The Top 5 Songs Written/Performed by Black Artists We are Using in Music Therapy

It’s Black History Month and to celebrate we wanted to honor the significant contributions black artists have made to music as we know it today. From African percussion inspiring drum circles, to Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald’s influence on jazz, to Rihanna’s great impact on modern pop music- black artists have been shaping the music scene for a long time.

Here’s just a few of the songs written and/or performed by black artists that we are using often in music therapy.

1. “ABC” by The Jackson Five

We cannot rave enough about this song’s utility for working towards speech and learning-related goal areas in music therapy! It puts letters and numbers to a catchy tune in a way that is manageable for our young patients. It even uses solfege which helps us teach our patients about music!

2. “Special” by Lizzo

In contrast with “ABC”, we often utilize this song with our oldest patients in the pediatric setting we work in. This song is useful for self reflection and song discussion. We discuss with our patients what it means to be special and what makes them special and unique. We can also discuss what makes their friends or relatives special, encouraging connection. Our music therapists have also used this song as a song-writing template for our patients, helping them learn to express themselves as a healthy way to cope.

3. “What a Wonderful World” performed by Louis Armstrong

In music therapy we use patient-preferred music and this is a highly requested one. This is a great song for passive music therapy sessions in which the patient listens to the music therapist playing music to reduce stress and improve mood. This gives patients space to reflect on what is wonderful in the world and find beauty in difficult circumstances. They can also consider and discuss what is not wonderful in the world and find validity in their experiences because both beauty and hardship can coexist. This is a well-known and well-loved song and so it creates the perfect opportunity to involve caretakers in a music therapy session as well, helping create positive experiences in a hospital setting and encouraging connection.

4. “All of Me” by John Legend

Our music therapists sing this often with caregivers who want to show their appreciation for their little one. John originally wrote this piece for his wife, Chrissy Teigan, and a lot of patients and caregivers can resonate with the love expressed in this song.

5. “Lift Me Up” by Rihanna

After Rihanna’s impressive performance at the 2023 Super Bowl, many of our patients have been interested in engaging with her music and we can’t blame them! This song is from the recent movie “Wakanda Forever”, which celebrates many aspects of black culture. This song lends itself well to being used as a lullaby because it is a predictable and simple melody, which can be very calming for our younger patients. For our older patients, this song is empowering and can lead to reflections of what lifts them up and motivates them.

Black culture is something that can be celebrated more than just throughout the month of February and we celebrate it with our patients every time we sing and listen to these songs.

In closing, we asked our community on social media what their favorite music written/performed by black artists are and we thought we would share them with you!

-”Blueberry Hill” by Fats Domino

-”What a Wonderful World” by Sam Cook

-”My Everything” by Sauti Sol (ft. India Arie)

-”Signed, Sealed, Delivered: by Stevie Wonder

-”I’ll Be Seeing You” performed by Billie Holiday

Finally, an honorable mention was made for Franz Lyons of Turnstile! Thank you for celebrating Black History Month with us!