scholarly journals What are the factors that have influenced individual music therapists' professional identity and have those factors impacted on their practice and the field as a whole in New Zealand?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Penny Warren
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Professional Identities ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

<p>The purpose of this research project is to investigate the factors that influence individual music therapists’ professional identities in New Zealand over time and whether these factors impacted on their practice and the field as a whole in New Zealand. Professional identity is a multi-dimensional process that develops over time and is underpinned by the concepts of personal and social identity. For music therapists, this process is also interconnected with the ongoing shaping of the boundaries of the music therapy profession.  A qualitative case study methodology was employed. Nine music therapists who had over five year’s clinical experience in New Zealand were engaged in open-ended interviews and a process of thematic analysis was used to generate the findings from verbatim transcriptions of each interview.  An overarching category and three core themes relating to personal, profession-specific individual and collective features of identity have emerged as influences on the individual music therapists’ professional identities. The overarching category is to be validated by others. The three core themes are to i) feel a sense of professional competence, ii) experience direct or indirect reciprocal communication with other music therapists, and iii) develop an ability to adapt and manage change in response to new conditions or client need. Within the overarching category and core themes are an overlapping interplay of subsidiary themes that hold different levels of salience for each music therapist and reflect the dynamic, interwoven nature of professional identity. All but one of the participants in this study had trained overseas. Now working in New Zealand as experienced practitioners, it is clear they would have had a significant international influence on the music therapy community in this country. In future it would be interesting to explore how the professional identity of music therapists in New Zealand might have changed as more locally trained music therapists become experienced practitioners.  The results of this study also draw attention to the presence and value of supervision within the New Zealand community of music therapists; an individual sense of belonging to a professional group that holds common values and norms, shared approaches and theories; and the strength of the participant’s own musical identity. Music is a key distinguishing factor in the professional identity of music therapists, and the primary modality that they use in their clinical practice. However, that it was rarely used as a method of supervision for music therapists’ in this study seemed significant.  The results suggest that a stronger and more expansive awareness of professional identity can potentially be developed through reflection upon the influences on identity, and can consequently positively influence clinical practice.</p>

scholarly journals What are the factors that have influenced individual music therapists' professional identity and have those factors impacted on their practice and the field as a whole in New Zealand?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Penny Warren
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Professional Identity ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Professional Identities ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Over Time

<p>The purpose of this research project is to investigate the factors that influence individual music therapists’ professional identities in New Zealand over time and whether these factors impacted on their practice and the field as a whole in New Zealand. Professional identity is a multi-dimensional process that develops over time and is underpinned by the concepts of personal and social identity. For music therapists, this process is also interconnected with the ongoing shaping of the boundaries of the music therapy profession.  A qualitative case study methodology was employed. Nine music therapists who had over five year’s clinical experience in New Zealand were engaged in open-ended interviews and a process of thematic analysis was used to generate the findings from verbatim transcriptions of each interview.  An overarching category and three core themes relating to personal, profession-specific individual and collective features of identity have emerged as influences on the individual music therapists’ professional identities. The overarching category is to be validated by others. The three core themes are to i) feel a sense of professional competence, ii) experience direct or indirect reciprocal communication with other music therapists, and iii) develop an ability to adapt and manage change in response to new conditions or client need. Within the overarching category and core themes are an overlapping interplay of subsidiary themes that hold different levels of salience for each music therapist and reflect the dynamic, interwoven nature of professional identity. All but one of the participants in this study had trained overseas. Now working in New Zealand as experienced practitioners, it is clear they would have had a significant international influence on the music therapy community in this country. In future it would be interesting to explore how the professional identity of music therapists in New Zealand might have changed as more locally trained music therapists become experienced practitioners.  The results of this study also draw attention to the presence and value of supervision within the New Zealand community of music therapists; an individual sense of belonging to a professional group that holds common values and norms, shared approaches and theories; and the strength of the participant’s own musical identity. Music is a key distinguishing factor in the professional identity of music therapists, and the primary modality that they use in their clinical practice. However, that it was rarely used as a method of supervision for music therapists’ in this study seemed significant.  The results suggest that a stronger and more expansive awareness of professional identity can potentially be developed through reflection upon the influences on identity, and can consequently positively influence clinical practice.</p>

Music and Developmental Disabilities

2016 ◽  
pp. 2374-2391
Author(s):  
Michelle Renee Blumstein
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Developmental Delays ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Building Environment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
First Time

The following chapter presents a compilation of research about various types of technology that are employed by music therapists to benefit children with developmental delays. Music therapy can be an effective way to meet the goals of the individual. Music can also be a very powerful motivator. Previous musical skill or experience is not required for music therapy to be effective for clients with developmental disabilities or for clients more generally. Many music-based technologies are designed to create a positive, successful, and enjoyable experience for all users. Music therapy can provide a safe and confidence building environment where children are able to feel in control of a situation, possibly for the first time in their lives.

scholarly journals Is the Movement of Evidence-based Practice a Real Threat to Music Therapy?

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Masako Otera
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Evidence Based Practice ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Clinical Expertise ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Treatment Protocols ◽  
Empirically Supported ◽  
Standardized Treatment ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Based Medicine

The author discusses what music therapists must work on to establish Evidence-based practice (EBP) in music therapy by referring to Saito's discussion of the misunderstandings and various interpretations of Evidence-based medicine (EBM), the issue of Empirically Supported Treatments (ESTs) in EBP in psychology (EBPP), and related discussions. Although the EBP movement tends to be recognized as a threat to music therapy, some recent discussions of EBM and EBP are encouraging for the development of EBP in music therapy. This paper shows that an integration of evidence of multiple types with clinical expertise and the individual needs in clients has become a consensus of EBP. However, the issues related to conducting Randomized controlled Trials (RCTs) and employment of standardized treatment protocols in music therapy have persisted as difficult problems. Because the issue of EBP is very complex and easily biased, effective learning of this issue should be promoted among music therapists so that they can successfully relate to the EBP movement and bring benefits to the field of music therapy. The author suggests that incorporating the ideas of EBP positively into the field of music therapy and constructing methodologies and theories will enhance EBP.

scholarly journals Enabling the curious practitioner: perceptions on the integration of research and practice in the education of music therapy students at masters' level.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Sarah Leigh Hoskyns
Keyword(s):  
Music Therapy ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Integrative Model ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Case Study Methodology ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Personal Learning ◽  
Therapy Training ◽  
Critical Skills ◽  
Training Programmes

<p>This PhD research explored perceptions about the integration of research and practice in the Masters’ training of music therapists. Using constructivist case study methodology, the study analysed viewpoints of international educators, researchers and students about how research could helpfully be integrated into the practical and conceptual learning of music therapy trainees. The synthesis of research and practice in the professional music therapy field has regularly been advocated but recent studies and reviews suggest there is significant need for development of pedagogical theory and guidance for educators and students in the interface between placements and university-based learning in key areas, including research. Participants included a purposeful sample of 19 music therapy practitioners, researchers, educators and students in the wider international profession of music therapy and at music therapy training programmes in Europe and Australasia. Data sources included focus groups of professionals, two site visits to training programmes (comprising interviews, observations, field notes and concluding improvisation session) and a researcher reflective journal. Core themes identified in the thematic analysis concentrated on cherishing students’ fire and curiosity; facilitating the acknowledgement and management of change; and helping students embrace complexity in their music therapy education. Evidence from this study indicates that moving beyond ‘research competency’ and the development of individual academic skills towards collaborative, engaged learning with peers and supervisors, has potential to nurture sustainable, practice-based researchers of the future. Devising integrative strategies for learning and assessment, undertaken in diverse ways and to suit varied contexts for training, was perceived to be inspiring for students and educators and rehearsed significant professional tasks. These strategies - despite tensions experienced in their development - had potential to deepen personal learning, develop creative and critical skills that characterise graduate attributes of University Masters’ courses, and prepare graduates for evidence-based practice in health and education workplaces. An integrative model for a more holistic approach to learning, combining individual and collaborative approaches and using opportunities inside and outside the programme was developed, allowing for differences in culture and approach of the institutions which host music therapy training. The challenges and solutions explored in this research, while being particular to this qualitative music therapy study, have potential relevance to other applied areas of professional practice and research, such as arts therapies, allied health disciplines, education and nursing.</p>

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.

scholarly journals Integrating Music, Language and the Voice in Music Therapy

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Loewy
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Speech Production ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Musical Context ◽  
The Voice

Although there has been a fair amount of research and clinical practice related to neurological music therapy, speech production within a musical context and music psychotherapeutic voice work, we rarely find these practices intertwined. The following article provides history, rationale, definition of practice and theory that provides strong backing for the integration of the models and approaches currently available to music therapists.

Teacher Identity Research and Development

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zoe Martínez-de-la-Hidalga ◽  
Lourdes Villardón-Gallego
Keyword(s):  
Professional Identity ◽  
Teacher Identity ◽  
Sociocultural Factors ◽  
Actual Performance ◽  
Dialogic Approach ◽  
Development Of Identity ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Qualitative Methodologies ◽  
Over Time

Many studies and publications have been devoted to the analysis and development of teacher identity from different points of view, using diverse instruments and methodologies and analyzing different dimensions of identity. Despite the scrutiny, it is still a challenge to understand and define an issue as complex as professional identity. Although there is no clear unanimity on the concept of identity itself, several characteristics have been identified from different approaches. Thus, aspects such as personal unity, stability over time, and across situations and contexts contrast with such features as multiplicity, discontinuity, and a social nature. Faced with this dichotomy, the dialogic perspective explains the complexity of the construct by proposing that the aforementioned features are linked respectively and dialectically. In other words, the various dimensions of identity, along with their variability through time and the influence exerted by social and contextual aspects, are combined with personal unity, with stability over time, and across situations and contexts. This can, occasionally, lead to conflict and contradictions that the individual strives to manage through self-dialogue. Focusing in the dialogic conceptualization, several implications for research are identified. Firstly, it disallows static categorizations of teachers and places the focus on grasping the self-dialogue that allows teachers to maintain a certain degree of stability and coherence in their identity over time. Secondly, it showcases the effect that dialogue and participation-focused research can have on professional development. Additionally, the study of identity in all its complexity and mutability advocates the integrated study of two levels of analysis: On the one hand, there is the position and actions of teachers in different contexts and situations; and, on the other, there is their professional story, past, present and future, along with the sociocultural factors that have impacted it. According to this dialogic approach, both the research on the professional identity and the teacher training should incorporate strategies that promote dialogue on actual performance and on professional careers. To this effect, longitudinal designs help capture the dialogue between stability and change. Still, transversal studies can be undeniably useful to identify current conflicts that might arise between personal and professional roles, as well as how such conflicts are managed. Furthermore, qualitative methodologies have a great potential to generate self-dialogues that provide insight into how teachers live, perceive, and manage such conflicts. Finally, research should be participative in nature so that teachers abandon their role as objects of research and become, instead, its subjects, in collaboration with researchers. In this manner, research on identity leads to changes in the professional identity of participants, in addition to furthering the knowledge available on the subject. Action research follows these guidelines, and it is therefore especially suited to this endeavor. Based on this characterization of the research on professional identity, some techniques are suggested for the collection of information because they foster reflection and consequently also promote development of identity. Some of these techniques are: life stories, narrative of teaching, diaries, case studies, critical events analysis, professional dilemmas, teacher or teaching metaphors, and inquiry-based learning.

Expectancy Theory of Motivation and Substance Use Treatment: Implications for Music Therapy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marshall Yoes ◽  
Michael J Silverman
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Expectancy Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Theory Of Motivation ◽  
Expectancy Theory Of Motivation

Abstract The existing literature indicates that motivation is an important predictor of treatment outcome for people with substance use disorders (SUD). Although researchers have found that music therapy can positively impact motivation for people with SUD, the music therapy and SUD literature base lack a theoretical understanding of motivation. Vroom’s expectancy theory of motivation (ETM) is an established theoretical framework positing that motivation depends on three relationships: expectancy, instrumentality, and valence. These relationships consist of four variables: effort, performance, reward, and preference. Based on these four variables, motivation depends on the expectation that an increase in effort will lead to improved performance, thus leading to a reward aligned with an individual’s preferences. The purpose of this paper is to apply Vroom’s ETM to music therapy and SUD clinical practice and research. We reviewed the existing literature addressing Vroom’s ETM within SUD treatment and created a model to depict how to apply Vroom’s ETM to music therapy clinical practice for people with SUD. Application of Vroom’s ETM may help music therapists understand and augment motivation for people with SUD, potentially leading to relapse prevention and recovery. Implications for clinical practice, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

scholarly journals A Survey of Music Therapists Working in Pediatric Medical Settings in the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Knott ◽  
Marial Biard ◽  
Kirsten E Nelson ◽  
Stephanie Epstein ◽  
Sheri L Robb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Intensive Care ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Survey Study ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Medical Settings ◽  
Music Therapist

Abstract Music therapy is becoming a standard supportive care service in many pediatric hospitals across the United States. However, more detailed information is needed to advance our understanding about current clinical practice and increase availability of pediatric music therapy services. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey study was to collect and summarize data about music therapists working in pediatric medical settings. Specifically, we collected information about (1) therapist demographics, (2) organizational structure, (3) service delivery and clinical practice, and (4) administrative/supervisory responsibilities. Board-certified music therapists working in pediatric medical settings (n = 118) completed a 37-item online questionnaire. We analyzed survey data using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings indicated that there is a ratio of approximately one music therapist for every 100 patient beds, that one-third of respondents are the only music therapist in their setting, and that half of the surveyed positions are philanthropically funded. Prioritizing patient referrals based on acuity was common (95.7%, n = 110), with palliative care and pain as the most highly prioritized needs. More than half of respondents reported serving in high acuity areas such as the pediatric intensive care, hematology/oncology, or neonatal intensive care units. We recommend replication of this survey in five years to examine growth and change in service delivery among pediatric music therapists over time, with additional studies to (a) explore how therapist-to-patient ratios influence quality of care, (b) identify factors that contribute to sustainability of programs, and (c) determine how expansion of services support a broader population of patients and families.

scholarly journals Staff Perceptions of How Music Therapy Can Support Palliative Care Patients in a New Zealand / Aotearoa Hospice, with a Particular Focus on Spiritual Care

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keryn Squires
Keyword(s):  
Palliative Care ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Music Therapy ◽  
Narrative Analysis ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Dying Patients ◽  
Over Time

<p>The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of staff from a hospice, in New Zealand / Aotearoa, regarding the use of music therapy in the care of dying patients. The study has a particular focus on spiritual aspects of palliative care in music therapy, as spirituality is an inherent aspect of the work done by caregivers in palliative care. Hospice staff were asked to reflect on what they knew and understood of music therapy before, and after, a music therapy student arrived at the hospice, and their narratives were explored to uncover the links between patients, music and spirituality. The aim of this was to identify what might be needed to increase knowledge, to improve referral processes, and to increase opportunities for collaborative team work. A cross-section of staff, i.e. two nurses, one doctor, an occupational therapist, and a counsellor, who were part of the palliative care team, were recruited to participate in two semi-structured interviews to discuss their perceptions of the potential for music therapy to support the spiritual needs of hospice patients. A qualitative approach was employed and narrative analysis was used to interpret the interviews. Narrative research emphasises the language of human understanding and in this research it involved gathering participants' 'stories' of their evolving perceptions over time. Findings suggest the language used to describe spiritual care in music therapy was different for each participant although common meanings were drawn from the participants' stories. Commonalities included: music therapy in the hospice was valued by the participants; some participants would like more knowledge to make an informed referral. In addition, staff understanding appeared to have increased over time partly due to educational seminars, sharing at team meetings, actual exposure to music therapy, informal conversations with staff, and participants' growing knowledge of music therapy through their own personal process of learning.</p>

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