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Updated: Oct 30, 2025
Clinical Practice Protocol of Creative Music Therapy for Preterm Infants and Their Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
Published on: January 7, 2020
Creative Music Therapy and Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Pre-term Infants at 2 Years: A Randomized Controlled Pilot
Friederike Barbara Haslbeck1, Hans Ulrich Bucher1, Dirk Bassler1
1Department of Neonatology, Newborn Research Zurich, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Insights
Creative music therapy (CMT) did not show significant benefits or harm in preterm infants
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
- Music Therapy
Background:
- Preterm birth is a significant risk factor for impaired neurodevelopment in children.
- Creative music therapy (CMT) is an intervention utilizing musical stimulation and socio-emotional co-regulation.
- The potential of CMT to mitigate neurodevelopmental deficits in preterm infants requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of a randomized clinical pilot trial of CMT in preterm infants.
- To examine the short-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of preterm infants receiving CMT.
- To inform future research on the long-term effects of music interventions.
Main Methods:
- A randomized clinical pilot trial (NCT02434224) was conducted with 82 preterm infants.
- Infants were randomized to either Creative Music Therapy (CMT) or standard care.
- CMT involved infant-directed singing provided by a trained music therapist during hospitalization.
Main Results:
- Fifty-six infants completed follow-up at 2 years of corrected age.
- No significant beneficial or adverse effects of CMT were observed on standard neurodevelopmental assessments (Bayley-III, neurological examination).
Conclusions:
- The pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of conducting CMT research in preterm infants.
- Routine neurodevelopmental measures at 2 years corrected age did not reveal significant effects of CMT.
- Further research with longer follow-up and more sensitive outcome measures is recommended to explore potential long-term benefits of music interventions.
Abstract:
Impaired neurodevelopment is increasingly recognized as a major health issue in children born prematurely. Creative music therapy (CMT) intends to prevent and or reduce neurobehavioral deficits in pre-term infants using musical stimulation and socio-emotional co-regulation. We conducted a randomized, clinical pilot CMT trial to test feasibility and to examine long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes in pre-term infants (NCT02434224: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02434224). Eighty-two pre-term infants were randomized either to CMT or standard care. A specially trained music therapist provided family-integrating CMT via infant-directed singing during hospitalization. Fifty-six infants underwent follow-up at 2 years of corrected age. No significant beneficial nor adverse effects of CMT were identified in routine clinical neurodevelopmental measures (Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and the standardized neurological examination). Longer term follow-up (5 years) and larger future studies are recommended to elucidate possible long-term effects of music in relation to more sensitive outcomes including executive function, detailed language processing and social-emotional development.
