Music and Medicine Vol 13, No 2: Article Feature and Table of Contents 

Published by International Association for Music and Medicine on

Here is a preview of the new issue of Music and Medicine. 

Article Preview: The Effect of Music Therapy on Weight Gain among Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – Possible Mechanisms. 


1. Can you provide an overview of the study, timeline and the study outcomes?

The current article provides a perspective view on clinical factors that may affect weight gain among preterm infants, and the consideration of these factors in recent music therapy studies.

2. What was the impetus for carrying out this study?

This review was conducted to highlight important clinical factors and developmental care philosophies affecting weight gain in preterm infants that were not considered or emphasized thoroughly in the related literature so far.

3. What has fostered your interest in this area of study?

As clinicians working with preterm infants, we view weight gain and the clinical factors that affect this process in preterm infants as crucial to their overall development. However, this subject is still not extensively researched within music therapy.   

4. Can you tell us more about the Special Interest Group that you are a part of? How does your article relate to the rest of this Special Edition?

We are part of the Special Interest Group concerning preterm infants’ treatment, development, and wellbeing.  We hope our review can raise awareness for future MT trials in the field, by highlighting important data to collect and relate to when trying to analyze the effect MT may have on weight gain in preterm infants. Furthermore, this review might help to elucidate the mechanisms of weight gain associated with MT and in doing so, may assist clinicians to adjust the best combined intervention of MT and other modalities for specific outcomes. 

Biographical statements 

Dana Yakobson, Neonatal Music Therapist, RBL grandparent. Initiator and leader of the music therapy program at the NICU of “Meir” medical center Kfar-Saba, Israel. MA, PhD candidate, doctoral program in Music Therapy, Institute for communication, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. 

Shachar Shalit, a registered dietician, is working in the NICU at Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel. Founder of the Israeli Neonatal dietician group and is involved in national programs promoting neonatal nutrition care. 

Shmuel Arnon, MD, head of the well-baby unit at Meir Medical Center, Kfar-Saba, Israel, and a lyric tenor who loves vocal music and devotes his research efforts to explore the effect of music therapy on preterm infants.


Table of Contents Vol 13, No 2

Growth and Identity of Music Therapy in the NICU: Pioneering Perspectives

Helen Shoemark & Monika Nöcker-Ribaupierre


Neonatal Music Therapy and Cerebral Oxygenation in Extremely and Very Preterm Infants: a Pilot Study

Nienke H. van Dokkum, Elisabeth M.W. Kooi, Besrat Berhane, Anne-Greet Ravensberger, Laurien Hakvoort, Artur Jaschke and Arend Bos 


Parents as nurturing resources: A family integrated approach to music therapy for neonatal procedural support

Alexandra Ullsten,  Tarja Pölkki and Claire Ghetti  


COVID-19: Implications and considerations for NICU music therapy in Italy, Japan and Colombia

Mark Ettenberger, Barbara Sgobbi & Rieko Eguchi, Yenny Marcela, Beltran Ardila, Sergio Sadolfo, Torres Serrano, Maria Elena Bolis, and Massimo Agosti’s  


The Effect of Music Therapy on Weight Gain among Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – Possible Mechanisms

Dana Yakobson, Sachar Shalit & Shmuel Arnon 


Baby steps: a report exploring the development of neonatal music therapy programs

Elizabeth Coombes, Marion Untera, Ivad Al-Muzzafar and Christina Kalliodi 


Assessing & treating trauma: Music psychotherapy for parents of neonates

Joanne Loewy, Andrew Rossetti, Aimee Telsey and Ann Marie Dassler  


Read the new edition of Music and Medicine now.

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