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

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

Clinicians’ Views of Music Therapy: Emotional Support, Communication, and Quality of Life

Article Overview

This 2024 qualitative study explores clinicians’ views of music therapy for hospitalized children and adolescents. Published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing, the study used two focus groups with 18 healthcare professionals after an interactive music therapy session to examine how clinicians perceived the role of music therapy in pediatric hospital care.

Clinicians described music therapy as supportive of emotional support, communication, coping, and quality of life for children and adolescents in the hospital. They also identified benefits related to emotional expression, family support, and the overall care experience, suggesting that music therapy may contribute to more relational and holistic pediatric care.

Why This Matters

This article matters because it shows how clinicians in pediatric hospital settings view music therapy as part of patient care. While the study does not measure clinical outcomes directly, it offers valuable insight into how music therapy is recognized by professionals working with hospitalized children and adolescents every day.

For a public-facing music therapy library, this article helps explain that music therapy in hospitals is not simply entertainment. According to clinicians in the study, music therapy may support emotional support, communication, coping, and quality of life in pediatric care. That makes it a strong supporting article for families, hospitals, and referral sources interested in child and adolescent music therapy.

Barrio, M., Moreno-Mulet, C., Romero-García, M., & Ríos-Risquez, M. I. (2024). Healthcare professionals’ perceptions towards music therapy for hospitalized children and adolescents: A qualitative study. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 79, e191–e198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2024.07.022

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Woman and Child, Kate Greenaway, 1883

Music Therapy in the ICU: Comfort, Connection, and the Human Side of Recovery

Article Overview

Music therapy is increasingly being explored in hospital and critical care settings as a supportive, patient-centered intervention. In this 2025 qualitative study, researchers examined how patients in a critical care unit experienced a 20-minute music therapy session led by a qualified music therapist. The study included 14 patients and focused on their perceptions of how music therapy influenced stress, illness, and recovery.

Three major themes emerged from the study: humanizing and accompanying the critical care experience, music therapy as a form of relaxation, and relief and recovery through music therapy. Patients described music therapy as comforting, emotionally connecting, and helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, pain, and feelings of isolation during ICU care.

Why This Matters

Critical care can be overwhelming, disorienting, and emotionally intense. This study matters because it shows that music therapy may support more than symptom relief. It may also help humanize care, create emotional connection, and offer patients a sense of comfort and identity in a highly medicalized environment.

For patients, families, nurses, and healthcare teams, this article highlights music therapy as a non-pharmacological approach that may support relaxation, coping, and emotional recovery in the ICU. The study also emphasizes the role of interdisciplinary care and suggests that personalized music therapy can become a meaningful part of critical care practice.

Saldaña-Ortiz, V., Recio-Rivas, A., Mansilla-Domínguez, J. M., & Martínez-Miguel, E. (2025). Impact of music therapy on patients in the critical care unit: A qualitative study. Nursing in Critical Care, 30, e70099. https://doi.org/10.1111/nicc.70099

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The Duet, James McNeill Whistler, 1894.