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In order to further investigate the efficacy of interactive musical toys developed by students in the course DM2799 at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, we conducted a user study. The intended users of the toys are primary school children with special needs. The trials were held at the Rullen Dibber special needs school in Solna, Sweden. The study was conducted in order to be able to further develop the instruments and to better understand the needs and wants of the intended users. In order to do this, we studied the emergence of positive behaviors linked to musical expression. The study concluded that although the instruments did not result in any significant change in togetherness and nonverbal communication in the children during playing with the instruments, they were observed to be an effective tool in music therapy. / För att närmare undersöka inverkan av interaktiva musikaliska leksaker utvecklade av studenter i kursen DM2799 på KTH så har vi utfört en utförlig användarstudie. Den avsedda användaren av leksakerna är primärt barn i skolålder med funktionsvariationer. Försöken utfördes på Rullen Dibber särskola i Solna. Studien utfördes för att vidareutveckla instrumenten och att bättre förstå behoven hos den avsedda användaren. För att göra detta undersökte vi framväxten av positiva beteende kopplade till musikaliskt uttryck. Studien visar att trots att instrumenten inte påvisar någon ökad gemenskap bland barnen är de effektiva verktyg för musikterapi.

This study aims to identify referral criteria for music therapy which can be used at an institution for children affected by HIV / AIDS in South Africa. The purpose of this research is a) to identify the needs of institutionalised children and how music therapy can be applied to treat these needs; b) to establish the current referral process in this institution; and c) to develop referral criteria which can be used to refer these children to music therapy. Interviews conducted with different staff members at the institution, as well as a music therapist who worked at the institution, showed that some of the needs, challenges and resulting behaviours of the children are not currently referred to music therapy. This study shows that music therapy can be used to address a wide range of these difficulties. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Music / MMus / Unrestricted

The context of this study is a street shelter, situated in the inner city of Pretoria. This was the first time that music therapy sessions were conducted at the shelter. This study is conducted within a qualitative research paradigm. The primary data source is five video and one audio excerpt. The secondary data source is session notes. The data is coded, categorised and organised into emergent themes. The emergent themes highlight five aspects of group music therapy that enabled autonomy in a group of children living in the street shelter. These five emergent themes are the basis of the discussion addressing the two research questions of this study. This study shows that group music therapy is an effective and appropriate way in which these sheltered street children are able to experience autonomy, including improved self-esteem and feelings of achievement and mastery. To my knowledge, there has been no music therapy literature published with regards to group music therapy with sheltered street children within the South African context as well as internationally. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / gm2014 / Music / Unrestricted

The context of this research project is Eersterust, a suburb situated east of Pretoria. Eersterust is hallmarked by socio-economic contrast: While some people in the community live comfortable lives, other community-members endure poverty and hardship. Eersterust is plagued by socio-economical problems including unemployment, crime, substance abuse and gang-activity. Music Therapy was established in Eersterust in 2003 at a community-based centre called YDO (The National Youth Development Outreach). YDO facilitates the social rehabilitation of adolescents who are at risk of coming in conflict with the law or have already committed some sort of petty crime. When Music Therapy was introduced at YDO it was isolated from the rest of the organisation as well as from the broader community of Eersterust. The Music Therapist at YDO realised that she had to adapt her work in order for it to justly address the needs of the context. In the process of adaptation, Music Therapy became integrated within the organisation and currently works both with and within the broader community of Eersterust. The adaptation of the Music Therapy practice has lead to some unconventional practices of Music Therapy according to traditional Music Therapy discourse. These Music Therapy practices may be described from a Community Music Therapy angle. The aim of this research project is to analyse the narrative of the Music Therapist working within YDO/Eersterust in order to describe the practice of Music Therapy within this context from the angle of Community Music Therapy. The following research questions were addressed in this research study: <ol><li> How is Community Music Therapy at Eersterust constructed in the context of a Music Therapy narrative? </li> <li>How does the narrative draw from and contribute to the emerging field of Community Music Therapy?</li></ol> The study is conducted within a qualitative paradigm and methods of narrative analysis were used to describe the practice of Music Therapy in the context of YDO/Eersterust. The research study is data-driven and raw data consisted of a single semi-structured interview conducted with the Music Therapist working at YDO. The narrative text was transcribed, coded and categorized. From the analysis process themes emerged that indicated the primacy of the context in influencing the construction of the narrative of the Music Therapist. These themes were used to answer the two pertaining research questions. The discussion focuses on the importance of the context as it seems to impinge directly on the Music Therapy practice within the context of YDO/Eersterust. The discussion draws from Social Construction Theory to explain how Community Music Therapy is constructed within the narrative of the Music Therapist. At the same time Community Music Therapy draws from and contributes to the narrative of the Music Therapist. Certain areas of discussion were highlighted in the emerging themes and these areas are used to describe Community Music Therapy within the context of YDO/Eersterust. In this research project the Consensus Model is presented as a contrasting thinking tool to Community Music Therapy discourse. The Consensus Model describes the standardised practice of Music Therapy as a neutral and transferable therapeutic model that can be applied in a similar way in all contexts while Community Music Therapy advocates context-bound and context-specific Music Therapy work with and within communities. Community Music Therapy implies that Music Therapy is not necessarily a neutral model that can be transferred from one context to the next. Areas may exist where Community Music Therapy and the Consensus Model may present different opinions regarding Music Therapy practice. The narrative data concludes that both Community Music Therapy and the Consensus Model are constructed within the narrative of the Music Therapist. Both these models exist simultaneously in the context of YDO/Eersterust. Music Therapy in South Africa is still an emerging field of practice. Community Music Therapy may be especially relevant to South Africa as Music Therapists are increasingly called upon to work in the contexts of socio-economically disadvantaged communities, similar to Eersterust. Whilst this study may have focused only on a single community in South Africa, my hope is that it will encourage Music Therapists in South Africa to review and research Music Therapy with and within communities in South Africa. This study will also contribute to the emerging discourse of Community Music Therapy. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Music / Unrestricted

This qualitative research study explored how verbal processing occurred in music therapy work with adolescent boys living in a shelter in Pretoria. The study examined both how the adolescent boys and the therapist engaged in verbal processing. Three audio excerpts derived from the music therapy sessions were analysed through a process of content analysis. The data was coded, categorised and organised into themes. Results indicated that verbal processing was interrelated between the therapist and the adolescent boys, both making use of various techniques of verbal processing. This proved to be invaluable with the verbal processing facilitating the therapeutic process as the boys were afforded with a safe space where any ideas, feelings, thoughts, hopes and dreams could be expressed and shared with each other, and the therapist was able to gain greater insight into the boys’ more intimate world. I am unaware of any published literature of music therapy with adolescent boys living in a shelter, as music therapy is in its early stages in South Africa, especially with this specific client group. The majority of music therapy literature however, not surprisingly, focuses on musical exchanges during sessions. I would therefore like to explore how verbal processing was used in the music therapy process, after music listening and during song writing, with adolescent boys living in a shelter. This is in order to facilitate a greater understanding and openness towards the possibilities of including clinically informed verbal processing as part of music therapy work with this population group. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / gm2014 / Music / Unrestricted

This cross-sectional exploratory mixed methods study surveyed individuals across the African continent who identified themselves as music therapists, music therapy students, musicians who framed their work as “therapeutic,” and any practitioner who framed (part or all of) their practice as “music therapy” or “therapeutic musicing.” A questionnaire was distributed electronically to various groups and networks of people working in such capacities on the African continent. Twenty-two respondents comprised the final sample from 11 countries across all five of Africa’s geographical regions (North, South, East, West, and Central Africa). Qualitative data were coded and analyzed via content analysis. Quantitative data were analyzed via descriptive statistical analysis. The respondents were categorized into three practitioner types: Music Therapists within Accredited Guidelines (MTAGs), Self-identified Music Therapists (SIMTs) and Therapeutic Integrative Music Practitioners (TIMPs). These individuals described their professional identities, their practices, the contexts of their work, and the intended purposes of their work in diverse ways. They also described the role and use of music in their work. Results indicated that in every geographical region of Africa, a therapeutic music practitioner exists and is working actively with communities to bring health, wellness, and positive change. They describe their work differently, exist in different contexts, perceive and define music therapy and the therapeutic use of music in different ways, however, the three types of practitioners, or the “trifecta,” present overlapping interconnectedness and are rooted in similar objectives, philosophies, values, and desires regardless of location, clientele, or whether these individuals were connected or had interacted. A strong interest was expressed among participants for collaborating and connecting with one another or with other like-minded practitioners if avenues become available to do so. This is the first survey of diverse music therapy and therapeutic musicing practices in Africa and offers the first step towards mapping the scope of these practices on the continent and contributes towards creating a network of practitioners. The small sample size of this exploratory study invite future researchers to continue investigating this topic further. / Mini Dissertation (MMus (Music Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Music / MMus (Music Therapy) / Unrestricted

Substance use disorders (SUD) are among the most significant worldwide public health challenges. Isolation and separation are some of the more common indicators of SUD. Even though various music therapy interventions are used to address clinical goals when working with clients with SUD, voicework, specifically, has not been abundantly researched with this client group. Research has shown that the use of the voice has the ability to turn isolation into connection. This qualitative study therefore examined whether voicework with this client group could facilitate connection. Seven clients participated in six group music therapy sessions held at a halfway house over three weeks. The sessions as well as the one focus group were transcribed, and thick descriptions were written of musical excerpts; all were then analysed thematically. From the data, the following four themes were developed: (1) multiple forms of connection were afforded through voicework in music therapy; (2) music therapy offered multiple opportunities for facilitating connection; (3) particular techniques were useful for enhancing connection; (4) a music therapy process, centred around voicework, offered participants an experience in which they could reflect on connection and disconnection. The findings suggest that voicework can be a useful intervention within music therapy to create opportunities for connection to both the self and other. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Therapy))--University of Pretoria, 2021. / Music / MMus (Music Therapy) / Unrestricted

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of song-based music therapy interventions on psychosocial factors for people who have had Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI) or Spinal Cord injuries (SCI) and their caregivers during acute rehabilitation. The psychosocial factors in this study involve mood states, caregiving experiences, and dyadic relationships. The study also examined the correlation between care recipients and caregivers on mood states and the dyadic relationship. A quasi-experimental, two-group pretest-posttest design without a control group was used to investigate the psychosocial factors. A total of 10 dyads were recruited for the study. Group A in this study were care recipients; Group B were caregivers of Group A. The dyad attended four individual music therapy sessions of approximately 45-minute duration over a period of 14 days. During the song-based music therapy protocol, the participants were empowered to choose between singing along or listening to their preferred music. Caregiver participants had the option to participate in either in-person or virtual sessions. Three measures were used to investigate psychosocial factors: Visual Analogue Mood States (VAMS), Positive Aspects of Caregiving (PAC), and Dyadic Relationship Scale (DRS). VAMS was used pre and post each intervention while PAC and DRS were only used before the first session and the last session. All statistical analyses were conducted in R, a statistical program. The Wilcoxon test and Kendall’s rank correlations were used to examine the pre- and post-intervention changes and the correlation between Group A and Group B on mood states and the dyadic relationship. The findings of the study indicated that there were significant changes in mood states for both Group A and Group B. There were four strong correlations in the dyadic relationship between caregivers and care recipients, including feeling closer to each other, feeling angry toward the other, having more patience than they have had in the past, and feeling relationships with each other were strained. Implications for music therapy practice and recommendations for the field and future research are also presented. / Music Therapy

Under the influence of Confucianism, Taiwanese people have always emphasized family values as an essential culture. The concept of relationship completion (Byock, 1996) was embodied as the core belief for end-of-life care in Taiwan, known as the Four Expressions in Life: Love, Gratitude, Forgiveness, and Farewell. The palliative care team in Taiwan advocates the Four Expressions in Life to help patients at the end of life strengthen bonds with their families. However, the traditional and conservative culture in Taiwan often impedes relationship completion. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of music therapy to facilitate relationship completion for patients at the end of life and their families, and to understand the perceptions of patients at the end of life and families about their relationship completion during music therapy. This study took a further step in exploring how the perceptions of patients at the end of life, and their families about their relationship completion during music therapy helped to explain the effects of music therapy intervention.This study employed a convergent mixed methods design in which qualitative and quantitative data were collected in parallel stages, analyzed separately, and then the findings were merged. For the quantitative phase, a convenience sample of 34 patients at end-of-life care at a large teaching hospital in southern Taiwan and 36 of their family members were recruited in a single music therapy intervention with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Measures included the “Life Completion” subscales of the Quality of Life at the End of Life (QUAL–E) survey and a single-item global QoL indicator for patients as well as the QUAL-E (Fam) survey and a question of Overall Quality of Life for family members. In the qualitative phase, a nested sample of five patients and nine family members completed the semi-structured interviews about their experiences of the music therapy sessions. There were significant differences (p<.001) between the pre and post session scores for the Life Completion subscale of the QUAL-E and between pre-post scores for the global QoL Indicator for patient participants. The results also showed a significant difference (p<.001) in the scores for the Completion subscale of the QUAL-E (family) and a significant difference (p<.001) in the scores for Overall Quality of Life for families from before music therapy session to after music therapy session. Four themes emerged from the qualitative results: music therapy provides the opportunity for exploration, music therapy provides the opportunity for connection, music therapy provides the opportunity for expression, and music therapy provides the opportunity for healing. The integrated findings suggested that music therapy facilitated relationship completion and improved quality of life for both patients and their families. The use of songs in music psychotherapy had a significant contribution to relationship completion. Song interventions can accommodate a patient's physical weakness and life-limiting obstacles at the very end of life to achieve the ultimate goal to improve quality of life, by assisting relationship completion. The results suggested that the transformative level of music therapy within a single session for end-of-life care in Taiwan is both feasible and culturally acceptable. / Music Therapy