Parents who have infants hospitalised in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) experience high levels of stress, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. However, whether sounds contribute to parents’ stress remains largely unknown. Critically, researchers lack a comprehensive instrument to investigate the relationship between sounds in NICUs and parental stress. To address this gap, this report presents the “Soundscape of NICU Questionnaire” (SON-Q), which was developed specifically to capture parents’ perceptions and beliefs about the impact that sound had on them and their infants, from pre-birth throughout the NICU stay and in the first postdischarge period. Parents of children born preterm (n = 386) completed the SON-Q and the Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire (PPQ). Principal Component Analysis identifying underlying dimensions comprising the parental experience of the NICU soundscape was followed by an exploration of the relationships between subscales of the SON-Q and the PPQ. Moderation analysis was carried out to further elucidate relationships between variables. Finally, thematic analysis was employed to analyse one memory of sounds in NICU open question. The results highlight systematic associations between aspects of the NICU soundscape and parental stress/trauma. The findings underscore the importance of developing specific studies in this area and devising interventions to best support parents’ mental health, which could in turn support infants’ developmental outcomes.

Introduction: Joint improvisation between therapist and client is fundamental to most approaches in music therapy practice but is far from being fully understood. The present study aims to shed light on the potential meanings of joint improvisation between therapist and client in music therapy Method: Deploying phenomenological methods, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five musicians and five music therapists, each of whom provided a recorded musical example of their joint improvisations with a client or another musician Results: Two types of dialogic moments emerged across both groups: “primal” and “mature” moments. Primal moments included “Moments of listening and attuning” and “Musical proficiency” (musicians); and “Moments of listening and attuning to the client’s being” and “Transforming the moment” (music therapists). Mature moments incorporated “Moments of forming musical relationships” (musicians); and “Moments of creating a significant bond between therapist and client” (music therapists) Discussion: Mature moments were illustrated as moments where both therapist and client expressed themselves authentically, and often incorporated synchronization discrepancies between them. Amongst the musicians, mature moments involved challenging each other’s boundaries as well as becoming closely and intimately acquainted. Primal moments incorporated the conditions that facilitated dialogues: active listening, active musical gestures and facilitation of augmented musical time frames between therapist and client; and deep listening and musical virtuosity among the musicians. The comparison between the two groups highlighted the music therapists’ technique of creating versatile time frames while inviting their clients to improvise and emphasized the musicians’ capacity to engage in a wide range of musical relationships.

The flute, as a primary instrument, carries a special meaning for music therapists who are flutists. In order to find out more about the meaning of flute playing and its manifestation in music therapy practice, three flutist music therapists were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and analysed according to the interpretative phenomenological analysis method. The findings reveal the deep, multi-layered connection between flutist music therapists and their flutes throughout their lives and illuminate the active role participants had to take in turning their flute into a therapeutic instrument. Replacing the professional flute with a therapeutic one is a significant milestone in the course of becoming a flutist music therapist. Participants described flute playing in therapy as enhancing their playfulness and proficiency as well as expanding their musical freedom. The flute’s sound is portrayed as projecting love and tenderness, allowing special intimacy between client and therapist.

There is growing evidence highlighting benefits of musical exposure and participation on several aspects of development and parenting. Aiming to establish a rigorous protocol allowing researchers to study different types of musical interactions and their benefits on the development of early communication, the present study explored parents’ experiences of musically engaging with their infants in different types of music groups. Twenty-five infants and their parents were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (1) singing, (2) flute playing, or (3) control group. Music sessions were held weekly for 14 weeks and were followed by the home use of the recorded routines specific of each group, for further 3 months. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the experimental groups’ participants, and pre/post quantitative developmental measures were collected from all groups, to assess participants’ compliance. Qualitative analyses of the interviews revealed both shared themes, (communication enhancement, enjoyment, and regulation); and unique themes (creativity and freedom in the flute group; familiarity and responsiveness in the singing group). The feasibility study was successful in establishing a workable protocol to use in RCT longitudinal interventions aiming to examine how specific aspects of the musical experience might differentially support developmental outcomes, in parent–infant groups.