Best Music Therapy Books

According to Ken Bruscia, "Music therapy is a systematic process of intervention wherein the therapist helps the client to promote health, using music experiences and the relationships that develop through them as dynamic forces of change."

You can learn more about music therapy by reading the books on this list, or by checking out http://www.musictherapy.org/

All Votes Add Books To This List

1	Music Therapy Research by Barbara L. Wheeler 4.04 avg rating — 28 ratings score: 694, and 7 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin 3.87 avg rating — 48,081 ratings score: 483, and 5 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks 3.91 avg rating — 51,409 ratings score: 397, and 4 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	Music Therapy Handbook by Barbara L. Wheeler (Editor) 4.64 avg rating — 11 ratings score: 300, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Music, the Brain, and Ecstasy: How Music Captures Our Imagination by Robert Jourdain 4.01 avg rating — 1,912 ratings score: 255, and 3 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	Defining Music Therapy by Kenneth E. Bruscia 4.34 avg rating — 58 ratings score: 200, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Case Studies in Music Therapy by Kenneth E. Bruscia (Editor) 4.38 avg rating — 61 ratings score: 163, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Music and Life in the Field of Play: An Anthology by Carolyn Kenny really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 146, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Group Music Activities for Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities by Maria Ramey (Goodreads Author) 3.50 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	Adolescents, Music and Music Therapy: Methods and Techniques for Clinicians, Educators and Students by Katrina McFerran 4.30 avg rating — 10 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Music, Therapy, and Early Childhood: A Developmental Approach by Elizabeth Schwartz 4.50 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Receptive Methods in Music Therapy: Techniques and Clinical Applications for Music Therapy Clinicians, Educators and Students by Denise E. Grocke 4.35 avg rating — 20 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	Rhythm, Music, and the Brain: Scientific Foundations and Clinical Applications by Michael Thaut 4.09 avg rating — 23 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	Multimodal Psychiatric Music Therapy for Adults, Adolescents, and Children: A Clinical Manual Third Edition by Michael D. Cassity 4.11 avg rating — 9 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Tataku: The Use of Percussion in Music Therapy by Bill B. Matney really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Music Therapy for the Autistic Child by Juliette Alvin 3.93 avg rating — 15 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	Music Therapy in the Treatment of Adults with Mental Disorders: Theoretical Bases and Clinical Interventions. by Robert F. Unkefer 4.23 avg rating — 13 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Hospice & Palliative Care Music Therapy; A Guide to Program Development and Clinical Care by Russell E. Hilliard 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Touched with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament by Kay Redfield Jamison (Goodreads Author) 4.01 avg rating — 4,364 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	I Dreamed I Was Normal: A Music Therapist's Journey into the Realms of Autism by Ginger Clarkson really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 89, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	The Singing Neanderthals: The Origins of Music, Language, Mind, and Body by Steven Mithen 3.88 avg rating — 517 ratings score: 88, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	The Music Instinct: How Music Works and Why We Can't Do Without It by Philip Ball 3.96 avg rating — 742 ratings score: 87, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Therapeutic Uses of Music with Older Adults by Alicia Ann Clair 3.70 avg rating — 10 ratings score: 85, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Music Therapy in Pediatric Healthcare: Research and Evidence-Based Practice by Sheri L. Robb 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 84, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	Clinical Guide to Music Therapy in Adult Physical Rehabilitation Settings by Elizabeth H. Wong really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 83, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Music Centered Music Therapy by Kenneth Aigen 4.20 avg rating — 5 ratings score: 82, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Introduction to Approaches in Music Therapy by Alice-Ann Darrow 3.62 avg rating — 13 ratings score: 81, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	An Introduction to Music Therapy: Theory and Practice by William B. Davis 4.13 avg rating — 61 ratings score: 80, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 76,339 ratings score: 79, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	The New Music Therapist's Handbook by Suzanne B. Hanser 4.08 avg rating — 38 ratings score: 78, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Models Of Music Therapy Interventions In School Settings by Brian L. Wilson 3.33 avg rating — 3 ratings score: 77, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Music Therapy: A Fieldwork Primer by Ronald Borczon really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 76, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Single-Case Research Designs: Methods for Clinical and Applied Settings by Alan E. Kazdin 3.68 avg rating — 40 ratings score: 75, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Music Therapy: A Fieldwork Primer by Ronald Borczon 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings score: 74, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	Clinical Training Guide for the Student Music Therapist by Barbara L. Wheeler 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 73, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	The World in Six Songs: How the Musical Brain Created Human Nature by Daniel J. Levitin 3.71 avg rating — 2,566 ratings score: 72, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Music of the Other: New Challenges for Ethnomusicology in a Global Age by Laurent Aubert 3.71 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 71, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	Psychological Foundations of Musical Behavior by J. E. Penner 3.60 avg rating — 10 ratings score: 70, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	How Musical Is Man? by John Blacking 3.97 avg rating — 135 ratings score: 69, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Medicine And Music by Dorothy M. Schullian liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 68, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Creative Use Of Music In Group Therapy by Tom Plach really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 67, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	The Rhythmic Language of Health and Disease by Mark Rider liked it 3.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 65, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Therapeutic Uses of Rap and Hip-Hop by Susan Hadley (Editor) 4.17 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 64, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	Molecules of Emotion: Why You Feel the Way You Feel by Candace B. Pert (Reading) 4.20 avg rating — 3,468 ratings score: 63, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Music Therapy in Principle and Practice by Donald E. Michel 3.75 avg rating — 4 ratings score: 62, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	Culture-Centered Music Therapy by Brynjulf Stige it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating score: 61, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Learning the Art of Helping: Building Blocks and Techniques by Mark E. Young 3.86 avg rating — 232 ratings score: 59, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	V/F Validation: The Feil Method: How to Help Disoriented Old-Old by Naomi Feil 4.25 avg rating — 12 ratings score: 58, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	At Personal Risk: Boundary Violations in Professional-Client Relationships by Marilyn R. Peterson 3.71 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 57, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom 4.21 avg rating — 21,983 ratings score: 56, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	Dont Think about Monkeys: Extraordinary Stories Written by People with Tourette Syndrome by Adam Ward Seligman 3.71 avg rating — 34 ratings score: 55, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	The Tao of Willie: A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart by Willie Nelson 4.06 avg rating — 1,098 ratings score: 54, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music by Steve López 3.89 avg rating — 9,002 ratings score: 53, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman 4.17 avg rating — 62,508 ratings score: 52, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Systems of Psychotherapy: A Transtheoretical Analysis by James O. Prochaska 3.81 avg rating — 117 ratings score: 51, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby 4.01 avg rating — 54,180 ratings score: 49, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Music Lust: Recommended Listening for Every Mood, Moment, and Reason by Nic Harcourt 3.37 avg rating — 185 ratings score: 48, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Music, Language, and the Brain by Aniruddh D. Patel 4.11 avg rating — 704 ratings score: 47, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	Musical Acoustics by Donald E. Hall 3.17 avg rating — 24 ratings score: 46, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	Beginner's Guide to Jungian Psychology by Robin Robertson 3.97 avg rating — 151 ratings score: 45, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association by American Psychological Association 3.75 avg rating — 5,320 ratings score: 44, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars