A new systematic review suggests that structured music training programs can meaningfully support hearing rehabilitation in children who use cochlear implants — positioning music not just as an art form but as a legitimate clinical tool in pediatric care.

The study, led by Martins-Said and colleagues, set out to determine which types of music training approaches work best for children up to the age of 12 who rely on cochlear implants due to sensorineural hearing loss. Rather than pooling data into a meta-analysis — which the researchers ruled out due to wide variation in study designs, methods, and outcome measures across the existing literature — the team carried out a thorough qualitative synthesis instead.

Materials and Methods
This systematic review followed PRISMA guidelines and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023434046). Database searches were carried out without restrictions on publication date or language. Eligible studies involved children aged 12 and under with sensorineural hearing loss who used either a unilateral or bilateral cochlear implant and received some form of music training as an intervention. Studies were excluded if participants were older than 12 or if the research did not assess the effects of music training.

Results
The initial search returned 1,876 studies across all databases. Following duplicate removal and title and abstract screening, 27 studies proceeded to full-text review. After qualitative analysis, 21 were excluded for failing to meet the predefined criteria, leaving six studies for inclusion in the final review.

Conclusion
This systematic review points to the value of active music training programs — grounded in structured musical learning — as promising interventions for supporting hearing rehabilitation in children who use cochlear implants.