Ways to train and to aid the mentally deficient child to reach his maximum potential are now important problems that must be answered, for this atypical child is finding an increased acceptance into this world of the normal. The belief that all children should have guided and creative musical experience and that the mentally deficient child should be considered as a child first initiated this study. This thesis is a report of the work of the investigator and of the observations and findings which developed out of the project.

This dissertation is a qualitative study of how vocal improvisation within music therapy groups may afford the construction of social resilience for in-patient adolescents in oncology wards. The study was conducted at the Pediatric Oncology Unit at the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria. The case study involved six daily group music therapy sessions, with four to eight participants. The primary music therapy technique was vocal improvisation to assess how the participants perform themselves as resilient (or not). Excerpts of video recordings were analyzed through Gee’s (2005) suggestion for discourse analysis. Session notes were written as an additional data source to contextualize the excerpts. Through discourse analysis, four primary discourses were identified: participant as patient, participant as adolescent, cultural adolescent, and participant as Hip-hop musician. These enabled the participants to explore their performance of selves in various ways. It was concluded that vocal improvisation in group music therapy enabled the expression of lack of resilience, as it received those feeling less resilient and provided them with safety and containment. It also offered the participants a means of instant coping within the various discourses that were identified. Vocal improvisation in this context also afforded the participants a space to adapt to their challenges as they explored various types of participation by learning from past experiences/ways of being, and adjust accordingly. Finally, the participants could transform through the changing relationships within the group itself, and how these social changes offered a social environment that afforded the resilience of the whole group. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Music / MMus (Music Therapy) / Unrestricted

This qualitative research study explored the function of music therapy in the transformation of role identities for clients who had been in paediatric palliative care for an extended period of time. This study aimed to explore the value of music therapy in this transformation, as well as within the context of paediatric palliative care in South Africa. The research took place at a paediatric oncology unit at a local Cape Town Hospital where three participants were selected to receive music therapy sessions over a period of eight weeks. The session notes were analysed and six video excerpts were selected. Through the use of thematic analysis and coding hierarchies four themes (or “role palettes”) emerged from the data: the sick role palette, the mastery role palette, the resilient role palette and the theme of mutuality. It appeared that music therapy could have been a facilitator in the process of a shifting in role palettes. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is prevalent in South Africa and, along with the stigma often endured following the abuse, can have lasting effects on sense of self. There have been few studies into how survivors of CSA construct identity or, specifically, how music therapy may afford such construction. Using a multiple case study design, this research investigated how three adolescent survivors of CSA, who took part in individual music therapy processes, constructed their identities through the techniques afforded them in sessions. All three participants had experienced multiple trauma, most notably abandonment/orphanhood, and this appeared to impact on their exploration of identity in sessions. Findings showed that the main affordances of music therapy for participants were the mastery experienced in relation to certain techniques (which appeared to support confidence and further exploration), and the use of symbolism (promoting the exploration of difficult experiences, as well as affording participants experimentation with preferred identities). / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2002. / Curriculum Studies / MEd / Unrestricted

This study explores the concept of imaginative play within music therapy sessions with two pre-school children in a mainstream school. This is based on pre-existing material from my clinical work at a pre-school in 2008. My interest in the phenomenon of imaginative play that emerged within our sessions gave rise to this dissertation. I found that, within my sessions, imaginative play seemed to be particularly helpful in the development of the therapeutic relationship. Thus, the aim is to explore how moments of imaginative play emerged within sessions, how the client and therapist interacted within these moments, and how this affected the therapeutic relationship and served to address therapeutic goals. This is addressed within the main research question. In addition to this, I look at the advantages and limitations of working with imaginative play in music therapy, and how music therapists can use their skills during these moments. This is addressed within the two sub-questions. This study aims to offer valuable insight about the phenomenon of imaginative play in music therapy, with particular focus on pre-school children. The study is conducted within the qualitative research paradigm, and is exploratory in nature. It follows a case study design, where pre-existing data from sessions is analysed in detail. The data consists of three video excerpts. Two excerpts are taken from different points in one session with an individual client (D), and the third is taken from an individual session with another client (F), where I was the co-therapist. The data has been transcribed, coded, categorized and organized into themes, which highlight the use and implications of using imaginative play in music therapy sessions. Findings indicate that imaginative play in music therapy sessions can be beneficial in promoting interaction, mutual participation as well as offering the client an alternative medium through which they can express different ideas and feelings where music did not seem to do so. It also provided an enjoyable experience for both the client and therapist, allowing for a more relaxed, therapeutic atmosphere and for the therapeutic relationship to develop. / Mini Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / gm2014 / Music / Unrestricted

/Abstract Music Communication, Projection and Analogy of Handicapped Children in Music Therapy Presented work takes an interest in music contents produced by handicapped children attending music therapy sessions. The contents of music were gained from the children by the method of improvisation, particularly by "concert technique". In the theoretical part we present philosophical background for the music therapy in a field of special education and research. This background thought we have found in a gnoseology of a critical realism and a radical constructivism. Afterwards the definition and description of used music therapy terminology follows. We present three music therapy models that put great emphasis on the contents of music produced by clients. These models are: the German Morphological music therapy, the Dutch Analogical Music Therapy and the Geneape music therapy model from the Czech Republic. We also discuss general possibilities of using music therapy while working with mentally handicapped clients, autistic clients and clients suffering from sight defects, because these kinds of handicaps are included in our research group. At the end of the theoretical part we explain the terms of music communication, projection and music analogy. They are always connected to the contents of music, as...

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It is well documented that adverse or traumatic events in childhood can lead to increased incidences of serious mental and physical health diseases and disorders. It is also well documented that medical treatment, especially during childhood can be stressful and potentially traumatic, leading to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or Symptoms after treatment. This is especially true for lengthy and invasive medical treatment such as Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT). A single music therapy intervention has been shown to effectively improve resilience in pediatric HSCT patients. But additional research is needed to understand the contribution music therapy interventions make to traumatic and stressful experiences and building resilience across time. This longitudinal two-phase multi-case study examined the patterns of potential trauma, toxic stress, and resilience during the HSCT process as well as the potential roles, functions, and contributions of music therapy interventions to the mitigation and prevention of toxic stress and trauma. The first phase, a retrospective multi-case study, resulted in the construction of a preliminary model of music therapy which identified patterns of stress and trauma and how the music therapy process interacts with these patterns. In the second phase, a purposeful sample of cases was used to confirm, clarify, and challenge the model utilizing Template Analysis. The outcome is the Music Therapy for Pediatric Medical Trauma, a proposed model of music therapy to focus treatment with the intention of mitigating toxic stress and trauma and build resilience in pediatric HSCT patients. / Music Therapy