Improvising Using Beat Making Technologies in Music Therapy with Young People

Abstract

This article offers insights into using various music technologies associated with beat making culture in music therapy improvisation groups. Discussion regarding the use of music technology in music therapy practice dates back several decades, yet practical resources to help therapists implement this technology in everyday practice remains relatively limited. With the increasing centralisation of beat making in youth cultures and mainstream popular music, the use of beat making equipment is also becoming a more common part of music therapy practice. This article presents three music therapy improvisation procedures that use music technology and locate this technology within the traditions and aesthetics of beat making culture. To do so, the paper draws on our experiences setting up a beat making laboratory to trial different electronic methods in therapeutic groups and to teach music therapy graduate students basic beat making techniques for practice settings. We discuss the benefits and challenges of each procedure and present several practical recommendations. The procedures and recommendations offered do not aim to represent a comprehensive or exhaustive model of what is possible. Rather, they are intended as starting points to help practitioners imagine the multitude of possibilities that beat making and music technology can offer music therapy and the clients the discipline exists to serve.