scholarly journals Verbal Dialogue in Music Therapy: A Hermeneutical Analysis of Three Music Therapy Sessions

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Lindblad
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Life Story ◽  
Present Moment ◽  
Symbolic Language ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Main Component ◽  
Therapy Sessions

Verbal dialogue is often a main component of music therapy sessions, however, it is seldom discussed in the music therapy literature. This qualitative study examined three music therapy sessions arranged especially for research purposes. Video recordings of these sessions were analysed as well as interviews with the music therapists conducting the sessions. Specific verbal interventions used during the sessions included: questions, repetition and other types of commenting phrases, silence, paradoxes and rephrasings, symbolic language and interpretations. The functions of the verbal techniques are grouped under three thematic headings: to establish trust between client and therapist; to deepen the experience of the present moment; and to clarify some aspect of the client’s life story. Considering that verbal dialogue is so seldom discussed in the music therapy literature, this study aims to provide a contribution to the development of methodology by shedding light upon this topic.

Telehealth Music Therapy Services in the United States With Older Adults: A Descriptive Study

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Wilhelm ◽  
Kyle Wilhelm
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Response Rate ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
The United States ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Therapy Services ◽  
Therapy Sessions

Abstract In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many music therapists in the United States turned to telehealth music therapy sessions as a strategy to continue services with older adults. However, the nature and perception of telehealth music therapy services for this age group are unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe music therapy telehealth practices with older adults in the United States including information related to session implementation, strengths and challenges, and adaptations to clinical practice. Of the 110 participants in the United States who responded to the survey (25.2% response rate), 69 reported implementing telehealth music therapy services with older adults and responded to a 32-item survey. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were conducted. Results indicated that while all participants had provided telehealth music therapy for no more than 6 months, their experiences with telehealth varied. Based on participant responses, telehealth session structure, strengths, challenges, and implemented changes are presented. Overall, 48% of music therapists reported that they planned to continue telehealth music therapy with older adults once pandemic restrictions are lifted. Further study on the quality, suitability, and acceptability of telehealth services with older adults is recommended.

Defining the Therapeutic Singing Voice: Further Examination of the Everyday Singing Practices of Music Therapists

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martina C Bingham ◽  
Elizabeth K Schwartz ◽  
Anthony Meadows
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Clinical Work ◽  
American Music ◽  
Singing Voice ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Vocal Health ◽  
Comprehensive Picture ◽  
Therapy Sessions ◽  
And Training

Abstract Twelve music therapists were observed working clinically in 3 to 5 of their music therapy sessions and subsequently interviewed about their clinical work in order to further examine and define the essential characteristics of therapeutic singing in music therapy clinical practice. Observational and interview data were analyzed separately using procedures consistent with qualitative content analysis and then integrated to provide a comprehensive picture of these singing practices. Analysis of these data revealed 3 interrelated dimensions of therapeutic singing that were integrated into the larger realization of therapeutic singing: (1) foundational vocal skills, (2) vocal engagement, and (3) authenticity. Implications for the education and training of music therapy students, vocal health, and a reevaluation of the American Music Therapy Association’s competencies contextualize these findings for the profession as a whole.

scholarly journals Music Therapists’ Conceptualization of Clients’ Experience of Healing: Grounded Theory Analysis

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun-Young Hwang ◽  
Hwa-Jin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
Theory Analysis ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Korean Music ◽  
Inner Self ◽  
Expression Of Emotions ◽  
Therapy Sessions

This study analyzed the meaning, distinctive features, and process of therapists’ perception of their clients’ experience related to healing in music therapy. Twenty Korean music therapists who work with a variety of clients were recruited to participate through purposive sampling. Corbin and Strauss’s (2008) grounded theory qualitative analysis method was used. Ten categories and nineteen subcategories were obtained. The central phenomenon was active participation in music therapy, which was influenced by client’s readiness. Clients’ experiences lead to healing through awareness of inner self, expression of emotions, and solving problems. These changes were related to the therapists’ interventions, professionalism and qualifications, and their use of music. It was concluded that the clients experienced four types of healing in their music therapy sessions: physical, emotional, social, and transformative.

scholarly journals An Investigation of Music Therapists' Experiences of Verbal Dialogue in Music Therapy Sessions

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siobhán Nelligan ◽  
Tríona McCaffrey
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Dyadic Relationship ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Professional Discourse ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Irish Music ◽  
And Function ◽  
Therapy Sessions

This study presents a preliminary exploration of music therapists’ first-hand experiences of engaging in verbal dialogue with clients in their clinical practice. To the authors’ knowledge no previous studies have examined the role of verbal dialogue from the first-hand perspectives of experienced professionals working in the field.  Three individual interviews were conducted with three accredited Irish music therapists. Four central themes emerged as a result of thematic content analysis: content and function of verbal dialogue, the use of verbal dialogue may contribute to professional ambiguity, returning to the music, and the dyadic relationship between musical and verbal exchange. The findings revealed verbal dialogue to be a topic of interest for the participants in this study, one which stimulated meaningful reflections about clinical practice. The implications for professional identity and clinical practice which arose distinguished verbal dialogue as a potential area for further research and professional discourse within the wider music therapy community. Suggestions were made for additional areas of learning that may assist in preparing trainee and newly-qualified music therapists for potentially challenging verbal encounters with clients.

Parents’ Perspectives on Their Child’s Music Therapy: A Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Annesley ◽  
Katherine Curtis-Tyler ◽  
Eamonn McKeown
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Outcomes For Children ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Perceived Outcomes ◽  
Inductive Thematic Analysis

Abstract This qualitative study explored parents’ perspectives on their child receiving individual music therapy in a community setting in an NHS service in London, UK. Parents of children aged 6–11 receiving or recently discharged from music therapy took part. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews which were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed following procedures of inductive thematic analysis. Music therapy was generally perceived to provide a nurturing environment for children, and communication with music therapists was mostly experienced as helpful, but with some perceived challenges. Parents perceived positive outcomes of music therapy, including children becoming calmer and engaging more with musical activities at home. Understanding of music therapy was perceived as an evolving process for parents. Some parents described a need for more information prior to music therapy. The findings of this study broadly support the model in the service of working with children aged 6–11 without parents generally present during sessions. However, there were indications that, for some families, a more flexible approach might be beneficial for the child. Participants’ commentaries on perceived outcomes for children indicate potential for intervention studies investigating the impact of music therapy, while broader perceptions of the value of music therapy indicate a need for studies exploring reasons for effectiveness.

Music Therapy in Grief and Mourning

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare O'Callaghan ◽  
Natasha Michael
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Therapeutic Relationships ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Impending Death ◽  
Song Writing ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Therapy Sessions

Music therapists endeavour to understand music’s significance for people who are mourning unfulfilled hopes and a life once lived; who are trying to deal with uncertainty, altered identities, saying farewells, or impending death. Through music-based interventions in therapeutic relationships, music therapists extend the opportunities for music to enable and express mourning which can be congruent with helpful emotional release and coping. Participants are assisted to find comfort and fellowship through identifications with lyrics and sonorities, and the improved expressive capacity offered in music. Expanded awareness and renewed identities can occur through music-based counseling, imagery, improvisation, and song writing. Decedents’ legacies from music therapy may help their mourners to continue and rework bonds with them in bereavement. Such legacies include song recordings, and visual, kinesthetic, and sound memories of shared music therapy sessions.

scholarly journals Analysing change in music therapy interactions of children with communication difficulties

2016 ◽  
Vol 371 (1693) ◽  
pp. 20150374 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neta Spiro ◽  
Tommi Himberg
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Rhythmic Activity ◽  
General Level ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Musical Structure ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Musical Structures ◽  
Behavioural Characteristics ◽  
Therapy Sessions

Music therapy has been found to improve communicative behaviours and joint attention in children with autism, but it is unclear what in the music therapy sessions drives those changes. We developed an annotation protocol and tools to accumulate large datasets of music therapy, for analysis of interaction dynamics. Analysis of video recordings of improvisational music therapy sessions focused on simple, unambiguous individual and shared behaviours: movement and facing behaviours, rhythmic activity and musical structures and the relationships between them. To test the feasibility of the protocol, early and late sessions of five client–therapist pairs were annotated and analysed to track changes in behaviours. To assess the reliability and validity of the protocol, inter-rater reliability of the annotation tiers was calculated, and the therapists provided feedback about the relevance of the analyses and results. This small-scale study suggests that there are both similarities and differences in the profiles of client–therapist sessions. For example, all therapists faced the clients most of the time, while the clients did not face back so often. Conversely, only two pairs had an increase in regular pulse from early to late sessions. More broadly, similarity across pairs at a general level is complemented by variation in the details. This perhaps goes some way to reconciling client- and context-specificity on one hand and generalizability on the other. Behavioural characteristics seem to influence each other. For instance, shared rhythmic pulse alternated with mutual facing and the occurrence of shared pulse was found to relate to the musical structure. These observations point towards a framework for looking at change in music therapy that focuses on networks of variables or broader categories. The results suggest that even when starting with simple behaviours, we can trace aspects of interaction and change in music therapy, which are seen as relevant by therapists.

A Study of the Way Music Therapists Analyse Their Work

1993 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amelia Oldfield
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Video Analysis ◽  
Learning Difficulties ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Therapy Assessment ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Therapy Sessions ◽  
The Way

At present there is no standardised procedure for music therapy assessment in the UK. Music therapists use a wide variety of methods to review their clients' progress. This paper begins by examining some of these different procedures and looking at their advantages and disadvantages. A particular system of analysis developed by the author is then explained in detail. Information about four different clients with severe learning difficulties from this analysis is compared to information gained simultaneously through video-analysis. The results seem to indicate that the author's assessment procedure is an efficient way of collecting information about music therapy sessions with these clients. The paper then looks at whether this same procedure can be used with other types of clients. Suggestions for further investigations are made.

scholarly journals Say What You Say (Eminem): Managing Verbal Boundaries when using Rap in Music Therapy, a Qualitative Study

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Short
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Clinical Intervention ◽  
Qualitative Interview ◽  
Boundary Management ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Analyse Data ◽  
Different Levels

This study identifies and describes considerations for managing verbal boundaries and the potential contraindication when using Rap in music therapy.    The literature review covers the small number of case studies documenting the use of Rap in music therapy. The method used was an in-depth qualitative interview of 8 music therapy experts from a range of countries and approaches, experienced in the use of Rap as an intervention. A combination of grounded theory and thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The results are placed in context of the literature review and draw upon a number of psychodynamic concepts in order to determine a set of themes that could further inform those music therapists using Rap as a clinical intervention.  The results display the flexibility with which Rap can be used to meet different levels of client need and how therapists' boundary management allows this. The data contributes towards clarifying what informs music therapists when considering how to manage the potentially offensive material that may be introduced into the therapy space when using Rap and when it may contraindicate. The research could serve as a preparatory tool for those therapists new to the genre and its use within therapy.

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