Group music therapy, delivered in person or online, may be effective in helping address symptoms of mental health conditions, according to several recent studies.

The studies looked at the use of group music therapy in women with depression, older adults with dementia, and college students experiencing stress. One consistent theme in this research is that participants have improved quality of life.

Music is known to have a significant impact on health and mental processes, including directly influencing emotion. Music therapy complements other approaches to mental health care. It can involve active participation, playing instruments or singing, or more passive, receptive participation—listening to live or pre-recorded music. It can be used individually or in a group setting; the studies highlighted below involve music therapy in group settings.

One recent randomized control trial looked at the use of group music therapy to treat depression among older adults with dementia living in a care facility. A total of 121 patients were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. The intervention group participated in 12 sessions of passive and active music therapy over a period of six weeks. After the six weeks, the music group therapy intervention participants had reduced depression levels and reduced cortisol levels compared to the control group. After three months of follow-up, participants in the experimental group still had low levels of depression and cortisol, while the control group's levels were still high.

The authors concluded that group music therapy “is an economical approach to treat major depression, yielding health-promoting effects regarding depression symptoms, emotion regulation, and quality of life.” Given the substantial positive effect they found, the authors encouraged clinicians and care homes to incorporate music therapy as part of the treatment offered to patients with dementia.

Another randomized controlled trial of more than 100 women with depression linked group music therapy to improvements in quality of life, emotion and mood regulation. The researchsuggested that music therapy offers cost-effective intervention to treat depression.

A third study used group music therapy as a proactive intervention among college students to reduce stress and anxiety. Preventative strategies for young adults are especially important given the high levels of anxiety and depression seen in recent years. The volunteer student participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups:

1. Online active group music therapy (including song writing, singing, lyric analysis, and discussion)
2. Online receptive group music therapy (including participant-directed music listening and discussion) 
3. Online group verbal therapy (the typical standard of care.) 
4. No intervention (control group).

Each of the three therapy groups met weekly for 6 weeks for 45-minute sessions. For both the active and receptive therapy groups, the study found significant reductions in anxiety from before to after the 45-minute sessions. Over the six-week period, the study did not find changes in the students’ perception of stress from week one to week six, however, they did find that cortisol levels increased significantly in the control group while remaining relatively stable in the therapy groups. This suggests that therapy may lead to greater control of stress, the authors conclude and, overall, the results suggest that group music therapy can be as effective as group verbal therapy.

The authors note that group music therapy may provide an alternative for students reluctant to participate in more traditional talk therapy options. In addition, the study supports the use of group music therapy online.

Considerations When Choosing Music or Other Arts Therapies

While the group music interventions may have positive impacts, music therapy, or any other art-related therapy, may not be the preference of all patients. One recent study examined preferences and expectations about various art therapies. After interviews with 17 participants in a trial of group music therapy, art therapy and dance-movement therapy, three overarching themes emerged:

1) Whether people were familiar with the art form and felt capable were important factors for the therapy experiences. 2) Some preferred the group environment and otherrs found it too loud or uncomfortable to share about themselves. 3) Expectations about the helpfulness of therapy varied.

The authors suggest these points — past experiences of the art forms, group dynamics, and goals and expectations of the therapy — offer important considerations for clinicians and patients in the decision-making process for participating in various therapies.