Music Therapy in Palliative Care: Meaning, Spiritual Well-Being, and Emotional Support

Article Overview

Music therapy is increasingly being studied as a supportive intervention for people receiving palliative care, especially when emotional, existential, and spiritual needs become more urgent near the end of life. In this 2021 multicenter randomized controlled trial, researchers evaluated the “Song of Life” intervention, a brief biographical music therapy approach built around a personally meaningful song. The study included 104 patients receiving specialized palliative care and compared the music therapy intervention with a relaxation control.

The findings showed no significant differences in psychological or global quality of life, but patients in the Song of Life group reported higher spiritual well-being, higher ego-integrity, and lower distress than those in the control group. Patients and family members also rated the intervention as more meaningful and important, supporting the idea that biographical music therapy may help address emotional and existential concerns near the end of life.

Why This Matters

This article matters because it highlights a form of music therapy that is clearly rooted in the therapeutic relationship, personal biography, and meaning-making rather than passive music listening alone. The paper explains that music therapy in palliative care can support communication, spiritual experience, and the integration of life events, and that the Song of Life method combines life review with creative arts therapy in a brief format suited to end-of-life care.

It is also important because the study offers stronger evidence than many descriptive or exploratory papers in this area. As a multicenter randomized controlled trial, it gives your site library a credible research piece on music therapy in palliative care, spiritual well-being, distress reduction, and end-of-life support. At the same time, it should be framed accurately: the strongest effects were found in spiritual well-being, ego-integrity, distress, and treatment meaningfulness, not in overall quality of life.

Warth, M., Koehler, F., Brehmen, M., Weber, M., Bardenheuer, H. J., Ditzen, B., & Kessler, J. (2021). “Song of Life”: Results of a multicenter randomized trial on the effects of biographical music therapy in palliative care. Palliative Medicine, 35(6), 1126–1136. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692163211010394

Read The Full Article

Landscape with Stars, Henri-Edmond Cross, ca. 1905–1908

Music Therapy Choir for Dementia: Anxiety, Depression, and Connection in Community Care

Article Overview

This randomized controlled trial examined whether participation in a therapeutic choir could support people living with dementia and their primary caregivers in community settings. The Remini-Sing intervention was designed to explore outcomes related to relationship quality, quality of life, depression, social connectedness, caregiver burden, and anxiety in dementia-caregiver dyads.

Choir sessions included vocal warm-ups, familiar songs chosen by participants, simple part singing, and social time over refreshments. Although the study was underpowered because recruitment and retention fell short of the original target, the choir group showed encouraging reductions in depression and anxiety for people with dementia, with medium to large effect sizes that suggest therapeutic choir participation may be promising for future research.

Why This Matters

Dementia affects not only memory and cognition, but also mood, social connection, and the wellbeing of family caregivers. This article matters because it studies a community-based music therapy approach that is accessible, relational, and enjoyable for both people with dementia and those who care for them. It also highlights how shared music experiences may support meaningful interaction and emotional wellbeing outside of institutional care settings.

Just as importantly, the article is transparent about its limitations. The trial did not find statistically significant effects, largely because the final sample was much smaller than planned, but it still offers a useful and honest picture of what therapeutic choir participation may be able to support. For readers, families, and clinicians, it shows that music therapy research in dementia care is moving toward real-world, community-based interventions that prioritize connection as well as clinical outcomes.

Tamplin, J., Thompson, Z., Clark, I. N., Teggelove, K., & Baker, F. A. (2024). Remini-Sing RCT: Therapeutic choir participation for community-dwelling people with dementia and their primary caregivers. Journal of Music Therapy, 61(3), 263–287. https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thae008

Read The Full Article

Music Therapy for Surgery Recovery: Pain Relief, Anxiety Support, and Recovery

Article Overview

This 2025 randomized controlled trial examined whether music therapy could help reduce pain and anxiety in adults undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty, also known as shoulder replacement surgery. Patients were assigned to live music therapy, therapist-designed recorded music therapy, or standard care without music therapy. The study defined music therapy as music-based interventions provided by a board-certified music therapist.

Researchers found that both live and recorded music therapy were associated with significantly greater reductions in pain and anxiety than standard care alone. There were no significant differences between the live and recorded music therapy groups overall, suggesting that therapist-designed recorded interventions may also be a practical option in medical settings. The study did not find significant differences in opioid use across groups.

Why This Matters

This article is a strong fit for a public-facing music therapy library because it shows music therapy being used in a real medical setting for concrete clinical goals: reducing perioperative pain and anxiety. It also helps clarify that music therapy is not simply background music, but a structured, evidence-based intervention designed by trained music therapists.

It is also useful because the findings are practical and credible. If therapist-designed recorded music therapy can support outcomes similarly to live delivery in this context, hospitals and surgical teams may have more flexible ways to integrate music therapy into patient care. At the same time, the study stays appropriately cautious by noting limits such as its nonblinded design and single-site sample.

Armstrong, A. D., Starr, D. J., Sweet, M. D., Barillas, B., Chamberlin, A., Fioravanti, T., Napoli, C., Pahomov, E., George, S. Z., Schwab, S. M., & Weed, J. T. (2026). Live versus recorded music therapy intervention in shoulder arthroplasty. JSES International, 10, 101438. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseint.2025.101438

Read The Full Article

A Bouquet of Flowers, Clara Peeters, ca. 1612

Music Therapy for Women Living with Depression: Daily Functioning, Emotion Regulation, and Quality of Life

Article Overview

This 2025 study explored whether group music therapy could support women living with major depressive disorder. In a randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, 102 women were assigned either to group music therapy or to a waitlist control condition. Researchers measured depressive symptoms through observer ratings, self-reports, and everyday-life assessments, while also examining emotion regulation and quality of life.

The findings were nuanced but meaningful. While observer-rated and self-reported depression scores improved without reaching statistical significance, the music therapy group showed statistically significant benefits in depressive symptoms experienced in daily life, along with improvements in quality of life and emotion regulation strategies. The study also found that these benefits were stronger immediately after treatment than at longer-term follow-up.

Why This Matters

This article is valuable because it presents music therapy as a clinically relevant, evidence-based intervention for depression while avoiding overstated claims. Instead of suggesting a simple cure, the study shows that group music therapy may offer meaningful short-term support in daily functioning, emotional coping, and overall well-being for women with depression.

For a public-facing music therapy library, this kind of research builds trust. It comes from a peer-reviewed journal, uses an RCT design, and highlights measurable outcomes that matter to clients, families, and referral sources. It is especially useful for showing how music therapy can support mental health in practical, lived ways beyond symptom scores alone.

Gaebel, C., Stoffel, M., Aguilar-Raab, C., Jarczok, M. N., Rittner, S., Ditzen, B., & Warth, M. (2025). Effects of group music therapy on depressive symptoms in women – The MUSED-study: Results from a randomized-controlled trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 374, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2025.01.011

Read The Full Article

Portrait of a Young Woman (Miss Seaton) (Dorothy Seaton), James McNeill Whistler, 1897