 Music therapy is an allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music and all of its facets— physical, emotional, mental, social, aesthetic, and spiritual—to help clients to improve or maintain their health.

 Music therapists primarily help clients improve their health across various domains (e.g., cognitive functioning, motor skills, emotional and affective development, behavior and social skills, and quality of life) by using music experiences (e.g., singing, songwriting, listening to and discussing music, moving to music) to achieve treatment goals and objectives.

 Music has been used as a healing force for centuries. [6] Music therapy goes back to biblical times, when David played the harp to rid King Saul of a bad spirit. [6]  As early as 400 B.C., Hippocrates, Greek father of medicine, played music for his mental patients. Aristotle described music as a force that purified the emotions.  In the thirteenth century, Arab hospitals contained music- rooms for the benefit of the patients. [7] [7]  In the United States, Native American medicine men often employed chants and dances as a method of healing patients. [8] Music therapy as we know it began in the aftermath of World Wars I and II. [8]  Musicians would travel to hospitals, particularly in the United Kingdom, and play music for soldiers suffering from war-related emotional and physical trauma. [9] [9]

 There are several concepts regarding the foundations of music therapy, including philosophies based on education, psychology, neuroscience, art/aesthetics, and music therapy itself.  Music therapists may work with individuals who have behavioral- emotional disorders. To meet the needs of this population, music therapists have taken current psychological theories and used them as a basis for different types of music therapy. Different models include behavioral therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. [11] [11]  One therapy model based on neuroscience, called "neurological music therapy" (NMT), is "based on a neuroscience model of music perception and production, and the influence of music on functional changes in non-musical brain and behavior functions."

 Two common approaches are used when conducting music therapy with children: either as a one-on-one session or in a group setting. When a therapist meets with a child for the first time, customarily the therapist and child develop goals to be met during the duration of their sessions.  Music therapy can help children with communication, attention, motivation, and behavioral problems. Therapy rooms should have a wide range of different instruments from different places. They should also be colorful, and have different textures. The therapist should either play a piano or guitar to keep everything grounded and in rhythm.  The most important thing, though, is to have high quality and well-maintained instruments. As some children will be able to handle an instrument while others cannot, the child should be given an instrument adapted to them. All these elements help the experience and outcome of the music therapy go better and have more successes for the child

 According to the Mayo Health Clinic [3], out of every 100,000 adolescents, two to three thousand will have mood disorders, out of which 8-10 will commit suicide. Two prevalent mood disorders in the adolescent population are clinical depression and bipolar disorders.[3]  On average American adolescents listens to approximately 4.5 hours of music per day and are responsible for 70% of pop music sales.  Adolescents have identified many benefits of listening to music, including emotional, social, and daily life benefits, along with the formation of one’s own identity. Music can provide a sense of independence and individuality, which in turn contributes to one’s own self discovery and sense of identity. Music also offers adolescents with relatable messages that allow him/her to take comfort in knowing that others feel the same way they do. It can also serve as a creative outlet to release or control emotions and find ways of coping with difficult situations. Music can improve one's mood by reducing stress and lowering anxiety levels, which can help counteract or prevent depression.

 Recent studies have examined the effect of music therapy on stroke patients, when combined with traditional therapy. One study found the incorporation of music with therapeutic upper extremity exercises gave patients more positive emotional effects than exercise alone.  In another study, Nayak et al. found that rehabilitation staff rated participants in the music therapy group were more actively involved and cooperative in therapy than those in the control.

 Research suggests that listening to Mozart's piano sonata K448 can reduce the number of seizures in people with epilepsy. This has been called the “Mozart Effect.”

 While music therapy is an important discipline, you can also achieve many benefits from music on your own. Music can be used in daily life for relaxation, to gain energy when feeling drained, for catharsis when dealing with emotional stress, and in other ways as well.

 The mission of the American Music Therapy Association is to advance public awareness of the benefits of music therapy and to increase access to quality music therapy services in a rapidly changing world.