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 expression of the participants, and evaluated the reflections of the participants. Researchers found that improvisational music therapy fosters authentic emotional expression and processing, and builds self-esteem, competence ..read more

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 did! Initially, the mice listened to this music for 12 hours a day, and when positive effects on seizure activity were noted, the researchers examined listening for only 2 or 6 hours a day, only to discover that the shorter durations are insufficient! Too bad if you don’t like Mozart. The researchers then b ..read more

… 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 if the person learnt to play an instrument as a child. They explain that people who continue to play music after age 65 retain more executive function, language, attention, cognition, and processing speeds. They also cite articles showing re ..read more

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! “Musical interactions” means using music to communicate, and in most cases it would indicate taking turns at making up some music on the spot. Notably, the clients in this study who simply listened to music at home did not experience ..read more

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 results. Plainly, auditory-motor entrainment is why people can effortlessly synchronize their movements (ie, entrain) to the beat of an external rhythm. (Collimore, et al., 2023). In this case, the researchers created a wearable device that plays ..read more

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 sets of behaviour, problem solving, empathy, and societal roles on both an individual and social level. The findings support music therapy to reduce anxiety, depression, and impulsiveness in adolescents. It al ..read more

My name is Sarah Grey and I’m a Registered Music Therapist (RMT), Neurologic Music Therapist (NMT), and performing musician in Canberra, Australia. I own and run Sound Effect Music Therapy in Fyshwick, and have many years of experience facilitating community music and teaching music, too. Earlier today, I was looking up something on Google relating to music therapy, and the suggested search hit was “Does music therapy actually work?”. Thanks, Google. Yes, music therapy works. It not only works, but it offers a widely-accessible, affordable, enjoyable, non-pharmacological intervention for an en ..read more

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 pathways from the left hemisphere (where the principle language centre of the brain is) to the right hemisphere (which is more responsive to the tempo, rhythm and prosody of music), and stimulates right hemispheric networks for sp ..read more

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 very effective in retrieving verbal and musical memories in Alzheimer’s patients, and noted that compared with other arts therapies, music therapy had the advantage of improving language and verbal fluency. The rhythmic an ..read more

This article examined music therapy in the Nordoff-Robbins tradition in young adult autistic* clients. It interviewed clients about their experiences participating in music therapy and confirmed that music therapy is shown to develop peer relationships, develop the self, and develop sociocultural identity in young autistic adults. Sarah Grey trained in the Nordoff-Robbins tradition at Western Sydney University and now offers music therapy sessions at her practice in Fyshwick, Canberra, ACT. Sound Effect Music Therapy is a neurodiversity-affirming practice. Read more about this article, includi ..read more