No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Music Therapy: Models and Interventions
Abstract
This chapter takes as its point of departure a descriptive theoretical model (Bonde 2011) to give an overview of the field of health musicking, in order to discuss the position and rationale of music therapy (and music medicine) in a wider context. Bonde (2011) suggests that 'health musicking' can be understood as the common core of any use of music experiences to regulate emotional or relational states or to promote wellbeing, be it therapeutic or not, professionally assisted or self-made. The chapter begins with a section defining music therapy and music medicine. A number of internationally wellknown models of music therapy are then described in succession and placed in the model, based on an interpretation of their theoretical foundations and practical procedures. The discussion is in part focused on recent developments within the models and their current relationship to each other and to 'health musicking' as a field in development. In addition, there is an elaboration on music therapy as a multilayered phenomenon, which allows for a variety of experiences at different levels.
... In music therapy, there are quite a few publications available that provide an overview of the various models and approaches in music therapy and the interrelation between psychotherapy and music therapy (Decker-Voigt, 2001;Decker-Voigt & Weymann, 2009;Trondalen & Bonde, 2012;Wheeler, 1981Wheeler, , 2015. While they most often include analytical, humanistic, or behavioral theories discussed within music-therapy contexts, there is hardly any information on logotherapy or existential analysis. ...
... This means that music is "used purposefully […] requiring the active participation of the client(s)" (Wigram, Pedersen, & Bonde, 2002, p. 315). The various forms of improvisation in music therapy (Trondalen & Bonde, 2012), singing/voicework (Baker & Uhlig, 2011;Davies, 2005), and techniques like songwriting (Baker & Wigram, 2005) enable clients to create, produce, or invent something. This affects selfefficacy and provides opportunities to fulfill meaning by being engaged in a creative musical process. ...
Meaning is a distinct resource and indicator of human health and well-being. Meaning in life and the search for it predict subjective well-being. In logotherapy and existential analysis, the human will to meaning is considered the prime motivation in human life. Founded by Viktor Emil Frankl, this meaning-centered approach in psychotherapy is often called the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy. Although there is evidence that meaning can be actualized through music, music therapy has hitherto hardly focused on the concepts and theory of logotherapy and existential analysis. This contribution closes this gap by introducing a meaning-oriented approach to music therapy and an adaption of Frankl’s model of meaning fulfillment to music therapy. A case example demonstrates the practical application in the clinical context of palliative care. Meaning-oriented music therapy is not a separate form of music therapy, but complements existing concepts and theories in modern music therapy. It is indicated when meaning-related topics take center stage in music-therapy sessions.
... The music therapy intervention included both expressive and receptive methods [45]. The session was situated in the child's hospital room. ...
... The child was offered the opportunity to play different musical instruments, sing, and listen to music with the music therapist, and the parents and siblings could also participate. The music therapy setting aimed to build a relationship, a safe therapeutic alliance, between the child and the music therapist [45]. The session had the goal of being flexible, varied, and person-centered [31]. ...
Background: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is an established treatment for severe disorders of the pediatric hematopoietic system. However, there is a need for supportive interventions due to physiological and psychological strain. Music therapy is used in health care to help patients through difficult experiences and enable well-being. Our previous randomized studies showed significantly reduced heart rates four to eight hours after intervention as well as increased health-related quality of life. Methods: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the participants’ and parents’ own experiences of the interactive processes during the music therapy intervention. Six families were included. The data collection used collaborative research interviews. An independent psychologist facilitated the interviews with the children, the parents, and the music therapist and also performed the analysis. Results: Three main themes emerged: experiences of competency and recognition of self, interactive affect regulation as change potential, and importance of the therapeutic relationship. Conclusions: For the participants, music therapy developed into a significant and helpful experience, an important ingredient in coping with and managing the treatment period at the hospital.
... While music visualizations have traditionally served a range of objectives-including analysis [7], education [35], and therapy [45]-their role in music appreciation is becoming increasingly significant [17,27,37,38]. They are now emerging as a critical component of digital entertainment and artistic expression [6,15]. ...
Music visualization is an important medium that enables synesthetic experiences and creative inspiration. However, previous research focused mainly on the technical and theoretical aspects, overlooking users' everyday interaction with music visualizations. This gap highlights the pressing need for research on how music visualization influences users in synesthetic creative experiences and where they are heading. Thus, we developed musicolors, a web-based music visualization library available in real-time. Additionally, we conducted a qualitative user study with composers, developers, and listeners to explore how they use musicolors to appreciate and get inspiration and craft the music-visual interaction. The results show that musicolors provides a rich value of music visualization to users through sketching for musical ideas, integrating visualizations with other systems or platforms, and synesthetic listening. Based on these findings, we also provide guidelines for future music visualizations to offer a more interactive and creative experience.
... These outcomes can be achieved through many intervention types or models: background music, active music listening, composition, lyrical analysis, group singing, drumming circles, improvisation, music-therapy, and music guided imagery (Segall & Yinger, 2022;Trondalen & Ole Bonde, 2012). Other approaches include group instrument playing and instruction, dance, and using music in any way that is a core component of an intervention (Edwards, 2015;Gooding, 2018). ...
... In rehabilitation, music intervention has become a vital component, extending beyond traditional therapy. It involves the strategic use of musical elements, integrated with standard exercises and treatments [2,7,8]. The therapeutic effects of music-based interventions have been extensively studied, particularly in relation to neurorehabilitation, where such interventions have demonstrated efficacy in improving motor and cognitive functions [9,10]. ...
Objective
This qualitative study explored healthcare providers’ perceptions and attitudes regarding the use of organ pedalboards as a rehabilitation tool, particularly for lower extremity conditions. The study also sought to identify the perceived barriers and facilitators to adopting organ pedalboards within rehabilitation settings, as well as gather healthcare providers’ recommendations for integrating this tool into clinical practice.
Method
Healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, music therapists, and sports therapists, were recruited for focus group interviews using purposive and snowball sampling. At the outset of the interview, participants watched an organist playing musical notes on a pedalboard and had the opportunity to try on the pedalboard. A researcher then modulated the group discussion with the organist and asked questions following a semi-structured interview guide. The guided questions concern the perceptions of using organ pedal training for patients, as well as participants’ attitudes and perceived barriers towards it. Verbatim transcription and content analysis were performed on qualitative data.
Findings
Seventeen healthcare providers were interviewed in four focus groups. Healthcare providers perceive music as a motivator in rehabilitation, aiding in natural movement through rhythm and beats. Music intervention, particularly training on the pedalboard, is seen as beneficial for lower extremity rehabilitation, improving range of motion, balance, and coordination. It also offers cognitive benefits and enhances patient engagement and psychosocial well-being. Its safety concerns were addressed and discussed.
Conclusion
Our study is the first to explore the feasibility of using a pedalboard as a rehabilitation tool. Healthcare providers identify the circumstances and potential therapeutic benefits of the use of organ pedal training in the management of lower extremity problems. This will assist in the development of a lower extremity training protocol that can accommodate all the physiological hip, knee, ankle, and foot movements in the future.
... Another treatment intervention that has been well researched is music therapy. Music therapy is the clinical use of music to achieve goals such as reducing stress as well as improving the emotional and physical health of a person (Bonny, 1986;Trondalen et al., 2012). Previous studies have illustrated that listening to music at least 10 minutes before an exam can reduce stress, anxiety, and its symptoms (Haynes, 2004;Sezer, 2009). ...
... The Bonny method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was developed by Helen Lindquist Bonny in the USA from the early 1970s (Bonny 2002;Bruscia & Grocke 2002). It is one of the "three oldest and most well-known indigenous models of music therapy practice" (Aigen 2014; the other two models are Analytical Music Therapy and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy; see also Trondalen & Bonde 2012). It is probably the most advanced model of receptive music therapy, and today GIM is practised in five continents and with trainings in four, not only by music therapists, but also by psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, physiotherapists, etc. ...
The Bonny method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) was developed in the United States of America (USA) in the 1970s and came to Europe in the 1990s. It is a truly international model of receptive music therapy, practised in five continents, and yet it is not registered or integrated in the European music therapy community, e.g. as related to the European Music Therapy Confederation (EMTC). This apparent paradox is addressed in the article which gives a short historical overview of the development of GIM in Europe, followed by a status – an overview of current GIM trainings and practitioners in European countries – and a discussion of core issues related to the organisation of GIM in Europe and to standards of training and clinical practice. From 2014, GIM in Europe has founded its own association (the European Association of Music and Imagery, EAMI), and the question of the relationship between EAMI and EMTC is now open.
... GIM is one of the five international models of music therapy practice, and the only receptive music therapy model of the five (Trondalen, 2012). There is a continuum of methods used in GIM that range from supportive only to intensive therapy. ...
Music therapy interventions target biopsychosocial outcomes and are a non-pharmacological option for integrated pain management. To date, most music and pain studies have focused on acute pain, passive music experiences, and in-person delivery. The purpose of this study was to examine feasibility and acceptability and determine proof-of-concept for a newly developed telehealth music imagery (MI) intervention for Veterans with chronic pain. A single-group proof-of-concept pilot study was conducted with Veterans with chronic pain (n = 8). Feasibility was assessed through examination of recruitment, retention, and session/measure completion rates; acceptability through participant interviews; and whether the intervention resulted in clinically meaningful change scores (pre- to post-intervention) on measures of pain, anxiety, and depression at the individual level. For Veterans who passed eligibility screening, we had an enrollment rate of 89%, with good retention (75%). Overall, participating Veterans found the intervention acceptable, identified specific challenges with technology, and recommended an increased number of sessions. Preliminary outcome data for pain, anxiety, and depression were mixed, with some Veterans reporting clinically meaningful improvements and others reporting no change or worsening symptoms. Findings informed modifications to the telehealth MI intervention and the design of a larger pilot randomized controlled trial to assess feasibility and acceptability of the modified intervention in a larger population of Veterans with chronic pain using additional measures and a control condition.
... Music in hospitals in the UK comes in different forms, with the three following instances highlighted by Trondalen and Bonde (2011). First, music medicine aims to improve a patient's wellbeing through the use of pre-recorded music, often during medical interventions and rehabilitation. ...
This qualitative research study investigated how music-for-health practitioners make sense of decision-making in the context of paediatric hospital wards in the UK. Whilst existing studies have explored the skills practitioners develop and how these relate to outcomes and benefits of music for health, this article describes specifically the process of decision making and how practitioners drew on previously attained skills. Four music-for-health practitioners, all of whom work in paediatric hospital wards in the UK, were interviewed regarding their experiences of making decisions. The interviews were semi-structured. Data were analysed using thematic analysis and the following themes emerged: (i) Building the foundations; (ii) Taking note and taking in; (iii) Performance conditions; and (iv) Forms of communication. The research is addressed to music-for health practitioners at the beginning of their careers, offering ways to understand the process of decision making. It might also support more experienced practitioners to understand and reflect on their professional decision-making processes and to have an evidence base to use when training new practitioners. With its focus on the paediatric hospital, this article also has possible multi-disciplinary relevance in helping doctors, nurses and other staff better understand music-for-health practice.
... Introducing these models and examples can help people to be more patient with the hardships and stresses of pregnancy, have self-control and overcome the anxiety and pain of childbirth.19 4.10 | Reducing the level of painThe findings of the study reviewed in our study also showed that reciting the Quran reduces the level of pain in different people. Some studies85 have shown that music can be used to promote health and well-being in clinical settings such as pain management, relaxation, psychotherapy and personal development. Music affects a person's health through neurochemical changes and leads to an increase in the feeling of pleasure and happiness and a decrease in stress and pain in ...
Background and Aim
Anxiety, stress, and depressive disorders as common mental health problems have adverse effects in different populations. Holy Quran recitation and listening can help reduce these disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Holy Quran on anxiety, stress, and depression.
Materials and Methods
To retrieve eligible studies, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. The articles were screened and chosen by three researchers. The selection of studies and the data extraction from the studies were done by three researchers using the data collection form based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved by consulting the third and fourth researchers. To report scoping review, we used the PRISMA cheklist.
Results
A total of 174 articles were retrieved from three databases and after removing irrelevant and repetitive articles, 15 articles were included in the current review. All studies were performed in Asia countries. Most studies have examined the effect of Holy Quran recitation and listening on anxiety (45%), stress (30%), and then depression (25%), respectively. The Beck Depression Inventory was the most widely used tool to evaluate the effect of Holy Quran recitation and listening on reducing anxiety, depression and stress. “Reducing the level of anxiety, stress, and depression” and “Simple, affordable, practical and cost‐effective treatment to reduce depression and anxiety” were the most important outcomes of holy Quran recitation.
Conclusions
Based on the results of this study, Quran recitation and listening can be applied as a useful nonpharmacological treatment to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression.
... Wśród interwencji opartych na muzyce (music-based interventions) wskazać można muzykoterapię (music therapy) i działania funkcjonujące pod nazwą "muzyczny lek" (music medicine). Muzyczny lek to zastosowanie nagrań muzycznych w celu poprawienia stanu pacjenta lub w opiece medycznej w celu polepszenia funkcjonowania czy nastroju (Trondalen, Bonde, 2012). Music medicine najczęściej stosuje się w placówkach medycznych -głównym zamierzeniem jest poprawienie nastroju odbiorców bądź obniżenie poziomu stresu u pacjentów oczekujących na przykład na zabieg. ...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in anxiety and distress in many populations. They particularly affected selected professional groups, e.g. teachers. Among the strategies for coping with anxiety and stress, interventions using music as a tool to reduce tension are showing promising results. For the purpose of this study, a therapeutic intervention protocol using various music-based activities was constructed. A pilot study was carried out to initially assess the effectiveness of the intervention, and – on the other hand – to check the feasibility of the proposed experiment in terms of methodology and practice. The study involved 13 participants (n = 13); a mixed study design with a triple-repeated measures was used (the GAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Questionnaire). The results were interpreted both in an individualized and experimental perspective, with a statistical analysis (ANOVA, Student’s t-test). They suggest that the original musical intervention contributed to the reduction of the level of anxiety in the time course. Due to the size of the sample and the pilot design of the study, the results should be treated with caution.
... Each session will last approximately 45 minutes. music imagery is derived from Guided Imagery and Music, 1 of the 5 international models of music therapy practice and the most well-known receptive music therapy model [39]. The intervention uses the participant's relationship to music to connect and enhance inner resources and provide a music resource for self-care [40]. ...
Background
Chronic pain and access to care are identified as critical needs of the Veterans Health Administration. Music imagery and music listening interventions have shown promise as effective nonpharmacological options for pain management. However, most studies have focused on acute pain, passive music experiences, and in-person delivery.
Objective
In this study, we aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of 2 music interventions delivered through telehealth for chronic musculoskeletal pain, trial design, and theoretical model before conducting a fully powered efficacy or comparative effectiveness trial.
Methods
FAMILIA (Feasibility and Acceptability of Music Imagery and Listening Interventions for Analgesia) is a 3-arm, parallel group, pilot trial. A total of 60 veterans will be randomized to one of the three conditions: music imagery, music listening, or usual care. Aim 1 is to test the feasibility and acceptability of a multicomponent, interactive music imagery intervention (8-weekly, individual sessions) and a single-component, minimally interactive music learning intervention (independent music listening). Feasibility metrics related to recruitment, retention, engagement, and completion of the treatment protocol and questionnaires will be assessed. Up to 20 qualitative interviews will be conducted to assess veteran experiences with both interventions, including perceived benefits, acceptability, barriers, and facilitators. Interview transcripts will be coded and analyzed for emergent themes. Aim 2 is to explore the effects of music imagery and music listening versus usual care on pain and associated patient-centered outcomes. These outcomes and potential mediators will be explored through changes from baseline to follow-up assessments at 1, 3, and 4 months. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe outcomes; this pilot study is not powered to detect differences in outcomes.
Results
Recruitment for FAMILIA began in March 2022, and as of July 2022, 16 participants have been enrolled. We anticipate that enrollment will be completed by May 2023. We expect that music imagery and music listening will prove acceptable to veterans and that feasibility benchmarks will be reached. We hypothesize that music imagery and music listening will be more effective than usual care on pain and related outcomes.
Conclusions
FAMILIA addresses four limitations in music intervention research for chronic pain: limited studies in veterans, evaluation of a multicomponent music intervention, methodological rigor, and internet-based delivery. Findings from FAMILIA will inform a fully powered trial to identify putative mechanisms and test efficacy.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05426941; https://tinyurl.com/3jdhx28u
International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)
DERR1-10.2196/38788
... These are all quite plausible stories about the power of music, but the story of a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, in my view, cannot otherwise be interpreted than as a modern musical miracle that has nothing to do with science or neurology. Moreover, Sacks is deeply influenced by the creative music therapy of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins, who were influenced at their turn by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and the anthroposophic movement in humanistic psychology [108]. From these influences emerged Sack's idea that within every human being an innate responsiveness to music can be found, but he often presents this belief as a fact pertaining to mainstream neuroscience and neuroanatomy to grant his stories a kind of scientific authority. ...
... In this context, the growing music and health field builds a bridge between the different music disciplines. Within the music and health field, one is able look with more of an overview perspective at all areas where music is of significance for the development, maintenance and inclusion of health factors in people's lives, such as the lay-therapeutic musicking of everyday life and community musicking, and not just therapy situations (Bonde and Trondalen 2012). Health, in this context, is concerned with a good emotional life, positive skills of mastery, healthy social contacts and relationships to others, as well as generally experiencing meaning and life context in one's existence (Ruud 2010a). ...
... Music medicine intervention is defined as "listening to pre-recorded music, offered by medical staff " (8). Music medicine differs from music therapy in that it does not focus on the therapeutic relationship between a provider and a patient (9). Several disciplines, including music therapy, community music, music education, daily use of music, and music medicine, may involve interrelationships between music, health, and wellbeing (10). ...
Background
The palliative care people present needs that can be partially met by complementary intervention. Approaches based on the use of hypnosis and music are increasingly being studied and have shown potential benefits on pain, anxiety, and wellbeing for many populations including those in palliative care.Objective
This study aims to present the initial process of creating and refining a hypnosis and music intervention program intended for persons in palliative care, with a panel of experts of diverse relevant backgrounds. It also aims to evaluate its feasibility, preliminary acceptability, and content.Methods
To achieve the objectives, we followed ORBIT recommendations for the development and redesign of behavioral interventions (phase I a-b). Based on a meta-analysis, reference interventions were identified and then adapted to the target population. Twenty-two experts from different backgrounds were consulted to obtain their evaluation on the acceptability, feasibility, and content of the interventions.ResultThe various components of the program were deemed appropriate or very appropriate by over 80% of the experts. However, possible risks were raised related to some uncertainty about the reactions of individuals to the intervention. Several experts (32%) indicated potential adverse effects consisting of negative emotional experiences during the sessions. Modifications were proposed specifically to reduce or mitigate this risk. Over 90% of the experts considered that the revised program provides a safer and more appropriate intervention for palliative care persons.ConclusionA mixed intervention program with hypnosis and music has been developed and attained a high level of consensus by the experts. The proposed intervention is ready to be assessed for clinical efficacy in a pilot study (ORBIT Phase II).
... S.) folgen »[m]usiktherapeutische Methoden […] gleichberechtigt tiefenpsychologischen, verhaltenstherapeutisch-lerntheoretischen, systemischen, anthroposophischen und ganzheitlich-humanistischen Ansätzen«. In facheinschlägigen Grundlagen-und Standardwerken (Decker-Voigt, 2001;Decker-Voigt, Knill & Weymann, 1996;Decker-Voigt, Oberegelsbacher & Timmermann, 2008;Decker-Voigt & Weymann, 2009, 2021Kirkland, 2013;Wheeler, 2015;Wigram, Pedersen & Bonde, 2002) oder Übersichtsartikeln (Trondalen & Bonde, 2012;Wheeler, 1981) finden sich denn auch entsprechende Beiträge und Einträge. Mitunter befassen sich einzelne Werke aus musiktherapeutischer Sicht spezifisch mit einer psychotherapeutischen Grundorientierung (und deren Vertreter.innen) ...
While various psychotherapeutic approaches have been considered among music therapy’s development and reflections, existential analysis and logotherapy (EALT) – the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy – have hardly been taken into account. Founded by Viktor Frankl, his psychotherapeutic assumptions focus on the importance of meaning in life. The following contribution provides a brief overview on EALT in light
of other psychotherapy approaches as well as in relation to music and music therapy. The subsequent discussion is then presented from a music-therapy perspective and includes logotherapy’s methods, value categories, anthropology, spiritual dimension of
human being, and other theoretical aspects. The debate finally evolves into the idea of a meaning-oriented music therapy. This may serve as an incentive to understand and establish music therapy from a meaning-centred perspective. Such music therapy
is indicated when the search for meaning becomes a theme in therapeutic processes and crises of meaning take center stage.
... S.) folgen »[m]usiktherapeutische Methoden […] gleichberechtigt tiefenpsychologischen, verhaltenstherapeutisch-lerntheoretischen, systemischen, anthroposophischen und ganzheitlich-humanistischen Ansätzen«. In facheinschlägigen Grundlagen-und Standardwerken (Decker-Voigt, 2001;Decker-Voigt, Knill & Weymann, 1996;Decker-Voigt, Oberegelsbacher & Timmermann, 2008;Decker-Voigt & Weymann, 2009, 2021Kirkland, 2013;Wheeler, 2015;Wigram, Pedersen & Bonde, 2002) oder Übersichtsartikeln (Trondalen & Bonde, 2012;Wheeler, 1981) finden sich denn auch entsprechende Beiträge und Einträge. Mitunter befassen sich einzelne Werke aus musiktherapeutischer Sicht spezifisch mit einer psychotherapeutischen Grundorientierung (und deren Vertreter.innen) ...
While various psychotherapeutic approaches have been considered among music therapy’s development and reflections, existential analysis and logotherapy (EALT) – the Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy – have hardly been taken into account. Founded
by Viktor Frankl, his psychotherapeutic assumptions focus on the importance of meaning in life. The following contribution provides a brief overview on EALT in light of other psychotherapy approaches as well as in relation to music and music therapy. The subsequent discussion is then presented from a music-therapy perspective and includes logotherapy’s methods, value categories, anthropology, spiritual dimension of human being, and other theoretical aspects. The debate finally evolves into the idea of a meaning-oriented music therapy. This may serve as an incentive to understand and establish music therapy from a meaning-centred perspective. Such music therapy is indicated when the search for meaning becomes a theme in therapeutic processes and crises of meaning take center stage.
Zusammenfassung: Im Unterschied zu anderen psychotherapeutischen Verfahren wurden Existenzanalyse und
Logotherapie (EALT) – als die Dritte Wiener Richtung der Psychotherapie – aus musiktherapeutischer Sicht bisher kaum beachtet. Begründet von Viktor Frankl handelt es sich hierbei um eine sinnzentrierte Auslegung der Psychotherapie. Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet EALT überblicksmäßig im Kontext weiterer Psychotherapieverfahren sowie in Relation zu Musik und Musiktherapie. Anschließend erfolgt eine Annäherung aus musiktherapeutischer Sicht. Methoden, Wertkategorien, Menschenbild, die geistige Dimension des Menschen u. a. Aspekte logotherapeutischer Theorie werden in die Überlegungen einbezogen. Endpunkt der Auseinandersetzung bildet die Idee einer sinnorientierten Musiktherapie. Sie ist Anregung, Musiktherapie und musiktherapeutisches Wirken vom Sinn her zu verstehen und zu fundieren. Eine solche Musiktherapie ist indiziert, wo die Sinnfrage zum Thema therapeutischer Prozesse wird und Sinnkrisen im Vordergrund stehen.
... Rather, music enables the work of a group and presents material that can be processed to aid the therapy process. In the analytic music therapy model, musical improvisations might be used as a means of eliciting verbal discussions between therapist and client (when a client is able to verbalise their experiences) (Trondalen & Ole Bonde, 2012). However, music therapists working within an analytical paradigm note that work with non-verbal clients can still provide meaningful experiences through music-making (Metzner, 2016). ...
This thesis presents a theoretical argument and practical possibilities for engaging with chaos as a resource in short-term music therapy groups with young people, based on my work with young South Africans who have committed offences.
Chaotic experiences of confusion, destructiveness and disintegration I experienced with groups of young people were regularly accentuated through musicking and left me feeling despondent. Many therapists anecdotally report that the chaotic nature of groups with adolescents is challenging, yet this has rarely been explored in the music therapy literature. Authors who have described chaotic experiences with groups predominantly considered that these experiences required minimisation, modification or resolution. In my work I experienced moments where the chaos in groups was a necessary expression of young people’s lives, reflecting the chaos of a country struggling with racism, inequality and violence. It did not feel appropriate to attempt to resolve or minimise this chaos.
In the first part of my research, I explored how a music therapist could understand chaos as a resource in short-term music therapy groups with young South Africans attending a diversion programme for committing sexual offences. I utilised crystallisation, drawing from different research methods to make meaning of my field notes documenting my work in this context over time. My analysis suggested that chaotic experiences sometimes preceded group transformation and were interconnected with moments of order required for group formation. This aligned with a paradoxical approach to group work explicated primarily in literature published within the fields of drama therapy, psychoanalysis and organisational studies. I integrated this literature with my research to propose that chaotic experiences could be welcomed into music therapy groups and harnessed to support young people’s engagement with the paradoxes of creativity and destructiveness. In this way, chaos could support young people to recreate their lives within complex contexts.
In the second part of my research, I expanded on the practical applications of a paradoxical approach to music therapy practice. I explored how a music therapist and group members could engage with chaos as a resource, together with members of two short-term music therapy groups with young South Africans referred to diversion programmes for committing drug-related or general offences. I drew upon methods from constructivist grounded theory to analyse video material, group member feedback and my session notes.
I presented my findings in the form of a group matrix. The matrix illustrated how engaging with chaos as a resource both freed and pressured each group member to explore group activities, musicking and relationships through a unique variety of active and observational, integrative and disintegrative styles. Those focused on participating in and opposing group activities tried on roles that might influence their engagement in their communities beyond the group. Group members focused on musicking embodied personal and social expressions through dissonant and resonant, tentative and versatile music creations. The communicative nature of musical expressions supported some group members to connect and conflict as they recreated their identity in relationship to others. Group members who remained static in their group interactions appeared to struggle to access the transformative potential of chaotic experiences. My role as the music therapist was to accompany the movement of group members across the landscape of possibilities I observed in the matrix. I provided a holding environment (offering a safe space and waiting before intervening); resourced group members (offering support and challenge); intervened (taking a directive lead or initiating chaos); or co-explored through partnering or witnessing the group.
The theory developed through this research illuminates and legitimises a paradoxical approach to group music therapy theory and practice with young people. The matrix serves as a tool that may support music therapists to maximise possibilities for engaging with chaos as a resource.
... These are all quite plausible stories about the power of music, but the story of a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, in my view, cannot otherwise be interpreted than as a modern musical miracle that has nothing to do with science or neurology. Moreover, Sacks is deeply influenced by the creative music therapy of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins, who were influenced at their turn by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and the anthroposophic movement in humanistic psychology [108]. From these influences emerged Sack's idea that within every human being an innate responsiveness to music can be found, but he often presents this belief as a fact pertaining to mainstream neuroscience and neuroanatomy to grant his stories a kind of scientific authority. ...
... These are all quite plausible stories about the power of music, but the story of a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly inspired to become a pianist at the age of forty-two, in my view, cannot otherwise be interpreted than as a modern musical miracle that has nothing to do with science or neurology. Moreover, Sacks is deeply influenced by the creative music therapy of Paul Nordoff and Clive Robbins, who were influenced at their turn by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and the anthroposophic movement in humanistic psychology [108]. From these influences emerged Sack's idea that within every human being an innate responsiveness to music can be found, but he often presents this belief as a fact pertaining to mainstream neuroscience and neuroanatomy to grant his stories a kind of scientific authority. ...
... Improvisational music therapy draws on theories that explain how music affects us at various embedded levels of mind and body, via a multimodality of sensation, cognition and emotion (Stern, 2010a). The purpose of using musical improvisation is for patient and therapist to intuitively tailor/attune to each other's intentions and impulses, and this tuning facilitates a context in which therapist and patient may experience themselves dynamically from moment-to-moment in relation to each other (Stephens, 1983;Trondalen & Bonde, 2012). ...
Introduction
Individuals with Personality Disorder commonly find it difficult to intuitively adapt to changing social situations such as small errors, ruptures and mis-attunements. This difficulty has been attributed to impairments in attachment, mentalization and epistemic trust. Recent research in music therapy addresses how patients can be supported to achieve co-adaptation with others. What is currently lacking is an understanding of how music therapy can enable patients with Personality Disorder to become safe and confident to improvise, i.e. to manage social uncertainty and the risks this entails.
Method
This paper presents a novel musical improvisation framework for Shaping Interpersonal Trust (SIT) within the field of music therapy. The SIT framework is a practice-based theory that enriches our understanding of interpersonal trust as a maturing process of integration within interactive events of connection, pause, and repair.
Results
The Shaping Interpersonal Trust (SIT) framework presents four levels of developing and shaping interpersonal trust between therapist and patient, each requiring an appropriate kind of therapeutic intervention.
Discussion
The SIT framework is intended to guide the music therapist by promoting insightful reflections, and to intervene appropriately where the patient is stranded in the developmental process of shaping interpersonal trust. Interpersonal trust plays an important role in enabling us to manage the social uncertainty of everyday social interactions, facilitating stable interactions over time to build friendships, and to form romantic, supportive, informal, and professional relationships.
... As we did not work with total silences under laboratory conditions, but with natural silences, participants were invited to accept whathever sounds occurred as part of the silence. In this point DRMT differs significantly from other relaxation techniques and methodologies, such as autogenic training or musicmedicine (procedures that use music to affect physical, emotional, or mental states as part of a medical treatment, usually without establishing a therapeutic relationship [36]) approaches, which are often aimed at hiding or repressing external (auditory) influences [24,31]. This aspect was explicitly described as pleasant and can be explained by the fact that it is difficult for musicians not to direct their attention to (spontaneously occurring) auditory influences. ...
This article presents the results of a study which focused on the application of combined Depth Relaxation Music Therapy (DRMT) and silence in preventing music performance anxiety (MPA) in music students. Participants (n=12) were divided into two groups. Each group received either 16 minutes of DRMT followed by 6:30 minutes of silence or a 16-minute seminar consisting of a moderated group discussion on silence followed by 6:30 minutes of silence. Each of the two groups experienced the alternative condition (within-subject design) with one week in between. Focus groups were held for data gathering after each session. Qualitative content analysis according to Mayring was applied to analyze the data. Silence following DRMT was perceived as more relaxing and longer lasting than silence following the seminar. Participants reported that their distracting or
depressing thoughts decreased and their auditive perception of silence changed during the combined silence and DRMT. The results indicate that the procedure can help prevent MPA.
... This is relevant in our studies about workers since it becomes possible even for a worker to conduct a basic research and contribute to the field. For a comprehensive review of music therapy approaches one can refer Bonde & Trondalen, 2012. Community music as such is a field which has therapeutically no significance but it sure serves the function of creative expression as the main objective (Veblen, Messenger, Silverman, Elliott, 2012). ...
Art and music is thought of as interventions at workplaces for identity and history formation. Mathematics learning is discussed as a scope towards an individual's ability to move up the ladder of heirarchy.
... Creative Music Therapy highlights the communicative, creative and non-verbal role of music, expressed primarily through clinical improvisation (Nordoff & Robbins, 1977;Ritholz, 2014). Analytically Oriented Music Therapy highlights the role of music as a way of sounding unconscious processes, processed further through verbal reflection (Trondalen & Bonde, 2012). Integrative Improvisational Music Therapy holds as salient clinical improvisation and verbal processing and is a model used in the treatment of depression (Erkkilä, Punkanen, & Fachner, 2012). ...
Previous research on active and receptive music therapy methods mostly reports on response to musical processes and therapeutic impact. Preceding such interests, our study examined qualitatively the verbal affordances during a course of eight individual music therapy sessions among twenty participants with a major depressive disorder or a schizophrenia-spectrum psychotic disorder. Audio-video recordings of 131 sessions were transcribed verbatim and subjected to thematic analysis, following which comparisons for music therapy method and diagnostic group were made.
The themes that emerged from the thematic analysis, reflect the content of verbal responses to participation in active music making, receptive music listening and client-therapist dialogue. These themes were i) not to feel; ii) to do or not to do; iii) grappling with the desired future; iv) hurt and fear of undesirable outcomes; v) sadness, brokenness and futility; vi) anger, trust and vulnerability; vii) desire for connection with and affection of others; viii) barricaded from being (in the) present; ix) tensing and un-tensing; x) personal relating to one’s musical expression; xi) reflections on the music and music making in therapy, xii) resilience in courage and xiii) invigoration and liberation.
The emerging verbal affordances showed responses within a therapeutic relationship that express inter- and intra-personal connection, increased motivation, grappling with difficulty, emotional expression, and the reclamation of energy, spontaneity and resilience.
... Explorations of how and whether change occurs and the nature of this change, however, seem to vary in terms of focus and methodological approach. These variations relate to numerous factors including the philosophical underpinnings of different music therapy models (Bruscia, 1987;Spiro, Tsiris & Pavlicevic, 2014;Trondalen & Bonde, 2012), as well as individual music therapists' training and work experiences. Bruscia's (1987) seminal book Improvisational Models of Music Therapy is one of the first attempts to outline the philosophical orientations of different music therapy models and their relationship not only to practice but also to assessment and evaluation. ...
“Sounds good, but… what is it?” This is a common reaction to outcome measurement by music therapy practitioners and researchers who are less familiar with its meanings and practices. Given the prevailing evidence-based practice movement, outcome measurement does ‘sound good’. Some practitioners and researchers, however, have a limited or unclear understanding of what outcome measurement includes; particularly with respect to outcome measures and related terminology around their use. Responding to the “what is it?” question, this article provides an introduction to such terminology. It explores what outcome measures are and outlines characteristics related to their forms, uses and selection criteria. While pointing to some debates regarding outcome measurement, including its philosophical underpinnings, this introduction seeks to offer a useful platform for a critical and contextual understanding of the potential use of outcome measures in music therapy.
... In music therapy (MT), the therapeutic relationship between patient and therapist, which is built up on music, is essential (whether the music is live or prerecorded). The client either listens to music (receptive MT) or creates music (active MT) [30,31]. The most common goal for receptive MT is relaxation [31]. ...
Recent evidence shows that both music therapy and resonance breathing (breathing at about 0.1 Hz) may be effective in treating stress-related symptoms and promoting relaxation. However, no study has yet explored the potential of integrating the working mechanisms into a combined approach using live played music to guide respiration. Therefore, the objective of the present pilot study was to evaluate the psychophysiological effects of a combined intervention. A total of 60 healthy adults were randomized to either the experimental group or the control group (where participants listened to prerecorded relaxation music). Heart rate and heart rate variability were extracted for the following 5-minute segments: Resting baseline, stress task, intervention, resting post-intervention. Additionally, self-evaluation scores for relaxation and general well-being were assessed with visual analogue scales. Significant time × group interaction effects were found for general well-being (p = .028) and heart rate variability as measured by RMSSD (p < .001), indicative of increased parasympathetic outflow in the experimental group. In conclusion, the combination of music therapy and resonance breathing seems to be a well-received and effective way to induce relaxation and well-being in healthy adults.
... So too are the principles of social pedagogy (Hatton, 2013;Youth Music Network, n.d.). Some students are drawn toward the therapeutic benefits of music, and aspire toward careers in music therapy (Trondalen and Ole Bonde, 2013) and the emergent field of Community Music Therapy (Ansdell and De Nora, 2013;Pavlicevic and Ansdell, 2004;Tsiris, 2014). Some may perceive an inherent tension between these more democratic approaches to music education pedagogy (Price, n.d.;Schmidt, 2005) and the development of technical musical skills. ...
In this chapter, we outline an approach to training in community music that is congruent with its pluralistic and diverse character. From the situated perspective of Sage Gateshead, a large music organization in the north of the United Kingdom, we reflect on some of the ways that musicians have developed the skills, knowledge, and attitudes to
become effective practitioners of community music. Rooted in a dialogic and democratic pedagogy, the training processes described herein recognize the highly individualized nature of community music practices, and are underpinned by the explicitly humanistic values and attitudes that unite them.
... In music therapy, patient and therapist engage actively in singing, songwriting, improvisation, as well as listening to music, according to a person's musical preferences ( [5]. Within a therapeutic relationship based on individualized assessment, treatment and evaluation individual and situative music experiences can evolve [6]. ...
Background:
The use of music as therapy in multidisciplinary end-of-life care dates back to the 1970s and nowadays music therapy (MT) is one of the most frequently used complementary therapy in in-patient palliative care in the US. However existing research investigated music therapy's potential impact mainly from one perspective, referring to either a quantitative or qualitative paradigm. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the users' and providers' perspectives on music therapy in palliative care within one research article.
Methods:
A systematic literature search was conducted using several databases supplemented with a hand-search of journals between November 1978 and December 2016. Inclusion criteria were: Music therapy with adults in palliative care conducted by a certified music therapist. Both quantitative and qualitative studies in English, German or a Scandinavian language published in peer reviewed journals were included. We aimed to identify and discuss the perspectives of both patients and health care providers on music therapy's impact in palliative care to forward a comprehensive understanding of it's effectiveness, benefits and limitations. We investigated themes mentioned by patients within qualitative studies, as well as commonly chosen outcome measures in quantitative research. A qualitative approach utilizing inductive content analysis was carried out to analyze and categorize the data.
Results:
Twelve articles, reporting on nine quantitative and three qualitative research studies were included. Seven out of the nine quantitative studies investigated pain as an outcome. All of the included quantitative studies reported positive effects of the music therapy. Patients themselves associated MT with the expression of positive as well as challenging emotions and increased well-being. An overarching theme in both types of research is a psycho-physiological change through music therapy.
Conclusions:
Both quantitative as well as qualitative research showed positive changes in psycho-physiological well-being. The integration of the users´ and providers´ perspectives within future research applicable for example in mixed-methods designs is recommended.
... Music therapy, on the other hand, is performed by a trained music therapist and involves the relationship between the client, music and therapist. Likewise, another key element in music therapy is the opportunity to engage the patient in various types of music experiences, including song-writing, instrument-playing, and music imagery (Trondalen & Bonde 2012). In addition, music therapy includes the process of assessment, treatment, and evaluation. ...
The aim of the article is to examine the concept of chronic pain as a complex phenomenon and to highlight the potential role of music therapy-in particular, music imagery-in the treatment of chronic pain. Theories of pain, along with research on pain pathways and pain control in the nervous system, support the evidence from clinical practice that music interventions can alleviate the sensation of pain whilst also offering a pleasant aesthetic experience. Music therapy provides opportunities for processing psychological and existential issues and enables patients to better cope with chronic pain. Related research in neuroscience and music medicine provides supplementary evidence that music can have a considerable impact on the physiological and psychological aspects of pain. This article summarises selected theoretical, clinical, and research-based knowledge relevant for music therapy clinicians and other health professionals aiming to alleviate chronic pain.
... A greater number of studies (e.g., Aigen, 2008aAigen, , 2008b) explore whether and how music therapy works within different settings and with different client groups. Reflecting the diversity of the field in terms of theoretical approaches and practice models Trondalen & Bonde, 2012), these studies vary not only in terms of their methods, but also in terms of their overall focus, function, and methodological framework. Central elements of assessment-oriented studies are the selection, understanding, and use of outcome measures. ...
Assessment, in its different guises and forms, has been a core consideration of music therapy work since the early stages of the discipline. Practitioners have devised assessment tools for different purposes such as outcome measurement. Although an increased number of tools have been published, many do not seem to be used widely in either practice or research. This situation might be connected to limited accessibility to such tools and/or the lack of centralized sources of information about them. This systematic review focuses on 26 music-therapy-specific outcome measures and identifies trends and gaps in their characteristics. The results show that most measures concern work with people with autism, developmental and learning disabilities, and special needs. Most measures have been designed using pilot studies, and most original sources introducing the measures have been published since 2000 and in journal publications. Validation processes are reported in less than half of the original sources. Most measures employ observational ratings and checklists as their data collection method and have five main categories of focus: musical engagement, functioning, communication and/or interaction, relationship, and music therapy process.
... MacDonald et al., 2012), summaries of different music therapy models (e.g. Bruscia, 1987;Spiro et al., 2014;Trondalen and Bonde, 2012) and development across different countries (e.g. Dileo-Maranto, 1993;Ridder and Tsiris, 2015b;Stegemann et al., 2016). ...
Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, yet little is known regarding the workforce and its employment characteristics. To understand the current profile of the music therapy workforce in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) commissioned a national survey of its membership. This survey explores the profile of the UK music therapy workforce in terms of demographics, training and employment characteristics. An online survey was circulated to all BAMT members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. A total of 374 therapists responded (44% response rate). Following demographic information (including age, nationality and training background), we focus on employment characteristics such as income, types of work, settings, clients and age groups. Supervision and clinical fees are considered as well as commissioning and funding of self-employed and employed music therapy work. As an initial mapping of the current UK workforce, this study offers a pragmatic platform to consider development and strategic priorities and thus to re-vision the future of music therapy in the country. Potential implications for the international music therapy community are also discussed.
Background
Music therapy is a commonly used intervention added to usual care for psychiatric disorders.
Aims
We review the evidence for music therapy and assess its efficacy as an adjunct therapy across psychiatric disorders.
Method
A systematic literature search was conducted in four scientific databases to identify relevant meta-analyses. Articles were assessed with the AMSTAR-2 tool. The results of the high-quality articles were recalculated with the data from the primary studies. We decided to add the results of the lower-rated articles, using a narrative approach. We pooled the primary studies and calculated standardised mean differences (SMD) for the transdiagnostic outcomes of depression, anxiety and quality of life. We used the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) tool to assess the level of evidence.
Results
Meta-analyses were available for autism, dementia, depression, insomnia, schizophrenia and substance use disorders. We identified 40 relevant articles. One article per domain was identified as high quality. Music therapy added to treatment as usual showed therapeutic value in each disorder. The transdiagnostic results showed a positive effect of music therapy on depression (SMD = 0.57, 95% CI 0.36–0.78), anxiety (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.27–0.66) and quality of life (SMD = 0.47, 95% CI 0.24–0.71). However, these effects were not maintained at follow-up, and all results were based on low or very low evidence.
Conclusions
Music therapy shows promising potential as an adjunctive treatment for psychiatric disorders, but methodological weaknesses and variability limit the evidence. More high-quality, well-powered studies are needed to reliably confirm its effect size.
The study aims to identify the expertise of college students in classical music and evaluate individual prerequisites for listening to classical music and their impact on creative thinking in connection with psychological defence among students. The study involved 200 students from a college in China. The Chinese college students’ expertise in music was analysed based on the questionnaire method and the research design. The study revealed the following: prolonged listening to loud music, even classical, develops creative thinking and at the same time can lead to loss of self-control and partial loss of the listener’s sense of reality; music volume correlates with the desire to hear the rhythm and the frequency of music listening; there is a correlation between musical rhythm and the psychological defence mechanisms of substitution, regression, compensation, as well as tension.
Research continues to show resilience is key to coping with adversity. The ability to manage adversity underlies emotional well-being. Both relationship with God and music listening have separately been shown to contribute to resilience. The current study combines the two through song prayers (songs which are prayers) to explore the influence on resilience in women veterans who reflectively listen to a prescribed playlist. The four participants of the qualitative study listened to song prayers while offering these to God for at least twenty minutes per day over twenty-eight consecutive days. The outcome for all participants was interaction with God, which strengthened each one's resilience in personal ways beyond what could have been anticipated. The current research begins with an overview of biblical and select historical roots of song prayer usage, followed by a report of the study. Together, these trace consistent patterns of interaction with God through the use of song prayers over the centuries, which aligns with the study participants' experiences.
This chapter approaches the politics of participation in sound art from a postcritical perspective. It employs Sruti Bala’s theory of gesture—an action that is at the same time inherently aesthetic and socially and politically embedded—to discuss the political potentialities of sound artworks, while not limiting them to critical statements or explicitly activist projects. The chapter examines the political gestures of participatory sound art at two levels: the artworks themselves as gestures expressing a political sentiment and a political pragmatics, and the gestures of the participants performed in the context of sound artworks. It identifies three fundamental areas of participatory sound art’s politics: concern, empowerment and togetherness. Rather than laying bare “matters of fact” and forgone conclusions, gestures of concern engage the participants viscerally by putting them in the first-person perspective of performing the critical interpretation. At the same time, gestures of empowerment and togetherness rely on sound’s ability to operate across both physical and social barriers and create a sense of community while sustaining difference. The politics of participatory sound art can thus be described as “politics of the possible”—of enabling political imaginaries, both utopian and dystopian.
Hospitalization for breast surgery is a distressing experience for women. This study investigated the impact of music therapy (MT), an integrative approach that is characterized by the establishment of a therapeutic relationship between patients and a certified music therapist, through different musical interventions targeted to the specific needs of the patients. The impact of two different MT experiences was compared on anxiety and distressing emotions.
Methods
One hundred fifty-one patients during hospitalization for breast surgery were randomly assigned to two music therapy treatment arms: individual/receptive (MTri) vs. group/active-receptive integrated (MTiGrp). Stress, depression, anger, and need for help were measured with the emotion thermometers (ET) and State Trait Anxiety Inventory Y-1 form (STAY-Y1). Data were collected before and after the MT intervention.
Results
Both types of MT interventions were effective in reducing all the variables: stress, depression, anger, and anxiety (T Student p‹0.01). Patients’ perception of help received was correlated with a significant reduction in anxiety and distressing emotions during hospitalization for breast surgery.
Conclusion
Considerations regarding the implementation of MT interventions in clinical practice are discussed. In individual receptive MT, there was a significant decrease in anxiety levels, whereas in the integrated MT group, there was a higher perception of help received and use of inter-individual resources.
Abstracts of the 12th European Music Therapy Conference. Published as an online special edition in the British Journal of Music Therapy.
Available on: https://journals.sagepub.com/page/bjmb/abstractsofthe12theuropeanmusictherapyconference
This article provides a critical overview of musical identities as a research topic. A broad distinction between identities in music (IIM) and music in identities (MII) highlights how musical engagement is central to identity construction. These concepts are integrated with recent advances in psychological theory derived from enactive cognition (4E cognition) to propose a new framework for understanding musical identities, Musical Identities in Action (MIIA). This framework foregrounds musical identities as dynamic (constantly evolving, dialogical, and actively performed), embodied (shaped by how music is physically expressed and experienced), and situated (emergent from interaction with social contexts, technologies, and culture). Musical identities are presented as fluid and constructed through embodied and situated action. Interdisciplinary research on music and adolescence is utilized to show how the MIIA framework can be applied to specific contexts and how musical identities interact with other aspects of life. Examples of the embodied nature of musical identities are provided from early interactions to professional performance and everyday informal engagement. Technology is highlighted as one topical and situated context, using digital playlists and a recent online improvisation project as examples. Implications of the MIIA framework for education and health are also presented, proposing that a key goal of music education is the development of positive musical identities. Recent advances in humanities research such as post-qualitative inquiry (PQI) and metamodern philosophical theory are proposed as useful multidisciplinary approaches for developing new knowledge related to musical identities.
Music therapy (MT) is a widely used non-pharmacological intervention in pediatric health care, an integral part of pediatric palliative care (PPC). Yet, there is a lack of evidence of efficacy, and best practices are not well established. The nature and extent of physiologic impacts of MT in PPC have not previously been reported. This study explores how MT contributes to psycho-physiological changes in children receiving palliative care. We used a convergent mixed-methods feasibility study with a pre–post design. MT sessions were delivered to children (0–18 years), who were registered with a statewide Pediatric Palliative Care Service. Pre–post measures of pain and heart rate were collected using validated and objective measures and analyzed using mixed-model analysis. Analysis of 36 MT sessions demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in pain scores and heart rate after MT sessions. Post measures of pain measured with Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, Consolability scale (FLACC scale) scores were −1.57 (95% confidence interval [CI] −2.31 to −0.83) and by Likert pain scale −2.03 (95% CI −2.79 to −1.27). Heart rate reduced by a mean of −7.6 beats per minute (95% CI −10.74 to −3.37). Five parents participated in semi-structured interviews. Following thematic analysis, two major themes emerged: (1) MT has a positive impact on physiological symptoms and (2) MT enhances the opportunity to experience joy. Results demonstrate the feasibility of study components and may inform future research design for a larger study. This research contributes to the limited evidence about non-pharmacological interventions enhancing the quality of life for children receiving PPC.
This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal).
This article has been retracted at the request of the Editors-in-Chief.
After a thorough investigation, the Editors have concluded that the acceptance of this article was based upon the positive advice of two unreliable reviewer reports. The reports were submitted from email accounts which were provided to the journal as suggested reviewers during the submission of the article. The reviewer accounts did not respond to the journal request to confirm the reviewer identity, and the Editors decided to retract the article.
This manipulation of the peer-review process represents a clear violation of the fundamentals of peer review, our publishing policies, and publishing ethics standards. Apologies are offered to the readers of the journal that this deception was not detected during the submission process.
(English version: see below) Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit dem Themenfeld Musik – Gesundheit – Wohlbefinden. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf den Potenzialen von Musik im Kontext psychischer Gesundheit. Die Annäherung erfolgt auf dem Fundament ausgewählter Modelle psychischer Gesundheit (Regulationskompetenzmodelle, Sinnfindungsmodell, Selbstaktualisierungsmodell) sowie unter Einbindung einer Fallvignette. Musik ist ein wirksamer Beitrag im Rahmen der Pflege, Förderung und Behandlung psychischer Gesundheit.
The present contribution deals with the thematic field music – health – wellbeing. A focus is set on music’s potentials in relation to mental health. Selected models of mental health (regulation-competency-models, meaning-realization-model, self-actualization-modell) are considered and an exemplary case example is included. Music is an effective contribution to mental health care, promotion, and prevention.
Objectives: Group mental health interventions are difficult to implement into rehabilitation facilities, but no one has studied the specific barriers. This mixed-methods project systematically examined the implementation of a mental health (MH) group intervention in a VA community living center (CLC) for residents on subacute rehabilitation units, using the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) implementation framework.
Methods: We implemented a group MH intervention, tracking team referrals, attendance rates, and reasons for declining to participate. We conducted qualitative interviews with attendees.
Results: Individual barriers to attendance included acute illness (n = 67, 20%), attitudes toward MH (n = 50; 15%), and perceived busyness (n = 19; 6%). Facility barriers included competing appointments (n = 69; 21%). Interviews demonstrated challenges to implementation, including stigma toward mental health (Theme: Challenges and Supports to Implementation). Attendees found the group relatable, and noted that both positive and negative group dynamics contributed to their experience (Themes: Content Relevance and Group Dynamics).
Conclusions: The results provide insight into implementing a group MH treatment into the CLC setting, with implications for the MH care of older adults residing in CLCs.
Clinical Implications: 1) Group leaders should consider matching attendees for ability levels (physical or cognitive). 2) At the facility level, leaders may take steps to address stigma toward MH by adopting approaches (e.g., music) or framing MH issues (e.g., use of language) in a way that is approachable. 3) Modifiable barriers at the individual and facility level could be addressed to encourage ease of implementation.
The ‘Performance without Barriers’ research group (PwB), based at the Sonic Arts Research Centre at Queen’s University Belfast has been exploring the potential of sonic arts practices and music improvisation for enhancing social inclusion. To date, the group has focused primarily on research activities related to the inclusive potential of providing access to music improvisation for people with physical disabilities via the use of digital technologies. In this paper we discuss the critical thinking behind our work which draws together the social and connective functions of music making, the open and relational practice of music improvisation, and technological solutions utilising open, adaptable and accessible digital technologies. Three case studies, taking place between 2015 and 2018, are discussed. In this article we argue that activities in music improvisation have inclusive potential for opening constructive dialogues between performers, their instruments, and people of different backgrounds and abilities. Furthermore, as we have approached our research activities reflexively, we ponder the contradictions, dilemmas and points of learning we have discovered when engaging in inclusive improvisation work between university researchers and musicians with diverse abilities.
Introduction: This article explores the wellbeing benefits of musical engagement for men in the third age. Older men face specific health challenges such as loneliness, isolation and a heightened risk for suicide, tied to gendered norms around emotional control, and a reluctance to seek professional help. There is substantial evidence of the positive health and wellbeing outcomes from older people’s engagement in music, but no studies on older men, music and wellbeing.
Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 Swedish men aged 66–76, with different demographic backgrounds and engagement with music. Interviews were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis.
Results: Analysis resulted in four themes: “emotions and embodiment”, “adjusting to growing older”, “developing and maintaining friendships” and “maintaining contact as a caregiver”. Regardless of musical genre or whether singing, playing, dancing or listening to music, the men used music to come into contact with their bodies and emotions, as well as improving relationships and social contacts. In particular, men as caregivers to sick partners benefited from sharing music with their partner, thus improving the quality of the relationship.
Discussion: This study shows that engagement with music fills deep psychological and social/emotional needs for the participants, in both “being” with the music and “doing” musical activities, where also talking about music is highlighted as an important part of the musical engagement. The results have implications for the field of music therapy, in that it foregrounds music therapists’ potentially important role in developing opportunities for older men to engage with music.
In this article, we discuss the challenges facing humanities researchers approaching studies in clinical and community health settings. This crossing of disciplines has arguably been less often explored in the countries we discuss—Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa—but our experiences also speak to broader trouble with disciplinary ‘ethnocentrism’ that hampers the development of knowledge. After a brief contextualising overview of the structures within our universities that separate or link the humanities, medicine and social science, we use case studies of our experiences as an arts researcher, an anthropologist and a historian to draw attention to the methodological clashes that can hobble research between one disciplinary area and another, whether this manifests in the process of applying for ethical clearance or a professional wariness between healthcare practitioners and humanities scholars in health spaces. We argue overall for the great potential of humanities in the health ‘space’—as well as the need for improved dialogue between the disciplines to bring a diverse community of knowledge to bear on our understandings of experiences of health. And we suggest the need for a robust awareness of our own positions in relation to medicine, as humanities scholars, as well as a patient persistence on both sides of the humanities–health science equation to create a broader and ultimately more effective research system.
Public health research states that we have never been lonelier and more socially isolated than today. The same research calls for activities and non-medical interventions that can provide people with new ways of coping and give them a sense of pleasure and mastery. This essay asks: What are the potential connections between isolation and musical participation? Can music activities become a resource for avoiding isolation and promoting participation instead? The essay firstly elaborates upon notions like social isolation, loneliness and participation. Then it suggests a perspective on music as participation. The essay refers to Norwegian research projects in the child welfare system where music is used to promote participation among vulnerable children and adolescents. This author argues that music is as a powerful and valuable (yet still a somewhat hidden) means for participation, one that is both practical and has few negative side effects. Music therapy research is employed to examine in what ways and to what extent music activities might promote health and cultivate local democratic micro-cultures with a positive social ripple effect.
This chapter presents a Danish epidemiological study of music as a health resource in the life of adult Danes. Data originates from the Danish Health and Morbidity Survey 2013. The survey was based on a random sample of 25,000 adult Danes (response rate: 57%). Besides standard health-related questions, the survey included eight specific questions addressing the informants’ music making, use of music in daily life and beliefs of music as a health resource. The results include (a) an overview of musical behaviours and beliefs in the adult population, (b) an examination of associations between singing/playing and various health-related outcomes such as quality of life and mental and physical health and (c) a closer look at self-rated health of adult amateur musicians and professional musicians versus non-musicians.
This text explores the phenomenon of affect attunement, elucidated through a musical improvisation with a young man suffering from an eating disorder. The empirical data stems from a qualitative research study, based on a phenomenologically inspired procedure for data analysis. Affect attunement is a term to elucidate the sharing of inner feelings states. In such a sharing there is a matching going on, a cross-modal way of relating. What is at stake is how the interaction moves along, rather than merely the themes or the musical actions per se. Essential elements in such a musical experience are timing, intensity, and form. Based on analysis, we propose a musical relating experience, followed by verbal processing, to provide a link between body and mind, which subsequently support a more coherent sense of self Hence, a musical narrative based on a real experience may contribute to semantic meaning, which supports symbolic emergence.
The role of the therapist in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) was first described in 1978. While some
aspects of the role have developed and evolved, the role is substantially the same. The therapist's role is described in various
facets of BMGIM therapy, including assessment, setting goals, choosing music programs, and facilitating the therapeutic relationship.
Latest practice methods include creating new music programs and modifying the traditional BMGIM format to meet the specific
needs of clients.
In a well-functioning dialogue, the nonverbal and often implicit visual and auditory cues ensure good continuation without interruptions or overlapping speak. In mutual interplay, both partners participate in
turn-organisation, and therefore an analysis of cues indicating turn-taking and turn-yielding can provide
information about the participants’ social skills, whether or not the dialogue is verbal.
This article presents relevant concepts from conversation analysis literature in order to analyse music therapy interplay aimed at promoting preverbal and social skills. As the character of the turn-organisation
is dependent on the developmental age of the participants, the described cues are compared to
research in early mother–child interplay, as well as studies of turn-organisation in dialogues with disabled
children.
The theoretical part of the article is illustrated by a turn-analysis of case material from music therapy with a
21/2-year-old boy with communication disorders. The analysis was a part of the author’s doctoral research and focuses on the boy’s participation in turn-organisation as well as the therapist’s use of turn-yielding and turnoverlapping. The article concludes with a discussion of the applied theoretical concepts in relation to therapy practice. It will be suggested that the turnyielding cues can be compared to responseevoking
techniques, while the management of simultaneousness (overlaps) naturally is very different in verbal than in musical dialogues.
The focus will be on the concept of dialogue. My choice of this concept is grounded on the assumption that it is indeed central and appropriate to apply to the field of music therapy, because it may be considered to be in close accordance with inherent values in music therapy as a practice. The term dialogue has had a broad application within several fields, from theology, to sociology, psychology, and education, to arts and the humanities (Friedman, 1996). Used as a foundational concept the term may serve to illuminate dynamics of relation. This I believe may be very relevant with regards to the many sided and complex question of the role and status of music in music therapy.
Vitality takes on many dynamic forms and permeates daily life, psychology, psychotherapy and the arts, yet what is vitality? We know that it is a manifestation of life, of being alive. We are very alert to its feel in ourselves and its expression in others. Life shows itself in so many different forms of vitality. But just how can we study this phenomenon? This title is divided into three parts. Part I is an introduction and background to vitality. Part II suggests a neuroscientific underpinning for forms of vitality, and shows how the time-based arts require and use these forms. Part III concerns the implications of forms of vitality for developmental and clinical work. This inquiry aims to further identify and explore this realm of dynamic forms of vitality, and to illustrate the breadth of its scope. This title may be helpful in approaching the dynamic dimension from psychological, neuroscientific, and phenomenological perspectives, and may be useful in reorienting some notions of emotion theory, memory structure, and social communication, as well as psychotherapeutic theory and practice.
The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music is a depth-oriented music psychotherapy method that was developed by Helen L. Bonny. This chapter describes the experience of the client/traveler and attempts to answer such questions as: How does music evoke imagery? How does music evoke emotion? What accounts for the various expressions of imagery and emotion in response to music or the lack thereof? How is it that emotion can be clearly evident in the unfolding images, but the client doesn’t feel it? What accounts for images that suddenly, without warning, veer off into another direction, scene or subject? What about the integrative and transcendent aspects of GIM and the relationship to consciousness? These processes and ideas about their possible genesis are discussed.
Denne artikel er baseret på især to undersøgelser foretaget af medlemmer af Kunst-sociologi-gruppen ved Exeter University (UK). Undersøgelsernes fokus er almindelige menneskers anvendelse af musik (‘lay-musicking’) [Begrebet ‘musicering’ (musicking) refererer til C. Small m.fl.s tolkning af ‘musik’ som en interpersonlig aktivitet mere end et objekt]. Data fra undersøgelserne bruges som afsæt for udvikling af en teori om musikkens psyko-kulturelle rolle og funktioner som et kommunikations- og regulerings-medie, og som et redskab til at skabe mening i dagliglivets specifikke, tidslige kontekster. Der trækkes forbindelser mellem de processer, der kan observeres i ‘læg-musicering’, og musikterapeutisk teori og praksis, og dette sker på en måde, der understreger, hvad musiksociologien kan lære af musikterapien og af lægfolks musicering inden for sundhedsområdet.
This paper is designed as an introduction to a projected series on aspects of the meta-theory of music therapy. In common with pyschoanalysis (Mitchell 1993) and art therapy (Henzell 1995), music therapy inquiry is seeing an evolving reflexive trend which examines in several ways the nature of theory in the discipline — in order to clarify, contextualise and critically evaluate past and current trends (Aldridge 1990, 1993b; Aigen 1991, 1995; Ruud 1988). In the case of music therapy, meta-theory typically seeks to uncover the relationships between three domains: what music therapists do (praxis); what they say (discourse); and what they know (epistemology). This paper takes discourse as the starting-point and makes an introductory study of the nature of talking about music therapy. It centres its investigation on a simple qualitative-style experiment in which a group of listeners (of varying musical and music therapy experience) identify and describe a taped excerpt of music therapy. The results of this experiment are used to form the basis of a discussion about several commonly expressed ‘language problems’ in music therapy: the need for a ‘common language’; the verification of clinical data; describing musical behaviour and the boundary between description and interpretation.
This article is concerned with a physiological investigation into what happens when two people play music together in a situation that is similar to that of music therapy. Active music therapy is a process of dialogue, with both therapist and patient as part of one musical process. In evaluations of music therapy the musical process is often emphasised, although the question remains as to what effect this musical process has on the body of the patient. In this paper we take this question one step further by asking what effect the musical process has on both partners in the process of playing improvised music. Such a perspective is not trivial. We expect that the therapeutic contact influences both therapist and patient. At the end of this paper we will hypothesise about the ramifications of this idea for other clinical encounters.
It is important, in explaining the benefit of music therapy to others, to know what happens when people improvise music together. Our intention is to be able to demonstrate the influence music therapy has on the physiology of the patient and the therapist. This is to accept not only the ramifications music has for mental well-being but also the physical effect that music therapy has on the patient's body. While music can be demonstrated to have a direct physical effect on the body, it is organisation, the non-material aspect, that is vital to communication both within the person and between persons (Aldridge 1996a). However, the ground from which we will argue is that music has the ability to bring about physical changes in the human body, an understanding that has been in our culture since antiquity (Aldridge 1993).
In this article I review some of the latest books in what has been called the ‘New Musicology’. I also ask why music therapists and musicologists seem until now to have taken so little notice of each other's work, but suggest that this situation is changing. Developments in critical thinking about music represented by the ‘New Musicology’ may be of particular relevance to music therapists searching for theoretical perspectives on their work. But equally the theorists of the ‘New Musicology’ could learn much from music therapy – which can be seen in many ways as a ‘laboratory’ for new thinking about the nature of music and its place in society.
This chapter examines the neurological bases of musical communication. First, it presents behavioural data from psychophysical studies in terms of how these data provide insight into assumed brain function on a theoretical level. Second, it reviews studies using brain imaging and brain wave recordings to shed some light on what is known so far about neurophysiological processes mediating rhythm perception and rhythm production. Third, it considers biomedical applications of music's influence on brain and behaviour function in light of a changing paradigm for music therapy and medicine.
This book explores how people may use music in ways that are helpful for them, especially in relation to a sense of wellbeing, belonging and participation. The central premise for the study is that help is not a decontextualized effect that music produces. The book contributes to the current discourse on music, culture and society and it is developed in dialogue with related areas of study, such as music sociology, ethnomusicology, community psychology and health promotion. Where Music Helps describes the emerging movement that has been labelled Community Music Therapy, and it presents ethnographically informed case studies of eight music projects (localized in England, Israel, Norway, and South Africa). The various chapters of the book portray "music's help" in action within a broad range of contexts; with individuals, groups and communities - all of whom have been challenged by illness or disability, social and cultural disadvantage or injustice. Music and musicing has helped these people find their voice (literally and metaphorically); to be welcomed and to welcome, to be accepted and to accept, to be together in different and better ways, to project alternative messages about themselves or their community and to connect with others beyond their immediate environment. The overriding theme that is explored is how music comes to afford things in concert with its environments, which may suggest a way of accounting for the role of music in music therapy without reducing music to a secondary role in relation to the "therapeutic," that is, being "just" a symbol of psychological states, a stimulus, or a text reflecting socio-cultural content. © Brynjulf Stige, Gary Ansdell, Cochavit Elefant and Mercédès Pavlicevic 2010. All rights reserved.
First published in 1945, Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s monumental Phénoménologie de la perception signalled the arrival of a major new philosophical and intellectual voice in post-war Europe. Breaking with the prevailing picture of existentialism and phenomenology at the time, it has become one of the landmark works of twentieth-century thought. This new translation, the first for over fifty years, makes this classic work of philosophy available to a new generation of readers.
This article discusses music therapy in medical and neurological rehabilitation settings. Neurologic music therapy encompasses evidence-based methods of the functional application of music in the rehabilitation of neurologic disorders. One of the most widely implemented clinical areas is its application in sensorimotor therapy, focusing on gait training. Music therapy is also widely applied in pain therapy. Meta-analyses underline the effectiveness of music therapy in acute pain of adult pain patients. Research focuses on clinical outcome, but also investigates possible underlying mechanisms such as the psychophysiological effects of music.
Analytical psychology, based on the writings of C. G. lung, recognizes that within each individual there exists a ‘knowing wisdom’ that strives for wholeness. Music can be a vehicle for this presence within. A Jungian approach to music psychotherapy which uses metaphoric improvisation and the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, along with important concepts of analytical psychology, is discussed. A case study involving a three-year therapy process which illustrates the compatibility of Jungian and music psychotherapy concepts is presented.
The discipline of music therapy has been rapidly developing throughout the world, creating the need for increased professional communication and cooperation between countries. With music therapy currently being practiced in at least 36 countries, and foreign students from 35 countries presently enrolled in the NAMT educational programs, the global spread of the field is impressive. This paper offers an overview of the international development of music therapy and specifically describes the philosophical orientation and educational standards in seven countries. Additionally, possibilities for future international cooperation in music therapy are suggested.
The issue of gender differences in benefit from psychotherapy is enigmatic. Although it is generally assumed that women are more empathic, relational, and psychologically minded than men, the majority of studies have failed to confirm the assumption that females benefit more from psychotherapy than males, and that women therapists are more effective than their male counterparts. This lack of empirical confirmation is probably due to a multitude of uncontrolled factors. These include therapist–patient gender combinations, therapists' experience and gender attitudes, patients' diagnoses, issues and developmental level, gender differences in therapy process and gender sensitivity of outcome measurements. Regarding psychotherapeutic method, no studies were found investigating gender differences in outcome of creative arts therapies.In the present study, we have explored gender differences in outcome of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) therapy with a potentially gender sensitive instrument, the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (UP), as well as the symptom checklist –90 (SCL–90) and Sense of coherence (SOC) scale. In these conditions, women benefited more than men in relational aspects measured by the IIP. In the SOC, there were gender differences in subscale effects consistent with current assumptions of gender roles. There was also support for the observation that men have a higher threshold for seeking psychotherapeutic treatment.The findings encourage the development of a more multi–faceted perspective on how the gender dimension can help to improve the fit in the therapeutic relationship and improve the client's benefit of the treatment.
The essence of music lies not in musical works but in taking part in performance, in social action. Music is thus not so much a noun as a verb, ‘to music’. To music is to take part in any capacity in a musical performance, and the meaning of musicking lies in the relationships that are established between the participants by the performance. Musicking is part of that iconic, gestural process of giving and receiving information about relationships which unites the living world, and it is in fact a ritual by means of which the participants not only learn about, but directly experience, their concepts of how they relate, and how they ought to relate, to other human beings and to the rest of the world. These ideal relationships are often extremely complex, too complex to be articulated in words, but they are articulated effortlessly by the musical performance, enabling the participants to explore, affirm and celebrate them. Musicking is thus as central in importance to our humanness as is taking part in speech acts, and all normally endowed human beings are born capable of taking part in it, not just of understanding the gestures but of making their own.
The purpose of this study was to discover definitions of transpersonal experiences of the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM). A qualitative interviewing method was implemented with nine BMGIM practitioners, all with extensive experience as BMGIM clients. Participants underwent three interviews. In the first interview, participants identified several of their own BMGIM experiences (as clients) which they considered transpersonal, and several which they did not. In the second interview, with the aid of a user–interactive computer program, each participant compared her or his own experiences, revealing interrelationships among them. In the third interview, participants elaborated upon certain interrelationships among experiences which emerged in the second interview. Interpretations of experiential interrelationships revealed a definition of transpersonal BMGIM experience for each participant. Results were considered in terms of existing understandings of transpersonal BMGIM experience, as well as in terms of implications for clinical work, theory, and research.
Discusses analytical psychology, which is based on the writings of Jung and recognizes that within each individual there exists a "knowing wisdom" that strives for wholeness. Music can be a vehicle for this presence within. After important concepts of analytical psychology (including the use of archetypal images) are described, a Jungian approach to music psychotherapy, which uses metaphoric improvisation and the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music, is discussed. A case study involving a 41-yr-old woman's 3-yr therapy process is provided to illustrate the compatibility of Jungian and music psychotherapy concepts. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Explored whether improvisational music therapy can play a significant role in the rehabilitation of chronic schizophrenic patients. 21 treatment patients (mean age 37.8 yrs) suffering from schizophrenia and 20 controls (mean age 38.7 yrs) attended a series of 10 weekly, individual music therapy sessions. The Music Interaction Rating for Schizophrenia was used to take into account what appeared to be peculiarities of the chronic schizophrenic state. Schizophrenic Ss improved in their clinical status and in their level of musical interaction with the therapist compared to control Ss. Results suggest that, in addition to improving patients' quality of life, regular, individual music therapy invites, encourages, and supports the development of an intimate, nonverbal interaction and enhances the quality of patients' communicative skills. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This article is a brief report on the status of GIM training worldwide. The Association for Music & Imagery, based in the United States, was established in 1986 and provides the standards for training in GIM. AMI endorses both training programs and trainers that meet those standards. The growth of GIM throughout the world is reflected in the locations of training programs and trainers. Also included is a summary of the international makeup of the body of Fellows of the Association for Music & Imagery. Fellow of AMI is the designation given to someone who has completed advanced training in The Bonny Method of GIM.
This article follows the development of research studies in the Bonny Method of GIM from the 1970s to the present day. Some studies, particularly those focussing on medical conditions, utilize a quantitative framework in which measurement of variables is the cornerstone. Other studies have focussed on a qualitative paradigm where the focus is on the experience of participants receiving the Bonny Method of GIM. Further, many studies now use adaptations of the original form, either because the client group requires shorter programs, or different music, or because the therapist modifies GIM to provide a different experience to that of the individual 1.5+ hour session. These adaptations are also addressed in this article. Finally, researchers have explored the music used in the Bonny Method of GIM from different perspectives, either by analyzing the structure of the music, or measuring how the music effects imagery creation, or physiological measures of the body. What is evident from this overview of research is that many studies are done at Master’s and PhD level, or conducted by a team of researchers. There is great diversity in what has been researched to date, indicating that research will continue to be an important aspect of GIM practice.
Thesis (D.A.)--New York University, 1991. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 453-460). Photocopy. s
Bibliography: leaves 103-111. Typescript. Thesis (M.Mus.)--Florida State University, 1973.