Abstract
The preventive restrictions imposed at the beginning of March 2020 led to the interruption of the therapeutic practice of most music therapists in the Czech Republic. The aim of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to find out what impact this situation had on the music therapy community at the end of May 2020, how many music therapists gained experience with virtual music therapy (VMT) and how ICT and other technologies were used in music therapy practice. A survey with an extended version of a questionnaire created by Gilboa, Weiss and Dassa (not yet published) for the purpose of an international survey in music therapy was used for data collection. Based on the findings, most music therapists at the time had no experience with VMT, but a small number of practitioners were interested in using VMT even after the end of the lockdown. ICT has been used more for receptive music therapy activities and its wider application faces problems such as a lack of knowledge and skills in the use of ICT in the context of music therapy. Based on these findings, a project focused on the implementation of best-evidence concerning VMT into Czech music therapy practice was launched. Also, we recommend creating projects focused on the use of ICT (including applications in music therapy conducted face-to-face) in the near future.
Highlights
The onset of the pandemic in spring 2020 in the Czech Republic resulted in long-term epidemiological restrictions, as well as serious challenges, for most professions
As far as telehealth is concerned, the greatest complications were experienced by music therapists as all publicly available online communication platforms are primarily intended for verbal communication
A few music therapists have gained experienced in virtual music therapy (VMT)
Summary
The onset of the pandemic in spring 2020 in the Czech Republic resulted in long-term epidemiological restrictions, as well as serious challenges, for most professions. In the course of 2020-21, many arts therapists in the Czech Republic had to suspend their therapeutic practice for a long time or start working through telehealth. The transfer of therapeutic practice into the virtual space is, in the case of arts therapies, much more difficult as compared with verbal therapy. As far as telehealth is concerned, the greatest complications were experienced by music therapists as all publicly available online communication platforms are primarily intended for verbal communication. Music therapy is complicated by the inability to synchronize sound and by the deformation of sound quality when playing an instrument or singing
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