Music Therapy Methods With Hand-Held Music Devices in Contemporary Clinical Practice: A Commentary

Abstract

This commentary addresses the inclusion of a new class of digital hand-held music devices in clinical music therapy work. The discussion includes the conditions required to create productive, therapeutic methods with hand-held music devices in contemporary medical practice. Recommended solutions include the creation and development of applications that allow for rhythmic organization with autocorrection, memory enhancement and revitalization, vocal empowerment, mobility with fluidity that provide data sets that are diagnostic, prescriptive, interactive, and demonstrate patient progress toward specific goal attainment. The recommended methods should also incorporate the vocabulary, structure, and architecture of digital hand-held music devices into a system of clinical methods that are derived from best practices and clinical trials. The proposed methods include the use of open source, materials to move the discussion forward toward the creation of standardized clinical interventions using digital handheld music-making devices.