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A recent qualitative review of literature in the area of music/ music therapy and dementias published since 1985 suggested that music/music therapy is an effective intervention for maintaining and improving active involvement, social, emotional and cognitive skills, and for decreasing behavioral problems of individuals with dementias (Brotons, Koger, thus, a series of moderating variable analyses were conducted. We were unable to determine the source of variability between studies by analyzing type of therapeutic intervention (active or passive), music (live or taped), therapist's training (trained music therapist vs. other professional), dependent variable (behavioral, cognitive, or social), or length of treatment. Although the published literature demonstrates that music/music therapy is an effective method overall for treating symptoms of dementia, systematic variation of treatment protocols is necessary to identify the underlying mechanisms and delineate the most effective techniques.
Koger et al. (1999) studied this question.