Music therapy has been used in some form or the other for centuries, but emerged as an organised discipline in 1950. Regular associations were formed in the USA and UK to promote its benefits. Later it was used as an adjunct in the management of the mentally ill, physically handicapped, and elderly people suffering from Alzheimer's disease and dementia.

The aim mainly being to improve communication and motor skills, increasing attention span, reducing pain and stress thereby improving quality of life. The patient does not have to be a musician himself. Now it has a well-established place in "Alternative Medicine".