Symposium on Experiential Learning in Music Therapy Report of the Symposium Sponsored by the World Federation of Music Therapy Commission on Education, Training, and Accreditation

ABSTRACT: This article reports on the Symposium of Experiential Learning in Music Therapy, the second symposium of the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) Commission on Education, Training, and Accreditation, held as part of the 10th World Congress of Music Therapy in Oxford, England, in July, 2002. The symposium focused on approaches, research, and issues surrounding experiential learning in music therapy education. Thirty-four music therapy educators and supervisors from 12 countries participated in the symposium. This paper summarizes the 12 presentations as well as the dialogue and debate that followed. The article concludes with a summary of the issues related to experiential learning that were identified. The Symposium on Experiential Learning in Music Therapy, the second symposium of the World Federation of Music Therapy (WFMT) Commission on Education, Training, and Accreditation, was held as part of the 10th World Congress of Music Therapy in Oxford, England, in July, 2002. The topic of experiential learning was selected as an outgrowth of the first symposium of the same WFMT commission, held in 1999 during the 9th World Congress of Music Therapy in Washington, DC, where many issues about experiential learning emerged (Wheeler & Grocke, 2001). The program included presentations on various aspects of experiential learning and was organized around four themes: broad views, approaches, research, and issues. Group discussion followed each set of presentations. Thirty-four music therapy educators and supervisors from 12 countries participated in the symposium. The presenters included Barbara Wheeler (USA); Lia Rejane Barcellos (Brazil), Rachel Darnley-Smith (England), Cheryl Dileo (USA), Denise Grocke (Australia), Nigel Hartley (England), Connie Isenberg-Grzeda (Canada), Mechtild Jahn-Langenberg (Germany), Kathleen Murphy (USA), lnge Nygaard Pedersen (Denmark), Benedikte Scheiby (USA), Chava Sekeles (Israel), and Elaine Streeter (England). Barbara Wheeler, chair, opened the symposium by providing a context for the day's program. She noted that this was the second symposium sponsored by the WFMT Commission on Education, Training, and Accreditation. The First Education Symposium, held in 1999, led to the development of WFMT Guidelines for Music Therapy Education and Training. Experiential learning was chosen as the topic for this second symposium as it is an important issue in music therapy education and had received the most spirited discussion at the first symposium. This symposium also recognized the importance of experiential learning in music therapy and the many unresolved issues that surround it. While Bruscia's (1998) definition of experiential learning2 was provided as a reference, the term was used broadly to include all the various models and approaches that were to be presented. Broad Views This section opened with "Self-Experiencing of the Music Therapy Student," presented by Chava Sekeles, who discussed her rationale for including self-experiences as a component of music therapy education. She believes that self-experiences should be used to help students develop careful listening and empathy. They also help students understand that their imprinted musical memories will impact their work as a music therapist. Sekeles suggested that self-experiences should be combined with other forms of therapy, experiential training, and education. These include: (a) individual and/or group therapy, in class or in a private setting; (b) formal and nonformal music studies; (c) peer activities outside the official program-attending concerts, improvisation groups; (d) studies of specific music therapy models through simulation and role plays; (e) the interrelation between music and words, individual and group observations, and supervised internship; (f) nonfrontal seminars; (g) workshops-music, self-experiences, vocal improvisation; (h) movement for self expression; (i) visits to therapeutic settings; and (j) giving concerts in therapeutic settings. …