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Music Dissertation Topics

Published by Carmen Troy at January 4th, 2023 , Revised On May 16, 2024

Music is one of the most beautiful forms of art that involves an organized and hierarchical sound and silence. It is generally performed in terms of pitch, rhythm, and sound quality. Music is a passion that many enthusiasts aspire to pursue. While the art of music can be an innate ability, it can be pruned with proper learning. Therefore, musicology is an academic field that offers the teaching of music.

Suppose you are an avid music learner, you have chosen musicology for higher studies. Then, you need to complete your degree with a final dissertation. If you are unsure what dissertation to write about, you can check out some of the topics suggested by experienced, professional experts in music.

You may also want to start your dissertation by requesting a  brief research proposal  from our writers on any of these topics, which includes an  introduction  to the problem,  research question , aim and objectives,  literature review , along with the proposed  methodology  of research to be conducted. Let us know if you need any help in getting started.

Check our  example dissertation  to get an idea of  how to structure your dissertation .

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Latest Music Dissertation Topics

Topic 1: examining the benefits of using music therapy for curing mental health patients – a study on the hospitals under nhs foundation trust..

Research Aim: The aim of this study is to identify the benefits of using music therapy for curing mental health patients. The study will mainly focus on the use of music therapy in hospitals under the NHS Foundation Trust.

Objectives:

• To figure out the key advantages of using music therapy to cure mental health patients.
• To elaborate on how music therapy is being used by the hospitals under NHS Foundation Trust aims to cure mental health patients.
• To share a stringent set of recommendations for the hospitals under the NHS Foundation Trust to strategically use music therapy for curing mental health patients.

Topic 2: A detailed study on the transformation of British electronic dance music (EDM) over the last 10 years.

Research Aim: The study aims to conduct research on the transformation of British electronic dance music (EDM) over the last 10 years.

• To share knowledge about the key aspects and specifications of British electronic dance music (EDM).
• To provide a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of British electronic dance music (EDM) in the last decade.
• To develop an understanding of how overall EDM practices can be improved and led towards advancement thereby aligning with the British culture.

Topic 3: Examining the growing influence of electronic and digital technology on music education in the UK.

Research Aim: The present research study aims to examine the growing influence of electronic and digital technology on music education in the UK.

• To shed light on the changes in modern-age music education alongside the increasing dominance of advanced technologies.
• To demonstrate how the growing use of electronic and digital technologies is redefining music education in the UK.
• To recommend how electronic and digital technologies can be used in the best possible way to influence music education in the UK.

Topic 4: Describing the benefits of using music for children’s learning specifically during the stage of early development – a study on the UK government's changing perspective and investment in children's music and art.

Research Aim: The aim of this research study is to describe the benefits of using music for children’s learning specifically during the stage of early development. The UK government’s changing perspective and investment in children’s music and art will be emphasised in this study.

• To identify the key benefits of using music in children’s learning, especially during their early development.
• To exemplify the changing perspective of the UK government and how the government is investing in children’s music and art.
• To recommend strategies that can help in the use of music in the best way to support children’s learning at their early development stage.

Topic 5: Investigating the impacts of removing gender disparity on music composition and performance in the British music industry.

Research Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the impacts of removing gender disparity on music composition and performance in the British music industry.

• To contextualise the importance of maintaining gender equality for maintaining healthy practices in music composition and performance.
• To describe how the removal of gender disparity may help in music composition and performance in the British music industry.
• To suggest strategies to eliminate gender discrimination and inequality in the British music industry.

More Music Dissertation Topics

Topic. 1: major music platforms in the world:.

Research Aim: There are many channels through which we can stream music. Each of the platforms has its perks and flaws that either excite or infuriate the users. The aim of the research will be to critically analyze the major music platforms in the world. 

Topic. 2: Impact of music talent shows on music:

Research Aim: Almost all countries around the world produce music talent shows usually aimed to find out new, young, emerging talent. The music talent shows have significant effects on the music, musicians, and music industry. Now, whether the impact is good or bad, the research will aim to find it out. The focal purpose of the study will be to identify the positive and negative repercussions of music talent shows. 

Topic. 3: Health benefit of music:

Research Aim: We all have heard that music is the food for the soul, but it is yet to find out if it is any good to our body. However, it is true that music cheers us up and helps us unwind things. It is significant to study if it aids an ailment. The research will aim to find out if music has health benefits and explore the details about the ailments and the remedy.

Topic. 4: Pop music in the contemporary world

Research Aim: Pop music was the undisputed king in the back times. Today, although we get to see the spark of pop in music, it is not truly pop. The research will analyze and evaluate the nature of pop music today and how it is amalgamated with contemporary music all around the world. 

Topic. 5: Role of technology in music

Research Aim: Technology is a crucial determiner that cannot be overlooked. It has affected all of the significant aspects of our lives, and music is no exception. The music that existed without technologically driven machines used to be different from what it is today. The aim of the research is to make a comparison and contrast between the nature of the two products of music and understand their similarities and differences under the light of technology. 

Topic. 6: Music in Hollywood

Research Aim: The main aim of the research would be to make a standard music format that is followed in Hollywood. The type of music produced in Hollywood is different from other major film industries. The researcher will analyze and evaluate the music and create a generic algorithm of music production followed by music composers in Hollywood. 

Topic. 7: The obsolete music instruments

Research Aim: Today, not all musical instruments are in their original shape. In fact, most of them have been buried inside a land do a lack of marketing and usage. The researcher will conduct thorough research to investigate the obsolete musical instruments that are unfamiliar to most people of a specific area. 

Topic. 8: pros and cons of legal music sharing platforms

Research Aim: The aim of the research will be to find out and highlight the advantages and disadvantages of legal music-sharing platforms. It will also investigate their impact on the music itself and discover the user’s inclination or motivations for using the platforms.   

Topic. 9: Music piracy in the age of the internet

Research Aim: Music piracy has always existed, but in the age of the internet, it has become predominant. The aim of the research will be to explore and find out how easy or difficult it has become to pirate music because it has significant outcomes in both ways. 

Topic. 10: Role of music in human life

Research Aim: When we are happy, we listen to music. When we are sad, we listen to music. Music has something to offer to each of our moods, and therefore, it is an integral part of our lives. This research will deeply analyze the role of music in human life and in what ways it affects our feelings, mood, actions, behaviors, and mundane activities. 

How Can ResearchProspect Help?

ResearchProspect writers can send several custom topic ideas to your email address. Once you have chosen a topic that suits your needs and interests, you can order for our dissertation outline service which will include a brief introduction to the topic, research questions , literature review , methodology , expected results , and conclusion . The dissertation outline will enable you to review the quality of our work before placing the order for our full dissertation writing service !

Topic. 11: How does music therapy work:

Research Aim: Music therapy is practiced in a large proportion of the world. The researcher will monitor people taking music therapy and identify its level of effectiveness. 

Topic. 12: Music and economy:

Research Aim: Good music transcends boundaries and therefore gets most disseminated and widespread. As a result, it is able to generate more money. The counties whose music is listened around the world have music as a key contributor to their Gross domestic product. The aim of the research is to survey and find out the statistics of music and its contribution to the economy. 

Topic. 13: music and culture

Research Aim: There are different kinds of music produced around the world, much of which depends on the culture of the respective area. The research will study the influence of culture on music and vice versa. 

Topic. 14: Role of music in spirituality

Research Aim: Music has a unique and close relationship with spirituality. Music is an instrument used to invoke feelings of spirituality. The researcher will study different religions and their way of connecting to God through music. 

Topic. 15: Music bands- their relevance today

Research Aim: The popularity and craze of music bands were very high in the 90s than what it is today. The aim of the research is to find out the potential of music bands in the contemporary music industry in different ways. 

Topic. 16: Music and patriotism

Research Aim: Music and poetry are used all around the world to boost the patriotism and nationalism of the inhabitants. The researcher will broadly study and investigate the instrumentation of music for patriotism and how music is used for political gains and at avenues. The researcher can do case studies and find accurate answers to the research questions. 

Topic. 17: Understanding the music market

Research Aim: The music market is just like any other product market: it is vast and diverse. You cannot make an audience persona for music, but you can make audience personas for different genres of music. And this research will do that. The research will aim to make audience personas of varying music genres understand the music market. 

Topic. 18: Most influential musicians today

Research Aim: The main aim of the research would be to explore and understand the current trends in music and pinpoint the most influential musicians today. Different musicians will be evaluated against different variables such as music they have produced, outreach, and followers, etc. 

Topic. 19: Music in the 21st century

Research Aim: Music has evolved significantly over the period of time, and there is no doubt that it will keep on transforming in the coming years. The aim of the research is to study and evaluate the current nature of music produced in the world and, more particularly, about the taste of people. 

Topic. 20: The evolution of music:

Research Aim: The researcher will delve into the history of the music to learn about its roots. The main aim of the research is to find and evaluate the evolution of music than how it developed over time and the phases that it went through to reach its current position. 

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How to find music dissertation topic.

To find a music dissertation topic:

• Explore genres, history, or cultural aspects.
• Analyze music theory, composition, or performance.
• Investigate technology’s impact on music.
• Consider social or psychological dimensions.
• Review recent research in musicology.
• Select a topic that resonates with your passion and expertise.

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Whether you are a die-hard fan or part of a sports brand, you will need sports marketing at some point. The most challenging aspect of sports marketing is securing and activating sponsorships, building relationships with customers, and getting brand approvals.

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Searching for masters theses or doctoral dissertations is a bit like going on a scavenger hunt: you'll need to plan a strategy, search multiple places, and be prepared to revise your strategy if your initial search comes up short. Several of the core databases for music therapy are good places to start, but don't stop there. Open Dissertations, Google Scholar and other tools can also be good sources for theses and dissertations. 

Before searching any of the databases below, think carefully about your search topic and try to identify multiple synonyms for key search terms. For example, if you're looking for information on treating children with autism, you'll want to think of various terms for both "children" and "autism". For example, children might also be described as child, youth, adolescent(s), or teenager(s). Autism might also be described as autism spectrum disorder, asd, asperger's, or asperger's syndrome. For help with keyword searching, check out our helpful video here . 

A word of caution: most theses and dissertations are only available from the institution at which they were written but you can borrow it through Lindell Library's Interlibrary Loan service. For more information, watch  Order Books and Articles Using Interlibrary Loan (ILL) .

If you need additional help with your research, please schedule a research consultation with Mary Hollerich:  [email protected] or 612-330-1603. 

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Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Qishou tang.

1 Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China

Zhaohui Huang

2 Anhui Provincial Center for Women and Child Health, Hefei, Anhui, China

3 National Drug Clinical Trial Institution, The First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University, Bengbu, Anhui, China

Associated Data

All relevant data are within the manuscript and its Supporting Information files.

We aimed to determine and compare the effects of music therapy and music medicine on depression, and explore the potential factors associated with the effect.

PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid-Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Clinical Evidence were searched to identify studies evaluating the effectiveness of music-based intervention on depression from inception to May 2020. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were estimated with random-effect model and fixed-effect model.

A total of 55 RCTs were included in our meta-analysis. Music therapy exhibited a significant reduction in depressive symptom (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = -0.86 to -0.46; P <0.001) compared with the control group; while, music medicine exhibited a stronger effect in reducing depressive symptom (SMD = −1.33; 95% CI = -1.96 to -0.70; P <0.001). Among the specific music therapy methods, recreative music therapy (SMD = -1.41; 95% CI = -2.63 to -0.20; P <0.001), guided imagery and music (SMD = -1.08; 95% CI = -1.72 to -0.43; P <0.001), music-assisted relaxation (SMD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.24 to -0.38; P <0.001), music and imagery (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.06; P = 0.312), improvisational music therapy (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.05; P = 0.001), music and discuss (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.60; P = 0.225) exhibited a different effect respectively. Music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short and medium length compared with long intervention periods.

Conclusions

A different effect of music therapy and music medicine on depression was observed in our present meta-analysis, and the effect might be affected by the therapy process.

Introduction

Depression was reported to be a common mental disorders and affected more than 300 million people worldwide, and long-lasting depression with moderate or severe intensity may result in serious health problems [ 1 ]. Depression has become the leading causes of disability worldwide according to the recent World Health Organization (WHO) report. Even worse, depression was closely associated with suicide and became the second leading cause of death, and nearly 800 000 die of depression every year worldwide [ 1 , 2 ]. Although it is known that treatments for depression, more than 3/4 of people in low and middle-income income countries receive no treatment due to a lack of medical resources and the social stigma of mental disorders [ 3 ]. Considering the continuously increased disease burden of depression, a convenient effective therapeutic measures was needed at community level.

Music-based interventions is an important nonpharmacological intervention used in the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral disorders, and the obvious curative effect on depression has been observed. Prior meta-analyses have reported an obvious effect of music therapy on improving depression [ 4 , 5 ]. Today, it is widely accepted that the music-based interventions are divided into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program” [ 6 ]. Therefore, music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals, and includes the triad of music, clients and qualified music therapists. While, music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines. It is often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and it doesn’t need a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Therefore, the essential difference between music therapy and music medicine is about whether a therapeutic relationship is developed between a trained music therapist and the client [ 7 – 9 ]. In the context of the clear distinction between these two major categories, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music-based intervention studies on depression can be misleading. While, the distinction was not always clear in most of prior papers, and no meta-analysis comparing the effects of music therapy and music medicine was conducted. Just a few studies made a comparison of music-based interventions on psychological outcomes between music therapy and music medicine. We aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used in music therapy; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population [ 7 , 8 ].

Materials and methods

Search strategy and selection criteria.

PubMed (MEDLINE), Ovid-Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Clinical Evidence were searched to identify studies assessing the effectiveness of music therapy on depression from inception to May 2020. The combination of “depress*” and “music*” was used to search potential papers from these databases. Besides searching for electronic databases, we also searched potential papers from the reference lists of included papers, relevant reviews, and previous meta-analyses. The criteria for selecting the papers were as follows:(1) randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials; (2) music therapy at a hospital or community, whereas the control group not receiving any type of music therapy; (3) depression rating scale was used. The exclusive criteria were as follows: (1) non-human studies; (2) studies with a very small sample size (n<20); (3) studies not providing usable data (including sample size, mean, standard deviation, etc.); (4) reviews, letters, protocols, etc. Two authors independently (YPJ, HZH) searched and screened the relevant papers. EndNote X7 software was utilized to delete the duplicates. The titles and abstracts of all searched papers were checked for eligibility. The relevant papers were selected, and then the full-text papers were subsequently assessed by the same two authors. In the last, a panel meeting was convened for resolving the disagreements about the inclusion of the papers.

Data extraction

We developed a data abstraction form to extract the useful data: (1) the characteristics of papers (authors, publish year, country); (2) the characteristics of participators (sample size, mean age, sex ratio, pre-treatment diagnosis, study period); (3) study design (random allocation, allocation concealment, masking, selection process of participators, loss to follow-up); (4) music therapy process (music therapy method, music therapy period, music therapy frequency, minutes per session, and the treatment measures in the control group); (5) outcome measures (depression score). Two authors independently (TQS, ZH) abstracted the data, and disagreements were resolved by discussing with the third author (YPJ).

Assessment of risk of bias in included studies

Two authors independently (TQS, ZH) assessed the risk of bias of included studies using Cochrane Collaboration’s risk of bias assessment tool, and disagreements were resolved by discussing with the third author (YPJ) [ 10 ].

Music therapy and music medicine

Music Therapy is defined as the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program. Music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines.

Music therapy mainly divided into active music therapy and receptive music therapy. Active music therapy, including improvisational, re-creative, and compositional, is defined as playing musical instruments, singing, improvisation, and lyrics of adaptation. Receptive music therapy, including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, guided imagery and music, lyrics analysis, and so on, is defined as music listening, lyrics analysis, and drawing with musing. In other words, in active methods participants are making music, and in receptive music therapy participants are receiving music [ 6 , 7 , 9 , 11 – 13 ].

Evaluation of depression

Depression was evaluated by the common psychological scales, including Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI), Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D), Cornell Scale (CS), Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence (DMSRIA), Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15); Geriatric Depression Scale-30 (GDS-30), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD/HAMD), Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS), Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), Short Version of Profile of Mood States (SV-POMS).

Statistical analysis

The pooled effect were estimated by using the standardized mean differences (SMDs) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) due to the different depression rate scales were used in the included papers. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by I-square ( I 2 ) and Q-statistic (P<0.10), and a high I 2 (>50%) was recognized as heterogeneity and a random-effect model was used [ 14 – 16 ]. We performed subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses to study the potential heterogeneity between studies. The subgroup variables included music intervention categories (music therapy and music medicine), music therapy methods (active music therapy, receptive music therapy), specific receptive music therapy methods (music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), specific active music therapy methods (recreative music therapy and improvisational music therapy), music therapy mode (group therapy, individual therapy), music therapy period (weeks) (2–4, 5–12, ≥13), music therapy frequency (once weekly, twice weekly, ≥3 times weekly), total music therapy sessions (1–4, 5–8, 9–12, 13–16, >16), time per session (minutes) (15–40, 41–60, >60), inpatient settings (secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility versus outpatient settings), sample size (20–50, ≥50 and <100, ≥100), female predominance(>80%) (no, yes), mean age (years) (<50, 50–65, >65), country having music therapy profession (no, yes), pre-treatment diagnosis (mental health, depression, severe mental disease/psychiatric disorder). We also performed sensitivity analyses to test the robustness of the results by re-estimating the pooled effects using fixed effect model, using trim and fill analysis, excluding the paper without information on music therapy, excluding the papers with more high biases, excluding the papers with small sample size (20< n<30), excluding the papers using an infrequently used scale, excluding the studies focused on the people with a severe mental disease. We investigated the publication biases by a funnel plot as well as Egger’s linear regression test [ 17 ]. The analyses were performed using Stata, version 11.0. All P-values were two-sided. A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant.

Characteristics of the eligible studies

Fig 1 depicts the study profile, and a total of 55 RCTs were included in our meta-analysis [ 18 – 72 ]. Of the 55 studies, 10 studies from America, 22 studies from Europe, 22 studies from Asia, and 1 study from Australia. The mean age of the participators ranged from 12 to 86; the sample size ranged from 20 to 242. A total of 16 different scales were used to evaluate the depression level of the participators. A total of 25 studies were conducted in impatient setting and 28 studies were in outpatients setting; 32 used a certified music therapist, 15 not used a certified music therapist (for example researcher, nurse), and 10 not reported relevent information. A total of 16 different depression rating scales were used in the included studies, and HADS, GDS, and BDI were the most frequently used scales ( Table 1 ).

PRISMA diagram showing the different steps of systematic review, starting from literature search to study selection and exclusion. At each step, the reasons for exclusion are indicated. Doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0052562.g001.

Note: BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; CDI = Children’s Depression Inventory; CDSS = depression scale for schizophrenia; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; CS = Cornell Scale; DMSRIA = Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence; EPDS = Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; GDS-15 = Geriatric Depression Scale-15; GDS-30 = Geriatric Depression Scale-30; HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HRSD (HAMD) = Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; MADRS = Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale; PROMIS = Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System; SDS = Self-Rating Depression Scale; State-Trait Depression Questionnaire = ST/DEP; SV-POMS = short version of Profile of Mood States; NA = not available.

Of the 55 studies, only 2 studies had high risks of selection bias, and almost all of the included studies had high risks of performance bias ( Fig 2 ).

The overall effects of music therapy

Of the included 55 studies, 39 studies evaluated the music therapy, 17 evaluated the music medicine. Using a random-effects model, music therapy was associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms with a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.66; 95% CI = -0.86 to -0.46; P <0.001), with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 83%, P <0.001); while, music medicine exhibited a stronger effect in reducing depressive symptom (SMD = −1.33; 95% CI = -1.96 to -0.70; P <0.001) ( Fig 3 ).

Twenty studies evaluated the active music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.57; 95% CI = -0.90 to -0.25; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 86.3%, P <0.001). Fourteen studies evaluated the receptive music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.73; 95% CI = -1.01 to -0.44; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 76.3%, P <0.001). Five studies evaluated the combined effect of active and receptive music therapy using a random-effects model, and a moderate-sized mean effect (SMD = −0.88; 95% CI = -1.32 to -0.44; P <0.001) was observed with a high heterogeneity across studies ( I 2 = 70.5%, P <0.001) ( Fig 4 ).

Among specific music therapy methods, recreative music therapy (SMD = -1.41; 95% CI = -2.63 to -0.20; P <0.001), guided imagery and music (SMD = -1.08; 95% CI = -1.72 to -0.43; P <0.001), music-assisted relaxation (SMD = -0.81; 95% CI = -1.24 to -0.38; P <0.001), music and imagery (SMD = -0.38; 95% CI = -0.81 to 0.06; P = 0.312), improvisational music therapy (SMD = -0.27; 95% CI = -0.49 to -0.05; P = 0.001), and music and discuss (SMD = -0.26; 95% CI = -1.12 to 0.60; P = 0.225) exhibited a different effect respectively ( Fig 5 ).

Sub-group analyses and meta-regression analyses

We performed sub-group analyses and meta-regression analyses to study the homogeneity. We found that music therapy yielded a superior effect on reducing depression in the studies with a small sample size (20–50), with a mean age of 50–65 years old, with medium intervention frequency (<3 times weekly), with more minutes per session (>60 minutes). We also found that music therapy exhibited a superior effect on reducing depression among people with severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder and depression compared with mental health people. While, whether the country have the music therapy profession, whether the study used group therapy or individual therapy, whether the study was in the outpatients setting or the inpatient setting, and whether the study used a certified music therapist all did not exhibit a remarkable different effect ( Table 2 ). Table 2 also presents the subgroup analysis of music medicine on reducing depression.

In the subgroup analysis by total session, music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short (1–4 sessions) and medium length (5–12 sessions) compared with long intervention periods (>13sessions) ( Fig 6 ). Meta-regression demonstrated that total music intervention session was significantly associated with the homogeneity between studies ( P = 0.004) ( Table 3 ).

A, evaluating the effect of music therapy; B, evaluating the effect of music medicine.

Sensitivity analyses

We performed sensitivity analyses and found that re-estimating the pooled effects using fixed effect model, using trim and fill analysis, excluding the paper without information regarding music therapy, excluding the papers with more high biases, excluding the papers with small sample size (20< n<30), excluding the studies focused on the people with a severe mental disease, and excluding the papers using an infrequently used scale yielded the similar results, which indicated that the primary results was robust ( Table 4 ).

Evaluation of publication bias

We assessed publication bias using Egger’s linear regression test and funnel plot, and the results are presented in Fig 7 . For the main result, the observed asymmetry indicated that either the absence of papers with negative results or publication bias.

A, evaluating the publication bias of music therapy; B, evaluating the publication bias of music medicine; BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; CDI = Children’s Depression Inventory; CDSS = depression scale for schizophrenia; CES-D = Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression; CS = Cornell Scale; DMSRIA = Depression Mood Self-Report Inventory for Adolescence; EPDS = Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale; GDS-15 = Geriatric Depression Scale-15; GDS-30 = Geriatric Depression Scale-30; HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; HRSD (HAMD) = Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression; MADRS = Montgomery-sberg Depression Rating Scale; PROMIS = Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System; SDS = Self-Rating Depression Scale; State-Trait Depression Questionnaire = ST/DEP; SV-POMS = short version of Profile of Mood Stat.

Our present meta-analysis exhibited a different effect of music therapy and music medicine on reducing depression. Different music therapy methods also exhibited a different effect, and the recreative music therapy and guided imagery and music yielded a superior effect on reducing depression compared with other music therapy methods. Furthermore, music therapy and music medicine both exhibited a stronger effects of short and medium length compared with long intervention periods. The strength of this meta-analysis was the stable and high-quality result. Firstly, the sensitivity analyses performed in this meta-analysis yielded similar results, which indicated that the primary results were robust. Secondly, considering the insufficient statistical power of small sample size, we excluded studies with a very small sample size (n<20).

Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. These reviews found a significant effectiveness of music therapy on reducing depression among older adults with depressive symptoms, people with dementia, puerpera, and people with cancers [ 4 , 5 , 73 – 76 ]. However, these reviews did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine. Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the control group. The authors made a clear distinction on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis [ 77 ]. A recent meta-analysis compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression in people with cancer with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression, but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine [ 78 ]. However, our present meta-analysis exhibited a different effect of music therapy and music medicine on reducing depression, and the music medicine yielded a superior effect on reducing depression compared with music therapy. The different effect of music therapy and music medicine might be explained by the different participators, and nine studies used music therapy to reduce the depression among people with severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder, while no study used music medicine. Furthermore, the studies evaluating music therapy used more clinical diagnostic scale for depressive symptoms.

A meta-analysis by Li et al. [ 74 ] suggested that medium-term music therapy (6–12 weeks) was significantly associated with improved depression in people with dementia, but not short-term music therapy (3 or 4 weeks). On the contrary, our present meta-analysis found a stronger effect of short-term (1–4 weeks) and medium-term (5–12 weeks) music therapy on reducing depression compared with long-term (≥13 weeks) music therapy. Consistent with the prior meta-analysis by Li et al., no significant effect on depression was observed for the follow-up of one or three months after music therapy was completed in our present meta-analysis. Only five studies analyzed the therapeutic effect for the follow-up periods after music therapy intervention therapy was completed, and the rather limited sample size may have resulted in this insignificant difference. Therefore, whether the therapeutic effect was maintained in reducing depression when music therapy was discontinued should be explored in further studies. In our present meta-analysis, meta-regression results demonstrated that no variables (including period, frequency, method, populations, and so on) were significantly associated with the effect of music therapy. Because meta-regression does not provide sufficient statistical power to detect small associations, the non-significant results do not completely exclude the potential effects of the analyzed variables. Therefore, meta-regression results should be interpreted with caution.

Our meta-analysis has limitations. First, the included studies rarely used masked methodology due to the nature of music therapy, therefore the performance bias and the detection bias was common in music intervention study. Second, a total of 13 different scales were used to evaluate the depression level of the participators, which may account for the high heterogeneity among the trials. Third, more than half of those included studies had small sample sizes (<50), therefore the result should be explicated with caution.

Our present meta-analysis of 55 RCTs revealed a different effect of music therapy and music medicine, and different music therapy methods also exhibited a different effect. The results of subgroup analyses revealed that the characters of music therapy were associated with the therapeutic effect, for example specific music therapy methods, short and medium-term therapy, and therapy with more time per session may yield stronger therapeutic effect. Therefore, our present meta-analysis could provide suggestion for clinicians and policymakers to design therapeutic schedule of appropriate lengths to reduce depression.

Supporting information

S1 checklist, funding statement.

The Key Project of University Humanities and Social Science Research in Anhui Province (SK2017A0191) was granted by Education Department of Anhui Province; the Research Project of Anhui Province Social Science Innovation Development (2018XF155) was granted by Anhui Provincial Federation of Social Sciences; the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Research Youth fund Project (17YJC840033) was granted by Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. These funders had a role in study design, text editing, interpretation of results, decision to publish and preparation of the manuscript.

Data Availability

• PLoS One. 2020; 15(11): e0240862.

Decision Letter 0

PONE-D-20-17706

Effects of music therapy on depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Dear Dr. Ye,

Thank you for submitting your manuscript to PLOS ONE. After careful consideration, we feel that it has merit but does not fully meet PLOS ONE’s publication criteria as it currently stands. Therefore, we invite you to submit a revised version of the manuscript that addresses the points raised during the review process.

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We look forward to receiving your revised manuscript.

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Sukru Torun

Academic Editor

Additional Editor Comments:

Dear Author,

Thank you for your valuable submission. I think it would be appropriate to emphasize the main problem first. Various musical interventions are used in medical settings to improve the patient's well-being, and of course, there are many publications on this subject. However, it is important to properly differentiate between these interventions for some important reasons I have pointed out below.

The music therapy definition you made, as "Music therapy was defined as music therapy provided by a qualified music teacher, psychological therapist, or nurse" is not universally accepted specific definition for music therapy. Moreover, the specific methods used in receptive music therapy include music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and Guided Imagery and Music (Bonny Method). Each of these may have different levels of effects on depression. It is not clear that which receptive music therapy studies in your review have used which of these methods. So, the majority of studies that you accepted as the receptive music therapy seems to be music medicine studies indeed. Similar critiques may also be apply to some of the studies you describe as active music therapy. Today, it is widely accepted that these music-based interventions should be divided into two major categories, namely music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM). MM mainly based on patients' pre-recorded or rarely listening to live music and the direct effects of the music they listen to. In other words, MM aims to use music like medicines. It often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and not needed a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Conversely, music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed music therapist who has completed an approved music therapy program. So, music therapy is a relational, interaction based form of therapy within a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client, and includes the triad of the music, the client and the music therapist. Since music therapy interventions is an evidence-based procedure using special music therapy methods of interventions and a more pragmatic approach than other music-based interventions, their effect levels and results are also different.

In the context of the above mentioned explanations, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music based intervention studies together on depression can be misleading. The subjects I have mentioned so far have never been addressed in the introduction and discussion sections of your manuscript. I think that will be perceived as a major deficiency at least by the readers who are closer to the subject. In this sense, I think that an attentive revision considering the following views will be valuable and needed:

- The universally accepted definitions of music therapy (including active and receptive music therapy) and music medicine should be taken into account.

- It should be clarified that how many studies in your review did included a certified music therapist.

- Analyses, results and discussion should be submitted to the readers in accordance with all this distinctions and definitions. (The way to this seems to be to compare the effects of music medicine and music therapy on depression in parallel with the possible differences of music interventions used, and to discuss their possible implications on the results.)

- Another important point is that you did not mention nor discuss any of important reviews on same subject (for example please see: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD004517","term_id":"30321255","term_text":"CD004517"}} CD004517 .pub3/epdf/full or https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01109/full or https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD006911","term_id":"30323649","term_text":"CD006911"}} CD006911 .pub3/full)

I am aware that such a major revision will, in a sense, be a challenging way that may require a new analysis of your data. However, I believe you would appreciate that a study aimed at shedding light on potential music-based interventions in an important public health problem such as depression should not be misleading.

Thank you for your effort in advance.

Besides, according to the statistical reviewer who only reviewed the statistical approach used in this paper, there are two caveats:

1. The authors state that they excluded studies with fewer than 20 participants in one place in the paper (page 4), but fewer than 30 participants in another place in the paper (Table 4). This needs to be corrected for consistency.

2. The authors mention stronger effects of short and medium length vs. long music therapy periods in their results but there is no accompanying figure. I think it would be beneficial to show these findings in a figure (Forest plot).

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Research in Anhui Province (SK2017A0191), Research Project of Anhui Province Social Science

Innovation Development (2018XF155), Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences

Research Youth fund Project (17YJC840033)."

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Reviewers' comments:

Reviewer's Responses to Questions

Comments to the Author

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Reviewer #1: Yes

Reviewer #2: Partly

Reviewer #3: Yes

2. Has the statistical analysis been performed appropriately and rigorously?

Reviewer #2: No

3. Have the authors made all data underlying the findings in their manuscript fully available?

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Reviewer #2: Yes

4. Is the manuscript presented in an intelligible fashion and written in standard English?

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Reviewer #1: Thank you for conducting this research and submitting it for publication consideration.

I recognize that English may not be the primary language of the authors. There are a few instances where the language could be improved, but that is mostly a copy-editing issue. There is also a lot of passive voice in the paper. I recommend making the voice active. This will enhance the readability of the paper.

I have a few comments that I hope will improve the paper.

1. Not all countries have an established music therapy profession. I recognize that this creates challenges for the authors! I'm wondering if the authors might consider including this as a factor in the analysis? For example, if a nurse provides "music therapy" in a country that does not have music therapy as a profession, is the effect equivalent as when a qualified music therapist in a country that has music therapy as a profession provides it? This might provide some incentive for occupational regulation and establishing professional music therapy associations.

2. please fix the "short title" (oxygen)

3. Music therapy with fewer minutes might yield superior effects. This may be misleading. Is there a minimum number of minutes? How many minutes might be optimal for therapeutic outcome? I believe it does make sense that longer sessions may result in less impact - quantity/duration does not always result in enhanced outcome.

4. I believe a stronger case needs to be made for the study. There are existing meta-analyses of MT for depression (Aalbers et al., 2017 Cochrane Review). What makes the current study unique and different? What are the gaps in the literature that warrant this study? Have there been a lot of recent additions to the literature that warrant a new meta-analysis?

5. A stronger discussion of the limitation of this study. Many studies did not evaluate a group with major depression/major depressive disorder (music therapy for chronic pain is important, but the variance of the populations under study does constitute a limitation). So, this study is not exclusive to adults with a major mental health condition. Might effects be different for people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed?

6. Instead of "blinding/blinded" please use "masking/masked."

7. Is there a citation that supports your classification of active versus receptive? (I would think Bruscia would be a good place to start with that...)

8. One item that I am not seeing is group therapy versus individual therapy. Did the authors screen for that? If so, is there an optimal group size? Are effects stronger when in a group format versus an individual format? This would have serious implications for clinical practice.

9. What about inpatient settings (such as a secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility) versus outpatient settings?

10. One item that I believe is missing is the dose. Not necessarily the duration (number of minutes) of each session, but the total number of sessions a participant has received. Gold has done some work in this area. Is there is a certain number of sessions that are needed to reach a therapeutic outcome? The number of sessions/week is good, but the number of total sessions is important.

11. Table 1 has the mean age. I recommend including the SD as well.

Thank you for taking the time to consider these suggestions. While receiving critical feedback can be difficult, please understand that my intentions are to improve the paper and ensure it has maximum impact. This is an important addition to the literature and I am grateful to the authors for their scholarship. I wish you the best!

Reviewer #2: This article addresses an important topic that is of interest to music therapists, psychiatrists and teachers and metal health practitioners. The statistics look promising. However, the major concern is that the definition of music therapy is theoretically and practically incorrect and misleading:

"7 Music therapy was defined as music therapy provided by a qualified music teacher, psychological

8 therapist, or nurse. " The study is missing several research studies that I am aware of and this makes its content suspicious. Also missing is a more depth-ful analysis of what active and passive music therapy is, and if it is indeed performed by those in other professions who have no training in 'musuc therapy;'-than the contents and findings are misleading and irrelevant.

Reviewer #3: I only reviewed the statistical approach used in this paper, which appeared appropriate for the research question under study. There are two caveats:

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Reviewer #1: No

Reviewer #3: No

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Author response to Decision Letter 0

29 Sep 2020

Response to Reviewers

Dear Editors and Reviewers:

Thank you for your letter and for the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript entitled " Effects of music therapy on depression: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (PONE-D-20-17706)".

Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made revision which we hope meet with approval. All the revised portions were marked in red font in the new document. The main corrections in the paper and the responds to the reviewer’s comments are as flowing:

Response：We have studied comments carefully and revised the manuscript extensively according to the reviewer’s comments.

Firstly, We have amended the music therapy definition mainly based on the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) and The American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), WFMT defines music therapy as “the professional use of music and its elements as an intervention inmedical, educational, and everyday environments with individuals, groups, families, or communities who seek to optimize their quality of life and improve their physical, social,communicative, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health and wellbeing”. AMTA defines music therapy as “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).][van der Steen, J. T., et al. (2017). "Music-based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 5: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD003477","term_id":"30320215","term_text":"CD003477"}} CD003477 .]

Secondly, we have re-studed all included papers carefully and added the specific intervention methods of each paper in table 1 (Table 1. Characteristics of clinical trials included in this meta-analysis). Two main types of music therapy were distinguished in our present study - receptive (or passive) and active music therapy. The specific methods used in receptive music therapy in our included papers including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), while the specific methods used in active music therapy included recreative music therapy, improvisational music therapy, song writing, and so on.

Thirdly, we have added some contents regarding the distinction between music therapy and music medicine in introduction and discussion sections of our manuscript.

The following contents are added in introduction section, “Today, it is widely accepted that the music-based interventions should be divided into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. Therefore, music therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individualst, and includes the triad of the music, the client and the qualified music therapist. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).] While, music medicine is defined as mainly listening to prerecorded music provided by medical personnel or rarely listening to live music. In other words, music medicine aims to use music like medicines. It often managed by a medical professional other than a music therapist, and not needed a therapeutic relationship with the patients. Therefore, the essential difference of music therapy and music medicine is whether a therapeutic relationship is developed between a trained music therapist and the client.

[Bradt, J., et al. (2015). "The impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study." Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 23(5): 1261-1271.

[Yinger, O. S. and L. Gooding (2014). "Music therapy and music medicine for children and adolescents." Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America 23(3): 535-553.]

【Tony Wigram．Inge Nyggard Pedersen＆Lars Ole Bonde，A Compmhensire Guide to Music Therapy．London and Philadelphia：Jessica Kingsley Publishen．2002：143．】

In the context of the clear distinction between these two major cagerories, it is clear that to evaluate the effects of music therapy and other music based intervention studies together on depression can be misleading. While, the distinction was not always clear in most of prior papers, and we found that no meta-analysis comparing the effects of music therapy and music medicine was conducted. Just a few studies made a comparison of music-based interventions on psychological outcomes between music therapy and music medicine. We aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used inmusic therapy on depression; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population.

[Bradt, J., et al. (2015). "The impact of music therapy versus music medicine on psychological outcomes and pain in cancer patients: a mixed methods study." Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer 23(5): 1261-1271.[Yinger, O. S. and L. Gooding (2014). "Music therapy and music medicine for children and adolescents." Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America 23(3): 535-553.]

The last, we have made a new analysis of our data. 1) including three new papers and re-analying of our data, 2) adding the comparison of music therapy and music medicine, 3) adding the comparison of impatient setting and outpatients setting, 4) adding the comparison of depressed people and not depressed people, 5）adding the comparison of countries have having music therapy profession and not, 6) adding the comparison of group therapy and individual therapy, 7) added the comparison of different intervention dose, and so on.

Response: (1)We have amended the of definitions of music therapy. The revised difinitons of music therapy was “Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).]

We have added some contents on the distinction between music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM) in introduction and discussion sections of our manuscript.

We have added the analysis of the comparion of music therapy (MT) and music medicine (MM) in Methord and Results sections

Response: we have re-studed all included papers carefully and added a new varible (Intervenor or therapist) into table 1, and the corresponding description was addded in the results section. Of 55 studies, 32 used a certified music therapist, 15 not used a certified music therapist (for example researcher, nurse), and 10 not reported relevent information.

Response: We have divided music-based interventions into two major categories, namely music therapy and music medicine according to the difinition. With respect to specific methods used in music therapy, we also have divided music therapy into receptive (or passive) and active music therapy. The specific methods used in receptive music therapy in our included papers including music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, and guided imagery and music (Bonny Method), and the specific methods used in active music therapy included recreative music therapy and improvisational music therapy.

We have added some sub-group analyses by different music intervention categories, different music therapy categories, and specific music therapy methords.

The the above mentioned content have been added to Intruduction Analyses, results and discussion section.

Response: we are very sorry for not mentioning these important reviews. We have studied these reviews carefully and discussed these reviews in Discussion sections.

Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. Aalbers and colleagues included nine studies in their review; they concluded that music therapy provides short-term benefificial effects for people with depression, and suggested that high-quality trials with large sample size were needed. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of depression, and did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine. Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the controp group. The authors made a clear distincition on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis. A recent meta-analysis compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression in people with cancer with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression , but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine.

【Aalbers, S., et al. (2017). "Music therapy for depression." Cochrane Database Syst Rev 11: {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD004517","term_id":"30321255","term_text":"CD004517"}} CD004517 .】

【Leubner, D. and T. Hinterberger (2017). "Reviewing the Effectiveness of Music Interventions in Treating Depression." Front Psychol 8: 1109.】

【Bradt, J., et al. (2016). "Music interventions for improving psychological and physical outcomes in cancer patients." Cochrane Database Syst Rev(8): {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"CD006911","term_id":"30323649","term_text":"CD006911"}} CD006911 .】

To date, many new trials focued on music therapy and depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with cancer, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, and so on ) have been performed, but they have not yet been systematically reviewed.

Response: Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made revision according to the comments.

Response: We are sorry for making this mistake. In the Methord section, we defined exclusive criteria as studies with a very small sample size (n<20),while in table 4 we performed the sensitivity analyses by excluding the papers with smale sample size ( 20< n<30). We have amended the table 4.

Response: We have added these findings with a forest plot (figure 6) according to the comment.

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Response: We have amended our manuscript according to PLOS ONE's style requirements

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Response: We have adjusted these content according to the comment.

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Response: We would like to update our funding statement as follows: The funders had a role in study design, text editing, interpretation of results, decision to publish and preparation of the manuscript.

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Response: we are sorry for making this mistake, we have amended our list of authors on the manuscript accordingly.

Response: We have checked the refer to Figure 5 and found that the refer to figure 5 was a mistake, and we have amended it.

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Response: Thinks very much for your comment.

Response: Thinks very much for your comment. Our manuscript have been edited for proper English language, grammar, punctuation, spelling, and overall style by one qualified native English speaking editors.

Response: This suggestion is valuable and we have tried to judge if the countries in our inluded papers have an established music therapy profession by checking the author's work address, literature review, visiting the important website about music therapy, and consulting to some famous music therapist via emails. The following table showed that four countries may be not have a music therapy profession. We have added the comparison of the country having music therapy profession and not.

https://erikdalton.com/find-a-certified-therapist/

https://www.musictherapy.org/about/listserv/

Table 1. The information on the music therapy profession in the inluded papers

Country Country having music therapy profession

Korea Korean Music Therapy Association

South Korea Korean Music Therapy Association

UK British Association for Music Therapy

Australia Australian Music Therapy Association

Canada Canadian Association of Music Therapists

China Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association

Taiwan China Chinese Professional Music Therapist Association

Denmark Dansk forbund for musikterapie

Finland Finnish Society for Music Therapy

Hong Kong China Hong Kong Music Therapy and Counseling Association

Serbia Music Therapists of Serbia organize workshops

Switzerland Swiss Association of Music Therapy

USA The American Music Therapy Association

Singapore The Association for Music Therapy (Singapore)

Brazil Uniao Braileira Das Associacoes De Musicoterapia

Germany YES

Northern Ireland YES

Spanish YES

Venezuela No

2.please fix the "short title" (oxygen)

Response: We’re sorry for making this mistake, and we have corrected this mistake.

Music therapy with fewer minutes might yield superior effects. This may be misleading. Is there a minimum number of minutes? How many minutes might be optimal for therapeutic outcome? I believe it does make sense that longer sessions may result in less impact - quantity/duration does not always result in enhanced outcome.

Response: In 33 included trials, intervention time each session was different, the mimimum time was 15 minutes in only one study (Burrai et al., 2019b), followed by 20 minuters in four studies (Chirico et al., 2020; Guétin et al., 2009; Hanser et al., 1994; Sigurdardóttir et al., 2019). In our subgroup analysis by time per session (minutes), we divided time per session into three groups, namely 15-40, 41-60, >60, and this presentation might be unclear.

In order to respond this comment, we have re-divided the time per session into four groups, namely 15-40, 41-60, 61-120, to explore the optimal minuter per session for therapeutic outcome.

I believe a stronger case needs to be made for the study. There are existing meta-analyses of MT for depression (Aalbers et al., 2017 Cochrane Review). What makes the current study unique and different? What are the gaps in the literature that warrant this study? Have there been a lot of recent additions to the literature that warrant a new meta-analysis?

Response: Some prior reviews have evaluated the effects of music therapy for reducing depression. Aalbers and colleagues (Aalbers et al., 2017）included nine studies in their review; they concluded that music therapy provides short-term benefificial effects for people with depression, and suggested that high-quality trials with large sample size were needed. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of depression, and did not differentiate music therapy from music medicine.

Another paper reviewed the effectiveness of music interventions in treating depression. The authors (Leubner D., 2017) included 26 studies and found a signifiant reduction in depression in the music intervention group compared with the controp group. The authors made a clear distincition on the definition of music therapy and music medicine; however, they did not include all relevant data from the most recent trials and did not conduct a meta-analysis. A recent meta-analysis (Bradt et al., 2016) compared the effects of music therapy and music medicine for reducing depression with seven RCTs; the authors found a moderately strong, positive impact of music intervention on depression , but found no difference between music therapy and music medicine. However, this review was limited to studies of individuals with a diagnosis of cancer.

Figure 1 presents the number of published paper ( search from Pubmed) focued on music therapy and depression from 1983 to 2020, the published paper was in the rapidly growing stage during the past five years. While, the above mentioned reviews all included papers published before 2017. To date, many new trials focued on music therapy and depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with cancer, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, and so on ) have been performed, but they have not yet been systematically reviewed.

While, no meta-analysis compared the the difference of music therapy on depression in differnt poupulation (such as people with depression, people with dementia, people with chronic disease, health people, and so on ) have been performed.

Figure 1 The pubished papers from 1983 to 2020 focused on music therapy and depression (searched from Pubmed)

In our persent meta-analysis, we aimed to (1) compare the effect between music therapy and music medicine on depression; (2) compare the effect between different specific methods used inmusic therapy on depression; (3) compare the effect of music-based interventions on depression among different population.

We have added the above content to Intruduction and Dissussion sections.

5.A stronger discussion of the limitation of this study. Many studies did not evaluate a group with major depression/major depressive disorder (music therapy for chronic pain is important, but the variance of the populations under study does constitute a limitation). So, this study is not exclusive to adults with a major mental health condition. Might effects be different for people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed?

Response: This is a very important comment. According to this comment, we have made some revision.

Firstly, we have added a sensitivity analysis by excluding the studes focused on the people with a major mental health condition.

Secondly, we have re-grouped the populations into three groups, namely mental health, severe mental disease /psychiatric disorder, and depression and we have added the subgroup analysis (table 2 in revised manuscript)..

Thirdly, we have added the analysis of the difference between people who are depressed versus people who are not depressed accordingly (table 2 in revised manuscript).

6.Instead of "blinding/blinded" please use "masking/masked."

Response: We have replaced "blinding/blinded" with "masking/masked" according to this comment.

Response: In active methods (improvisational, re-creative, compositional), participants are ‘making music’ , and in receptive music therapy (music-assisted relaxation, music and imagery, guided imagery and music, lyrics analysis ), participants are ‘receiving’ (e.g. listening to) music (Bruscia 2014; Wheeler 2015).

We have amended the difinition and added the citation to the Result section according to this commment.

[Bruscia KE. Defining Music Therapy. 3rd Edition.University Park, Illinois, USA: Barcelona Publishers, 2014.]

[Wheeler BL. Music Therapy Handbook. New York, New York, USA: Guilford Publications, 2015.]

Response: Of the 55 studies, 38 used group therapy, 17 used individual therapy, and 2 not reported. We have added the comparison of group therapy versus individual therapy according to this comment (table 2 in revised manuscript).

Response: Of 55 studies, a total of 25 studies were conducted in impatient setting,28 studies were in outpatients setting setting, and 2 studies not repoted the setting. We have added the subgroup analysis by inpatient settings (secure [locked] unit at a mental health facility versus outpatient settings) according to this comment (table 2 in revised manuscript).

Response: We have added the subgroup analysis by total sessions a participant has received according to this comment.

Response: We have added the SD in table 1

Response: Thanks very much for your important comments, these comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches.

Response: (1) We have amendded the difinition of music therapy. According to the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA), “music therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program”.. [American Music Therapy Association (2020). Definition and Quotes about Music Therapy. Available online at: https://www.musictherapy.org/about/quotes/ (Accessed Sep 13, 2020).]

(2)We are very sorry for missing several research studies in our present meta-analysis. According to this comment, we have performed more extensive electronic search using the following terms: depression or mood disorders or affective disorders and music. We also performed manual search for the reference of all relevent reviews. In order to ensure the study quality of included papers, we excluded the studies with a very small sample size (n<20), we also excluded the non-english papers due to our language barrier. We included 23 new papers and deleted 1 old paper, in the last a total of 55 paper were included in our present analysis. The following are the new included papers and some excluded papers:

New-included papers

1)Albornoz Y. The effects of group improvisational music therapy on depression in adolescents and adults with substance abuse: a randomised controlled trial. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 2011;20(3):208–24.

2)Hendricks CB, Robinson B, Bradley B, Davis K. Using music techniques to treat adolescent depression. Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development 1999; 38:39–46. （unavaliable）

3)Hendricks CB. A study of the use of music therapy techniques in a group for the treatment of adolescent depression. Dissertation Abstracts International 2001;62(2-A):472.

4)Radulovic R. The using of music therapy in treatment of depressive disorders. Summary of Master Thesis. Belgrade: Faculty of Medicine University of Belgrade, 1996.

5)Zerhusen JD, Boyle K, Wilson W. Out of the darkness: group cognitive therapy for depressed elderly. Journal of Military Nursing Research 1995;1:28–32. PUBMED: 1941727]

6)Chen SC, Yeh ML, Chang HJ, Lin MF. Music, heart rate variability, and symptom clusters: a comparative study. Support Care Cancer. 2020;28(1):351-360. doi:10.1007/s00520-019-04817-x

7)Chang, M. Y., Chen, C. H., and Huang, K. F. (2008). Effects of music therapy on psychological health of women during pregnancy. J. Clin. Nurs. 17, 2580–2587. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2007.02064.x

8)Chen XJ, Hannibal N, Gold C. Randomized Trial of Group Music Therapy With Chinese Prisoners: Impact on Anxiety, Depression, and Self-Esteem. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2016;60(9):1064-1081. doi:10.1177/0306624X15572795

9)Esfandiari, N., and Mansouri, S. (2014). The effect of listening to light and heavy music on reducing the symptoms of depression among female students. Arts Psychother. 41, 211–213. doi: 0.1016/j.aip.2014.02.001

10)Fancourt, D., Perkins, R., Ascenso, S., Carvalho, L. A., Steptoe, A., and Williamon, A. (2016). Effects of group drumming interventions on anxiety, depression, social resilience and inflammatory immune response among mental health service users. PLoS ONE 11:e0151136. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0151136

11)Giovagnoli AR, Manfredi V, Parente A, Schifano L, Oliveri S, Avanzini G. Cognitive training in Alzheimer's disease: a controlled randomized study. Neurol Sci. 2017;38(8):1485-1493. doi:10.1007/s10072-017-3003-9

12)Harmat, L., Takács, J., and Bodizs, R. (2008). Music improves sleep quality in students. J. Adv. Nurs. 62, 327–335. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04602.x

13)Liao J, Wu Y, Zhao Y, et al. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Combined with Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music on Depression for Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Chin J Integr Med. 2018;24(5):343-347. doi:10.1007/s11655-017-2956-0

14)Lu, S. F., Lo, C. H. K., Sung, H. C., Hsieh, T. C., Yu, S. C., and Chang, S. C. (2013). Effects of group music intervention on psychiatric symptoms and depression in patient with schizophrenia. Complement. Ther. Med. 21, 682–688. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2013.09.002

15)Mahendran R, Gandhi M, Moorakonda RB, et al. Art therapy is associated with sustained improvement in cognitive function in the elderly with mild neurocognitive disorder: findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial for art therapy and music reminiscence activity versus usual care. Trials. 2018;19(1):615. Published 2018 Nov 9. doi:10.1186/s13063-018-2988-6

16)Nwebube C, Glover V, Stewart L. Prenatal listening to songs composed for pregnancy and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017;17(1):256. Published 2017 May 8. doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1759-3

17)Porter S, McConnell T, McLaughlin K, et al. Music therapy for children and adolescents with behavioural and emotional problems: a randomised controlled trial. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2017;58(5):586-594. doi:10.1111/jcpp.12656

18)Raglio A, Giovanazzi E, Pain D, et al. Active music therapy approach in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a randomized-controlled trial. Int J Rehabil Res. 2016;39(4):365-367. doi:10.1097/MRR.0000000000000187

19)Torres E, Pedersen IN, Pérez-Fernández JI. Randomized Trial of a Group Music and Imagery Method (GrpMI) for Women with Fibromyalgia. J Music Ther. 2018;55(2):186-220. doi:10.1093/jmt/thy005

20)Verrusio, W., Andreozzi, P., Marigliano, B., Renzi, A., Gianturco, V., Pecci, M. T., et al. (2014). Exercise training and music therapy in elderly with depressive syndrome: a pilot study. Complement. Ther. Med. 22, 614–620. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2014.05.012

21)Wang, J. , Wang, H. and Zhang, D. (2011) Impact of group music therapy on the depression mood of college students. Health, 3, 151-155

22)Yap AF, Kwan YH, Tan CS, Ibrahim S, Ang SB. Rhythm-centred music making in community living elderly: a randomized pilot study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2017 Jun 14;17(1):311. doi: 10.1186/s12906-017-1825-x. PMID: 28615007; PMCID: PMC5470187.

23)Koelsch, S., Offermanns, K., and Franzke, P. (2010). Music in the treatment of affective disorders: an exploratory investigation of a new method for music-therapeutic research. Music Percept. Interdisc. J. 27, 307–316. doi: 10.1525/mp.2010.27.4.307

Excluded papers：

24)Bally, K., Campbell, D., Chesnick, K., and Tranmer, J. E. (2003). Effects of patient controlled music therapy during coronary angiography on procedural pain and anxiety distress syndrome. Crit. Care Nurse 23, 50–58. （not provide useable data）

25)Atiwannapat P, Thaipisuttikul P, Poopityastaporn P, Katekaew W. Active versus receptive group music therapy for major depressive disorder - a pilot study. Complementary Therapies in Medicine 2016;26:141–5. (sample size<20)

26)Garrido S, Stevens CJ, Chang E, Dunne L, Perz J. Music and Dementia: Individual Differences in Response to Personalized Playlists. J Alzheimers Dis. 2018;64(3):933-941. doi:10.3233/JAD-180084 （not randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials）

27)Sánchez A, Maseda A, Marante-Moar MP, de Labra C, Lorenzo-López L, Millán-Calenti JC. Comparing the Effects of Multisensory Stimulation and Individualized Music Sessions on Elderly People with Severe Dementia: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;52(1):303-315. doi:10.3233/JAD-151150 （the control group also received music intervention）

28)Mondanaro JF, Homel P, Lonner B, Shepp J, Lichtensztein M, Loewy JV. Music Therapy Increases Comfort and Reduces Pain in Patients Recovering From Spine Surgery. Am J Orthop (Belle Mead NJ). 2017;46(1):E13-E22. (No full text available)

29)Castillo-Pérez, S., Gómez-Pérez, V., Velasco, M. C., Pérez-Campos, E., and Mayoral, M. A. (2010). Effects of music therapy on depression compared with psychotherapy. Arts Psychother. 37, 387–390. doi: 0.1016/j.aip.2010.07.001 （not provide useable data)

30)Alcântara-Silva TR, de Freitas-Junior R, Freitas NMA, et al. Music Therapy Reduces Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue in Patients With Breast or Gynecological Cancer: A Randomized Trial. Integr Cancer Ther. 2018;17(3):628-635. doi:10.1177/1534735418757349（not provide useable data)

31)Cheung CWC, Yee AWW, Chan PS, et al. The impact of music therapy on pain and stress reduction during oocyte retrieval - a randomized controlled trial. Reprod Biomed Online. 2018;37(2):145-152. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2018.04.049（not provide useable data)

32)Pezzin LE, Larson ER, Lorber W, McGinley EL, Dillingham TR. Music-instruction intervention for treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized pilot study. BMC Psychol. 2018;6(1):60. Published 2018 Dec 19. doi:10.1186/s40359-018-0274-8 (the control group also received music intervention)

33)Silverman, M. J. (2011). Effects of music therapy on change and depression on clients in detoxification. J. Addict. Nurs. 22, 185–192. doi: 10.3109/10884602.2011.616606 （the control group also received music intervention）

34)Särkämö T, Laitinen S, Numminen A, Kurki M, Johnson JK, Rantanen P. Clinical and Demographic Factors Associated with the Cognitive and Emotional Efficacy of Regular Musical Activities in Dementia. J Alzheimers Dis. 2016;49(3):767-81. doi: 10.3233/JAD-150453. PMID: 26519435.

35)Tuinmann G, Preissler P, Böhmer H, Suling A, Bokemeyer C. The effects of music therapy in patients with high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell support: a randomized pilot study. Psychooncology. 2017 Mar;26(3):377-384. doi: 10.1002/pon.4142. Epub 2016 May 5. PMID: 27146798.（not provide useable data)

36)Hsu, W. C., and Lai, H. L. (2004). Effects of music on major depression in psychiatric inpatients. Arch. Psychiat. Nurs. 18, 193–199. doi: 10.1016/j.apnu.2004.07.007（not provide useable data)

（3）We have added some new analyses of our data. 1) including three new papers and re-analying of our data, 2) adding the comparison of music therapy and music medicine (figure 3 in revised manuscript) , 3) adding some subgroup analyses by country having music therapy profession, intervention settings, therapy mode, specific music therapy methord, intervenor /therapist, and total intervention session (table 2 in revised manuscript) .

Response: We are sorry for making this mistake. In the Methord section, we defined exclusive criteria as studies with a very small sample size (n<20),while in table4 we performed the sensitivity analyses by excluding the papers with smale sample size ( 20< n<30). We have amended the table 4.

Response: We have added these findings with a forest plot (figure 6 in revised manuscript) according to the comment.

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• Thesis or Clinical Paper in Music Therapy
• Handbook for Graduate Students in Music

The Master of Music Therapy candidate has two options for the culminating project within the degree requirements. These are the thesis and the creative project in music therapy.

Thesis:  The thesis entails proposal, design, implementation, and scholarly documentation of an original research investigation. Students interested in completing a thesis are advised to begin the process early in consultation with their thesis advisor and to make use of the Thesis Handbook available from the Office of Graduate Studies. Note that the Thesis prospectus must be approved by the student's graduate committee prior to the semester in which the student intends to undertake the research. The prospectus plus Thesis Committee Form must be on file in the Office of the Graduate School before the student is permitted to register for MUS 5999 Thesis.

Clinical Paper in Music Therapy:  The Clinical Paper is designed to provide an appropriate alternative to the traditional thesis as the culminating experience for student whose focus is clinical music therapy. While similar to the thesis in scope, it differs in its design and emphasis. Although both the Thesis and Clinical Paper are based upon a critical review of the relevant literature, the Clinical Paper will document either music therapy for a specific population or clinical application of an approach in music therapy rather than a traditional research study. In either case the paper is based on both a review of the literature and clinical experience. Those completing the Clinical Paper are required to enroll in one additional approved music therapy elective course related to the topic of the paper.

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Home > Music Therapy > Music Therapy Theses

Music Therapy Theses

All Music Therapy theses can be found here. They are also available in the Theses and Dissertations section.

Theses/Dissertations from 2024 2024

The Experience of an Autistic and Neurotypical Sibling Dyad in Improvisational Music Therapy , Gianna DeRusso

The Experience of Home-Based Music Therapists Working with Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: A Thematic Analysis , Sarah Mayr

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

An Exploration into Art Therapists' Experiences of Collaboration with Music Therapists to Treat People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder , Heejoon Park Jun

Early Childhood Educators' Understanding and Perspectives of Music Therapy , Sophia G. Woods

How Music Therapists Experience Improvising with Nonspeaking Clients: A Thematic Analysis , Alexandra Timoshenko

Music Therapists' Perspectives on the Use of Heavy Metal Music in Music Therapy , Jessie E. Davis

Nurses' Perceptions of Music Therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities: A Survey , Teressa Sambolin

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

A Thematic Analysis of the Clinician's Experience of Individual Music Therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities with Older Adults , Jaycie Perretta

Music Therapist Experiences of Meaningful Moments in Short-term Medical Settings: A Thematic Analysis , Haojie Lyu

The Connections in Relationships Among Autistic and Neurotypical Adolescents Participating in a Virtual, Inclusive, Performative Music Therapy Group , Laura Silvestain

The Experience of Music Therapists Working with the Parents of Premature Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) , Harria Kim

The Experiences of an Individual with Parkinson's Engaging in a Relationship-based, Improvisational Music Therapy Group , Daniel DeLucia

The Non-verbal Expressions and Experiences of an Autistic Adolescent in Improvisational, Relationship-based Music Therapy , Naoko Funahashi

The Role of Affinity Group Membership For Marginalized Music Therapy Students and Professionals , Fakoya A. Jack-Vilmar

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

An Exploration of Music Therapists' Experience of Simultaneous Trauma During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Inquiry , Nadia Mary Flutie

A Study on the Perception and Influence of Whiteness in White Music Therapists , Maria Abramovich

Deconstructing the Clinician: An Auto-Ethnographic Study , Nicole Moy and Natalia Alvarez-Figueroa

Puppets in Music Therapy: A Qualitative Study , Kaitlyn Lewis

Racial and Ethnic Representation in Music Therapy Education , Eden M. Medina

The Development of Therapeutic Alliance in Long-Term and Short-Term Music Therapy Treatment , Brooke Morris

The Influences of Language Barriers in Music Therapy , Kohei Mori

The Music Therapist’s Experience of Flow During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Inquiry , Kaitlyn Upshaw

The Music Therapist's Experience of the Client-Therapist Relationship in Improvisational Voicework: An Interpretive Phenomenological Inquiry , Samantha Schick

The Prevalence of Hip Hop Music in Music Therapy Education & Practice , Dannyele C. Crawford

The Role of Telehealth in Music Therapy Practice During the COVID-19 Global Pandemic Through the Lens of the Music Therapist: A Survey , Brianne Brunick

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

A Culturally Situated Perspective of Music Therapy in Hungary , Sylvia E. Foldes-Berman

A Phenomenological Study of the Therapeutic Relationship in Tele-Music Therapy in the US , Kiyomi Kamiya Glover

From Student to Practitioner: Formal Music Education’s Influence on The Practitioner’s Informed Music Therapy Practice , Daniel M. Salaway

Navigating the Experience of Burnout of Immigrant Music Therapists in the United States , Naeun Lee

The Role of Music in Personal Therapy in Advanced Music Therapy Training: A Self-Inquiry , Jan Mark Casco

The Role of Personal Therapy for Chinese-Speaking Music Therapy Students: A Survey , Xinrui Liu

The Role of Verbal Skills in Analytical Music Therapy, the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy , Elizabeth Ingram

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Exploring the Use of Marimba in Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Lucas McCarren

The Experience of Songwriting in Music Therapy for Adults with Intellectual Disability , Jasper Lewis

The Roles of Absorption in Music Therapy , Michael John Russo

Understanding Group Dynamics in DIR-Based Improvisational Music Therapy with Autistic Children , Anne Therese Crean

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

A Phenomenological Inquiry into an Autistic Adolescent's Experience in Relationship-based Music Therapy from the Perspectives of the Adolescent and Parent , Diana N. Abourafeh

A Survey of Music Therapists Working in Acute Care, Adult Psychiatric Facilities in the United States: Theoretical Orientations and Practices , Jon Reichert

Clinical Intuition in Improvisational Music Therapy: A Phenomenological Study of the Relationship between Intuition and Music , Nick Farr

The Role of Entrainment on an Older Adult’s Stress and Anxiety: A Mixed Methods Study , Francesca Brennan

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Closer Exploration of Therapeutic Relationship through a Musical Mediuem: An Arts-Based Research Study , Michael Kelliher

An Analysis of Burnout and Music Therapy Methodologies , Samara Berry

An Exploration of Creative Arts-Based Self-Care Practices among Music Therapy Students , Marion Kaiser

A Teacher's Experience in Improvisational Music Therapy with her Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Phenomenological Inquiry , Inbar A. Kaplan

The Impact of a Degree in Music Education on Music Therapy Professional Practice: A Qualitative Interview Study , Katherine Glathar

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

An Exploration of Music Therapists' Perspectives on Preventing and Treating Postpartum Depression , Chengcheng Du

Exploring the use of the bass guitar as a clinical instrument within music-centered practice , Matthew J. Brady

Music Therapy with Adolescents in Crisis in America and Korea : A Cross-Cultural Analysis , Seulgi Kim

Parents’ Experiences of Music Therapy in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) , Naoko Mizutani

The Experience of Countertransference for Music Therapists when Working with Children with Developmental Disabilities , Carly Caprioli

The Function of Improvised Song Creation for Individuals with ASD in Formation of Identity: A Grounded Theory Investigation , Jesse Asch

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Clinical Supervisors' Experience with Conflict with Music Therapy Interns , Joanna M. Kelly

Exploring the Implications of Resource-Oriented Music Therapy for Medical Practice , Jacqueline M. Christen

The Experiences of Music Therapists Developing Music Therapy Programs in New York State Public Schools , Michelle Kovacs

The Role of Personal Therapy for Music Therapists: A Survey , Carla D. Chikhani

The Role of Songs in Music Therapy with Adults who have Developmental Disabilities , Gregory Razzano

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

A Phenomenological Investigation of the Experience of Music Therapists with Vocal Health Issues , Liisa Hill Murray

Exploring Empathy In Music Therapy , Jessica Haviland

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

A Historical Review of Music Therapy and the Department of Veterans Affairs , Jenna Spencer

A Phenomenological investigation of Nordoff-Robbins trainees' personal and musical growth during certification training , Matsuri Imura

Boundary Issues in Music Therapy Internship Supervision , Michelle Lasco

Exploring spiritual experiences of Nordoff-Robbins music therapists , Hyun Jin Hong

Exploring the Impact of Personal bereavement on Music Therapists' Work in End-of-Life Care , Kaitlyn Leann Weeks

Music Therapy, Pain, and Anxiety in Short-Term Adult Inpatient Orthopedic Rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial , John Marino

The Call for Bravery: The Use of Improvised Story Songs with a Preschooler with Developmental Delays , Emily McClure

The Experience of Music Therapists Who Balance the Dual Professions of Music Therapist and Professional Musician , Colin Turner

The Experience of Teamwork in Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy: a phenomenological investigation , John Mulcahy

The role of the musical - self in promoting career longevity among music therapists , Peter Davis

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

An Exploration of Perceived Stress Among Music Therapy Interns , Ayelet Walker

Exploring the Musical Culture of an African American Child with Developmental Disabilities in Group Music Therapy , Meghan Cork

I Am Surrounded by Love: an inquiry into the use of songs with a woman with traumatic brain injury, 11 years post-injury , Pamela J. Carlton

Parallel Process in Music Therapy Supervision , Gabriela S. Ortiz

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

An exploration of mindfulness in my music therapy sessions with a child with suggest autism spectrum disorder , Kimberly Lau

Listening, Improvisation, and the Therapeutic Relationship in Music Therapy: A Self-Inquiry , Jill Lucente

Music for quality of life: Huntington Grant Proposal , Lauren A. Klimek

Music Therapy and Culture: Exploring my Culture and its Influences , Midori Tsujimoto

The Development and Establishment of a Pre-School Music Therapy Program , Tracey Lee Rosen

Theoretical orientations applied by music therapists working in adult psychiatric inpatient settings , Angel A. Park

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Home > USC Columbia > Music, School of > Music Theses and Dissertations

Music Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Comprehensive Method for Clarinet Latin American Music Heritage Case Study – Venezuela , Carmen Teresa Borregales

Contemporary Vocal Pedagogy in the Choral Ensemble Rehearsal: A Guide for Secondary Educators , Luke Lee Browder

A Pedagogical and Analytical Study of the Carnatic Saxophone Performance Tradition of Kadri Gopalnath , Caleb James Carpenter

Symphony No. V: Elements (Julie Giroux, 2018); An Overview Of Programmatic Elements and Performance Devices , Zackery Augustus Deininger

A Conductor’s Guide to Lucrecia Roces Kasilag’s Misang Pilipino (1965) , Denise Ysabel Ellis

The Theory of Intonation: Boris Asafiev and the Russian Piano School Tradition , Polina Golubkova

A Comparative Analysis of Samuel Barber’s Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47 , David Abrams Gordon

Injury Prevention Exercise Guidelines for Flutists , Ziqing Guan

Luis Abraham Delgadillo: A Rediscovery of His Piano Music , Fanarelia Auxiliadora Guerrero López

A Holistic Approach for Neurodivergent Learners In the High School Choral Classroom , Peter Allen Haley

Creative Insights on the Commissioning, Analysis, and Performance of Four New Works for Saxophone , Andrew Joseph Hutchens

An Analysis of Selected Vocal Works by George Walker , Ginger Sharnell Jones-Robinson

Bohuslav Martinů’s Eight Preludes For Piano H. 181: Style Analysis and Pedagogical Approaches In Piano Performance , Jinkyung Kim

An Investigative Analysis of Fernando Sor’s Introduction and Variations on “O Cara Armonia” From Mozart’s The Magic Flute , Luke James Nolan

The Film Score Music of John Williams: A Guide to Selected Works for the Principal Percussionist , Andrew Charles Crozier Patzig

Appalachian Dreams: Traditional Folk Songs in Concert Literature for Classical Guitar , Jackson Douglas Roberson

“Everything Old Is New Again”: The Rise of Interpolation in Popular Music , Grayson M. Saylor

How Do They Do It: A Narrative of Disabled Public School Instrumental Ensemble Conductors and Their Positive Working Relationships With Their Administrators , Lia Alexandria Patterson Snead

The Impact Of Incorporating Self-myofascial Release Into Voice Lessons: A Six-week Study , Benjamin Stogner

The Post-Tonal Evolution of David Diamond: A Theoretic-Analytical Perspective , William John Ton

Fourth-Grade and Fifth-Grade Cover-Band Classes: An Action-Research Project Inspired By Popular Music Education and Music Learning Theory , Julia Turner

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Social Music Interactions and Vocal Music Improvisations in a Serve and Return Music Community , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Comfort Food for the Ears: Exploring Nostalgic Trends in Popular Music of the Twenty-First Century , April K. Balay

A Performance Guide to “Four Piano Pieces, Opus 1” By Evgeny Kissin , Andrew Choi

Timeless Light: A Singer’s Compendium of Art Songs for Tenor By Black Composers , Johnnie J. Felder

Negotiating Nationalism: Camille Saint-Saëns, Neoclassicism, and the Early Music Renaissance in France , Joshua Arin Harton

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures Of Nikolai Kapustin’s Piano Sonata No. 6, Opus 62 , Hyun Jung Im

Adapting North American Fiddle Bow Technique to the Double Bass , Spencer Jensen

Approaches to Teaching Music Counting to Piano Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Sunghun Kim

Redefining Ornamentation as Formal Functions in 21 st -Century Popular Music , Matthew Kolar

Lost in Translation: The Largely Unknown Life and Contributions of Johann Joachim Quantz , Kayla Ann Low

Broadway Quodlibets as Hybrid Music , Spencer Ann Martin

Redistributing Cultural Capital: Graduate Programs In Wind Conducting at Historically Black Universities; Toward an Alternate Future , Jamaal William Nicholas

Analysis of Selected Pieces Influenced by Taiwanese Aboriginal Music for Solo Violin and String Quartet , Isabel Hsin-Yi Ong

Margaret Rowell: Pedagogical Approach and Teaching Style , Robert-Christian Sanchez

A Performance Guide to Hyo-Geun Kim’s Art Pop for Korean Art Songs , Taeyoung Seon

Examining Sixth-Grade Students’ Music Agency Through Rhythm Composition , Robert Zagaroli Spearman

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Pedagogical Solo Piano Nocturnes: A Progressive Leveling With Annotations on Stylistic, Technical, and Musical Challenges and Benefits , Michaela Anne Boros

Disparities in Programming African American Solo Vocal Music On College Campuses Across the United States , Ramelle Brooks

Quantitative Data Collection on the Fundamental Components Of Saxophone Tone Production , Matthew Troy Castner

Music as Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Therapy: An Exploratory Literature Review , Amy Arlene Clary

The Music Festival: A Case Study on the Establishment, Development, and Long-Term Success of an Instrumental Music Education Event From a Logistical Perspective , Dakota Corbliss

An Orchestral Conductor’s Guide to the James/Daehler Edition Of The Hinrichs and Winkler Compilation Score to the 1925 Silent Film The Phantom of the Opera , Hayden Richard Denesha

An Annotated Bibliography of Flute Repertoire by Iranian Female Composers , Roya Farzaneh

Composers and Publishers of Parlor Songs and Spirituals from Civil War Richmond: 1861 – 1867 , Michael Gray

A Comparison of Approaches to Pianoforte Technique in the Treatises of Lhevinne, Leimer, and Neuhaus , Louis S. Hehman

The History and Influence of Tim Zimmerman and The King’s Brass , Eric Tyler Henson

A Stylistic Analysis of Edvard Grieg’s Slåtter , Norwegian Peasant Dances, Op. 72 , Zhiyuan He

Transcribing Baroque Lute to Marimba: Viability, Techniques, and Pedagogical Possibilities , Cory James High

One Elementary General Music Teacher’s Uses of and Experiences With Gordon’s Music Learning Theory: A Case Study , Allison Elizabeth Johnson

Cancion Y Danza, Fetes Lointaines, Paisajes By Federico Mompou: A Stylistic Analysis , Qiaoni Liu

The Apprenticeship Structure and the Applied Pedagogical Methods Of the Holy Roman Empire Imperial Trumpeters’ Guild During The 17 th and 18 th Centuries , Noa Miller

Survey of Four North American and Malaysian Theory Methods for Young Pianists , Wen Bin Ong

A Conductor’s Guide to J. N. Hummel’s Forgotten Oratorio: Der Durchzug Durchs Rote Meer , Rebecca J. Ostermann

A Practical Approach for the Applied Voice Instructor Utilizing Limited Piano Skills in the Studio Setting , Lee Whittington Ousley

Adele Aus Der Ohe: Pioneering Through Recital Programming At Carnegie Hall, 1895 , Grace Shepard

Ten Years of Japanese Piano Pedagogy (2009-2018) Through a Survey of Educational Resources , Natsumi Takai

A Comparative Analysis of Selected Works by Chen Qigang: Wu Xing, L’éLoignement, and Luan Tan , Isaac Ormaza Vera

A Pedagogical Analysis of Henglu Yao’s Microkosmos From Chinese Nationalities , Yanting Wang

A Stylistic and Pedagogical Analysis of Select Classical Pieces In Alicia’s Piano Books by Ananda Sukarlan , Karen Kai Yuan Yong

Co-Constructive Music Improvisers: An Ethnographic Case Study , Emma Elizabeth Young

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Performance History of Mahler’s Das Lied Von Der Erde Focusing on Bruno Walter and Leonard Bernstein , Nisan Ak

The Mathematics of Rubato: Analyzing Expressivetiming in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Performances of Hisown Music , Meilun An

Electronic Learning: An Educator’s Guide to Navigating Online Learning in a Collegiate Horn Studio , Michelle Beck

The Clarinet Music of Dr. Austin Jaquith: A Performance Guide , Zachary Aaron Bond

Young Children’s Behaviors During Favorite-Music Repertoire And Other-Music Repertoire , Vanessa Caswell

Five Pieces for Piano by Isang Yun and Piano Etude No.1 by Unsuk Chin: An Analysis , Inhye Cho

Natural Reed Enhancement: Establishing the First Universal Reed Break-In Process Through Hydro-Stabilization , Steven Isaac Christ

Performance Edition of Franz Simandl’s 30 Etudes for the String Bass With Critical Commentary , Austin Gaboriau

A Legacy Preserved: A Comparison of the Careers and Recordings of Stanley Drucker and Karl Leister , Peter M. Geldrich

An Index of Choral Music Performed During the National Conventions of the American Choral Directors Association (1991-2019) , Jonathan Randall Hall

A Stylistic Analysis of Reinhold Glière’s 25 Preludes for Piano, Op. 30 , Sunjoo Lee

The Singing Voice Specialist: An Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds , Rebecca Holbrook Loar

A Pedagogical Analysis of DvořáK’s Poetic Tone Pictures, Op. 85 , Nathan MacAvoy

Focal Dystonia Causes and Treatments: A Guide for Pianists , Juan Nicolás Morales Espitia

Cultivating Socially Just Concert Programming Perspectives through Preservice Music Teachers' Band Experiences: A Multiple Case Study , Christian Matthew Noon

The Clarinet Repertoire of Puerto Rico: An Annotated Bibliography of Compositions Written for the Clarinet During the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries , María Ivelisse Ortiz-Laboy

A Stylistic Analysis of Alexander Tcherepnin's Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 78, With an Emphasis on Eurasian Influences , Qin Ouyang

Time’s Up: How Opera Is Facing Its Own Me Too Reckoning , Craig Price

A Trumpet Player’s Performance Guide of Three Selected Works for Trumpet, Cello, and Piano , Justin Wayne Robinson

The Early Piano Music of Richard Wagner , Annie Rose Tindall-Gibson

A Conductor’s Guide to the Da Vinci Requiem by Cecilia McDowall , Jantsen Blake Touchstone

Composition of Musical and Visual Devices to Create Moments of Resolution in Marching Arts Production Design , Ryan John Williams

Romanticism in Nineteenth-Century Russian Nationalistic Music: Case Studies of Glinka’s Ruslan and Lyudmila and Cui’s Mystic Chorus , Jeffrey Crayton Yelverton Jr.

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Communicative Language in the Compositional Output of Kirke Mechem , Kirstina Rasmussen Collins

Vladimir Pleshakov: A Historiography And Analysis of his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom , Andrew Cameron Pittman

An Analysis of the Compositional Technique and Structures of Howard Hanson's Symphony No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 22 “Nordic” , Eunseok Seo

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Serial Techniques in Works for Unaccompanied Trumpet , William Anonie

Examining Professional Music Teacher Identity: A Mixed Methods Approach with Stringed Instrument Teachers , Elizabeth A. Reed

Guided Music Play Between 2-Year-Old Children and a Music Play Facilitator: A Case Study , Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith

Parents’ Observations Of Their Young Children’s Music Behaviors During Music Classes After Completing The Children’s Music Behavior Inventory , Julia Beck

A Theoretical and Stylistic Analysis of Paul Ben-Haim’s Five Pieces for Piano, Op. 34 and Piano Sonata, Op. 49 , Rachel Bletstein

The Influence Of Mindful Movement On Elementary Students’ Music Listening Enjoyment And Comprehension , Jean Louise Boiteau

Delphine Ugalde: Defying Gender Norms Both On And Off The Stage In 19th Century Paris , Michael T. Brown

A Guide for Playing the Viola Without a Shoulder Rest , Chin Wei Chang

Tertian Relationships In Three Choral Selections By Dan Forrest: A Conductor’s Analysis , Lindsey Cope

Translucent Voices: Creating Sound Pedagogy And Safe Spaces For Transgender Singers In The Choral Rehearsal , Gerald Dorsey Gurss

Seventeen Waltzes For Piano By Leo Ornstein: A Stylistic Analysis , Jared Jones

The Kingma System Flute: Redesigning The Nineteenth-Century Flute For The Twenty-First Century , Diane Elise Kessel

The Effects Of Learning By Rote With La-Based Minor Solmization On Memory Retention For Pre-College Piano Students , Duong Khuc

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of The Arts > School of Music > Theses and Dissertations

Music Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Band Members’ Attitudes Toward the Queer Community and Perception of Band as a Safe Space , Brian J. Panetta

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

A Novel Jazz Music Curriculum for Young Children: Results of A Pilot Study , Jazmin D. Ghent

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Where We Live and Learn to Know: An Oral History of the Rochelle High School Music Program , John Sargeant

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

School Music Administration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Trauma, Loss, Meaning, Change, and Innovation , Christopher Burns

Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Songwriting Self-Efficacy (SSES) with Secondary Music Students , Patrick K. Cooper

Measuring Parental Involvement as Parental Actions in Children’s Private Music Lessons in China , Cancan Cui

Instrumental Music Instruction and Executive Functions: A Cross-Sectional Study of Romanian Children (10-12 Years) , Adrian Sorin Iordache

Racial and Ethnic Difference in Music Performance Self-Efficacy Among Undergraduate Students , George W. Shannon Ii

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Vocal Health of Choral Singers from Kenya and the United States: Dysphonia and Vocal Fatigue in Relation to Musical Genres , Morgan Jolley Burburan

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Two Phenomena in Contemporary Music Education: Mental Toughness and the Law , Jason R. Sivill

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

The Making of a Nationally Recognized Band in a Small, Private Liberal Arts University: The Historical Significance of the Bobby L. Adams Years, 1987-2012 , Joshua David Blair

The Effects of a Self-Regulated Learning Music Practice Strategy Curriculum on Music Performance, Self-Regulation, Self-Efficacy, and Cognition , Kimberly N. Mieder

Music Software in the Compositional Learning Process , Daniel L. Nevels

Behavioral, Affective, and Cognitive Engagement of High School Music Students: Relation to Academic Achievement and Ensemble Performance Ratings , Joel E. Pagán

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Re-envisioning Music Teacher Education: A Comparison of Two Undergraduate Music Education Programs in the U.S. , Jonathan Ross Kladder

Music Ensemble Participation: Personality Traits and Music Experience , Tracy A. Torrance

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Influence of Musical Engagement on Symptoms of Tourette’s Disorder , William Christopher Brown

Motivation of Adult, Auditioned Community Choirs: Implications toward Lifelong Learning , David James Redman

The Effects of Technical and Imagery-based Instruction on Aspiring Performing Artists’ Acquisition of Learning Newly Composed Pieces and Improvisation and on Listeners’ Perceived Expressivity , José Valentino Ruiz-Resto

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Preference of Chinese Undergraduate Music Majors for Chinese Xi-Qu and Western Opera , Hong Chen

Secondary Band Participation and Executive Function , Dakeyan Cha' Dre' Graham

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

An Examination of Cooperating Teachers' Observations of Their Student Teachers in the Areas of Personal, Teaching, and Musical Skills in the Elementary Classroom , Mark Remsen Cole

I Did That Wrong and It Sounded Good: An Ethnographic Study of Vernacular Music Making in Higher Education , Victor Ezquerra

Creativity-Based Music Learning: Modeling the Process and Learning Outcomes in a Massive Open Online Course , Nicholas Michael Stefanic

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

The Relationship between Death Depression and Death Anxiety among Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia , Doaa A. Almostadi

World Percussion Approaches in Collegiate Percussion Programs: A Mixed-methods Study , Patrick Michael Hernly

The Impact of Arranging Music for the Large Ensemble on the Teacher: A Phenomenological Exploration , James Teodor Lindroth

Listening in Action: Students' Mobile Music Experiences in the Digital Age , Rebecca Marie Rinsema

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Performance Production Process of an Outstanding High School Choir , Kathy K. Rolsten

Transitioning from Student to Teacher in the Master-Apprentice Model of Piano Pedagogy: An Exploratory Study of Challenges, Solutions, Resources, Reflections, and Suggestions for the Future , Melissa Maccarelli Slawsky

Self-Efficacy in Music Performance: Measuring the Sources Among Secondary School Music Students , Michael S. Zelenak

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

Analytical Perspectives of Thematic Unity: Applications of Reductive Analysis to Selected Fugues by J.S. Bach and G.F. Handel , Adam C. Perciballi

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Expanded Tonality: The Treatment of Upper and Lower Leading Tones As Evidenced in Sonata "Undine,” IV by Carl Reinecke , Joshua Blizzard

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

The Compositional Style of Francesco Geminiani: a Reflection of Theory and Practice in His Music and Guida Armonica Treatise , Valerie R. Weber

Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004

An Application of the Grundgestalt Concept to the First and Second Sonatas for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 120, No. 1 & No. 2, by Johannes Brahms , Devon Burts

The French Art Song Style in Selected Songs by Charles Ives , Christy Jo Talbott

Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003

Music Programs that Engage Our Communities: Making a Stronger Connection , La Gretta Snowden

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Home » Blog » Dissertation » Topics » Music » Music Dissertation Topics (27 Examples) For Your Academic Research

Music Dissertation Topics (27 Examples) For Your Academic Research

Mark Dec 28, 2019 Jun 5, 2020 Music No Comments

We are here to provide you with good ideas and help related to music dissertation topics when it comes to music industry-based dissertations. It is a creative field and good idea to specialize in this genre. We offer a wide range of music dissertation topics and project topics on music. You can make your choices […]

We are here to provide you with good ideas and help related to music dissertation topics when it comes to music industry-based dissertations. It is a creative field and good idea to specialize in this genre. We offer a wide range of music dissertation topics and project topics on music.

You can make your choices and select research topics on music and allow us to help you by offering quality writing services.

A list Of music dissertaton topics

To find out the pros and cons of legal music sharing sites for upcoming artists.

Impact of music talent shows on the music industry.

Factors that can contribute to gaining a major record label.

Analysing the history of music in the United States.

Exploring the idea of integrating music education with other subjects to improve learning.

Comparing two different influential music educators.

Analysing the origin of popular music pedagogy.

Identifying what is the basis of Indian classical music.

What are different methods of assessment used in music education?

Examining the correlation between character traits and music preferences.

Evaluating the historical and cultural development of different music style.

To find out how music contributes to treat various physical, mental, and psychological disorders.

Examining the impact of digital recording technology on the music industry.

Finding out the challenges related to street performance.

Studying the positive and negative effects of music on the health of people.

Strategies for marketing the music to the general audience.

The role of technology in developing, marketing, and creating the music people love today.

Comparison of music eras that had the best music content ever.

Exploring music from different countries.

The importance of teaching music to the younger generation.

Comparing the famous musicians and famous composers.

Exploring the concept of music therapy and its role.

Analysing the great women in music and their contribution.

To study the history of the piano.

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> Author: Tutor: School: Course: Keywords:     CLC: Type: Master's thesis Year: 2008 Downloads: 994 Quote: 4 Read: therapy in rehabilitation medicine , occupational therapy, physical therapy and psychological therapy , which combines music listening , singing , playing the show as a whole , while a combination of these other therapies while application . Music therapy is rich in content , forms and reliable effect . From time immemorial , people had the music used in the treatment of disease , may initially be a song and dance of worship or witch doctor , and later evolved into a unique system . With health model to the bio - psycho - social changes in the direction of medical reflects more humane treatment , therefore painless , non-invasive music therapy is widely used in clinical subjects . The purpose of this thesis is a collection of literature , including the theory and practice finishing music therapy in clinical treatment and rehabilitation applications . Analysis of the mechanism and the role of music therapy in clinical treatment and rehabilitation status Looking to the future direction of development . This thesis is divided into three parts . Finishing the first part of our history books collected medical knowledge about music therapy , medical case , analyze the mechanism of the traditional music therapy and introduction to methods of application , incorporating application examples of some of the traditional music therapy in clinical treatment and rehabilitation . The second part of the analysis , to explore the course of development of the modern Western music therapy , Introduction of modern music therapy treatment mechanism , application and clinical application . The third part of the traditional music therapy were analyzed and compared with the modern music therapy . Explore the similarities and differences between the two , music therapy , and analysis of the advantages in clinical application of music therapy and traditional Chinese music therapy improvements . There are a lot of literature and practical experience of music therapy in clinical treatment and rehabilitation , theory and method also need to explore and organize in order to enrich the theory and practice of modern rehabilitation medicine . 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Posted July 1, 2024 | Reviewed by Davia Sills If you’re an audiophile, beware choosing just any music when you’re writing—and listen to vocals sparingly. Choose instrumental music if your topic is challenging to make it easier on your working memory. If you want a creativity edge, listen to music before you write. Silence is then golden. In a study by two researchers at University College London, 10- and 11-year-olds were asked to write an “exciting” story. Some wrote while listening to exciting music—"I Spy, The Looking Glass" (a breakbeat instrumental). Some wrote to calming music—"Gymnopodies" by Erik Satie (slow-moving piano). And some wrote in silence. Which kids do you think wrote the most exciting pieces? Surprisingly, the ones listening to either calming music or silence (about the same), according to independent judges. And which music did the kids perceive worked best? The exciting music. The kids in the “exciting” group not only did not write better, however. They had more trouble getting started, were more restless and fidgety, and asked lots of non-task-related questions.[i] They were distracted. This research, though involving youngsters, reflects decades of research on the impact of listening to music on adult cognitive performance: People doing cognitive tasks while listening to music—adults or children—have a tough time, and they often don’t realize it. Experiments give mixed, sometimes conflicting results, however.[ii] They also point to different effects among people with different personalities.[iii] If you enjoy listening to music while you write, science offers just a couple of general guidelines. First, if you’re a diehard write-to-music type, you’ll do best to listen to instrumental music. People who listen to instrumentals often perform cognitive tasks just about as well as if they perform in silence.[iv] Second, if you can’t resist playing an exciting tune, especially one with vocals, listen before you write. You might have thought that listening to what you like works best to inspire writing with more impact. That’s what the kids thought. But the research shows that three factors should figure into your choice. 1. Choose music to fit your task. If you’re writing something easy—rehashing familiar ideas, tailoring passages for a fresh audience—you can just as well listen to whatever you like. The reason is that your working memory can handle the processing of both the music and of language production. Working memory is the constraining factor. If you have some to spare, you won’t hinder your performance. Some experiments even show the music will help you perform better. Manuel Gonzalez and John Aiello at Baruch College and Rutgers conducted an experiment in which they had people perform simple verbal tasks—finding words in a list with specific letters. The people performed better while listening to music. But the story was the reverse for complex verbal tasks—remembering the second word of a word pair read earlier.[v] So if you’re expressing new ideas, beware burdening yourself with too much to process. Music can hijack essential capacity you need—or at least slow your output. In a study of college students who were writing original 10-minute essays, researchers found that listening to music cut their output by roughly 60 words an hour.[vi] 2. Choose music to fit your personality. A number of studies have compared the cognitive performance of music-listening introverts versus extraverts . In studies that tested verbal tasks—tasks like finding synonyms and antonyms—extraverts did just as well while listening to music.[vii] Not so for the introverts. They performed worse. Researchers theorize that the extraverts preferred and sought external stimulation owing to their lower resting cortical activity, and they had the working memory to accommodate it. Gonzalez and Aiello at Baruch and Rutgers, who included both introverts and extraverts in their 2019 research, found mixed results, however. The capacity or people to listen and perform cognitively depended on the difficulty of the task.[viii] So if you’re wondering: Do I have extra leeway to add audio stimuli to the background and perform well? You may if you’re an extravert. But if you’re an introvert, forget it. Future research may confirm these results. 3. Choose music at the right time. You have another option as an audiophile. Listen to music before you write. A number of studies examine the effect of music on cognitive tasks performed after listening. Although this research also remains inconclusive, it yields interesting results. A contingent of researchers speculated for years that music aided cognitive performance—at least performance of certain kinds. In one landmark experiment, researchers showed that people who had just listened to a Mozart sonata performed better on spatial-temporal tasks.[ix] The results kicked up a media craze, and more than one news story in the 1990s promoted a thesis that overshot the data, dubbing the finding the “Mozart effect.” Small children, guided by their parents, were then led to believe that music had almost magical cognitive-enhancing powers. Alas, nobody has been able to replicate the Mozart effect.[x] The pop psychology that grew from the Mozart study…popped. Still, a piece of the theory has remained in play. It suggested that music can put people in a right mood to facilitate cognition.[xi] Researchers in recent years can’t find much empirical backing for that either, but an intriguing, related line of research makes one wonder about another effect—on verbal creativity . Katherine Eskine at Wheaton College led a study in which people were asked to listen to 260-second-long music tracks. The music included hip-hop (“Can’t Hold Us” by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis) and classical (Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik”). Afterwards—after the music quit—the Eskine team asked people to perform 38 compound remote associates tasks (so-called CRATs). Each such CRAT challenges people to combine a set of three words given to them (“stick,” “maker,” “point”) with a fourth of their own that goes with the initial three—more or less as prefixes or suffixes. Solving CRATs, a widespread experimental technique, is believed to be a measure of creativity, and Eskine’s team’s results were clear: Although people who listened to the music did not report changed moods, they did perform much better in solving CRATs.[xii] The implication? If you’re trying to be creative verbally, play the music beforehand. It can help you to then connect faint—yet fruitful—thoughts across distant and disparate parts of your brain. And such connections can help you to come up with something new—in this case, the word “match.” Why music would induce creativity remains speculative. But experiments suggest that the music does have a positive effect on mood—as in the calming music for those kids. Yet other research shows this positive mood can spur the emergence of insights. These insights, so the evidence suggests, come from intuitive instead of analytical thinking.[xiii] Whether you finally decide to write to music, of course, is up to you. But when you choose, the lesson is not to refrain altogether—or to just listen to instrumentals. It is to pick the right time and right music for the right writing job. Let your museful common sense, in other words, be your guide.[xiv] [i] Susan Hallam and Carey Godwin, "Actual and Perceived Effects of Background Music on Creative Writing in the Primary Classroom," Psychology of Education Review 39, no. 2 (2015). [ii] John Elwood Romig and Amanda A Olsen, "Examining the Impact of Listening to Music on Writing Fluency," Educational Studies (2024). See also Wilson Lim, Adrian Furnham, and Alastair McClelland, "Investigating the Effects of Background Noise and Music on Cognitive Test Performance in Introverts and Extraverts: A Cross-Cultural Study," Psychology of Music 50, no. 3 (2022). [iii] Manuel F Gonzalez and John R Aiello, "More Than Meets the Ear: Investigating How Music Affects Cognitive Task Performance," Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied 25, no. 3 (2019). [iv] Yiting Cheah et al., "Background Music and Cognitive Task Performance: A Systematic Review of Task, Music, and Population Impact," Music & Science 5 (2022). [v] Gonzalez and Aiello, "More Than Meets the Ear: Investigating How Music Affects Cognitive Task Performance." [vi] Sarah E Ransdell and Lee Gilroy, "The Effects of Background Music on Word Processed Writing," Computers in Human Behavior 17, no. 2 (2001). [vii] Cheah et al., "Background Music and Cognitive Task Performance: A Systematic Review of Task, Music, and Population Impact." [viii] Gonzalez and Aiello, "More Than Meets the Ear: Investigating How Music Affects Cognitive Task Performance." [ix] Frances H Rauscher, "Music and Spatial Task Performance: A Causal Relationship," Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association (102nd, Los Angeles, CA, August 12-16,) (1994). [x] Mehr SA, Schachner A, Katz RC, Spelke ES (2013) Two Randomized Trials Provide No Consistent Evidence for Nonmusical Cognitive Benefits of Brief Preschool Music Enrichment. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82007. [xi] Gonzalez and Aiello, "More Than Meets the Ear: Investigating How Music Affects Cognitive Task Performance." [xii] Katherine E Eskine et al., "Effects of Music Listening on Creative Cognition and Semantic Memory Retrieval," Psychology of Music 48, no. 4 (2020). [xiii] Mark Beeman, Professor of Psychology, Northwestern University, personal communication, May 5, 2022. [xiv] Luca Kiss and Karina J Linnell, "Making Sense of Background Music Listening Habits: An Arousal and Task-Complexity Account," Psychology of Music 51, no. 1 (2023). Bill Birchard is a writer, writing coach, and book consultant. He writes about the neuroscience and psychology of writing. His most recent book is Writing for Impact: 8 Secrets from Science That Will Fire Up Your Reader’s Brains. Find a Therapist Find a Treatment Center Find a Psychiatrist Find a Support Group Find Online Therapy United States Brooklyn, NY Chicago, IL Houston, TX Los Angeles, CA New York, NY Portland, OR San Diego, CA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA Washington, DC Asperger's Bipolar Disorder Chronic Pain Eating Disorders Passive Aggression Personality Goal Setting Positive Psychology Stopping Smoking Low Sexual Desire Relationships Child Development Self Tests NEW Therapy Center Diagnosis Dictionary Types of Therapy Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself. Emotional Intelligence Gaslighting Affective Forecasting Neuroscience 243 IMAGES Music As Therapy Thesis ️ Music therapy research questions. Research. 2019-02-28 10 Page Summary (PDF) MA Dissertation: A MUSICIAN TO BE Music Business Dissertation Music Research Paper Topics You Might Consider Using VIDEO Music therapy and how it enhances our experiences Music and mental health. Transportation Dissertation Topics 200 MBA Research Dissertation Topics 2024 Music therapy: How can music help us connect? Groove Therapy: Drumming to Transform Mental Wellness COMMENTS Music Therapy Theses Wilson, S. H. (2014). Music therapy support groups for family caregivers of individuals residing in long- term care facilities: A survey of music therapists and interviews with current family caregivers. Chwalek, C. M. (2013). The use of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) in music therapy: A survey of current practice. 20+ Music Dissertation Topics More Music Dissertation Topics. Topic. 1: Major music platforms in the world: Topic. 2: Impact of music talent shows on music: Topic. 3: Health benefit of music: Topic. 4: Pop music in the contemporary world. Topic. 5: Role of technology in music. Topic. 6: Music in Hollywood. Music Therapy Student Research Projects Alison Belinsky (clinical project), Development of a Musical Executive Function Training protocol for adults with schizophrenia John Britton (clinical project), The Development of a Music-mindfulness Intervention for Patients with Cancer Ruthanne Cain (clinical project), The Role of Musical Triggers in Substance Use Disorder Carolyn Dachinger (thesis), Impulsivity and Performance on a Music ... Lindell Library: Music Therapy: Find Theses/Dissertations Several of the core databases for music therapy are good places to start, but don't stop there. Open Dissertations, Google Scholar and other tools can also be good sources for theses and dissertations. Before searching any of the databases below, think carefully about your search topic and try to identify multiple synonyms for key search terms. PDF A Survey of Music Therapists' Experiences Seeking Therapy onald E. Shield, PhD Dean, College of Arts & MediaABSTRACTKendrick, Claire Jean, Survey of Music Therapists' Experiences Seeking Therapy. Master of Music (Music Therapy) A. The purpose of this study was to investigate therapy-seeking behaviors of board-. certified music therapists, specifically regarding the rate of past and present therapy. Effects of music therapy on depression: A meta-analysis of randomized Music therapy exhibited a significant reduction in depressive symptom ... This article addresses an important topic that is of interest to music therapists, psychiatrists and teachers and metal health practitioners. ... A study of the use of music therapy techniques in a group for the treatment of adolescent depression. Dissertation Abstracts ... PDF WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY? HOW DOES IT WORK AND WHAT ... In many countries, music therapy is a recognised clinical discipline with well-evidenced benefits to people with disabilities, emotional difficulties, mental health difficulties and a wide variety of special needs1. Music therapy is now a truly international practice, with developments in South America, Africa, Asia Dissertations / Theses: 'Music therapy' Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Music therapy.' Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc. Music Therapy Dissertation Topics Music Therapy Dissertation Topics - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The document discusses the challenges of writing a dissertation in music therapy. It notes that a music therapy dissertation requires extensive research and analysis across diverse topics related to both music theory and therapeutic practices. Thesis or Clinical Paper in Music Therapy The Master of Music Therapy candidate has two options for the culminating project within the degree requirements. These are the thesis and the creative project in music therapy.Thesis: The thesis entails proposal, design, implementation, and scholarly documentation of an original research investigation. Students interested in completing a thesis are advised to begin the process early in ... Molloy College Music Therapy Theses Theses/Dissertations from 2022. PDF. A Thematic Analysis of the Clinician's Experience of Individual Music Therapy in Skilled Nursing Facilities with Older Adults, Jaycie Perretta. PDF. Music Therapist Experiences of Meaningful Moments in Short-term Medical Settings: A Thematic Analysis, Haojie Lyu. PDF. Music Therapy and Depression: Creating an Effective and Functional With a prevalence of 8% of adults in the U.S., severe. depression is characterized by increased sadness, loss of energy, depleted perception of. self-worth, guilt, and other symptoms. MDD specifically requires the experience of a. Major Depressive Episode, which occurs at least once in life for 19% of adults in the. Research Guides: Music Therapy: Find Dissertations Explore resources in Music Therapy including music, medicine, psychology, education, and others! ... RILM indexes dissertations related to music. Library Catalog. Search the Online Catalog with terms from your topic and add the phrase "Temple University theses" to the search. Music Therapy Thesis Topics Music Therapy Thesis Topics - Free download as PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. music therapy thesis topics Music Theses and Dissertations Theses/Dissertations from 2022. PDF. Social Music Interactions and Vocal Music Improvisations in a Serve and Return Music Community, Kathleen Kaye Arrasmith. PDF. Comfort Food for the Ears: Exploring Nostalgic Trends in Popular Music of the Twenty-First Century, April K. Balay. PDF. Music Theses and Dissertations Theses/Dissertations from 2021. PDF. School Music Administration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Trauma, Loss, Meaning, Change, and Innovation, Christopher Burns. PDF. Development and Validation of a Scale to Measure Songwriting Self-Efficacy (SSES) with Secondary Music Students, Patrick K. Cooper. PDF. PDF Music Therapy for Patients With Dementia: Evidence Informed ... Approved by: Dr. Melissa Goldsmith College of Nursing Abstract. This thesis will explore the research on implementing music therapy into the carehhh_WD:WWyNNNNYN_TNNT. patients with dementia to decrehhh_WD:WWyNNNNYN_TNNTase. anxiety, Dementi agitation, is a term and to depression. Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Flores, Liisa G., "A Content Analysis of Music Therapy Theses and Dissertations from 2000 to 2012 from AMTA Approved Graduate Programs" (2013). Master's Theses. 122. ... Therapy, Music TherapyPerspectives, andArts inPsychotherapy. ... threejournalspublished anevenbalanceofclinical,research andgeneral topics; and. weremoreclinicallybased ... Music Dissertation Topics (27 Examples) For Your Academic Research Undergraduate: £30 (250 Words) Master: £45 (400 Words) Doctoral: £70 (600 Words) Along with a topic, you will also get; An explanation why we choose this topic. 2-3 research questions. Key literature resources identification. Suitable methodology with identification of raw sample size, and data collection method. Dissertations / Theses: 'Music therapy practices' List of dissertations / theses on the topic 'Music therapy practices'. Scholarly publications with full text pdf download. Related research topic ideas. Bibliography; Subscribe; ... Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Music therapy practices' To see the other types of publications on this topic, follow the link: Music therapy practices. Author Unlocking the Power of Music Therapy for Dementia Patients Effects Of Music Therapy On Individuals With Dementia: An Intergrative Literature Review, Liani Sanchez Honors in the Major Theses The purpose of this integrative review was to examine the effects of music therapy, a complementary intervention, on individuals with dementia. Some professors recommend having a list of three to five topics for a backup plan. Music therapy literature Music therapy in rehabilitation medicine , occupational therapy, physical therapy and psychological therapy , which combines music listening , singing , playing the show as a whole , while a combinati. Dissertation > Excellent graduate degree dissertation topics show Music therapy literature Author: XingYiFan Tutor: LinYin School: Beijing ... Dissertations / Theses: 'Music therapy. Music' List of dissertations / theses on the topic 'Music therapy. Music'. Scholarly publications with full text pdf download. Related research topic ideas. Music to Write By In a study by two researchers at University College London, 10- and 11-year-olds were asked to write an "exciting" story. Some wrote while listening to exciting music—"I Spy, The Looking ... assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis