What is music therapy?  Music therapy uses the properties of music – sounds, rhythm, personal attachment, and universality of songs – to deliver psychological, social, and spiritual support for patients. The music therapy degree program was founded in 1944 and the American Music Therapy Association was founded in 1998. 

Who are music therapists?  Most music therapists have bachelor’s and master’s degrees in music therapy and receive training in music, behavioral science, and basic medical knowledge. They are certified by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT). Those who pass the national music therapy certification examination earn the credential ‘Music Therapist-Board Certified’ (MT-BC).  

What do music therapists do?   Music therapists will start by assessing the patient holistically – emotional well-being, functional status, communication capabilities, cognition – and develop specific treatment goals based on the patient and family’s input and feedback from the multidisciplinary team.  Techniques include singing, listening to music, playing instruments, lyric analysis, music-prompted reminiscence, songwriting, improvisation, and guided imagery with music. Most music therapies work in health care facilities (e.g., hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice facilities), outpatient clinics, senior centers, prisons, schools, halfway homes, or day treatment centers. 

What are the indications and contraindications for music therapy?   Depression, anger, pain, anxiety, insomnia, nausea/ vomiting, boredom, loneliness, and confusion can be treated with music therapy. The only contraindication is patient preference. The patient does not have to exhibit specific musical abilities to potentially benefit from music therapy.   

What type of patient benefits from music therapy?   All age groups may benefit from music therapy. For example, music therapy significantly improved the quality-of-life of adult cancer patients and hospitalized patients compared to a control group not receiving music therapy; the benefits persisted as illness progressed.  Pediatric patients may benefit from music therapy as well since music can bring normalcy to an ill child’s otherwise complicated life. Children may be able to play or hear their favorite songs or continue playing instruments they played before they became sick. Additionally, patients of a wide variety of clinical backgrounds have been shown to benefit from music therapy including patients with chronic pain, acute pain, physical disabilities, cognitive disabilities, traumatic injuries, mental health conditions, dementia, substance use disorder, and terminal illnesses. In a systematic review of randomized controlled trials evaluating musical interventions, the most robust supporting evidence for music therapy includes:  

• Improving global and social functioning in schizophrenia and other serious mental disorders. 
• Improving gait and physical activities in Parkinson’s disease. 
• Reducing depressive symptoms. 
• Coping with serious illness, including improving emotional regulation and reducing anxiety levels. 
• Improving sleep quality. 

How does music therapy impact quality of life? 

• Providing a basis for life review and reminiscence.   
• Providing an enjoyable experience and a means for relating to others.  
• Distraction from physical pain, clinical procedures, and/or discomfort.   
• Providing emotional comfort and relief from anxiety.   
• Providing relief in the last hours of life.   

Are there side effects?  Music may unintentionally resurface negative feelings from the past; these can be addressed in real time by working with the music therapist.   

How is music therapy paid for?  Since 1994, music therapy has been a reimbursable therapy service via Medicare and some state, Medicaid programs. Some private insurances reimburse for music therapy as well.  If not covered by insurance, many music therapists are funded either by grants, palliative care/hospice programs, or patient billing.  

References 

1. Clair AA. Therapeutic uses of music with older adults.  Baltimore, MD: Health Professions Press; 1996: pp186-191. 
2. Porchet-Munro S. Music therapy. In: Doyle D, Hanks GWC, MacDonald N, eds. Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1998; pp855- 860. 
3. Hilliard RE.  Music therapy in pediatric palliative care: complementing the interdisciplinary approach. J Pall Care. 2003; 19(2):127-32. 
4. Hilliard RE.  The effects of music therapy on the quality and length of life of people diagnosed with terminal cancer. J Music Ther. 2003; 40(2):113-137. 
5. Schneider DM, Graham K, et al.  Application of therapeutic harp sounds for quality of life among hospitalized patients.  J Pain Symptom Manage 2015; 49: 836-45.   
6. Information about Music Therapy certification can be found at the website of the American Music Therapy Association.  Available at:  http://www.musictherapy.org. Last accessed April 3, 2024.  
7. Kamioka H, Tsutani K, Yamada M, et al.  Effectiveness of music therapy: a summary of systematic reviews based on randomized controlled trials of music interventions. Patient Prefer Adherence 2014; 8:727-754. 
8. Ishak M, Kim CJ, Tay L, et al.  Compositional music therapy: a systematic review of clinical trials. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews 2024; 21(1):1875-86. 

Version History:  This Fast Fact was originally edited by David E Weissman MD and published in February 2004; 2nd Edition in April 2009; 3rd Edition in June 2015; 4th Edition in April 2024.
Conflicts of Interest: None to report.