An innovative music therapy project aimed at promoting healthy attitudes and behaviors in at-risk youth through the use of a 14-week structured songwriting program, starting in 2007 through a $3,000 grant from the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Music Therapy Association. The program expanded to several afterschool programs with funding from Exelon Generation. Board-certified music therapists ran the after-school program at the Hancock St. John Learning Center, Drueding Center and Belmont Charter School - all in Philadelphia.  The program was  adopted by Carson Valley Children's Aid in Flourtown, PA with the site's own funding. The songwriting program used a theme-centered approach aimed at providing the children with a creative outlet for exploration and expression of issues relevant to their lives (violence, gangs, family situations, drug use, anger management, school, and peer pressure) and opportunity to collaboratively create strategies for personal safety and success. Each 14-week cycle culminated in a CD release party to celebrate the songs created by the youth. The first CD release party was covered by ABC news and CBS news.

A 9-month-long pilot program from 2012 providing up to ten beginning orchestral students who have paralysis weekly instrumental instruction and interdisciplinary therapeutic support in order to prepare them for inclusion in mainstream school or youth orchestras. With the expertise of music and occupational therapists, assistive technology professionals, and biomechanical engineering students, students worked with their strengths and limitations to learn how to play an instrument of their choice. Project partners included the Widener Memorial School, Temple University Music Preparatory Division, and Temple's Institute on Disabilities. Funding for this program was provided by the Christopher and Dana Reeve Quality of Life Grants ($4,000) and Temple University Faculty Senate Seed funds ($10,000).

This program was funded by a $24, 900 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation to support an innovative songwriting program for inpatients with spinal cord injury at the Shriner’s Hospital for Children (Philadelphia).  Individual songwriting sessions helped these children express their feelings and facilitate their coping with spinal cord injury.  With the help of a music therapist, each child created and recorded original songs about their experience of spinal cord injury and their hopes for the future.  Songwriting software was used to enable the child to select and input the music and the lyrics, allowing the child to be fully involved in every aspect of the songwriting process.  Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the children to evaluate the impact of this program on their coping with spinal cord injury.

Funded by the Barra Foundation, this initiative provided bedside visual arts and music experiences to individuals at Temple Hospital. Hope/Esperanza offered visual arts experiences to patients on the Latino unit of the hospital, while Music/Cope offered bedside music to patients in the cardiac and oncology units.

In 2006, the Center in conjunction with the Comprehensive HIV Program at Temple Hospital received a $20,000 grant from Johnson & Johnson and the Society for the Arts in Healthcare. Drs. Cheryl Dileo (Professor Emerita, Music Therapy) and Dr. Ellen Tedaldi (Professor of Internal Medicine and Director of the HIV Program at the Katz School of Medicine, Temple University) served as Principal Investigators. The grant funded a research project that implemented and evaluated physiological, psychological, social, and quality of life effects of a unique choral arts/music therapy program for underserved minority HIV/AIDS patients and their caregivers. Patients and their caregivers participated in a specially designed choir that met weekly over a 9-month period. Immediately following the choir, small group music therapy sessions were provided to participants. Board-certified music therapy graduate students lead the sessions under Dr. Dileo’s supervision. Participation in this program resulted in improved psychological well-being, reduced isolation, enhanced social support, and increased hope.