Improvisational music therapy increases wellbeing in autistic people. In this study, researchers reconnected with two autistic people who had participated in music therapy as children, to revisit their experiences in music therapy over a decade later, reflect on their childhood experiences, and record a song together. The study used improvised song creation to allow free...
This study analysed videos to establish the impact of music therap of adult participants living with either schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar disorders over 5 individual music therapy sessions, to assess how music therapy affected their social skills, group cohesion, and emotional expression. The researchers wanted to add more supporting evidence for music therapy for schizophrenia...
CW: Testing on animals Have you ever had a song stuck in your head? Well, spare a thought for the mice in this study who valiantly listened to Mozart’s K. 448 for 12 hours a day for weeks on end, to examine whether it had any effect on seizure activity and medication. Spoiler alert: it...
… and your choice of instrument affects the brain in different ways. This article examined the impact of musical engagement on cognitive function in ageing populations, starting with 1107 people over 40. They looked at executive function and memory. For context, the authors cited other articles to illustrate the neural benefits of playing music, especially...
Musical interaction in music therapy is an effective treatment for depression It is already known that client-therapist rapport is a predictor for success in music therapy, but this article takes that one step further by examining whether there is a correlation between musical interactions and positive outcomes for clients with depression. Spoiler alert: there is!...
Today’s blog post is in celebration of neurologic music therapy (NMT) and its role in speech rehabilitation in patients with aphasia, speech disorders, apraxia, and speech goals in clients with autism and/or Down syndrome. For example, clients who have experienced a stroke in the left hemisphere may experience aphasia. NMT induces neuroplasticity and re-routes speech...
This article examines the impact of music therapy on cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Importantly, they noted that emotion plays a leading role in the brain’s ability to carry out cognitive tasks. The researchers examined global cognition, memory, language, speed of information processing, verbal fluency, and attention. They found that music therapy is...
This article examined whether music therapy promotes emotional skills in adolescents with a mental health condition, and whether those skills transfer to real life situations. “Emotional skills” were arranged into 6 categories, ranging from awareness, expression, and understanding of self and others’ emotions, and regulating one’s own emotions. This information was then broken into skill...
One of the music therapy goals I frequently find myself writing is “to increase confidence through the acquisition of a new skill”, and it just so happens that my philosophy has popped up in some peer reviewed evidence, which is always great! This week, I wanted to refer to research examining music therapy in children...
This study found walking was markedly improved through the use of music after a stroke. The principle is that musical sounds entrain movement through the auditory system (a core element of Neurologic Music Therapy). Aural cues from music can correct neuromotor defecits causing gait asymmetries. The participants needed only 30 minutes of music to see...
