kuisma, Glynn and Berger used a random control trial involving 59 individuals and put them in three groups.  The goal was to pair music with motor imagery (MI) explained as “the mental rehearsal of movements…

“Tell me about yourself.”  Have you been in an interview and been asked this question? Or heard it on a first date? In college we rehearsed our answers to this in a business class. We perfected our answers to fit in the space of an elevator ride to best sell ourselves. What in your past has made you who you are? Your likes, your dislikes, your experiences? What would you name as the most important events that have formed your identity? How would you define your sense of self? In this study by Allison Echard (of my alma mater, Shenandoah University!), the author analyzes her work with three adolescents with…

Families living in poverty often experience stressors such as housing instability, poor nutrition, substance abuse, social isolation, mental illness, and violence in the community. These economic and emotional stressors often distract from consistent and supportive parenting and impacts the physical and mental health of children and adults. In this study, Nagel & Silverman looked into the effects of music therapy on families experiencing poverty. They identified five music therapists who had experience or were currently working with families experiencing poverty in urban areas of the United States. The researchers conducted interviews with the music therapists and identified the following themes:  Music therapy facilitates the development of parenting skills via education…

As a music educator and therapist, it is always nice to read a music education article that quotes or references music therapy.  Such is the case with Mary Crum Scholtens’ “Using Music to Encourage Joint Attention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Attention as a Reciprocal Relationship” published in the June 2019 Music Education Journal.  She shared some practical ways as well as references and suggestions to educators who are working with students on the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).   While her focus appears to be devoted to those students with “more profoundly affected end of the autism spectrum” (p. 45), some of her observations and suggestions are in my opinion…

Can music therapy address aggression in teens? In “Empathy and Aggression in Group Music Therapy with teenagers: A Descriptive Phenomenological Study”, Dos Santos looks into how teens may use music as a way to be empathetic with one another.  Risk factors for aggression include a lower socioeconomic status and exposure to community violence. Secure and stable living environments, family cohesion, positive parenting, healthy relationships with peers, self esteem, and strong values, help to protect against aggression risk factors.  Dos Santos worked with under-resources teenagers in South Africa who had been in aggressive altercations. Six teens agreed to participate in the study and attended eleven group music therapy sessions varying from…

Music therapy has started emerging as a useful therapeutic tool for individuals who are undergoing stays within any mental health facility, regardless of inpatient, outpatient, or partial hospitalization. As years have come and past, music therapy remains a consistent benefit for clients with mental health issues. On a quest to gain insight into the ways in which music therapy supports the recovery process and understand the benefits of participation in music therapy along with the experiences of music therapy as identified by clients themselves, Rosado took part on a journey of interviewing adolescents in an inpatient crisis stabilization unit to find answers to these foreboding questions.  Rosado interviewed fourteen young…