Music Therapy Sessions Compared to Music Listening

One of the most exciting questions in music therapy research is also one of the most practical: Is it the music itself that creates change, or does the way we use music with another person make the difference?

A 2020 randomized controlled trial by Rabeyron and colleagues offers an important contribution to this conversation. The researchers compared 25 sessions of therapist-led music therapy with music listening over an eight-month period for children between 4 and 7 years old with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In total, 37 children took part in the study.

The results were encouraging. Children who participated in music therapy showed greater overall clinical improvement than children in the music-listening condition as measured by the Clinical Global Impression scale. However, children in both groups showed improvements.There were no other areas of difference between the two groups.

Music therapy is more than listening to music

What I find interesting about this study is the inclusion of two types of music engagement. Both groups had access to music, but the experiences were not the same. The music therapy intervention involved a trained therapist using musical experiences that were interactive. Rather than simply hearing music, the children engaged in a process shaped by the therapist and the developing relationship between therapist and child.

In the comparison condition, children listened to music without the same therapist-mediated and psychotherapeutic interaction. This distinction is central to the study. The findings suggest that simply being exposed to music may not provide the same benefits as participating in a responsive therapeutic relationship that uses music intentionally.

Why this matters for music therapy research

This study is exciting because it moves beyond asking whether music therapy is helpful. It begins to sk if it’s simply the presence of music or if the way we engage with music matters.

For many music therapists, the answer has always involved the relationship. The music is important, but so are the therapist’s responsiveness, timing, flexibility, and ability to create a shared experience with the child. A song, rhythm, or musical pattern can facilitate engagement, but the therapeutic relationship is often what helps the child meet the outcomes.

The study does not prove that the relationship alone caused the improvement, and it does not tell us which specific music therapy techniques were most important. However, the comparison between music therapy and music listening is something we should be considering within the field.

A promising finding with important limits

As with any study, these results need to be interpreted thoughtfully. The sample was relatively small, and the participants were recruited from a limited number of psychiatric facilities. The study also compared two different kinds of music experiences, so factors such as therapist attention, active participation, and the therapeutic relationship may all have contributed to the differences between groups.

More research is needed with larger and more diverse samples, clearer descriptions of the music therapy process, and studies that examine exactly how therapist-child interaction contributes to change. Future research might also investigate which children benefit most, which specific musical and relational processes are involved, and whether improvements continue after therapy ends.

Even with these limitations, Rabeyron and colleagues provide a valuable reminder: music therapy is not simply music delivered to a client. It is music experienced in relationship.

Reference

Rabeyron, T., Robledo Del Canto, J. P., Carasco, E., Bisson, V., Bodeau, N., Vrait, F. X., Berna, F., & Bonnot, O. (2020). A randomized controlled trial of 25 sessions comparing music therapy and music listening for children with autism spectrum disorder. Psychiatry Research, 293, 113377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113377

A Little Hello and a Return to the Blog

It has been a very long time since I last posted here.

Over the past few years, life has been full in ways that have left little room for blogging. I have been occupied with editing a journal, raising an amazing child, working, and simply living. There have been busy seasons, meaningful moments, unexpected challenges, and plenty of days when the to-do list seemed to grow faster than the available time.

Although I have not been writing here, music therapy research continues to be a major part of my world. I have kept reading, thinking, talking with colleagues, and following the exciting developments in the field. I have missed having a space to share those thoughts in a more informal and accessible way.

So, this is a small hello and a hopeful return. I would like to start posting again about music therapy research, clinical questions, new studies, and the ideas that make this field so interesting. My goal has always been to make research feel less distant and more connected to the work music therapists do every day.

I am not promising a perfectly regular posting schedule but I am looking forward to making space for this blog again. Thank you for being here, whether you have been reading for years or are discovering this site for the first time.

I am happy to be back. 🙂

Family-Based Music Therapy for Non-Clinical Families

by Kimberly Woodman

The practice of family-based music therapy has generally been directed toward families of individuals with special needs, focusing on both the needs of the indivudal and the family context/needs of the parents. There is support within the literature for treating individuals within the family context, with one meta-analysis offering evidence that care provided within the family context offers a range of benefits for the family as a whole as well as for individual family members (Dunst, Trivette, & Hamby, 2007), suggesting that it may be of value to expand access to these services to families outside of the usual clinical context in which music therapists see clients. Continue reading →

Lullaby for Pain Management in the NICU

By Kimberly Woodman

There has been a substantial amount of research conducted within the last 20 years relating to the use of music within the NICU context, both by music therapists and other medical professionals. Researchers have shown that music may be beneficial for decreasing stress symptoms, crying, and the length of NICU stays. Furthermore, music may be used to increase vital signs, coordinate sucking and feeding behaviors, and weight gain. These outcomes indicate that music therapy may be an incredibly beneficial intervention for premature infants. Continue reading →

MTRB #23 – Petra Kern and Daniel Tague

Dr. Petra Kern, owner of Music Therapy Consulting, is adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Louisville and Editor-in-Chief of the online magazine imagine. She is a former WFMT President, currently serves on CBMT’s Board of Directors, and is a recipient of AMTA’s Research/Publications award.

Dr. Daniel Tague is Assistant Professor and Chair of Music Therapy at Southern Methodist University. With experience as a teacher, clinician, blogger and researcher, he currently serves as Chair of the Clinical Practice Commission of the WFMT.

Link: Their international survey is published in the Journal of Music Therapy

Link for Dr. Kern: www.musictherapy.biz

MTRB #22 – Ronna Kaplan

Chair of the Center for Music Therapy since 2004 and a Music Therapist at The Music Settlement (TMS) since 1988, Ronna Kaplan has served clients ranging from premature infants to adults through 103 years-of-age with varied disabilities and levels of functioning. Her special interests are young children and individuals with diagnoses on the autism spectrum, language delays and/or problems in the area of social skills, as well as teen parents or those with mental illness. She was instrumental in developing the Center’s Outcomes-Based Measurement tool and program and supervised many TMS Center for Music Therapy interns. Ronna served as TMS Interim Co-Executive Director and Acting Director of the Performing Arts Department/Music School for several months in 2007.

Ronna earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy and Music Education from Michigan State University and a Master of Arts in Special Education from Kent State University. She holds a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University, as well as certificates in DIRR/Floortime(TM) Basic Course and Orff Level I. She completed her Neurologic Music Therapy training from the Robert F. Unkefer Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy at Colorado State University’s Center for Biologic Medical Research in Music. Ronna conducted research on the effects of music on premature infants in Cleveland Clinic’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, as well as music therapy program goals and outcomes for clients with autism spectrum diagnoses at The Music Settlement. Additionally, she taught classes in Music Therapy Practicum and Adapted Percussion classes at Baldwin-Wallace College for 14 years.

She has held significant positions in state, regional, and national music therapy organizations. A Past President of the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), Ronna co-chaired the AMTA’s Autism Think Tank/Task Force from 2008-2009 and the AMTA Diversity Task Force from 2010- 2015. She served as co-chair of AMTA’s Early Childhood Music Therapy Network from its inception in 1994 until 2006. Ronna has published articles and book chapters, guest lectured at colleges and universities, and presented nationally and internationally. She was honored with the Association of Ohio Music Therapists Past Presidents’ Club Award in 2011, the AMTA Professional Practice Award in 2003, the Great Lakes Region of AMTA’s Service Award in 1997 and their Honorary Life Member Award in 2014.

Currently, Ronna serves as a member of AMTA’s Masters Level Entry subcommittee and the Editorial Board for Music Therapy Perspectives. She became the Chair of the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies Associations (NCCATA) in October 2016. She also writes a music therapy column for the Huffington Post.

Music for this episode is “Coasts of Cleveland,” by The Unsacred Hearts.

Errata: At 5:05 the university mentioned should be KSU, not Michigan State University.

MTRB #20 – Robert Groene

Robert Groene is an Associate Professor and the Director of Music Therapy at UMKC. He received his BS, MA, and PhD degrees from the University of Minnesota. He is a past professor at The University of Iowa and Wartburg College. Dr. Groene is an active teacher researcher, clinician and research editorial board member in local, regional, national, and international venues. He was a past nominee for President-Elect of the American Music Therapy Association, Past President of the AMTA Midwestern Region, former Co-Chair of the AMTA Standards of Clinical Practice, and a recipient of the AMTA Service Award.

He is a former Interim Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the Conservatory, a recipient of the Muriel McBrien Kauffman Conservatory Excellence in Teaching Award, and a recipient of the Kauffman Conservatory Service Award. Dr. Groene is a Leadership Fellow of the UM System and Co-Chair of the 2020 Task force Faculty/Staff/Student Climate Subcommittee. His current research interests include the efficacy of music therapy concerning neurologic music therapy, curriculum, imagery, dementia, road rage, dental fears, and aging in community.

Music for this podcast is “Missouri Joe” by Sophie Tucker from the album Edison Amberol Record: 716

20150218-2_viega-michael_0029Michael Viega, Ph.D., LCAT, MT-BC, is an Assistant Professor of music therapy at the State University of New York (SUNY), New Paltz and a Fellow in the Association of Music and Imagery. He has published and presented on a wide range of topics such as Hip Hop and music therapy (which can be found in a 2016 edition of Music Therapy Perspectives), arts-based research methodologies, therapeutic songwriting, and adverse childhood experiences and adolescent development. He serves on the editorial board for Music Therapy Perspectives and Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. He is currently the President-elect of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association (MAR-AMTA) and on a national level, serves on the AMTA Assembly of Delegates.

Music for this podcast is “Every Door Must Open” from Dr. Viega’s Soundcloud page.

joyallenJoy Allen, PhD, MT-BC is an accomplished clinician, researcher, and educator. She has extensive experience working with medical patients where she focuses on psychological health, pain management, and the family system. She is particularly passionate about working with individuals and families facing chronic illnesses, including cancer. Her current research interests include quantitative analysis of the effects of music therapy on the psychological health of medical patients, Guided Imagery & Music with medical patients, as well as medical music therapy theory development and efficacy research. She is currently chair of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music.

Music is Jimniclucl by Kid Romance from the album Boston Hassle Comp

vpasiali2016Varvara Pasiali, PhD, MT-BC, is an associate professor of music therapy at Queens University of Charlotte. She completed her Master’s in music therapy at the University of Kansas and her doctorate at Michigan State. Her research interests include early intervention, prevention, resilience, and parent-child attachment/reciprocity. Dr. Pasiali is a regular presenter at conferences and has published in various journals. She also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Music Therapy, and Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy.
Mentioned in this podcast:

The Foundations of Social Research by Michael Crotty

The use of prescriptive therapeutic songs in a home-based environment to promote social skills acquisition by children with autism: Three case studies. Pasiali (2004)

The effect of musical attention control training (MACT) on attention skills of adolescents with neurodevelopmental delays: a pilot study. Pasiali, LaGasse, and Penn (2014)

A Clinical Case Study of Family-Based Music Therapy by Pasiali (2013)

Supporting parent-child interactions: music therapy as an intervention for promoting mutually responsive orientation. Pasiali (2012)

Music for this podcast is “Povo Que Caís Descalco” by Dead Combo.