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Articles 1 - 16 of 16
Full-Text Articles in Music Therapy
Unscripted Journeys: An Exploration Of Music Therapy Practitioner Perspectives On Improvisation Within And Beyond Clinical Application, Abigail Lee
Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects
Improvisation is a phenomenon used often in music settings, clinical settings, and in life in general. Within music therapy settings, clinical improvisation is one of the most common and useful skills music therapy practitioners use to help clients achieve their therapeutic goals. Proper acquisition and implementation of this skill is therefore crucial to the aspiring music therapist’s education. While many approaches to clinical improvisation are outlined within current literature, less literature exists regarding how the background and lifestyle of a music therapy practitioner may affect their development and implementation of clinical improvisation in session. Through qualitative data collection via seven …
The Experience Of An Autistic And Neurotypical Sibling Dyad In Improvisational Music Therapy, Gianna Derusso
The Experience Of An Autistic And Neurotypical Sibling Dyad In Improvisational Music Therapy, Gianna Derusso
Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to explore the sibling relationship within improvisational music therapy, specifically the relationship between an autistic sibling and a neurotypical sibling. The following research question was posed: How does the relationship between a neurotypical and autistic sibling dyad present in improvisational music therapy? Subquestions to the research questions included: How do a neurotypical and autistic sibling dyad interact with one another within an improvisational music therapy session?, and How do a neurotypical and autistic sibling dyad interact with the music therapist within an improvisational music therapy session? An autistic and neurotypical sibling dyad was recruited, …
How Music Therapists Experience Improvising With Nonspeaking Clients: A Thematic Analysis, Alexandra Timoshenko
How Music Therapists Experience Improvising With Nonspeaking Clients: A Thematic Analysis, Alexandra Timoshenko
Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study was to explore music therapists’ subjective experience improvising with nonspeaking clients with intellectual disabilities. The research question addressed was: How do clinicians experience improvisatory music-making with clients who are nonspeaking? In music therapy, the client and the therapist both have significant roles to play within the therapeutic relationship. Three music therapists with at least five years of experience primarily using improvisation when working with nonspeaking clients with intellectual disabilities were chosen via purposeful sampling to participate in this study and were individually interviewed to discuss their subjective experiences. Data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews …
Therapeutic Presence In Music Therapy Education: An Arts-Based Phenomenological Inquiry, Elizabeth Jane Eggerding
Therapeutic Presence In Music Therapy Education: An Arts-Based Phenomenological Inquiry, Elizabeth Jane Eggerding
Expressive Therapies Dissertations
Little music therapy research has been published on therapeutic presence (TP). This study explored the inclusion of TP in music therapy education. Participants were eight credentialed music therapists who identified as music therapy educators and/or clinical supervisors. They attended one of two focus groups and were asked to submit a 1-minute excerpt of themselves improvising a reflection of their focus group’s discussion. Focus group data revealed four themes: (1) Defining TP; (2) Education and Supervision Responsibilities; (3) TP is Taught Through Experiential Learning; and (4) Learning TP is a Developmental Process. Participants defined TP as simultaneously incorporating both states of …
The Experiences Of An Individual With Parkinson's Engaging In A Relationship-Based, Improvisational Music Therapy Group, Daniel Delucia
The Experiences Of An Individual With Parkinson's Engaging In A Relationship-Based, Improvisational Music Therapy Group, Daniel Delucia
Theses & Dissertations
This study explored the experiences of an individual with Parkinson’s engaging in a relationshipbased, improvisational music therapy group. The researcher utilized the methodology of naturalistic inquiry. An archived video recording of a group music therapy session held through a videoconferencing platform was observed. Music experiences and verbal dialogue were transcribed and put into notation software, and subsequently analyzed through inductive analysis. Two main themes were found: (a) Musical Interrelatedness and (b) Relationship Between Music and Words, with two subthemes under the former; Diane’s Musical Relationship with the Therapist and Diane’s Musical Relationship with the Group; and three under the latter; …
Outcomes Of Music Improvisation Experiences: A Scoping Review, Julia Mccarren
Outcomes Of Music Improvisation Experiences: A Scoping Review, Julia Mccarren
Masters Theses
Music improvisation is a therapeutic music intervention utilized frequently by board-certified music therapists in various clinical settings. While music therapists frequently use music improvisation as a treatment intervention, research on music improvisation outcomes is limited. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize current knowledge about the outcomes of music improvisation experiences in music therapy and non-music therapy contexts. This review aims to identify and address gaps in the literature to provide suggestions for future research. The findings of this review will inform clinical music therapy methods. To conduct the scoping review, the researcher used the following five-stage framework: …
The Music Therapist’S Experience Of Flow During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Kaitlyn Upshaw
The Music Therapist’S Experience Of Flow During The Covid-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Kaitlyn Upshaw
Theses & Dissertations
This study explored the music therapist’s lived experience of flow during a worldwide pandemic, within an improvisational music therapy approach. There is little to no literature about the concept of flow and how it relates to the music therapist’s lived experience, and none of which includes a worldwide traumatic event. Through a phenomenological investigation, the lived experiences of two music therapists who align with the improvisational music therapy approach were studied. A thematic analysis was conducted on data sources such as qualitative interview transcriptions and audio/video recordings of the interview. The following individual themes emerged from participant one: (a) flow …
The Role Of Music In Personal Therapy In Advanced Music Therapy Training: A Self-Inquiry, Jan Mark Casco
The Role Of Music In Personal Therapy In Advanced Music Therapy Training: A Self-Inquiry, Jan Mark Casco
Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this study is to explore the role of music through the similarities and differences of an Analytical Music Therapy (AMT) and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (NRMT) trainee. The study employed a first-person research design and thematic analysis to assess three AMT and three NRMT personal therapy sessions. Music as well as the verbal interactions during the music therapy sessions were transcribed and analyzed. Five themes were constructed from the data, three similar themes and two different themes: (1) music as a place of meeting and the foundation of the therapeutic relationship, (2) using the voice to strengthen the …
Lived Experience Of Music Therapists As Musician-Therapists, Kotoe Suzuki
Lived Experience Of Music Therapists As Musician-Therapists, Kotoe Suzuki
Expressive Therapies Dissertations
The dissertation research explored the lived experiences of music therapists who are performing musicians. A conceptual foundation of music therapists as musicians, a “musician-therapist” who is deeply versed in the unique properties of music can be identified in the literature (Ansdell & Verney, 2008; Nordoff & Robbins, 1973). The objectives of this study were to explore three topics: 1) deeper understandings of music therapists’ musical improvisation both in clinical and nonclinical settings, 2) the connection between music therapists’ personal and professional musical growth, and 3) identity formation. A qualitative method was chosen for this research including reflexive/embodied/interpretative phenomenology, and arts-based …
The Effect Of Thematic Improvisation And Lyric Analysis On Classroom Performance In An Adolescent With A Behavioral/Emotional Disorder, Brandon K. Madsen
The Effect Of Thematic Improvisation And Lyric Analysis On Classroom Performance In An Adolescent With A Behavioral/Emotional Disorder, Brandon K. Madsen
Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects
The prevalence of adolescents with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) is growing by the year, and schools and diagnostic clinicians are having difficulty agreeing on the definition of the terms and diagnoses that fit into the EBD category. As these discrepancies in definitions and requirements can trickle down and affect treatment, it is important to find lasting, effective treatment that can help reduce disruptive behaviors that are often present for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. This study highlighted two music therapy interventions that are designed to focus on emotional identification, goal setting and the therapeutic relationship. The …
Clinical Intuition In Improvisational Music Therapy: A Phenomenological Study Of The Relationship Between Intuition And Music, Nick Farr
Theses & Dissertations
Intuition is a crucial facet of the creative process and influences the clinical pathways of music therapy treatment. This study sought to explore how music therapists with advanced training in clinical improvisation draw upon intuition while improvising with their clients. There is very little literature about intuition in music therapy improvisation, none of which specifically explores how intuition manifests musically. Through a phenomenological investigation, the lived experiences and musical processes of two clinical improvisers were examined. The research questions for this study were: How does intuition manifest musically while improvising? When is this intuitive information used? How is the informed …
A Closer Exploration Of Therapeutic Relationship Through A Musical Mediuem: An Arts-Based Research Study, Michael Kelliher
A Closer Exploration Of Therapeutic Relationship Through A Musical Mediuem: An Arts-Based Research Study, Michael Kelliher
Theses & Dissertations
Arts-based research is emerging and becoming prominent in music therapy. The intention of this arts-based research study was to explore, experience, and gain awareness of the therapeutic relationship of a client and therapist engaged in music therapy through client and therapist journals. This study looked at several elements of artistic expression of music therapy, such as the aesthetic components of verbal journaling and musical portraits. The journals were mixed to create songs that illuminated the therapeutic relationship between client and therapist. The relationship between words and music were analyzed aesthetically to explore the congruence and conflict between the harmony and …
Exploring The Use Of The Bass Guitar As A Clinical Instrument Within Music-Centered Practice, Matthew J. Brady
Exploring The Use Of The Bass Guitar As A Clinical Instrument Within Music-Centered Practice, Matthew J. Brady
Theses & Dissertations
There is limited research on the use of the bass guitar in music therapy. This study explored the use of the bass guitar as a clinical instrument from a music-centered perspective in clinical work with individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders and emotional challenges. Data were collected from filming individual music therapy sessions with three participants. Each participant had four sessions of music therapy. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Five themes which reflect the interventions and social processes within music-centered work with the bass were identified: following the client’s lead, grounding, client and therapist as rhythm section, client and therapist …
The Experience Of Social Flow In Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Brittany Neuser
The Experience Of Social Flow In Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Brittany Neuser
Masters Theses
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of experimental research procedures and gather initial data in studying the experience of social flow within the context of group music production tasks. Participants completed two different group vocal music production tasks: Performance of a pre-composed song and an improvised performance. The Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), a 36-item survey in which a mean score of 45 implies the ultimate flow experience and a score of 9 implies that no flow was experienced during the event in question, was used to assess the level of social flow experienced by the participants …
The Call For Bravery: The Use Of Improvised Story Songs With A Preschooler With Developmental Delays, Emily Mcclure
The Call For Bravery: The Use Of Improvised Story Songs With A Preschooler With Developmental Delays, Emily Mcclure
Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how improvised story songs reflect the lived experience of a preschool-age child with developmental delays, exploring what these musical experiences indicate about the child's development and therapeutic process. The researcher developed this area of study based on the participant's unique clinical experience with improvised story songs during his 10 months in music therapy. Archive video recordings of past sessions with the participant were thoroughly reviewed, and three to four improvised story songs were selected as the primary source of data for this study. These songs, as well as the therapeutic …
Listening, Improvisation, And The Therapeutic Relationship In Music Therapy: A Self-Inquiry, Jill Lucente
Listening, Improvisation, And The Therapeutic Relationship In Music Therapy: A Self-Inquiry, Jill Lucente
Theses & Dissertations
The purpose of this self-inquiry is to gain insight into the listening process I employ as a therapist through improvising with my clients, and also to better understand how the listening process influences the therapeutic relationship. Data was collected from two selected videotaped sessions of two clients (for a total of four videos). The sessions were transcribed and moments of improvisational music making were analyzed. Five areas were highlighted: client's responses, therapist's process, therapist's responses, therapist's reflection, and type of clinical listening. Adapted from Lee's six levels of clinical listening, four types of listening were identified: explorative listening, perceptive listening, …