The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy


Book Description

Music therapy is growing internationally to be one of the leading evidence-based psychosocial allied health professions to meet needs across the lifespan.The Oxford Handbook of Music Therapy is the most comprehensive text on this topic in its history. It presents exhaustive coverage of the topic from international leaders in the field.










Early Vocal Contact and Preterm Infant Brain Development


Book Description

This book synthesizes and analyzes research on early vocal contact (EVC) for preterm infants, an early healthcare strategy aimed at reducing the long-term impact of neonatal hospitalization, minimizing negative impacts of premature birth, and promoting positive brain development. Chapters begin by examining research on the maternal voice and its unique and fundamental role in infant development during the fetal and neonatal period. The book discusses the rationale for EVC with preterm infants, the underlying neurobiological mechanisms, and the challenges for infants’ development. Subsequent chapters highlight various EVCs that are used in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), including direct talking and singing to preterm infants. In addition, the book also presents and evaluates early family-centered therapies as well as paternal and other caregiver voice interventions. Topics featured in this book include: Early vocal contact and the language development of preterm infants. The maternal voice and its influence on the stability and the sleep of preterm infants. Parental singing as a form of early interactive contact with the preterm infant. Recorded or live music interventions in the bioecology of the NICU. The role of the music therapist to hospitalized infants. The Calming Cycle Theory and its implementation in preterm infants. Early Vocal Contact and Preterm Infant Brain Development is an essential reference for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology, pediatrics, neuroscience, obstetrics and nursing.




Music Therapy for Premature and Newborn Infants


Book Description

Offers a comprehensive international collection of writings on music therapy with premature and newborn infants in Neonatal Intensive Care Units. The book includes different approaches to research and clinical practice, based on interdisciplinary knowledge and current research. The purpose is to show the benefits of music therapy as a supportive intervention for hospitalized infants and their parents.




Communicative Musicality


Book Description

Communicative Musicality explores the intrinsic musical nature of human interaction. The theory of communicative musicality was developed from groundbreaking studies showing how in mother/infant communication there exist noticeable patterns of timing, pulse, voice timbre, and gesture. Without intending to, the exchange between a mother and her infant follow many of the rules of musical performance, including rhythm and timing. This is the first book to be devoted to this topic. In a collection of cutting-edge chapters, encompassing brain science, human evolution, psychology, acoustics and music performance, it focuses on the rhythm and sympathy of musical expression in human communication from infancy. It demonstrates how speaking and moving in rhythmic musical ways is the essential foundation for all forms of communication, even the most refined and technically elaborated, just as it is for parenting, good teaching, creative work in the arts, and therapy to help handicapped or emotionally distressed persons. A landmark in the literature, Communicative Musicality is a valuable text for all those in the fields of developmental, educational, and music psychology, as well as those in the field of music therapy.




Music, Medicine & Miracles


Book Description

Amy Robertson has taken her experience of starting a music therapy program from scratch at the largest admitting hospital in America and provided step-by-step instructions on how others can do the same.




Preterm Birth


Book Description

The increasing prevalence of preterm birth in the United States is a complex public health problem that requires multifaceted solutions. Preterm birth is a cluster of problems with a set of overlapping factors of influence. Its causes may include individual-level behavioral and psychosocial factors, sociodemographic and neighborhood characteristics, environmental exposure, medical conditions, infertility treatments, and biological factors. Many of these factors co-occur, particularly in those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups. While advances in perinatal and neonatal care have improved survival for preterm infants, those infants who do survive have a greater risk than infants born at term for developmental disabilities, health problems, and poor growth. The birth of a preterm infant can also bring considerable emotional and economic costs to families and have implications for public-sector services, such as health insurance, educational, and other social support systems. Preterm Birth assesses the problem with respect to both its causes and outcomes. This book addresses the need for research involving clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science disciplines. By defining and addressing the health and economic consequences of premature birth, this book will be of particular interest to health care professionals, public health officials, policy makers, professional associations and clinical, basic, behavioral, and social science researchers.




Music Therapy and Parent-Infant Bonding


Book Description

Music Therapy and Parent Infant Bonding is the first title in the field of music therapy to explore the contribution that music therapy can make in the very early years, for instance in situations regarding adopted children, or in ameliorating the effects of maternal depression on the parent-infant relationship.




Kangaroo Care


Book Description

Give Your Preterm Baby the Best Possible Start in Life If you have just given birth to a preterm infant, you and your baby both face special challenges. Parents long to help their baby but often feel isolated frightened by hospital procedures. Now there is wonderful news for both babies and parents. Kangaroo Care, a technique pioneered in leading neonatal centers worldwide, gives you a unique role: a special way of holding your infant that provides crucial health benefits—including shorter hospital stays. Based on ground-breaking research, Kangaroo Care is a step-by-step guide to bringing these benefits to your baby—even if your neonatal unit does not yet have a Kangaroo Care program. It explains: • Why Kangaroo Care enhances your baby’s development • How to use the technique even if your infant requires a ventilator or an incubator • How to understand your baby’s signals of distress or comfort—and how to respond • How you can work with the neonatal staff to provide the best for your baby between your visits • How to involve fathers as well as mothers • All the proven results of Kangaroo Care—including a more relaxed, healthier, and contented baby The complete parents’ guide to the revolutionary new treatment for preterm babies: Kangaroo Care