TY - JOUR
T1 - Therapeutic Songwriting in Music Therapy Part I
T2 - Who are the therapists, who are the clients, and why is songwriting used?
AU - Baker, Felicity
AU - Wigram, Tony
AU - Stott, Dave
AU - McFerran, Katrina
PY - 2008
Y1 - 2008
N2 - Songwriting as therapeutic intervention has received increasing attention in the field of music therapy over the past decade however much of the publications focus on clinical outcomes rather than methods of practice. This paper, part of a two-part research report into trends in the clinical practice of songwriting, aims to describe the most frequently employed goal areas across a range of clinical populations and compare these findings with the published literature. Responses to a 21-question on-line survey were obtained from 477 professional music therapists practicing in 29 countries which focused on approaches to songwriting within their practice with a single clinical population. Chi-square or comparable Exact tests (Fisher-Freeman-Halton) were applied to the data and significant associations were found according to different clinical populations particularly with respect to the aims of songwriting clinical practice and the frequency with which songwriting is employed in practice. The data highlights that songwriting is frequently employed in developmental disability and ASD practice, with reports on songwriting with these diagnostic groups being underrepresented in the music therapy literature. The survey identified that the most frequently endorsed goal areas align with the literature base and included a) experiencing mastery, develop self-confidence, enhance self-esteem; b) choice and decision making; c) develop a sense of self; d) externalising thoughts, fantasies, and emotions; e) telling the client's story; and f) gaining insight or clarifying thoughts and feelings.
AB - Songwriting as therapeutic intervention has received increasing attention in the field of music therapy over the past decade however much of the publications focus on clinical outcomes rather than methods of practice. This paper, part of a two-part research report into trends in the clinical practice of songwriting, aims to describe the most frequently employed goal areas across a range of clinical populations and compare these findings with the published literature. Responses to a 21-question on-line survey were obtained from 477 professional music therapists practicing in 29 countries which focused on approaches to songwriting within their practice with a single clinical population. Chi-square or comparable Exact tests (Fisher-Freeman-Halton) were applied to the data and significant associations were found according to different clinical populations particularly with respect to the aims of songwriting clinical practice and the frequency with which songwriting is employed in practice. The data highlights that songwriting is frequently employed in developmental disability and ASD practice, with reports on songwriting with these diagnostic groups being underrepresented in the music therapy literature. The survey identified that the most frequently endorsed goal areas align with the literature base and included a) experiencing mastery, develop self-confidence, enhance self-esteem; b) choice and decision making; c) develop a sense of self; d) externalising thoughts, fantasies, and emotions; e) telling the client's story; and f) gaining insight or clarifying thoughts and feelings.
KW - sangskrivning
KW - musikterapi
KW - praksis baseret på dokumentation
KW - songwriting
KW - music therapy
KW - evidence based practice
M3 - Journal article
SN - 0809-8131
VL - 17
SP - 105
EP - 124
JO - Nordic Journal of Music Therapy
JF - Nordic Journal of Music Therapy
IS - 2
ER -