Objective To evaluate the effect of music therapy in the awakening period after tonsil/adenoidectomy under general anesthesia in children. Methods A total of 240 children, boys or girls, aged 3-10 years old, who underwent elective low‑temperature plasma tonsil/adenoidectomy were selected. According to the random number table method, they were divided into three groups (n=80): an original music group (group O), a self‑selected music group (group P), and a control group (group C). Based on the same anesthetic regimen in the three groups, group O played the functional music originally written and produced by the researcher, group P played the music pre‑selected by the children based on their own preference, and group C played a silent track. The incidence of emergence delirium (ED), the Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability (FLACC) scores, the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV), the incidence of rebleeding within 24 h after surgery, awakening time, nurses' satisfaction, and the satisfaction of the children's family members were recorded in the three groups. The heart rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and pulse oxygen saturation (SpO2) before anesthesia induction (T0), at the end of surgery (T1), 5 min after listening to the audio track (T2), at the time of extubation (T3), and 5 min after extubation (T4) were recorded. Results Compared with group O, the incidence of ED in group group C was higher (P<0.05). Compared with group O, the incidence of ED and FLACC score in group P and group C were higher (all P<0.05). Compared with group P, the incidence of FLACC score in group C was higher (P<0.05). The satisfaction of nurses was lower in groups P and C than in group O (all P<0.05), and the satisfaction of nurses was lower in group C than in group P (all P<0.05). The satisfaction of family members of the children was lower in group C than in groups O and P (all P<0.05). The heart rate of group C was higher than those of group O and group P at T2 and T4 (all P<0.05). The MAP of group P and group C was higher than that of group O at T4 (all P<0.05), and the MAP of group C was higher than that of group P (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in other indicators of the children among the three groups (all P>0.05). Conclusions Music therapy is useful in the post‑tonsil/adenoidectomy awakening period of children, which helps to reduce the incidence of ED during the awakening period, reduces postoperative pain, improves the satisfaction of the children's family members and nurses' satisfaction, and maintains hemodynamic stability, and the application of Gong‑tone original music to this population has certain advantages.