bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Service Evaluation: Music Therapy and Medicine for the Elderly
Authors: Moss Hilary 
Published: January 2016

This paper describes a six-month evaluation of the music therapy service in a Medicine for the Elderly unit. It describes the unit and introduces the role of music therapy in this clinical area, with reference to relevant literature. The service evaluation is then described in detail. Four evaluation methods are presented. A user feedback questionnaire, which was designed by the writer for music therapists, is presented with results and discussion. A twelve-week music therapy group is observed and evaluated using rating scales to measure the level of patient communication and interaction within and outside the group. Two clinical vignettes are presented and, finally, qualitative observations are outlined. The paper then describes how these four methods were used to produce management recommendations for future service planning. It highlights the need for service providers to engage in consultation with service users when planning and reviewing services. It emphasises how important it is for music therapists to evaluate their services, and sets out this model in the hope that it will provide ideas and guidance for therapists wishing to do the same.
The Longest Goodbye — A Case Study
Authors: Atkinson Christine 
Published: January 2016

This article is a case study of a client whom I shall call Simon. He attended music therapy with me for four years. In this paper I aim to explore the concept of containment and the provision of a safe, facilitating environment, illustrating in the case material how integral they are to my work as a music therapist. Using the material, I demonstrate how Simon moved from being chaotic and uncontained in his self-expression to a place where he was able to explore his feelings and share them with me. From early on in the music therapy with Simon, ‘ending’ became a dominant theme. I aim to explore the reasons why endings were so significant, how Simon responded to endings and how we negotiated the all-important ending of our therapeutic relationship.
Music Therapy for Autistic Children and Their Families: A Creative Spectrum
Authors: Woodward Ann 
Published: January 2016

A review of the literature shows that little has been published about music therapy for parents and children together, and Oldfield's recent article (Oldfield et al. 2003) describes this work as ‘fairly uncommon’. This paper uses three clinical examples to illustrate a range of approaches to working with children with autism and their parents: a group for children with autism and their parents in a mainstream primary school, short-term work with a 4-year-old autistic girl and her mother, and work with a mother and her two young sons, one of whom has Asperger's Syndrome. Music therapy can help children with autism to communicate and interact and can build their self-confidence. It can also play an important role for parents of children with autism, who may be under great stress, by fostering relationships, developing positive interactions and helping them to feel contained and supported.
Turn-Taking in Music Therapy with Children with Communication Disorders
Authors: Holck Ulla 
Published: January 2016

In a well-functioning dialogue, the nonverbal and often implicit visual and auditory cues ensure good continuation without interruptions or overlapping speak. In mutual interplay, both partners participate in turn-organisation, and therefore an analysis of cues indicating turn-taking and turn-yielding can provide information about the participants' social skills, whether or not the dialogue is verbal. This article presents relevant concepts from conversation analysis literature in order to analyse music therapy interplay aimed at promoting preverbal and social skills. As the character of the turn-organisation is dependent on the developmental age of the participants, the described cues are compared to research in early mother–child interplay, as well as studies of turn-organisation in dialogues with disabled children. The theoretical part of the article is illustrated by a turn-analysis of case material from music therapy with a 2½-year-old boy with communication disorders. The analysis was a part of the author's doctoral research and focuses on the boy's participation in turn-organisation as well as the therapist's use of turn-yielding and turn-overlapping. The article concludes with a discussion of the applied theoretical concepts in relation to music therapy practice. It will be suggested that the turn-yielding cues can be compared to response-evoking techniques, while the management of simultaneousness (overlaps) naturally is very different in verbal than in musical dialogues.
Music Therapy for People with Schizophrenia or other Psychoses
Authors: Gold Christian , Dahle Trond , Heldal Tor Olav , Wigram Tony 
Published: January 2016

OBJECTIVE: Music therapy is a psychotherapeutic method that uses musical interaction to help people with serious mental illness to develop relationships and to address issues they may not be able to using words alone. We aimed to examine the effects of music therapy for people with schizophrenia. METHOD: We reviewed all randomised trials comparing music therapy to no treatment, placebo, or standard care. A search in the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group's Register was supplemented by manual searches in journals. Outcomes were analysed using fixed-effects meta-analysis. The number of music therapy sessions (less than 20 vs. 20 or more) was examined as a possible source of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Four trials were included. These examined the effects of music therapy (between 7 and 78 sessions) over the short to medium term (1 to 3 months). Music therapy added to standard care was superior to standard care alone for global state. Continuous data suggested positive effects on negative as well as on general mental state and social functioning, but these depended on the number of music therapy sessions. CONCLUSIONS: Music therapy helps people with schizophrenia to improve their global state and may also improve mental state and functioning if a sufficient number of music therapy sessions are provided. Further research should address the dose-effect relationship and the long-term effects of music therapy.
“Why Can't We Be Friends?”
Authors: Foster Neil 
Published: January 2016

This article describes a research project undertaken to explore the concept of friendship in the context of music therapy relationships. An extensive review of the music therapy literature is presented, drawing also on related disciplines including psychoanalysis, philosophy, musicology and sociology. Data from interviews with three music therapists, practising across a range of clinical contexts, is presented in categories, followed by a discussion of the findings and their implications. Issues arising include boundaries, the balance between professional and personal dynamics, the role of music in intimacy, and trust between professionals. It is concluded that friendship is a complex issue, but that personal dynamics such as friendship are often present in clinical relationships at different times and in different ways. Boundaries and ethical rules are considered fundamentally important. They are viewed as flexible rather than fixed, depending on the clinical setting and the client's needs. The study also concludes that friendship and related concepts such as love and sexuality may be taboo subjects within the profession. It seems that this may be due to anxieties about professional discreditation as well as more general anxieties within society. The lack of open discussion on these subjects can then give rise to therapist anxieties about intimacy with clients. This is seen as an issue particularly affecting inexperienced or trainee music therapists.
Drawing and Drumming
Authors: Bryce Lorna , Wettone Susannah 
Published: January 2016

This article describes a pilot open art and music therapy group which took place on an assessment ward in a Medium Secure Unit for patients detained under the UK's Mental Health Act. The aim was to offer an optional therapeutic space to patients who had limited access to off-ward therapy and activities, and to see whether this would be of value in this setting. The ward environment is described, the need for on-ward therapy outlined and relevant literature surveyed The planning, setting up and evaluation of two phases of the work are then detailed, with particular focus on the rationale for the ways in which sessions were run and the roles of the two therapists (one a music therapist, the other an art therapist). Changing group membership and its impact on the therapy is described, and modifications to the original approach explained. Feedback from staff and patients is presented and discussed, leading to reflections on the value of this kind of therapeutic experience in such a setting.
Using Electronic Music Technologies in Music Therapy: Opportunities, Limitations and Clinical Indicators
Authors: Magee Wendy L , Burland Karen 
Published: January 2016

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of a range of electronic technologies in music therapy. However, there remain no empirical investigations into the clinical applications of these tools, nor guidelines for their use. This article draws from a recent research study which explored how music therapists are using technology in practice with children, adolescents and adults across special educational, community, hospice and rehabilitation settings in the UK (Magee & Burland in press). Particular focus was given to technology requiring switches and sensors. The purpose of this article is to make clinical recommendations regarding the opportunities and limitations of using technology in music therapy, using illustrative data extracts from therapists experienced in using technology in practice. The study shows that music therapists turn to technology to enable a client to participate actively or to widen the client's musical expression. Technology offers improved access for people with complex physical needs to engagement in active methods of music therapy. Using technology in music therapy has benefits for the client, the therapist and the wider interdisciplinary treatment team. Despite its positive role, technology is experienced as offering a lesser aesthetic experience than acoustic instruments. Finally, clinical indicators and contra-indicators are offered to guide clinicians in understanding when technology may be helpful and when it might be avoided in the clinical context.
A Dialogue with Prof. Tony Wigram
Authors: Wigram Tony , Sutton Julie 
Published: January 2016

This article reviews the career and publications of Prof. Tony Wigram. This enables the reader to follow the changing face of British music therapy during the period from its origins to the present day. Through tracking the career of a prominent and internationally renowned UK therapist, it is possible to illustrate the ways in which music therapy has developed since the early days of working towards a professional profile, through the growth of the profile of the profession in a variety of ways, including the long period of work towards national registration. There is consideration of the changes in the topics and nature of publications and research, undertaken in response to the changing environments in which therapist work. It is anticipated that current practising music therapists will find this review of interest in a number of ways: as a historic record of the growth of the profession seen through the eyes of an active teacher, author and researcher; a resource of great current and future value in terms of the ideas and publications presented across the spread of the UK profession; a springboard from which to view the future.
Transgenerational Interactions in Music Therapy
Authors: Timmermann Tonius 
Published: January 2016

In this essay I will explore aspects of transgenerational transferences from clinical, sociological, political and personal perspectives. Transgenerational interactions contain the unconscious transferences of patterns of behaviour, experiences and emotions to the subsequent generations of a family system. These transferences are symbolically returned to the original persons involved during the therapeutic process. Aside from transgenerational transferences within the family context we also see collective psycho-traumatic experiences like war, expulsion, mass murder, mass rape, and starvation. The “emotional anaesthesia” of the affected person often leads to dissociations and unconscious repetition of psycho traumatic symptoms by descendants in the same family. Through case material I detail how and in what ways both the music therapy and the music therapist can be part of a process that is essentially one of connecting with a humanity that lies in all of us. Theoretical contexts for this include reference to systemic work and the ideas of C. G. Jung that are incorporated into music psychotherapy technique and practice. The style of the essay is less formal than that of an article and stems from the original keynote presentation that this is based on, as well as my approach to the material. It is intended to provoke thought about work with those traumatized that reminds us of the connections between the individual and their society.
Key Changes Music Therapy: An Extended Pilot Project in an Adult Mental Health Hospital Setting
Authors: Rowland Cathy , Read Beccy 
Published: January 2016

This article introduces an evolving research project based in an NHS adult in-patient mental health setting. The project was set up to assess the longer term benefits of music therapy for these client populations, and to enable and facilitate patients' personal growth. The background to the project and method of evaluation is described, including pre and post therapy evaluations from both patients and staff. Samples of data collected are presented. Recommendations are made for similar projects in music therapy. This was a collaborative project between the NHS setting and the local charity Key Changes Music Therapy, launched in 2008 to: “…promote the use of music to alleviate behavioural, emotional and physical difficulties, and to protect and promote good health by the use of music. Key Changes also aims to advance the education of the public concerning music as a means of therapy and to carry out and publish research” (Memorandum and articles, registered charity no: 1124102).
How Intense is This Silence? Developing a Theoretical Framework for the Use of Psychodynamic Music Therapy in the Treatment of Selective Mutism in Children with English as an Additional Language: A Heuristic Case Study
Authors: Jones Kate 
Published: January 2016

Selective mutism (SM) is often referred to as a rare disorder affecting children when they first enter the education system. Current research suggests the prevalence of SM among children with English as an additional language (EAL) is under-reported due to a lack of awareness and resources within schools. Usual treatment of SM in schools in the UK combines a behavioural approach with speech and language therapy. There is a small amount of literature that suggests that music therapy might complement this approach. This article describes a heuristic research case study which aimed to develop theory about the way that music therapy can be used in the treatment of foundation stage (nursery and reception class) children with SM and EAL. Eleven sessions of music therapy with a four-year-old boy with SM and EAL in a UK nursery school were videotaped, and meaningful moments selected and analysed in order to generate themes informing a theoretical understanding of the therapeutic process. A creative synthesis of themes provided a theoretical framework which incorporated key elements of music therapy practice, suggesting that music therapy could be a useful intervention in the treatment of SM.
Does Rhythm in Music Therapy Have an Organising Effect on the Agitated Behaviours of People with a Diagnosis of Dementia? An Investigation into Music Therapists' Current Practice
Authors: Allen-Williams Helen 
Published: January 2016

While previous research on music therapy and dementia has shown the positive outcomes gained from interventions, it lacked specificity regarding techniques utilised by practising music therapists. Recent developments in music therapy and neuro-rehabilitation have shown rhythm to be an integral part of accessing remaining cognitive functioning following brain injury and deterioration. This article is based upon a recent research project that investigates the potential of rhythm in music therapy to organise the internal chaos (mental and emotional) experienced by patients with dementia. It is speculated that such chaos is often expressed through agitated behaviours, and that rhythm can be used in such instances as a means to stimulate meaningful interaction. A literature review was conducted of studies of music therapy and agitated behaviour. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with four music therapists and was coded and categorised in order to establish themes. Results showed that the use of individualised rhythmic interventions was functional as therapists noted reduced agitation, more organised physical movement and other communications, meaningful interaction and emotional reassurance. The results also suggest that the Cochrane review's conclusion that no substantial evidence exists to support the use of music therapy with dementia patients might be challenged by further research.
A Potential Space: Approaching “Outsider Research” with Classroom Practitioners Working with Children with Complex Needs in Belarus
Authors: Margetts Lisa , Wallace Helen , Young Emily 
Published: January 2016

This paper will discuss approaches to ethical issues encountered in the development of the proposal for a PhD research project, to be undertaken by the first author, entitled “Psychodynamic music therapy and the work of classroom practitioners working with children with complex needs in Belarus: A potential space”. This research will be based at Novi Dom, a special school in Minsk, Belarus, and follows two skills-sharing projects undertaken there during 2009 (Margetts, Wallace and Young 2010), which were requested initially to support person-centred teaching initiatives by one of the founding charities of Novi Dom. The positive outcomes of these first two projects led to a request for further music-therapy-based input. The impetus for the first author's PhD research project has therefore evolved in response to this locally identified need (Trimble and Fisher 2006: 6). Writing and research around multicultural competency in music therapy have increased in recent years with commentators offering further consideration of the knowledge, skills and qualities needed by therapists, supervisors and trainers to work successfully with the complexities of the multicultural environment (Gilboa, Yehuda and Amir 2009; Wheeler and Baker 2010). The unique, rich sociocultural context of post-communist and modern Belarus offers an opportunity to explore fascinating areas of divergence and meeting of approaches to working with children with complex needs. A brief overview of geographical, historical, political and social factors which have contributed to this very specific context will be drawn from literature, as well as from both the experience of the authors, and that of fellow music therapists who have undertaken music-therapy-based skills-sharing projects in other post-communist countries (Quin 2004, 2007; Salcin-Watts 2007). Fundamental ethical challenges of psychodynamic music-therapy-based research within special education in Belarus will be explored from the perspective of outsider research as defined by David Bridges (2001, 2009). This discussion will be illustrated with clinical material from the projects at Novi Dom in 2009.
“No Maths, No Physics (So I Spray My Bars with Lyrics)”: Rap/Music Therapy with Young Men at a Young Offender Institution
Authors: Short Helen 
Published: January 2016

This paper describes work undertaken at a young offender institution, focusing on the therapeutic use of improvised or ‘freestyle’ and original rap. In particular it uses material and analysis pertaining to two individuals who formed part of a slow open group for outpatients detained in the main prison. A background to the work sets the scene. Next the author details the role of this specific form of therapy within the institution addressing the aims of the work and the background of the clients. The main body of the paper examines the nature of this work from a psychodynamic perspective, incorporating concepts of Klein, Winnicott, Holmes and Bowlby. This relates to the setting, client group and the use of rap as a therapeutic intervention, with focus on original rap lyric-writing and the stylistic and cultural connotations of the genre. Original lyrics and therapeutic techniques specific to clients are drawn upon and discussed.
Embedding Innovation into the Counterpoint of Music Therapy Practice Today
Authors: Quin Alexia 
Published: January 2016

When Alexia founded Music as Therapy International, the music therapy profession seemed very different. Who has changed? The author or the profession? Or both? The author will present her experiences of being a threat, a novelty and now a welcome contributor to practice, and consider the changing professional context against which (and within which) her work has unfolded. The article will trace the development of Music as Therapy International's work in Romania, as the country's care system has progressed through dramatic reforms following the crisis in care revealed after the fall of Communism in 1989. The author will explore how the consequent portfolio of activities devised by the charity has since proven relevant in other countries and has become increasingly influential in the UK. Specific relevant projects will be presented, including the six-week introductory training project model (international), the distance learning programme (Romania), the training DVD (Rwanda), the UK continuing professional development seminars and interactive music-making (a university credit-rated course for UK practitioners working with under-5s). The paper will also refer to responses to these projects from the profession and the relevant practice of others over the years.
The Influence of Jung's Psychology on the Therapeutic Use of Music
Authors: Hitchcock Dorinda Hawk 
Published: January 2016

This paper explores the work of two innovative music therapists and the way in which their individual approaches relate to the theories of C.G. Jung. Firstly, the author describes how Margaret Tilly, a concert pianist, once gave Jung a session of passive music therapy explaining that she begins to play composed music in rapport with the patient's dominant function, and gradually evokes the inferior function's qualities also using the ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ aspects of music. This convinced the otherwise sceptical Jung that ‘from now on music should be an essential part of every analysis’. Secondly, she examines Mary Priestley's work in which the patient improvises with the therapist to make contact with feelings and unconscious material: e.g. in dreams. The author speaks from direct experience of her analytical music therapy intertherapy training with Priestley. She quotes several passages from Jung's work to explain how this therapy accords with the need to contact the image behind the emotions, and to accept the ethical obligation presented by the dreams and the need to make concrete the experiences. She finishes with a call to musicians and therapists to be ‘more aware of the creative power of music to make us whole’.