Introduction
Music therapy is today a widespread treatment for a wide range of psychological, psychiatric and physical conditions. It is defined as ‘a therapeutic medium to address developmental, adaptive and rehabilitative goals in the areas of psychosocial, cognitive and sensorimotor behaviour of
individuals with disabilities’ (Hallam et al. 2009). Music
therapy can be described as using musical elements (sound, rhythm, melody and harmony) by a qualified music thera- pist, with a client or group, in a process designed to facilitate and promote therapeutic objectives mentioned above (Vink et al. 2004). The profession music therapist was established in 1950. Music therapy and other music interventions such as music listening are widely used both as alternative and as
supplementary to pharmacological treatments.