Research & Publications

My work as a music therapist and rhythm educator extends into peer-reviewed research and academic publishing. Below are the studies and publications I have co-authored — work that sits at the intersection of music therapy, neuroscience, and education.

Peer-Reviewed Study

Drumming-PD/HD: The impact of a pilot group drumming-based music therapy intervention on people living with Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease and their caregivers

Wainwright, L., Kang, K., Dayanim, G., Bedell, C., Devlin, K., Lanham, D., Suarez-Cedeno, G., Baker, J.A., Bastepe-Gray, S., Bang, J., & Pantelyat, A. (2025). Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 34(4), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2024.2435875

Published in the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, this study examined the impact of twice-weekly group drumming sessions on quality of life, motor symptoms, and caregiver burden in people living with Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease over 12 weeks. Parkinson's participants showed meaningful motor improvements at both 12 and 18 weeks.

I co-authored this study alongside researchers from Johns Hopkins Center for Music & Medicine, including Dr. Alexander Pantelyat, the center's director. The work grew directly out of my Rx for Rhythm program — a free weekly drumming group for people with Parkinson's disease that I facilitate in Baltimore.

Read the full study → https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08098131.2024.2435875

Book Chapter

Sounds Around the World: Music as Social Studies Pedagogy

Carano, K.T., & Baker, J.A. (2016). In J. Clabough & G. Hanvey (Eds.), Digging Deeper: Activities for Enriching and Expanding Social Studies Instruction K-12. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.

This peer-reviewed book chapter explores how music and rhythm can serve as a pedagogical tool in K-12 social studies education. Drawing on my Sounds Around the World program — which uses percussion traditions from around the globe to teach students about geography, culture, and human connection — the chapter offers both a theoretical framework and practical activities for classroom educators. Co-authored with Dr. Kenneth Carano and published by Information Age Publishing.

This page will grow as new research is published. If you are a researcher, clinician, or educator interested in collaborating, I would welcome the conversation.

Get in touch → https://www.jasonarmstrongbaker.com/contact

View press coverage → https://www.jasonarmstrongbaker.com/pressmedia