This comprehensive international collection of writings on music therapy for premature and newborn infants was first published in 2003, and appears here in a second updated edition. The book chapters are based on a wide interdisciplinary range covering writings on medicine, infant and bonding research, developmental psychology, psychoanalysis, as well as music therapy in its different approaches.

As in the first edition, Part One deals with basic theories: the treatment concept NIDCAP (focusing on infant development and the significance of the development of the sensorial systems), research on auditory development, the psychoanalytic view of auditory influences from the onset of prenatal life with special focus on the mother‘s voice, and the potentials of music therapy for regulation and sycnchronization within relationships.

Part Two presents an overview of individual music therapy approaches to research and clinical practice, including qualitative and quantitative paradigms and both functional and psychotherapeutic approaches to practice – all based on research and extensive clinical practice – using a wide range of musical strategies. Including an overview of the new development and significance of parental work. The aim of the book is to show the benefits of music and music therapy as supportive intervention for hospitalized infants and also for their parents, by addressing the immediate and long-term developmental needs of the infant with regards to the evidence of bonding, relationships, and communication. The last chapters provide practical advice for implementing music therapy in NICUs as evaluated during the last 20 years.