In a recently published study, the role of music therapy has been documented to aid brain development of babies in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit).
(Children 2024, 11(5), 533; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11050533)
NICU is a very busy place humming with sounds which provide adverse auditory experience for the neonatal baby (such as monitor alarms, mechanical ventilators and other equipment sounds, background noise during busy staff shifts).
Concerns have been documented that limited desirable auditory exposure and increased adverse auditory exposures, during a critical period can negatively impact brain maturation as well as neurodevelopment of NICU babies.
Under such circumstances, music therapy has been documented to provide many potential benefits with no known adverse effects reported to date, for eligible, medically stable infants, thus favoring introduction of music therapy in the NICU. 
Medical, nursing, and allied health collaborators who had the opportunity to observe and/or take part in music therapy sessions have also expressed their support and gratitude for the implementation of music therapy into the unit. During the study, a nurse on the unit articulated, “Music is so important; singing to babies is timeless, people have always been singing to their babies”. Other nurses reflected on the benefits music has provided during their workdays. One nurse shared “It reminds you of the beauty and humanity with everything that’s going on. It’s so pure and it helps everyone”; another stated, “Now the whole room is calmer and more peaceful”.
By integrating music therapy into NICU care, not only the physical health but also emotional and developmental needs of these fragile infants can be better addressed. 💖
