Objectives To investigate the clinical effects of experiential musical therapy in the rehabilitation of patients with chronic schizophrenia. Methods A total of 60 inpatients with chronic convalescent schizophrenia were divided into experimental group and control group. The patients in experimental group were treated with experiential musical therapy for 12 weeks. The Positive and Negative Symptom Scale （PANSS） and Global Assessment Scale（ GAS） were used to evaluate the changes of mental symptoms in the two groups before and after the study. The Chinese version of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index-C scale（ IRI-C） and Texas Social Behavior Inventory（ TSBI） were used to assess the social function of the two groups before and after the study. Results After treatment， there were significant differences between the two groups in the PANSS score（ t=2.77，P=0.01）， the GAS score（ t=3.16，P＜0.05）， and the TSBI score（ t=3.07，P＜0.01）， but there was no significant difference in the IRI-C score（ t=0.47，P=0.64）. Conclusions It is found that experiential musical therapy can improve the mental symptoms， self-efficacy and social function rehabilitation of patients with chronic schizophrenia.