Music Meet Up online edition: The pivot to an online music therapy group for adolescents and young adults with cancer

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the unique emotional and social needs expressed by adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. To help address this, we adapted an in-person developmentally tailored group music therapy intervention to an online format. The purpose of this study was to gain preliminary data to explore the acceptability of the online version of the group. A qualitative descriptive approach was chosen to understand the experiences of program participants, who were patients at a tertiary cancer centre in Toronto, Canada. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants, and data was analysed using thematic analysis. A total of six interviews were completed, with five participants identifying as women. Ages ranged from 24-35, and various cancer types were represented. Overall, participants felt the online version of the program was beneficial. However, interviews pinpoint advantages and disadvantages with the online format. Delivering the program online enhanced accessibility but also created issues of disrupted/impaired “connectivity” between participants and the music. Online group psychosocial interventions, including music therapy, may continue to be offered long after the pandemic. These lessons could inform how other online music therapy interventions are delivered to AYAs between 18-39 years of age and beyond.