Identifying Comparable Therapeutic Foundations between “Musical Re-play” and Improvisation

Abstract

Philosophical perspectives, clinical experiences, and research findings grounded in cancer care, offer clarification of therapeutic components of “musical re–play”, that is, a client and music therapist relationship that is focused on playing with known music from the client's life. Addis' (1999) theory of mind and music and Winnicott's (1971) theory of “playing” as a means to attain growth and health are included, to inform the perspective that musical re–play can provide a multisensorial “human musical mirror” able to penetrate one's entire consciousness, including consciousness states that do not involve language. Consequently, it is the author's belief that when cancer patients are involved in musical re–play they may powerfully experience identity affirmation, creative self–discoveries, and a heightened sense of feeling and experiencing one's “real” and “alive” self. While it has been proposed that prior association with known, precomposed music thwarts creative awareness development (Aigen, 1991; Pavlicevic, 1997), consideration is given to the idea that playing with known music is a foundation for offering opportunities for creative responses and therapeutic change: changes which are evident and comparable in improvisational as well as re–played music therapy methods.