Study Participants Intervention Dosage Quality First Author, Year Country Recruitment setting Study design N (n males) Clinical population Age range (years) Treatment Music delivery
Music type
Participant involvement
Delivery format
Intervention format
No. of sessions (time) No. of weeks PEDro score (sum/10) Learning and developmental disorders Aldridge, 1995 [33 ] Germany Private practice clinic Crossover RCT 8 (2) Developmental delay 4–6.5 Group 1
: Music therapy (Nordoff & Robbins adaptation); Group 2
: Initial non-treatment group; cross-over occurred 3 times MT L A O I 24 (30 m) 48 5 Claussen, 1997 [34 ] USA Special education facility Parallel RCT 21 (12) Learning disabilities 9–11 Group 1: Familiar music; Group 2: Verbal condition; both groups rehearsed multiplication problems R R P O S 1 (
60 m)
13 Buday, 1995 [35 ] USA Public school (special education program) Crossover RCT 10 (8) Autism 4–9 Group 1
: Music condition; Group 2
: Rhythm condition; 5 trials/day R R P O S 8 (n/a) 2 6 Kim, 2008 [36 ] Korea Ambulatory care clinic Crossover RCT 10 (10) Autistic disorder 3–5 Group 1
: Block of improvisational music therapy (instrumental) + block of play (toys); Group 2: Reversed block order MT L A O I 12 (30 m) 24 4 Pratt, 1995 [37 ] Canada Community Parallel RCT 19 (17) ADD or ADHD 6–18 Neurofeedback sessions with or without background classical music R R P O S 39 (
60 m) 13 3 Rickson, 2003 [38 ] New Zealand Special education residential facility Parallel RCT 15 (15) Intellectual, social and emotional deficits including ADD/ADHD 11–15 Group 1
: Waitlist control group; Group 2
& Group 3
: Music therapy sessions (favorite music; instrumental and rhythym based activities). MT L & R A & P G S & I 16 (30–45 m) 8 3 Rickson, 2006 [39 ] New Zealand Special education residential facility Crossover RCT 13 (13) ADHD and other comorbid disorders 11–16 Group 1
: Waitlist control group. Group 2
: 1 block of improvisational + 1 block of instructional music therapy. Group 3
: reversed order MT L A G S & I 16 (30–45 m) 20 2 Stressful life events Baker, 2006 [40 ] Australia ESL secondary school Crossover RCT 31 (11) Newly arrived immigrant and refugee adolescents 11–16 Groups 1
: 2 blocks music therapy (instrumental and song based activities) + 2 blocks no music therapy; Group 2
: reversed order MT L & R A & P G S & I 20 (30–40 m) 20 6 DeLucia-Waack, 2007 [41 ] USA Elementary school Cluster parallel RCT 134 (67) Children from divorced and/or separated families 5–10 Group 1
: Music intervention (song based); Group 2
: Traditional psychoeducation HP R A G S 8 (45 m) 8 3 Hilliard, 2007 [42 ] USA Elementary schools Cluster Parallel RCT 26 (14) Children experiencing bereavement 5–11 Group 1 (n=8): Orff-based music therapy; Group 2 (
): Traditional social work interventions; Group 3 (
): waitlist control group MT & HP L A G S 8 (60 m) 8 4 Mood disorders and related psychopathology Field, 1998 [43 ] USA Ambulatory care clinic Parallel RCT 28
Chronic depression 14–19 Group 1
: Music intervention (Rock music); Group 2
: Self-relaxation intervention R R P O S 1 (23 m)
13 Wooten, 1992 [44 ] USA Inpatient psychiatric facility Crossover RCT 35 (14) Psychopathology (affective, behavior, or substance abuse) 12–18 Group 1
: Music intervention (1980s heavy metal music + 1980s popular music); Group 2
: reversed order. Both groups began in baseline (reading material) R R P O S 2 (20 m)
13 Acute and/or chronic physical illness Colwell, 2005 [45 ] USA In-patient Parallel RCT 24 (15) Acute or chronic illness (
75% oncology) 7–18 Group 1
: Art (drawing) composition group; Group 2
: Music (computerized instrumental) composition group MT L A O I 1 (45–60 m)
13 Robb, 2008 [46 ] USA In-patient Parallel RCT 83 (n/a) Chronic illness (100% oncology) 4–7 Group 1
: Active music engagement (AME); Group 2
: Music listening (ML) and Group 3
; Audio storybooks (ASB) formed two control groups MT & HP L & R A & P O S 1 (15–20 m)
13 Froehlich, 1984 [47 ] USA In-patient Parallel RCT 39 (22) Acute or chronic illness 5–12 Group 1
: Music therapy (instrumental and song based activities); Group 2
: Medical play therapy (storybook & free play) HP L A O S 1 (30 m) <1 4 Grasso, 2000 [48 ] Australia Ambulatory care clinic Parallel RCT 21 (10) Cystic fibrosis 0.38–2 Group 1
: Unfamiliar instrumental treatment for 2 blocks; Group 2
: No music (Block 1; control) and familiar children's music (Block 2; placebo). Both groups received routine chest physiotherapy. MT R P O S 42–168 (30 m) 12 5 Oelkers-Ax, 2008 [49 ] Germany Community Parallel RCT 58 (40) Migraine Mean = 10 8-week baseline condition; Group 1
: Butterbur root extract; Group 2
: Music therapy (adaptation of the Heidleberg model); Group 3
: Placebo MT L A O S 12 (n/a) 28 6
