How did I use music therapy to foster connections between residents, and between residents and others in a rest home and hospital environment

10.26686/wgtn.17151197 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Colette Jansen

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Hospital Environment ◽

Community Music ◽

Therapeutic Approaches ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Rest Home ◽

Musical Resources ◽

Therapy Sessions

Abstract This study is submitted in part fulfilment of a Master of Music Therapy degree through Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). Group and individual music therapy sessions were undertaken within a rest home and hospital environment in response to the rest home managers request to bring residents out of isolation and increase socialisation. Facility notes, plans and observations, meeting notes, and reflective and reflexive journaling were written during a six-month period from February to July 2019. This clinical data was then used, with informed consent, to investigate how music therapy was used to foster connections between residents, and between residents and others within the rest home and hospital environment. Findings from Secondary Analysis of the data showed the overarching category of rapport led to the interplay of four main themes: interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork, therapeutic approaches, physical and musical resources, and environmental conditions. The Community Music Therapy (CoMT) ethos supported the flexible work within the context to achieve the manager’s goals resulting in increased connection between residents, and residents and others. The use of reflexivity enabled the development of richer therapeutic relationships and helped align the researcher’s community musician skills to those of a community music therapist. Further studies which focus on rapport, connection and relationships, in music therapy with older people, are needed.

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How did I as a student music therapist, use songwriting techniques to facilitate self-expression with adolescents in a mental health school setting?

10.26686/wgtn.17059835.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Emma Johnson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Music Therapy ◽

School Setting ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Health Issues ◽

Short Term ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Clinical Notes ◽

Therapy Sessions

The purpose of this research was to understand how a student music therapist was able to facilitate self-expression using specific songwriting techniques, during long term and short term, group and individual music therapy sessions. Long term is considered a four-month period of weekly sessions, and short term is considered a single session. This research took place at an educational facility where I was working with adolescents with various mental health issues. In this exegesis, I discuss the various definitions of self-expressions as defined in literature, and consider the ways this relates to songwriting methods chosen and applied during therapy. A qualitative method of research was used, using secondary analysis of data collected from five months of Music Therapy practice. Thematic analysis was applied to clinical notes from sessions, student review statements and personal reflective practitioner journal. I was guided by music therapy literature discussing songwriting that I had been drawing on for the benefit of my practice. My analysis revealed that I developed specifically tailored methods and techniques for individuals and groups, which would begin with how they would like to approach their songwriting. I also found, that alongside more well documented techniques such as lyric writing and composition, improvisation and song planning were of high value to my practice and therefore were included as therapeutic songwriting techniques in my findings.

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What Is the Role of A Student Music Therapist in a Community Music Setting?

10.26686/wgtn.17013476 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Sidharth Pagad

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Community Music ◽

Social Equality ◽

Music Therapists ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Reflective Journal ◽

Group Behaviour ◽

Audio Recordings

This qualitative research project set out to explore my role as a student music therapist within a community music setting. I am a student music therapist, working with a community music company involved in a variety of community music groups and projects. I wanted to understand what I might offer the community music company by bringing a community music therapy perspective to the work. The research involved an exploration into the literature relating to Community Music Therapy as well as Community Music and required me to regularly question the reasoning and philosophy behind Community Music Work. To answer my question I engaged in secondary analysis of data generated during the first 24 weeks at this community music placement. The data included session notes, audio recordings of supervision sessions, and my reflective journal. The literature includes examples of collaboration between community music therapists and community musicians, and I sought to experience this at my placement. The hoped for collaboration did take place during the period of data collection, enabling detailed reflections of it. This exploration therefore helped me to develop as a community musician and music therapy student. The practice was broad and involved regular transitions in role, often within the same session. These included participant, accompanist, song-leader, community music therapist, and drum circle facilitator. Findings suggest that Community Music and Community Music Therapy are disciplines with many similarities in appearance and structure, but tend to diverge when looking at goals and overall objectives and foci. Social equality seems to be commonly shared value between Community Music and Community Music Therapy. The ways in which this value is acted upon is also explored. Performance and Performativity as aspects of group behaviour was found to be mentioned in the literature, and again this was mentioned in the data collected as part of the researcher’s placement.

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Beyond Imitation, Without Limitations: A Student Music Therapist Supports the Participation and Development of Young People with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties in a School Setting

10.26686/wgtn.17004745 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Conor Clerkin

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Research Question ◽

School Setting ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Case Examples ◽

Complex Needs ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Therapy Sessions

This exploratory study sought to uncover the methods and techniques a student music therapist employed to support the participation of young people with complex needs in a school setting. Individual music therapy sessions were carried out over nine months, and clinical documentation was generated throughout this period. Data sources included clinical notes, a reflective journal, and audiovisual recordings from music therapy sessions. Once a research question had been established, the existing data was reviewed retrospectively through a process of secondary analysis, and both inductive and deductive methods of analysis were employed to enable meaningful interpretations of the data to occur. A process of coding and thematically linking elements of music therapy practice allowed for a model of understanding to emerge, and findings suggest that the behaviours and strategies utilised by the student music therapist to support the young people’s participation in music therapy fell into three thematic groupings: creating a collaborative environment; following and leading; and dynamic flow. Themes are defined and the codes within elaborated upon, with case examples from the data included as appropriate to illustrate their meaning. Findings are discussed, and links are made to the literature in relevant fields. While results cannot be generalised to other settings, it is hoped that the detail and in depth analysis of practice provide a thorough and meaningful insight into the types of interaction that can occur in music therapy with young people with complex needs, and the value of specific supports to participation identified in this research.

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What Is the Role of A Student Music Therapist in a Community Music Setting?

10.26686/wgtn.17013476.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Sidharth Pagad

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Community Music ◽

Social Equality ◽

Music Therapists ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Reflective Journal ◽

Group Behaviour ◽

Audio Recordings

This qualitative research project set out to explore my role as a student music therapist within a community music setting. I am a student music therapist, working with a community music company involved in a variety of community music groups and projects. I wanted to understand what I might offer the community music company by bringing a community music therapy perspective to the work. The research involved an exploration into the literature relating to Community Music Therapy as well as Community Music and required me to regularly question the reasoning and philosophy behind Community Music Work. To answer my question I engaged in secondary analysis of data generated during the first 24 weeks at this community music placement. The data included session notes, audio recordings of supervision sessions, and my reflective journal. The literature includes examples of collaboration between community music therapists and community musicians, and I sought to experience this at my placement. The hoped for collaboration did take place during the period of data collection, enabling detailed reflections of it. This exploration therefore helped me to develop as a community musician and music therapy student. The practice was broad and involved regular transitions in role, often within the same session. These included participant, accompanist, song-leader, community music therapist, and drum circle facilitator. Findings suggest that Community Music and Community Music Therapy are disciplines with many similarities in appearance and structure, but tend to diverge when looking at goals and overall objectives and foci. Social equality seems to be commonly shared value between Community Music and Community Music Therapy. The ways in which this value is acted upon is also explored. Performance and Performativity as aspects of group behaviour was found to be mentioned in the literature, and again this was mentioned in the data collected as part of the researcher’s placement.

Download Full-text

How did I as a student music therapist, use songwriting techniques to facilitate self-expression with adolescents in a mental health school setting?

10.26686/wgtn.17059835 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Emma Johnson

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Music Therapy ◽

School Setting ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Health Issues ◽

Short Term ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Clinical Notes ◽

Therapy Sessions

The purpose of this research was to understand how a student music therapist was able to facilitate self-expression using specific songwriting techniques, during long term and short term, group and individual music therapy sessions. Long term is considered a four-month period of weekly sessions, and short term is considered a single session. This research took place at an educational facility where I was working with adolescents with various mental health issues. In this exegesis, I discuss the various definitions of self-expressions as defined in literature, and consider the ways this relates to songwriting methods chosen and applied during therapy. A qualitative method of research was used, using secondary analysis of data collected from five months of Music Therapy practice. Thematic analysis was applied to clinical notes from sessions, student review statements and personal reflective practitioner journal. I was guided by music therapy literature discussing songwriting that I had been drawing on for the benefit of my practice. My analysis revealed that I developed specifically tailored methods and techniques for individuals and groups, which would begin with how they would like to approach their songwriting. I also found, that alongside more well documented techniques such as lyric writing and composition, improvisation and song planning were of high value to my practice and therefore were included as therapeutic songwriting techniques in my findings.

Download Full-text

Beyond Imitation, Without Limitations: A Student Music Therapist Supports the Participation and Development of Young People with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties in a School Setting

10.26686/wgtn.17004745.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Conor Clerkin

Keyword(s):

Young People ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Research Question ◽

School Setting ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Case Examples ◽

Complex Needs ◽

Depth Analysis ◽

Therapy Sessions

This exploratory study sought to uncover the methods and techniques a student music therapist employed to support the participation of young people with complex needs in a school setting. Individual music therapy sessions were carried out over nine months, and clinical documentation was generated throughout this period. Data sources included clinical notes, a reflective journal, and audiovisual recordings from music therapy sessions. Once a research question had been established, the existing data was reviewed retrospectively through a process of secondary analysis, and both inductive and deductive methods of analysis were employed to enable meaningful interpretations of the data to occur. A process of coding and thematically linking elements of music therapy practice allowed for a model of understanding to emerge, and findings suggest that the behaviours and strategies utilised by the student music therapist to support the young people’s participation in music therapy fell into three thematic groupings: creating a collaborative environment; following and leading; and dynamic flow. Themes are defined and the codes within elaborated upon, with case examples from the data included as appropriate to illustrate their meaning. Findings are discussed, and links are made to the literature in relevant fields. While results cannot be generalised to other settings, it is hoped that the detail and in depth analysis of practice provide a thorough and meaningful insight into the types of interaction that can occur in music therapy with young people with complex needs, and the value of specific supports to participation identified in this research.

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Working With and Within Chaos

Voices A World Forum for Music Therapy ◽

10.15845/voices.v18i4.2588 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Helen Brenda Oosthuizen

Keyword(s):

Sex Offenders ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Community Music ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Support Programme ◽

Group Music Therapy ◽

Group Members ◽

Valuable Complement ◽

Context Specific ◽

First Time

The Support Programme for Abuse Reactive Children, was initiated by the Teddy Bear Clinic (an NPO established to protect abused children) in South Africa in response to the increase of child-on-child offenders in this country. This short-term programme aims to offer holistic rehabilitation to first time young sex offenders and incorporates conventional diversion approaches alongside creative programmes, including group music therapy. Based on a review of my session notes, this paper considers challenges and positive developments I experienced over time as the programme’s music therapist from 2006 to 2016. Although I often experienced this work as chaotic, findings suggest that through co-creating a context-specific music therapy programme alongside group members, clinic staff and the broader community, music therapy has offered an increasingly relevant and valuable complement to the diversion programme. Continuing challenges within this work are also highlighted.

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Attachment theory and music therapy: What was the relevance of attachment theory to a student’s music therapy programme for ‘at-risk’ mothers and their babies?

10.26686/wgtn.17007922.v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Helen Ridley

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Music Therapy ◽

Attachment Theory ◽

Secondary Analysis ◽

Education Programme ◽

Music Therapist ◽

Student Placement ◽

Positive Mother ◽

Qualitative Secondary Analysis ◽

Therapy Programme

This qualitative secondary analysis research project sought to explore the relevance of attachment theory as it might apply to a music therapy programme set up and run within a residential service for ‘at risk’ mothers and their babies. The explicit purpose of the music therapy programme was to assist the mothers in bonding with their babies. The researcher was a student music therapist on placement at the facility, involved in weekly one-to-one sessions with a total of nineteen young women and their babies, over the time that each was resident at the facility. The music therapist also ran some weekly group sessions (mothers with babies) as part of the facility’s mandatory education programme. The music therapy programme took place over twenty-two weeks, with a two week break after the first ten weeks. The research analysis commenced on completion of the programme. Thematic analysis was used to look at two types of data; data from the placement (including clinical notes and personal reflective journal), and literature on attachment theory. There was an initial review of selected literature on attachment theory and music therapy. The researcher/student music therapist then carried out an inductive qualitative secondary analysis of the data that had been generated as a standard part of her practice over the period of the student placement. This was followed by a further examination of attachment theory literature to confirm key aspects of the theory. The findings from the inductive analysis were then looked at in the light of those identified key features of attachment theory. The research findings showed many strong links between key concepts of attachment theory, and the patterns that emerged from the placement data, manifesting on a number of different levels. However some patterns might be more usefully explained and/or elucidated by other theories. Findings suggested that attachment theory provided a useful framework and language for observing and understanding the interactive behaviours and external and personal structures that appeared to work for or against mother-infant bonding. In addition, the music therapy programme seemed a particularly suitable vehicle for promoting positive mother-infant bonding. However it was found that although the music therapy programme may have been helpful in a positive mother-infant bonding process, there was no evidence to suggest that this would necessarily extend to promoting a secure attachment relationship, given the personal, structural and legal factors associated with the high ‘at-risk’ context. An attachment-based music therapy programme may well have a more useful role to play in a lower risk context where mothers and babies remained for longer in the facility, and where the programme could continue throughout the women’s transition into the community and beyond.

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The Effect of Music Therapy on Self-Reported Affect in Hospitalised Paediatric Patients

10.26686/wgtn.16967416 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Ruth Elizabeth Armstrong

Keyword(s):

Music Therapy ◽

Hospital Environment ◽

Future Research ◽

Psychosocial Needs ◽

Clinical Notes ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Before And After ◽

The Impact ◽

Therapy Sessions

The present research examines the effect of music therapy on the affect of hospitalised children. It took place on a paediatric ward of a New Zealand public hospital. This study aimed to investigate the role of music therapy in addressing patients' psychosocial needs. Literature on the impact of hospitalisation, and on the use of music therapy in hospitals and paediatrics was reviewed. The research involved an audit of the therapist's clinical notes from music therapy sessions over the course of seven months. The clinical notes included measurements of children's mood from the beginning and end of sessions, using McGrath's (1990) Affective Facial Scale. It was hypothesised that mood measures following music therapy would be higher than pre-music therapy scores. Statistical analysis of the facial scale data did not show a significant difference between 'before' and 'after' measures. These results were discussed with regard to a ceiling effect (this is, the measurements indicated patients were at the happy end of the scale before the music therapy session, so there was little room on the scale for mood to improve following music therapy). The measurement of emotion did not prove to be straightforward. The hospital environment may have influenced the patients' responses in a number of ways. These environmental influences are discussed with reference to examples from the clinical notes. The usefulness of facial scales in this context is discussed, as well as other limitations of the research. Suggestions for future research include the use of other mood measures, and the inclusion of measurements of parental mood and how this affects the child.

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