Nordic Journal of Music Therapy

08/09/2025

Check out the latest article in NJMT to learn about the application of Guided Imagery and Music🎶

This study is titled “The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music forwomen with non-metastatic breast cancer: Exploring effects on distress, quality of life, and neuroendocrine hormone level,” Authored by Cathy H. McKinney, Marilyn F. Clark, Michael H. Antoni, Mahendra Kumar & Adarsh M. Kumar, it aimed to investigate the effects of a series of six individual GIM sessions on distress, Quality of Life, and relevant physiological markers(cortisol and melatonin) in women recovering from diagnosis and treatment of non-metastatic (Stage I or Stage II) breast cancer.

The authors write, “The series of GIM sessions were associated with significantly reduced levels of depressed mood and TMD increased emotional and social well-being and well-being associated with breast cancer concerns, and decreased intrusive thoughts and avoidance behaviors related to cancer”. Although the authors pointed out that, because the sample size was small, the findings should be interpreted with caution, they noted statistically significant improvements in relevant psychosocial variables, highlighting the intervention’s power to drive positive psychological change.

You can read this article through your subscription or institution via:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/08098131.2025.2497803

Congratulations to the authors on this important work in music therapy! Thanks to the editor, reviewers, and technical team for supporting the development of this publication! 🎉

06/09/2025

Latest Original Research Article featured in NJMT Facebook and Instagram🌟!

This qualitative study, titled "A qualitative exploration of music therapy practice development in intellectual disability services in Ireland: 'The future is the community'," aimed to deepen the understanding of music therapy service development in Intellectual Disability (ID) settings in Ireland. Authored by Marie Glynn, Alexandra Wrigley and Tríona McCaffrey, it explored the expectations and experiences of both music therapists and music therapy managers in establishing new music therapy services within this health and social care sector, shedding light on potential challenges and possibilities.

The authors write, “Our findings suggest that as music therapists embark on the service development task it is advantageous that they remain open-minded, curious, flexible and clearly focussed on how music therapy can best support the needs of those who use their services". This quote captures the essential attributes and mindset recommended for music therapists to navigate the complexities of developing new services, particularly in the Intellectual Disability sector in Ireland.

You can read this open-access article via:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/08098131.2025.2488752

Congratulations to the authors on this important work in music therapy! Thanks to the editor, reviewers, and technical team for supporting the development of this publication!

02/09/2025

Behind the Scene! Associate editor meetings ✨

Associate Editors of the Nordic Journal Music Therapy usually work independently, collaborating with reviewers and authors to ensure quality publication. It’s a great space for editors from around the world to gather regularly online to discuss challenges and insights within the publication process and the journal’s development. It’s also a platform to share knowledge, experience, and support! 🤝

Huge thanks to our editors for their hard work and dedication in supporting the advancement and expansion of music therapy knowledge. 🙌🎶

Image description:
Top Row: Grace Thompson (Editor-in-Chief), Sunny Wong (Associate Editor of Communications), Andeline dos Santos (Associate Editor)
2nd Row: Imogen Clark (Associate Editor), Monika Geretsegger (Managing Editor), Orii McDermott (Associate Editor)
3rd Row: Bill Matney (Associate Editor), Josephine Geipel (Associate Editor), Ming Hung Hsu (Associate Editor - Book Review)
The background is an illustration of the Earth, representing editors coming from different places around the world.

19/08/2025

📚 Interested in intercultural perspectives in music therapy practice? Check out our latest book review!

(Book details on the 2nd page!)

Thanks to Meg Steele for her thoughtful and engaging review of the book Intercultural music therapy consultation research: Shared humanity in collaborative theory and practice (authored by Lisa Margetts). This book introduces a music therapy consultation research project with special educators in Belarus, and explores the author’s reflexive processes being an experienced research-practitioner.

In the review, Meg writes: “Margetts’ book is a fantastic resource for any music therapist wishing to delve into the practice of consulting with other professionals, moving away from skilling up others to use music therapeutically towards a reminder of what a music therapist can offer – a different way of being with other humans.” 💡

Whether you’re a student, therapist, researcher, or curious about music therapy, this book explains a rich model of intercultural consultation, exploring teamwork, relationships, and sustainability! 🙌

You can read the book review through your institute or subscription: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2025.2528783

15/08/2025

Latest Original Research Article featured in NJMT Facebook and Instagram🌟!

This new online-first article is titled “The effects of live vs. pre-recorded monochord sounds on healthy adults: Study protocol for a crossover randomized controlled trial”, authored by Diandra Russo, Annkathrin Pöpel, Sarah Elizabeth Lebeck-Jobe, Peter Färber, Hanne Mette Ridder and Sandra Lutz Hochreutener.

The article is a study protocol that aims to examine the effects of live vs. pre-recorded monochord sounds on the autonomic nervous system response, such as heart rate variability (HRV) and electrodermal activity (EDA), and explore possible associations between physiological data, social connectedness, and musical attributes in a dyadic setting.

Read more about this open-access study protocol:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2025.2524859?src=exp-la

You can also connect with the corresponding author Ms Diandra Russo via these social media:

Instagram:
LinkedIn/Facebook: Diandra Russo

Congratulations to the authors on this important work in music therapy! Thanks to the editor, reviewers, and technical team for supporting the development of this publication!

Image 1 is titled “Original Research Article,” subtitled “The effects of live vs. pre-recorded monochord sounds on healthy adults: Study protocol for a crossover randomized controlled trial”. Below are the headshots of the six authors. Image 2 features a quote from the article. The authors write, “The study may contribute significantly to the intentional application of live and/or pre-recorded monochord sounds in preventative care for healthy individuals and inform further investigations focusing on individuals with stress-related disorders. Findings gained from healthy participants could contribute to and advance evidence-based receptive music therapy treatments.” Both images use a background image of a monochord, the article’s focus. At the bottom, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy and the journal’s 2025 cover image, “The Pianist,” are shown.

12/08/2025

NJMT is on Instagram now!

🎉 Exciting news! The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy is now on Instagram! Follow us for the latest research updates, inspiring stories, and all things about music therapy from around the world!

Our Instagram Username: (Nordic Journal of Music Therapy)

Stay connected, stay inspired!



Image description:
The top of the image features three issues of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy from 2023, 2024, and 2025, each with a distinctive cover. At the bottom, the image is titled “Nordic Journal of Music Therapy is on Instagram now!” with the subtitle “Follow us .” The bottom right shows the 2025 cover image, “The Pianist.”

30/07/2025

🎼How can music therapy programs support international students?📚✏️

Today, we are looking at the final article in the newest edition of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (Volume 34, Issue 4)! It is an original research article titled “Supporting Asian international music therapy students in the United States: A thematic analysis”. Authored by Parintorn Pankaew and Michael Silverman, this qualitative study aims to understand the lived experiences of international music therapy students and to identify their recommendations for how music therapy programs can support them.

The authors write, "Theme 2 highlights the responsibilities of the college/university in providing comprehensive support for international students. Recognizing the distinct roles of various stakeholders within the institutional ecosystem, this section underscores the need for collaborative approaches. ... The participants identified ways for institutions to promote cultural understanding. Participants consistently mentioned genuine humility and respect as the most important aspects for promoting cultural understanding. Emily and Olivia highlighted the importance of having people who showed respect for their cultures and refrained from imposing their own cultural perspectives as 'right or wrong.' Participants recommended that educators maintain an open-minded attitudes toward diverse cultures."

You can read the abstract via the link below. You are also welcome to access the full article through your subscriptions or institution:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2025.2464626

To date, researchers have explored the experiences and challenges of international students but there is limited published literature regarding how music therapy programs can support international ...

29/07/2025

Want to know more about the integration of Music 🎼 and Physiotherapy🚶‍♂️? Come explore the latest research in NJMT!

Today, we are highlighting the fourth article in the newest edition of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (Volume 34, Issue 4)! It is an original research article titled “Group rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease: A case study combining music and physiotherapy,” authored by Jaana Ruotsalainen, Emily Carlson, and Jaakko Erkkilä.

This study presents a case example of an integrated approach in the form of a small group therapy intervention integrating music and physiotherapy methods.

The authors write, "One focus of this study is the potential for music therapy to be used to address both physical and psychological challenges facing people with Parkinson's Disease in an integrated way, in contrast with the need for patients to participate in multiple types of therapy. The findings that the participants generally improved their bodily flexibility and ability to relax, along with improvements in their self-assessed mood and social engagement, may reflect a mutual positive influence of physical and psychological factors. The positive and relaxed atmosphere in the sessions reported in this case study may have influenced participants to succeed in rhythmic motor training. Also, both physio and music therapy methods that addressed the participants’ stooped posture due to PD seemed to positively influence body awareness and, therefore, balance and coordination. The physical training may have also positively influenced respiration. Further experimental study is needed to determine the relative contribution of music, social engagement, and physical training on patient outcomes."

You can read the abstract via the link below. You are also welcome to access the full article through your subscriptions or institution⬇️
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2024.2445819

Neurological patients, such as those with Parkinson’s disease (PD) often have multiple treatment needs beyond motor rehabilitation. The integration of multiple therapy modalities allows a single th...

25/07/2025

Friday Reading Time! 📙

Today, we will introduce the third article from the newest edition of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (Volume 34, Issue 4)! It is an original research article titled: "Examining music therapist behaviors during intervention delivery: A retrospective video analysis", authored by Kimberly Sena Moore and Deanna Hanson-Abromeit.

This research examines a music therapist’s behaviours during the implementation of the Musical Contour Regulation Facilitation (MCRF) intervention, a complex music-based intervention to support emotion regulation development in preschoolers.

The authors write: "...one potentially helpful contribution from the current project is that it provides a model for examining interventionist behaviors during service delivery of a music-based intervention (MBI). Although there is general agreement on the need to monitor and report treatment fidelity, there is also currently a lack of this information in most MBI research (Edwards et al., Citation2023; Robb et al., Citation2018; Wiens & Gordon, Citation2018). Examples of monitoring service delivery of a music-based intervention include protocol checklists, provider self-report, detailed attendance sheets, and video coding (Baker et al., Citation2019; Wiens & Gordon, Citation2018). In these two examples, the video coding specifically was focused on coding behaviors to assess the therapeutic relationship (Wiens & Gordon, Citation2018) and to assess adherence to the intervention protocol (Baker et al., Citation2019). What makes the current project unique is the focus on identifying and operationalizing strategies demonstrated by an interventionist to facilitate successful implementation of a clinical music-based intervention."

You can read the abstract via the link below. You are also welcome to access the full article through your subscriptions or institution⬇️:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2024.2438738

Guidelines for developing complex interventions include implementing strategies to monitor intervention delivery. These can include tracking therapist behaviors, which are connected to therapist ef...

23/07/2025

🔎 Come explore the latest research in music therapy with us!

This week, we’re thrilled to highlight articles from the newest edition of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (Volume 34, Issue 4)! The second article in this issue is an original research article titled: "Drumming-PD/HD: The impact of a pilot group drumming-based music therapy intervention on people living with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease and their caregivers.", authored by Lavinia Wainwright, Kyurim Kang, Gabriel Dayanim, Chris Bedell, Kerry Devlin, Diane Lanham, Gerson Suarez-Cedeno, Jason Armstrong Baker, Serap Bastepe-Gray, Jee Bang and Alexander Pantelyat.

This research aims to explore the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, the QoL and burden on their caregivers, in the context of group drumming sessions. The authors write: "Our findings demonstrate the potential of positioning caregivers as active partners in group music therapy sessions. Dyadic instrument playing could potentially yield benefits not only for individuals with Parkinson's Disease, but also for their caregivers and for the dyadic interaction. To further probe the importance of combining these elements in treating movement disorders, future studies should continue to investigate the effects of providing both patients and caregivers with instrument-based, group music therapy sessions."

You can read the abstract via the link below. You are also welcome to access the full article through your subscriptions or institution⬇️:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2024.2435875

Only a few studies have explored the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Huntington’s disease (HD), along with the QoL and burden on their caregivers, in the cont...

21/07/2025

Good Monday ☕ Join us to learn more about the latest developments in music therapy!

This week, we are excited to feature articles from the newest issue of the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (Volume 34, Issue 4)! The first article is titled " Music therapy Embedded in the Life Of Dementia Inpatient Care (MELODIC) to help manage distress: A mixed methods study protocol for co-designing a complex intervention," authored by Naomi Thompson, Helen Odell-Miller, Chris Pointon, Benjamin R. Underwood, Emma Wolverson and Ming-Hung Hsu.

Previously listed as our ONLINE FIRST publication, this article is now included in our newest issue. It is OPEN ACCESS, so click the link below to access the full paper!
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2024.2435869

The authors write: "This study will enable the development of a co-designed, theory-based, standardised music therapy intervention for a clinical population where experiences of distress are frequent and complex, and little is known through systematic research about how best to deliver care. The inclusion of people with personal and professional experience in inpatient mental health dementia wards through all stages of the research will enable the intervention to be acceptable, feasible to deliver, and helpful for people with dementia, families and staff. The pilot will support intervention refinement and the testing of methods for a future trial. This rigorous and collaborative approach to intervention development, co-designed with those with lived experience and combined with robust literature reviews, could inform research into other complex psychosocial interventions, including music therapy protocols with other clinical populations."

Best practice guidelines state that psychosocial interventions should be the first line of treatment for people with dementia who are experiencing distress. However, little research explores psycho...

19/07/2025

📄NJMT Volume 34 Issue 4 Overview 💡

Our journal's Volume 34(4) is now available online! This issue features five research articles:

1️⃣ Music therapy Embedded in the Life Of Dementia Inpatient Care (MELODIC) to help manage distress: A mixed methods study protocol for co-designing a complex intervention

Authors: Naomi Thompson, Helen Odell-Miller, Chris Pointon, Benjamin R. Underwood, Emma Wolverson & Ming-Hung Hsu

2️⃣ Drumming-PD/HD: The impact of a pilot group drumming-based music therapy intervention on people living with Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease and their caregivers

Authors: Lavinia Wainwright, Kyurim Kang, Gabriel Dayanim, Chris Bedell, Kerry Devlin, Diane Lanham, Gerson Suarez-Cedeno, Jason Armstrong Baker, Serap Bastepe-Gray, Jee Bang & Alexander Pantelyat

3️⃣ Examining music therapist behaviors during intervention delivery: A retrospective video analysis

Authors: Kimberly Sena Moore & Deanna Hanson-Abromeit

4️⃣ Group rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease: A case study combining music and physiotherapy

Authors: Jaana Ruotsalainen, Emily Carlson & Jaakko Erkkilä

5️⃣ Supporting Asian international music therapy students in the United States: A thematic analysis

Authors: Parintorn Pankaew & Michael J. Silverman

Congratulations to all of the authors who have publications featured in this issue. We would like to thank the editors, reviewers, and copyeditors for their contributions to the publishing process. 👏

You are very welcome to view these articles through your institution or subscription in the following link: https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rnjm20/34/4



Image description:
The image depicts a large title, " Nordic Journal of Music Therapy” and a subtitle “Volume 34, Issue 4 (2025)", followed by a list of original research articles. On the bottom, it features the journal name and the journal’s 2025 cover image, “The Pianist.” The background of the image is a pale colour.