About Music Therapy

The aim of music therapy is to create a fun, interactive musical connection and build on this to achieve longer-term goals. Goals can include helping a child or young person develop their coping skills, work on their communication, cognitive, or motor skills through music, or increase their ability to express how they’re feeling. We are trained to assess patients with a variety of medical conditions to support them in the following areas:

• Reaching and maintaining developmental milestones.
• Rehabilitation and recovery of cognitive, sensorimotor, and communication deficits due to neurologic injury or disease.
• Emotional processing and expression.
• Coping with stress and anxiety surrounding diagnosis and medical treatment.
• Pain management and relaxation techniques.
• Psychological wellbeing related to short- and long-term effects of medical diagnosis and hospital admission.
• Maintaining a sense of ‘normal’ life, and creating positive, shared experiences for the whole family.
• Boosting engagement with other therapies.

Sessions are playful but precisely targeted: belting out Disney songs to increase respiratory strength; maraca dance parties to aid rehabilitation; gloriously loud drumming to release pent-up anxiety before an MRI. In the context of complex medical treatment, we find ways to be silly, wild, serious, peaceful, and open to whatever-comes-next to make the important stuff happen.

Our music therapists are part of the multidisciplinary team for the following services: Haematology and Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant, Immunology, Respiratory and Transitional Care, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Intensive and High Dependency Care, Neurodisability and Neurosurgery, and Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

We work closely with a wide range of specialist teams at GOSH, including the Play team, Speech and Language Therapy, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Psychology, Social Work, and nursing and medical teams. We also work routinely with the Learning Disability team to support children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism during inpatient admissions and outpatient visits across the hospital.

The opportunity to develop the hospital’s first full-time music therapy service was made possible by a collaboration with Chiltern Music Therapy and the Peterson Family Foundation. The service is now funded by the GOSH Charity.

Sessions might involve singing familiar songs, making up new music together, playing instruments, exploring sounds through sensory play, using music technology, writing songs, making playlists for different moods or situations, or simply listening to music that feels comforting.

Everything is tailored to the individual- focusing on what they can do, rather than any limitations they may experience. We follow the young person’s lead, giving them autonomy and a sense of control. Special attention is given to the development of expression, creativity, and self-esteem.

Not only do we want to support our patients' and families’ ability to cope, but we seek to go further: to instil in them a sense that they can flourish, even in the most challenging environment. Our sessions offer opportunities for children and young people to explore new ideas, interests, and ways of thinking about themselves that we hope might be carried with them, far beyond their GOSH journey.

Ref: 0925PAF0023 Last reviewed: Sept 2025