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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
[Singing for preterm born infants music therapy in neonatology]
1Université du Luxembourg. noemie.desquiotz@education.lu
Insights
Music therapy, using live singing and a pentatonic harp, effectively reduced stress in premature infants. This intervention improved oxygen saturation and heart rate, aiding infant development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal care
- Music therapy
- Developmental pediatrics
Context:
- Premature infants often experience stress in the Neonatal Reanimation Service due to excessive noise.
- Music therapy is explored as a non-pharmacological intervention to mitigate this stress.
- Parental involvement in music therapy is also considered.
Purpose:
- To assess the efficacy of live music therapy in reducing stress in premature infants.
- To improve the physical and psychological well-being of premature infants (23-36 weeks gestation).
- To enhance physiological parameters such as oxygen saturation and heart rate.
Summary:
- A palliative technique involving live singing and a pentatonic harp was applied to premature infants.
- This 'protective cocoon of sounds' aimed to mask incubator noise and promote relaxation.
- The intervention targeted infants with gestational ages ranging from 23 to 36 weeks.
Impact:
- Measurable reduction in infant stress levels, evidenced by a more relaxed demeanor.
- Significant increase in oxygen saturation levels observed post-intervention.
- Reduction in heart rate, indicating a calming effect on the infants.
Abstract:
The use of music as part of a stress reduction therapy has been applied both to premature infants and their parents in the Neonatal Reanimation Service. This aim of music therapy amounts to an attempt to help the premature infant regaining its physical and neurological balance, so important to its psychological and physical development, mainly by masking the sometimes excessive noise present in the intensive care unit and/or in the incubator. Studies have demonstrated the positive impact of music therapy on oxygen saturation, heartbeat, and on the general level of relaxation experienced by premature infants. In this project, the palliative technique used was that of live singing, directly to the infant, accompanied by a pentatonic harp. The aim was to improve the state of health, both physical and psychological, of a group of premature infants, whose gestation period varied between 23 and 36 weeks. The technique used was to apply what amounts to a protective cocoon of sounds to a premature infant in the neonatal unit, which measurably reduced the level of stress as indicated by the babies' increasingly relaxed demeanour and induced a measurable increase on the level of oxygen saturation and a reduction of heart rate.
