Music Therapy Profession Research Articles

Feeling vibrations from a hearing and dual-sensory impaired perspective

Working with hearing and dual-sensory impaired clients presents challenges for music therapy professionals. Feeling and experiencing the vibrations produced by music help to understand what the concept of music is. Music and vibroacoustic therapies have overlapping effects. Music is for listening while vibroacoustic therapy is mainly similar to physiotherapy. Where vibroacoustic (VA) facilities are not available, some flexible methods could be adapted. One can use a music centre with two separate, moveable speakers positioned on a wooden floor to enhance music vibrations. In conjunction inflatable balloons can be manipulated by the clients. Balloons can be held towards the sound source and used to test the variations of the intensity and dynamics of the vibrations in the room. The choice of music styles plays an important role to amplify the vibrations and introduce music to the clients. Clients’ feedback was very positive indicating they were able to feel some musical tones from low, middle and high levels. These methods appeared to enhance musical vibrations and give some therapeutic experiences, i.e. relaxation and awareness of musical tones. This approach has been tested over 25 years and the individual feedback supports notions on how tones are felt through the body.

Erwin Henry Schneider: Teacher, writer, and leader

The National Association of Music Therapy (NAMT) was formed by individuals whose contributions to the Association remain largely unknown. Dr Erwin H. Schneider (17 February 1920 to 28 September 1985) was one of those individuals. The purpose of this study was to trace the career of Dr Schneider as a music educator and music therapist, and explore his impact on NAMT and the profession of music therapy as committee member, editor of Bulletin of the National Association for Music Therapy and Music Therapy: Book of Proceedings of the National Association for Music Therapy and as president of NAMT from 1963-65. Biographical information was drawn from primary and secondary sources as well as interviews with individuals who knew Schneider. Data were assessed for credibility and accuracy, and organised both chronologically and topically. Finally, themes and major accomplishments of his life were identified. Findings show the impact that Schneider had on the fields of both music therapy and music education. As president, he steered NAMT away from potential bankruptcy and towards the creation of the Journal of Music Therapy. As a teacher, he educated hundreds of music therapists and music educators, many of whom would become educators themselves. By studying past pioneers of NAMT such as Schneider, music therapists can gain clarity as to how the Association and the field of music therapy became what it is today.

Perceived research relevance: A worldwide survey of music therapists

ABSTRACTResearch has been and will continue to be important to the music therapy profession, as evidenced by the number of studies examining the evolution of research in the field. Despite its seeming importance, no recent studies have investigated the extent to which music therapists find research relevant to practice and very few studies have examined this topic outside of the United States. The purposes of this study were to (a) examine the extent to which music therapists around the world view research as relevant to clinical practice and (b) among those who read research, identify which sections from scientific papers are read. This nonexperimental study involved an online survey of music therapists from 51 countries. Of the 1586 initially responding to the participant invitation, 1272 music therapists completed the survey (a completion rate of 80%). Findings suggest that music therapists find research to be relevant to clinical practice and perceptions differ as a function of educational attainment and occupational role. Results also evidenced similar educational and occupational differences with regard to reading scientific papers. These findings parallel those from earlier studies indicating those with higher educational attainment and working in academic/research-related positions tend to find research more relevant. These findings are important because they suggest there may be a disconnection between the extant research and the end consumer, the clinician.

Music Therapy Profession: An In-Depth Analysis of the Perceptions of Educators and AMTA Board Members

Music Therapy Profession: An In-Depth Analysis of the Perceptions of Educators and AMTA Board Members

Professional Supervision as Storied Experience: Narrative Analysis Findings for Australian-Based Registered Music Therapists.

Limited research exists to inform a music therapist's supervision story from their pre-professional training to their practice as a professional. Evidence is needed to understand the complex nature of supervision experiences and their impact on professional practice. This qualitative study explored the supervisory experiences of Australian-based Registered Music Therapists, according to the: 1) themes that characterize their experiences, 2) influences of the supervisor's professional background, 3) outcomes of supervision, and 4) roles of the employer, the professional music therapy association, and the university in supervision standards and practice. Seven professionals were interviewed for this study. Five stages of narrative analysis were used to create their supervision stories: a life course graph, narrative psychological analysis, component story framework and narrative analysis, analysis of narratives, and final integration of the seven narrative summaries. Findings revealed that supervision practice is influenced by a supervisee's personal and professional needs. A range of supervision models or approaches is recommended, including the access of supervisors from different professional backgrounds to support each stage of learning and development. A quality supervisory experience facilitates shifts in awareness and insight, which results in improved or increased skills, confidence, and accountability of practice. Participants' concern about stakeholders included a limited understanding of the role of the supervisor, a lack of clarity about accountability of supervisory practice, and minimal guidelines, which monitor professional competencies. The benefits of supervision in music therapy depend on the quality of the supervision provided, and clarity about the roles of those involved. Research and guidelines are recommended to target these areas.

Understanding the Influence of Music on Emotions: A Historical Review

Music has long been thought to influence human emotions. There is significant interest among researchers and the public in understanding music-induced emotions; in fact, a common motive for engaging with music is its emotion-inducing capabilities (Juslin & Sloboda, 2010). Traditionally, the influence of music on emotions has been described as dichotomous. The Greeks viewed it as either mimesis, a representation of an external reality, or catharsis, a purification of the soul through an emotional experience (Cook & Dibben, 2010). This type of dichotomous viewpoint has persisted under various labels, such as formalist versus absolutist, and referential versus expressionist (Meyer, 1956). However, these perspectives all emerged from musicology. Outside musicology, the scientific study of emotions was intermittent and, until recently, references to music’s effect on emotions were rare (Sloboda & Juslin, 2010). Since the 1990s, there has been increased interest in studying music-induced emotions, particularly in psychology (Juslin & Sloboda, 2010). This interest extends to the music therapy profession as well. For example, a professional music therapist in the United States is required to be able to develop and implement music therapy experiences designed to focus on emotion-related treatment goals, such as the ability to empathize, and the client’s overall affect, mood, and emotions (Certification Board for Music Therapists [CBMT], 2015), and must apply knowledge of music-based emotional responses (American Music Therapy Association [AMTA], 2013). Given the increased interest in psychology and the clinical implications for the music therapist, it seems timely to analyze and reflect on how the understanding of music-induced emotions has evolved in order to support current and future research and clinical practice. As current understanding is built upon prior knowledge, a historical review can serve to examine previous directions and help inform future study (Hanson-Abromeit & Davis, 2007). Thus, the purpose of this inquiry was to provide a historical overview of prominent theories of music and emotion and connect them to current understanding. More specifically, the objectives were:

Study-Abroad in Music Therapy: Cultural Immersion as a Form of Self-Experience

Music therapists are expected to attain and maintain a broad range of multicultural competencies. In order to do so, a group of students participated in a study-abroad program in music therapy, involving classroom learning, community building, a clinical placement, and attendance at an international conference. A sample of these students participated in a qualitative interview study to explore what they learned. Results suggest that the program led to changes in students’ views of music therapy practice, the music therapy profession, and their definition of music therapy. The profession of music therapy is thus viewed as culturally situated, underscoring the importance of cultural self-awareness. The discussion contextualizes the results of these learning experiences using a Piagetian framework. Recommendations for music therapy faculty and organizations are drawn from the study findings.

Why collaborate in music therapy? Exploring advances in relation to interprofessional publication practices

Background: Based in humanities and influenced by individual research practices, the profession of music therapy has limited evidence of collaboration compared to medical, nursing and allied health fields. Reviewing collaborative practices in other fields provides a rationale for interprofessional collaborative practices in music therapy.Objective: The presentation aims to compare interprofessional collaborative practices across music therapy and allied health fields, leading to guidelines for collaboration in music therapy.Methods: Utilizing key informants from large international research institute, journals representing both European and American publications were selected from medicine, nursing and allied health. Leading music therapy journals from Europe and the America were selected. Journals were investigated for collaborative publications based on selection criteria, with a view toward understanding the impact and nature of the research. Results were compiled and compared.Discussion: Published adv...

Evidence-based training in professional music therapy: a model for tertiary educators

Background: Across health-care education, practitioners are expected to engage in evidence-based practice. Students are taught to find and use credible evidence. Educators also need to consider evidence about teaching practices and how to best teach music therapy knowledge and skills. Scant evidence exists in this area.Objective: This paper explores evidence-based teaching practices in music therapy training programs to understand existing knowledge in both music therapy and related fields.Methods: A literature review determining existing knowledge, followed by an email survey of international and European music therapy programs provides evidence of existing practices, fostering the development of a proposed model for future development.Discussion: To provide best quality training in the music therapy profession, evidenced-based practice needs to be addressed in teaching students to find clinical information, but also by teachers to implement teaching methods and approaches for optimal learning. Educators...

The development of the music therapy profession in select countries around the world

Background: Music therapy is developing at different rates throughout the world. Some countries face unique challenges in practice and training programs.Objectives: Participants will learn about the development of music therapy in China, Ecuador and other countries around the world. They will analyze how culture impacts the development of the music therapy profession.Methods: The presenters will share their first-hand experiences of the development of music therapy in China and Ecuador. Other countries will also be presented based on research and personal correspondence with music therapists living in those countries. Attention to the impact of culture on the development of the music therapy profession will be encouraged.Discussion: The presenters will use pictures and personal observations, as well as research literature, to introduce diverse cultures and their respective music therapy practice and education. Participants will become more-informed members of the global music therapy community.

Symphonies and empathy: the influence of orchestral experience on music therapy practice

Background: This paper proposed that many of the skills which constitute professional music therapy practice are the same as those utilised during a career in orchestral playing. The relationships and dynamics between players, players and conductor, and orchestra and audience can all be seen to be relevant within a therapeutic framework.Methods: To demonstrate this proposition, the presenter will draw on personal experience, citing relevant illustrated examples from clinical case work and from interviews with orchestral conductors, highlighting parallels between therapy and the musical relationships developed during a long career within a symphony orchestra.Discussion: The role of the therapist may be viewed in a number of ways. Some are framed in musical terms such as being a “conductor” of group sessions or an attentive accompanist in individual work. In each case, the therapist is responding to the subtleties of musical, verbal and nonverbal communication.Conclusions: The characteristic skills of a mus...

The structural relationship among self-efficacy, case conceptualization ability, and developmental levels of music therapy professionals and students

The structural relationship among self-efficacy, case conceptualization ability, and developmental levels of music therapy professionals and students

‘The whole is greater’. Developing music therapy services in the National Health Service: A case study revisited

This article describes contemporary music therapy practice within Chelsea and Westminster Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust in London. The authors revisit an earlier article about the service (‘The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: experiences of co-working as Music Therapists’, Fearn and O’Connor), which described an evolving approach of two Music Therapists based at one Child Development Service, part of Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London. On this foundation, a team of 10 part-time Music Therapists has developed, working across three London boroughs and a number of multidisciplinary teams. This article will look at how the music therapy practice has developed in this setting over the past decade, in order to provide a practical and theoretical perspective for Music Therapists within multidisciplinary settings. Influences that have shaped the service and the wider music therapy profession will be explored, such as an increased emphasis on a goal-centred, multidisciplinary team approach, the changing needs and volume of the children presenting to the service and the consequent development of the music therapy team.

Applying the ‘East Kent Outcomes System’ (EKOS) in music therapy

This paper examines the current expectations for measuring clinical outcomes within the healthcare system in the UK, and introduces an application of the East Kent Outcomes System (EKOS) (Johnson & Elias 2010) as a means of measuring the clinical effectiveness of music therapy. The aim of the article is to describe how the system was implemented within Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and to demonstrate its use within music therapy practice. The application of EKOS is illustrated through a case study with a client in the Intellectual Disability Service. Examples are given of how the data gathered can be used for reporting the effectiveness of music therapy, along with implications for the future use of the EKOS within the music therapy profession.

Learning together: An investigation into the potential of interprofessional education within music therapy

The literature acknowledges the benefits of collaboration between music therapists and other professionals for the individual therapist who collaborates, for our clients and for the music therapy profession itself. However, there has been little discussion regarding how therapists acquire the skills required for collaboration. In a wider healthcare context, the principle of interprofessional education is utilised to facilitate such collaboration in practice. This study considers peer clinical work review sessions as a potential interdisciplinary training tool within a UK arts therapy training context, from a music therapy perspective. Using a phenomenological paradigm, the experience of participating in interdisciplinary peer review sessions between a music therapy student and a dance movement psychotherapy student was modelled and evaluated. The study found that interdisciplinary peer review was experienced as beneficial to the training experience in several ways, including developing peer support, widening perspectives of other professions and developing cross-discipline communication skills. These results could provide a framework upon which to base development of interdisciplinary inputs within the UK training context.

Introduction

Improving Quality and Access: Music Therapy Research 2025 (MTR2025) was a three-day symposium sponsored and developed by the American Music Therapy Association (AMTA) to bring music therapy professionals together to consider where we are as a research community and to imagine our future over the next decade and beyond. Held July 16–18, 2015, near Baltimore, Maryland, the symposium included opening keynote presentations, four panels, and six breakout sessions, culminating in a series of recommendations, participant reflections, and informal audience responses to the three-day event. A book of proceedings, available as a free download from AMTA (http://www.musictherapy.org/assets/1/7/MTR2025proceedings.pdf), provides an in-depth summary of the symposium, including thoughtful commentaries and reflections from researchers, educators, policy experts, and clinicians. In the reflections that follow, three attendees (Lori Gooding, MT-BC; David Knott, MT-BC; and C. J. Shiloh, MT-BC) look back on the symposium, each from a different perspective: Dr. Lori Gooding considers the impact of the symposium through an educator’s lens, David Knott from a clinician’s perspective, and C. J. Shiloh from the dual position of clinician and advocate. Each perspective varies in its focus, and each provides insights into the experiences of those who attended.

Paths of professional development in music therapy: Training, professional identity and practice

Music therapy is listed as a profession in the EU Regulated Professions Database. This has assisted the next steps towards recognition in relevant countries and regions. The author’s experience as an academic leader in music therapy training over more than two decades is used to reflect on the profession of music therapy within Europe through interrogation of concepts underpinning professional identity, training, and professional practice. Potential tensions between recognition and regulation of healthcare professions are presented and discussed. As all practice takes place in context, balancing training needs between techniques and skills, systemic national and regional policy, and institutional knowledge is crucial. Achieving this balance is not easy but is key to successful growth of practitioner knowledge, seeding student’s curiosity about context and systems from the dawn of training.

The role of the EMTC for development and recognition of the music therapy profession

The rapid development of music therapy in Europe is reflected in the increasing number of trained professionals, music therapy positions and research publications. A development of the discipline implies increased requirements regarding the skills and competences of music therapy clinicians, and therefore the training of students, continuing education and research. This leads to a further demand for recognition of music therapy as a profession and for regulation, registration and governmental recognition. Looking back over the past 60 years, we are able to define some common paths of development in relation to the music therapy profession throughout the European countries. With this as a starting point, as well as our own engagement in the European Music Therapy Confederation (EMTC) for more than a decade, we will explore the innate complexity of the profession and formulate our views for the future directions of the music therapy profession in Europe and the potential role of the EMTC in this development.

The role of professional associations in the recognition process

The goal of this paper is to show the importance of the professional association in the process of legal recognition of the music therapy profession by taking into consideration three kinds of legitimacy: pragmatic, moral and cognitive legitimacy. The paper represents a prospective comparative analysis of the structure of professional music therapy associations, as well as the inner and outer circumstances that affect the process of legal recognition and regulation of music therapy as an independent profession. The material for reflection and analysis is represented by two questionnaires; the first one was filled out in 2009 by 26 representatives from each of the 26 member countries, and the second one in 2014 by 25 representatives from a total of 27 member countries of the European Music Therapy Confederation (EMTC). In addition, the report of the treasurer on the number of members for the mentioned years is included in the analysis. This is the first research of this kind under the EMTC and I have conducted it in order to contribute to the work of the board, the general assembly of EMTC and the European Music Therapy Register (EMTR) commission, with the hopes that it can be of value to music therapists in Europe.

Perspectives on the development of the music therapy profession in the UK

This article highlights some of the key issues that have been involved in the professionalisation of music therapy in the UK. Many music therapy pioneers have been involved in establishing validated training courses, making links with other professions allied to health and ensuring secure pay and conditions for music therapists. State registration occurred in 1999 after much negotiation and this article explores some of the processes involved in this development as well as noting the way in which music therapy currently provides rich and diverse services within many settings.