Table 2.
Characteristics of music therapy interventions among included trials.
| Study | Music therapy |
Control | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Theme | Duration (interval) | Intensity (min/week) | Provider/platform | TIP Features | ||
| Chan (2009)29 | Music medicine: The music intervention consisted of a choice of four types of music, with each type played for approximately one 30-min session per week. The participants were encouraged to listen to the same type of music for 30 min every night before going to sleep. | 30 minutes (7/week) | 210 | Researcher | MM/High/NonMT | Participants were given an uninterrupted rest period. |
| Chan (2010)30 | Music medicine: The subjects were allowed to choose their preferred music. The researchers then asked the subjects to choose the most comfortable place to listen to the music, for example, in their bedroom. | 30 minutes (once a week) | 30 | Researcher | MM/Low/NonMT | Participants were given an uninterrupted rest period. |
| Chu (2014)31 | Active: A group music intervention with gross and fine motor movements performed to music, rhythm playing along with music, listening to popular music, rhythm playing with instrumental accompaniment, and singing with instrumental accompaniment. | 30 minutes (twice a week) | 60 | Music therapist | Act/Low/MT | Usual care activities involved watching television, afternoon tea, and taking walks. Participants were not exposed to other forms of therapy such as art therapy or tai chi. |
| Coulton (2015)32 | Active: The program was developmental, progressing from singing melody lines to harmonizing, layering and singing in rounds. | 90 minutes (once a week) | 90 | Trained facilitators | Act/High/NonMT | Participants continued with their normal activities. |
| Gok Ugur (2017)33 | Receptive: Music therapy sessions were held in the morning as an open group in a lounge of the nursing home with seating arrangement in the form of U shape. Sound and music system of the nursing home was used for the music therapy. During the music therapy sessions, older adults people were suggested to close their eyes and to imagine their happy memories. | 40 minutes (3/week) | 120 | Music therapist | Recep/High/MT | NR |
| Guetin (2009)34 | Music medicine: The patients were either in a supine position or seated in a comfortable armchair. They were also offered a mask so as to avoid visual stimuli, thus encouraging them to concentrate on the music. The style of music was chosen by a computer program and the standard musical sequence is broken down into several phases which gradually bring the patient into a state of relaxation according to the new ‘U sequence’ method. | 20 minutes (once a week) | 20 | Self-administered | MM/Low/NonMT | The patients took part in a different type of session (rest and reading), under the same conditions and at the same intervals. |
| Hanser (1994)35 | Receptive: Appropriate music was selected by the participants with the assistance of a music therapist to identify compositions which had been paired with meaningful memories. Participants were instructed to find some time each day when they could practice eight techniques* taught by the music therapist, who visit or call participants on a weekly basis. | Varies (7/week) | 185 | Music therapist | Recep/High/MT | Did not partake of therapy of any kind during the 8-week treatment period. |
| Liu (2021)36 | Active: Participants were asked to follow the instruction to play various kinds of percussion instruments (such as wrist bell, tambourine, maracas, triangle, double-tone woodblock, hand drum, castanet) by moving their upper extremities with their familiar songs. | 60 minutes (once a week) | 60 | Trained facilitators | Act/Low/NonMT | Patients participated in a rest and reading session, at the same intervals and under the same conditions. |
| Mahendran (2018)37 | Receptive: Listening, and recalling memories and experiences related to the music. The therapist prepared songs and used photographs or video clips to accompany the music, for discussion purposes. | 60 minutes (once a week) | 60 | Music therapist | Recep/Low/MT | Participants did not receive any intervention but continued life as usual. |
| Mathew (2017)38 | Active: Singing was initiated by the music therapist researcher and the subjects were encouraged to sing along and perform simple movements using hands depending on the theme. | 30 minutes (7/week) | 210 | Music therapist | Act/High/MT | Participants received no specific intervention. |
| Murabayashi (2019)39 | Active: The therapist initially played music to the participants and led them to join in. When participants sang and clapped their hands spontaneously at their own pitch and tempo, the therapists adjusted the pitch and tempo of the keyboard to match their playing and singing and accompanied their expressions. Small instruments of resonating sound were selected for instrumental activities to allow the participants to listen to their sounds connecting with others and to feel part of the group. | 50 minutes (once a week) | 50 | Music therapist | Act/Low/MT | NR |
| Perez-Ros (2019)40 | Active: A playlist of the preferred music was compiled. The music was played using an MP3 player and loudspeakers to all residents at once in the same room, allowing them to interact, sing, dance, clap, etc. | 60 minutes (5/week) | 300 | Nurses | Act/High/NonMT | Occupational therapy programs comprised training activities for maintaining the activities of daily living |
| Raglio (2015)41 | Active: Patient were presented with a similar group of instruments at each session and encouraged to pick them up and interact with them. The music therapist followed the patients’ rhythm and music production to create nonverbal communication. During the session, the music therapist built a relationship with the patients by singing and using melodic and rhythmic instruments (improvisation), facilitating the expression of the PWD's emotions and promoting “affect attunement” moments | 30 minutes (twice a week) | 60 | Music therapist | Act/Low/MT | Educational and occupational (e.g., reading the newspaper, playing cards, personal care) and physical (motor rehabilitation sessions) activities performed daily with the supervision of specialized professionals |
| Music medicine: the PWD listened to music from a preferred playlist without any interaction with a music therapist. The PWDs did not wear earphones and remained in their rooms or in a quiet, private place. The music therapist had created the playlists on the basis of interviews with the PWD and caregivers. | 30 minutes (twice a week) | 60 | Music therapist | MM/Low/MT | ||
| Robertson-Gillam (2008)42 | Active: The choir therapy began with a period of silence followed by relaxation; then vocal improvisation (individually and as a group); singing and speech exercises; learning new song material; and singing well-known songs. | 60 minutes (twice a week) | 120 | Researcher | Act/High/NonMT | Ordinary care |
| Yap (2017)43 | Active: The participant seated comfortably and the drum or percussion instrument within reach in front of them. The instructors facilitated free play and encouraged the participants to express themselves and interact with each other through the active playing of the instruments. | 60 minutes (once a week) | 60 | Experience instructor | Act/Low/NonMT | NR |
Intervention types: Act/High/MT, active music therapy >60 minutes/week by music therapist; Act/High/NonMT, active music therapy >60 minutes/week by non-music therapist; Act/Low/MT, active music therapy ≤60 minutes/week by music therapist; Act/Low/NonMT, active music therapy ≤60 minutes/week by non-music therapist; Recep/High/MT, receptive music therapy >60 minutes/week by music therapist; Recep/High/Self, Receptive music therapy >60 minutes/week by self-administration; Recep/Low/MT, receptive music therapy ≤60 minutes/week by music therapist; Recep/Low/Self, Receptive music therapy ≤60 minutes/week by self-administration.
Abbreviations: Act=Active; MT=Music therapist; NonMT=Non-music therapist; NR=Not reported; PWD=Patient with dementia; Recep=Receptive; Self=Self-administered; TIP=Theme, intensity, and provider or platform; *The eight techniques were: gentle exercise, facial massage, progressive muscle relaxation, guided imagery, special imagery, slow music to enhance falling asleep, rhythmic music to enhance energy, and music listening in conjunction with other activities to identify talents.