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

<p>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.</p>

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

<p>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.</p>

Are community music therapy principles relevant to my work with large groups of older adults in a residential care facility?

<p>This research focuses on my student practicum placement at a residential care home offering rest home, hospital and specialist dementia care for older people. A significant part of my work at the home was facilitating large, open groups, as ensuring the maximum number of residents could participate in music therapy each week was a priority for the facility. Due to my background in community music, which included work in care homes, I was interested in whether community music therapy principles would have relevance in this context. I wanted to improve my practice and add value to my work and in doing so I also hoped to contribute to the wider conversation around the distinction between community music and community music therapy, and how these two disciplines can enhance and support each other. Using an interpretivist framework I engaged in action research, an orientation towards the research process which focuses on real-world change. I conducted three action cycles, collecting data for each cycle over a period of approximately six weeks. I then used thematic analysis to examine this data. My main data source was my practice notes, which included reflections and ideas for improvement. I also drew on the community music therapy literature to develop my practice. Based on emerging themes, I generated actions I could take in the next cycle to advance and improve my practice. I found that large group music therapy sessions can provide the opportunity for participants, both staff and residents, to experience a shared social space which enables moments of connection and promotes inclusion, creativity, self-determination, and expanded identities. This suggests that the groups had therapeutic value for the participants. I discuss identified differences between my community music and music therapy practice, including the possibilities for individual work and use of music therapy theory. I believe that community music therapy principles were relevant to this work and in particular taking an ecological perspective was significant. Further research into community music therapy in residential care settings is recommended.</p>

Are community music therapy principles relevant to my work with large groups of older adults in a residential care facility?

<p>This research focuses on my student practicum placement at a residential care home offering rest home, hospital and specialist dementia care for older people. A significant part of my work at the home was facilitating large, open groups, as ensuring the maximum number of residents could participate in music therapy each week was a priority for the facility. Due to my background in community music, which included work in care homes, I was interested in whether community music therapy principles would have relevance in this context. I wanted to improve my practice and add value to my work and in doing so I also hoped to contribute to the wider conversation around the distinction between community music and community music therapy, and how these two disciplines can enhance and support each other. Using an interpretivist framework I engaged in action research, an orientation towards the research process which focuses on real-world change. I conducted three action cycles, collecting data for each cycle over a period of approximately six weeks. I then used thematic analysis to examine this data. My main data source was my practice notes, which included reflections and ideas for improvement. I also drew on the community music therapy literature to develop my practice. Based on emerging themes, I generated actions I could take in the next cycle to advance and improve my practice. I found that large group music therapy sessions can provide the opportunity for participants, both staff and residents, to experience a shared social space which enables moments of connection and promotes inclusion, creativity, self-determination, and expanded identities. This suggests that the groups had therapeutic value for the participants. I discuss identified differences between my community music and music therapy practice, including the possibilities for individual work and use of music therapy theory. I believe that community music therapy principles were relevant to this work and in particular taking an ecological perspective was significant. Further research into community music therapy in residential care settings is recommended.</p>

Supporting Well-being at a Community Day Care Centre for Adults with Other Abilities Using Music Therapy

<p>This qualitative research investigates the music therapy approaches taken in order to support well-being at a day centre for adults with disabilities. Music therapy at the day centre involved individual and group sessions, engaging in music with the wider community, developing trust and supporting each other. The research centred on secondary analysis of music therapy practice text, collected during a five-month period at the day centre. Literature about music / music therapy being able to support well-being in community settings, especially in relation to the practice of community music therapy, was reviewed. The research question 'How did I support well-being at a community day centre for adults with other abilities using music therapy?' was established. Secondary analysis was the methodology used for this study, involving no disruption to regular practice as a student therapist and being low-risk for music therapy participants. A thematic analysis of texts was undertaken and this was developed from; research text, supervision text and a reflective journal of my practice. Analysis involved coding and sorting text and developing meaningful themes. The findings of the analysis demonstrated three core themes which involved supporting well-being: encouraging a sense of fun, promoting a sense of purpose and developing togetherness.</p>

Supporting Well-being at a Community Day Care Centre for Adults with Other Abilities Using Music Therapy

<p>This qualitative research investigates the music therapy approaches taken in order to support well-being at a day centre for adults with disabilities. Music therapy at the day centre involved individual and group sessions, engaging in music with the wider community, developing trust and supporting each other. The research centred on secondary analysis of music therapy practice text, collected during a five-month period at the day centre. Literature about music / music therapy being able to support well-being in community settings, especially in relation to the practice of community music therapy, was reviewed. The research question 'How did I support well-being at a community day centre for adults with other abilities using music therapy?' was established. Secondary analysis was the methodology used for this study, involving no disruption to regular practice as a student therapist and being low-risk for music therapy participants. A thematic analysis of texts was undertaken and this was developed from; research text, supervision text and a reflective journal of my practice. Analysis involved coding and sorting text and developing meaningful themes. The findings of the analysis demonstrated three core themes which involved supporting well-being: encouraging a sense of fun, promoting a sense of purpose and developing togetherness.</p>

‘Journey to musicking’: Resourcing people to music outside the therapy room

<p>This action research study investigates resourcing people to engage in musicking outside the therapy room. Both the practice and research took place within a residential hospital for people with neurological conditions, situated in Aotearoa New Zealand. Music-centred music therapy, community music therapy, resource-oriented music therapy and the ecological model of music influenced this research. Following three action cycles, the qualitative data collected throughout was thematically analysed. This analysis revealed a framework referred to as the ‘journey to musicking’, which identifies six resources people needed to engage in music: opportunity; motivation; confidence; skills; practical needs; and a problem-solving toolkit. The role of the music therapist in resourcing people in these areas is framed as the role of a tuakana, drawing on an indigenous Māori model predominantly used in education and mentoring programmes: ‘tuakana-teina’. ‘Tuakana-teina’ in this study is defined as a music therapist-participant relationship that is empowering, collaborative and inclusive of the possibility of reciprocity. The personal resources (kete) needed by the tuakana music therapist are also explored, while empowerment and sustainability are highlighted as foundational principles to resourcing people. These principles, especially empowerment, are linked to the Māori concept of restoring rangatiratanga. This research provides a rich qualitative account of practicing music therapy in an empowering, ecological way in Aotearoa New Zealand.</p>

‘Journey to musicking’: Resourcing people to music outside the therapy room

<p>This action research study investigates resourcing people to engage in musicking outside the therapy room. Both the practice and research took place within a residential hospital for people with neurological conditions, situated in Aotearoa New Zealand. Music-centred music therapy, community music therapy, resource-oriented music therapy and the ecological model of music influenced this research. Following three action cycles, the qualitative data collected throughout was thematically analysed. This analysis revealed a framework referred to as the ‘journey to musicking’, which identifies six resources people needed to engage in music: opportunity; motivation; confidence; skills; practical needs; and a problem-solving toolkit. The role of the music therapist in resourcing people in these areas is framed as the role of a tuakana, drawing on an indigenous Māori model predominantly used in education and mentoring programmes: ‘tuakana-teina’. ‘Tuakana-teina’ in this study is defined as a music therapist-participant relationship that is empowering, collaborative and inclusive of the possibility of reciprocity. The personal resources (kete) needed by the tuakana music therapist are also explored, while empowerment and sustainability are highlighted as foundational principles to resourcing people. These principles, especially empowerment, are linked to the Māori concept of restoring rangatiratanga. This research provides a rich qualitative account of practicing music therapy in an empowering, ecological way in Aotearoa New Zealand.</p>

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

<p>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.</p>