Palliative care is centred on supporting people living with a life-limiting or terminal illness to live as fully and comfortably as possible. Its focus is on easing the suffering experienced by both patients and their families. For the people going through it, that can mean many things, from managing physical symptoms to finding moments of connection, calm, and even joy.
Music therapy is one of the ways palliative care teams support patients and families during this time. Available across many Australian hospitals, hospices and home-based palliative care services, it is a structured, evidence-informed allied health service delivered by a qualified professional.
This article explains what music therapy in palliative care involves, how it supports patients and families, and how to access it in Australia.
Music therapy uses music in a structured, clinical way to support a person’s emotional, physical and mental health. In palliative care, a registered music therapist gets to know the patient first, learning about their musical history, personal preferences and how they are feeling before planning tailored therapy sessions. This assessment-led approach is part of what separates music therapy from simply playing soothing music in a room.
Sessions might include listening to music that holds personal meaning, singing, gentle improvisation, songwriting, or using music to talk about and revisit memories from earlier in life. There is no expectation for the patient to have any musical ability or prior musical experience. The therapist works with the patient wherever they are in their relationship with music.
In Australia, music therapists may hold a range of qualifications and experience, from undergraduate qualifications through to postgraduate study and extensive clinical practice. They are part of the broader palliative care team, working alongside doctors, nurses, social workers and other health professionals toward the same goal: supporting patients to help ensure they are as comfortable as possible.
Research published in the journal Brain Sciences found that music activates a wide network of brain regions, including areas linked to memory, emotion, movement and reward. Familiar music from earlier in life often remains accessible even when illness has affected memory and language, which is why a song from decades ago can reach someone in a way that conversation in the present moment sometimes cannot.
For patients, music tied to a meaningful time in their life can bring real comfort and a sense of who they are beyond their illness. It can bring up emotions that are hard to reach any other way. For families caring for loved ones, sharing music offers a way to be present together without needing to find the right words.
The music therapist’s role is to work with the patient’s responses to music, memories, and associations in a purposeful way, using their relationship with music to address their physical, emotional, psychological, and social needs.
Research published in Palliative and Supportive Care reviewed eight studies on music interventions in palliative care and identified six key areas of benefit:
A separate systematic review in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management looked at 16 studies and found short-term improvements across pain, anxiety, wellbeing and quality of life. A further meta-analysis in the same journal covering 11 clinical trials found that music therapy reduced pain and improved quality of life, with anxiety, depression and emotional wellbeing also showing improvement.
Here is what that looks like for patients in practice:
Music therapy is used alongside pain medication, rather than instead of it. Engaging with music can shift a person’s attention away from pain signals, which is particularly useful for persistent or chronic pain. It can also lower cortisol levels, slow breathing, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and may ease the kind of physical tension that makes pain harder to bear. Even a modest reduction in pain can make a real difference to daily life.
Serious illness brings a kind of anxiety that is hard to address through conversation alone. It might be fear of what is coming, the loss of independence, or simply being in an unfamiliar hospital or hospice environment. Music therapy gives patients a way to process what they are carrying without having to put it into words. A therapist might use calming music and guided breathing, or simply invite the patient to choose music that reflects how they are feeling, creating a safe space for release.
Low mood and depression are common feelings in palliative care. Music therapy offers a way to address them without medication, by drawing on the music that has mattered to a person throughout their life. Hearing a song tied to a good memory, or creating something through songwriting, can bring back a sense of joy and meaning that illness often takes away.
Muscle tension, discomfort and anxiety all interfere with a patient’s ability to rest. Music therapists may use targeted approaches, including music-assisted relaxation, to guide patients toward a calmer physical and mental state. For some patients, this also supports better sleep.
A life-limiting illness raises questions that medicine cannot answer. Music therapy creates space to sit with those questions through talking about lyrics, listening reflectively, or using improvisation to explore meaning, identity, and what gives life value and purpose.
Over time, illness can distance a person from their identity and the life they built. Engaging with music that has been part of someone’s life, a song from their wedding, music from their culture, or an instrument they used to play, can remind them of who they are beyond their illness. In palliative care, where respecting dignity and supporting identity matters deeply, that reminder carries real weight.
Music therapy is not just for the patient. Families and carers are welcome to take part in sessions, and many find that it becomes a deeply valued time spent together during a very difficult period. For children or grandchildren visiting someone receiving palliative care, music often makes the setting feel less daunting, and the visit feel more relaxed.
Music therapists also work with patients to create something lasting, whether that is a recording of their voice, a collection of meaningful songs, or an original piece written for the people they love. These are things families can hold onto long after their loved one has died.
For families dealing with anticipatory grief, music therapy offers a way to stay close to their loved one while they are still present. A 2024 systematic review published in BMC Palliative Care looked at music therapy for carers of people with life-limiting illness and found moderate to strong qualitative evidence of improved emotional, psychological, social and spiritual outcomes during the palliative care period.
As someone moves into the later stages of illness, the focus of music therapy may change. Managing symptoms can become less central, with comfort, presence and meaning becoming what each session is about.
A session at this stage might be gentler, perhaps the therapist playing soft music in the room, or guiding the patient through a reflective listening experience built around music that has mattered to them.
Family members are often there, and for many, these sessions become part of how they remember that time, not as a clinical experience, but as a deeply human one.
The most straightforward way to access music therapy is to ask your palliative care team. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or care coordinator to find out whether a registered music therapist is available as part of the service. Music therapists work across palliative care wards, hospices and some community and home-based settings.
If music therapy is not available through your current provider, the Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA) has a searchable directory of registered music therapists across Australia. Your care team may also be able to help with a referral.
Music therapy is one part of a broader network of support available to patients and families in palliative care, and for many people, it becomes one of the most valued parts of that care.
If you are navigating palliative care and looking for support around mental health, end-of-life, or grief, visit I Am Living for access to crisis hotlines and support services.