Music Therapy
Have you ever heard a song that instantly brought back a memory, changed your mood, or helped you feel understood?
Music can reach us in ways that words sometimes cannot. It can help us connect with emotions, experiences, and parts of ourselves that may be difficult to explain. Music therapy builds upon this natural connection, using music intentionally within a therapeutic relationship to support healing, growth, and well-being.
What Is Music Therapy?
Music therapy is an evidence-based healthcare profession, not simply listening to relaxing music or learning how to play an instrument.
The Canadian Association of Music Therapists defines music therapy as a discipline in which Certified Music Therapists use music purposefully within therapeutic relationships to support development, health, and well-being. Music may be used to address emotional, cognitive, communicative, physical, social, musical, and spiritual needs.
Just as importantly, you do not need to consider yourself musical to participate. You do not need to sing well, read music, play an instrument, or perform for anyone. Music therapy is about the therapeutic experience—not musical ability.
What Happens in a Music Therapy Session?
Every music therapy session is different because it is designed around the individual’s needs, comfort level, interests, and therapeutic goals.
Depending on the person and what they hope to work on, sessions may include:
- Listening to meaningful or carefully selected music
- Playing instruments
- Singing or using the voice
- Songwriting or composing
- Improvising with sounds or instruments
- Exploring song lyrics
- Using rhythm, movement, or imagery
- Talking about music and the memories or emotions it brings forward
The Canadian Association of Music Therapists’ overview of music therapy explains that music therapists use both active and receptive approaches. For example, improvisation may offer a nonverbal way to express thoughts and feelings, while songwriting can help someone explore experiences that feel difficult to discuss directly. Listening to familiar music may support memory, emotional regulation, reflection, or a sense of connection.
You and your music therapist can decide together which approaches feel comfortable and meaningful. You will not be expected to sing, perform, or participate in an activity that does not feel right for you.
What Can Music Therapy Help With?
Music therapy can support children, youth, adults, and older adults with a wide range of experiences and needs. It may be helpful for people navigating:
- Anxiety, depression, or ongoing stress
- Trauma and painful memories
- Grief, loss, or major life transitions
- Difficulty identifying or expressing emotions
- Neurodivergence and developmental differences
- Communication or social-connection goals
- Chronic illness, pain, or physical disability
- Neurological conditions or acquired brain injuries
- Palliative care and end-of-life experiences
- Personal growth, confidence, and self-expression
Some people use music therapy to work toward specific clinical goals, while others want a safe and creative space where they can express themselves, feel connected, or experience moments of comfort and joy.
The Canadian Association of Music Therapists notes that music therapy is used with people of many different ages, abilities, and musical backgrounds. It can be offered in settings such as hospitals, schools, community programs, hospices, long-term-care facilities, private practices, and mental health or rehabilitation programs.
Why Can Music Be So Powerful in Therapy?
Sometimes we understand what we are feeling but cannot find the words for it. At other times, we may feel disconnected from our emotions altogether.
Music gives us another language.
A rhythm may help someone feel grounded. A familiar song may bring forward memories that have felt unreachable. Songwriting can give shape to an experience that is difficult to describe. Playing an instrument can offer a safe way to release energy, experiment, communicate, or experience mastery.
Music can also create a little distance from an overwhelming experience. Instead of having to explain everything directly, a person might begin by talking about a song, choosing a lyric, creating a sound, or noticing how their body responds to a piece of music.
This can make therapy feel gentler and more accessible, particularly for people who find traditional conversation-based therapy difficult, tiring, or limiting.
Is Music Therapy Evidence-Based?
Yes. Certified Music Therapists integrate research evidence with their professional expertise and each client’s needs, values, goals, and preferences.
Music therapy research continues to examine its potential across mental health, medical, developmental, and neurological settings. The Canadian Association of Music Therapists has highlighted recent research involving areas such as anxiety among cancer survivors and social communication among autistic children. You can learn more through the article, Music Therapy Research Shows an Impact.
As with any form of therapy, individual experiences and outcomes vary. A music therapist will assess your needs, collaborate with you on appropriate goals, evaluate progress, and adjust the treatment plan when needed.
What Does the MTA Credential Mean?
In Canada, qualified Certified Music Therapists use the credential MTA.
According to the Canadian Association of Music Therapists’ credentialing information, receiving the MTA credential requires completing recognized university-level music therapy education, a 1,000-hour supervised clinical internship, and a certification examination. Certified Music Therapists must also agree to follow CAMT’s standards of practice and code of ethics and maintain their credential through continuing education.
Music can be comforting in many settings, but using music is not automatically music therapy. Music therapy is provided by a trained professional who uses music intentionally, safely, and ethically as part of an individualized therapeutic process.
If you are looking for a music therapist, you can confirm someone’s certification through CAMT’s Directory of Certified Music Therapists.
Could Music Therapy Be Right for You?
Music therapy may be worth exploring if you:
- Feel that words do not fully capture your experience
- Find traditional talk therapy difficult or exhausting
- Connect deeply with music
- Want a creative way to process emotions or experiences
- You are looking for additional ways to manage stress or build coping skills
- Want therapy that can include verbal and nonverbal forms of expression
There is no “right” way to participate. You may spend one session creating music and another listening, reflecting, or talking. The work is shaped around you—not around how musical you are.
Finding Another Way to Be Heard
Healing does not always begin with the perfect words. Sometimes it begins with a rhythm, a familiar melody, a lyric that captures what we have been unable to say, or a sound that helps us feel a little less alone.
Music therapy offers a creative and evidence-based path toward emotional expression, connection, and well-being. With the support of a Certified Music Therapist, music can become more than something we hear—it can become a meaningful part of how we understand ourselves and move toward healing. Meet Christine Hudson, ICC’s music therapist; book a 15-minute consult to learn more!
To learn more about music therapy in Canada, visit the Canadian Association of Music Therapists.