TY - JOUR
T1 - The Importance of Aesthetics as a Dimension in Music Therapy Activity
AU - Bergstrøm-Nielsen, Carl
N1 - This short article is a part of a larger context of discussion, as appears from the contents. The links stated to subsequent comments seem unfortunately to be broken by the time of writing (June 2015). However, two articles by Ken Aigen can be read as a continuation: In Defense of Beauty: A Role for the Aesthetic in Music Therapy Theory. Part 1 was published in Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 16(2), January 2007, part 2 in 17(1), January 2008. One aspect treated by Aigen here is the defence of "completion, wholeness, and unity" (p.15 in the latter) against a more modernist approach of Brynjulf Stige.
PY - 2006/3/1
Y1 - 2006/3/1
N2 - In Unmoderated Discussions [of Voices], I began discussing the aesthetic dimension in music therapy, taking Colin Lee's book The Architecture of Aesthetic Music Therapy as a starting-point. Several students and colleagues took part and contributed with further viewpoints, dealing with the positive qualities of the aesthetic dimension for both client and therapist, with the necessary limitation or demarcation of how far the aesthetic view can be taken in music therapy, and with the spiritual (impersonal) aspect of music. Some further thoughts in this article concern the importance of the therapists' musical craft, of musical structure and the theoretical question of what is the nature of the aesthetic dimension. Mention is made of Stige's articles stressing the necessity of applying new concepts that relate the aesthetic dimension to daily life. It is concluded that we need further discussion to clarify the role of the aesthetic dimension in music therapy.
AB - In Unmoderated Discussions [of Voices], I began discussing the aesthetic dimension in music therapy, taking Colin Lee's book The Architecture of Aesthetic Music Therapy as a starting-point. Several students and colleagues took part and contributed with further viewpoints, dealing with the positive qualities of the aesthetic dimension for both client and therapist, with the necessary limitation or demarcation of how far the aesthetic view can be taken in music therapy, and with the spiritual (impersonal) aspect of music. Some further thoughts in this article concern the importance of the therapists' musical craft, of musical structure and the theoretical question of what is the nature of the aesthetic dimension. Mention is made of Stige's articles stressing the necessity of applying new concepts that relate the aesthetic dimension to daily life. It is concluded that we need further discussion to clarify the role of the aesthetic dimension in music therapy.
KW - music therapy, aesthetics, modernism, Colin Lee, Brynjulf Stige
U2 - http://dx.doi.org/10.15845/voices.v6i1.241
DO - http://dx.doi.org/10.15845/voices.v6i1.241
M3 - Journal article
VL - 6
JO - Voices: a world forum for music therapy
JF - Voices: a world forum for music therapy
SN - 1504-1611
IS - 1
ER -