Published: Fri 20th December
ISSN 1359-4575

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Journal Articles:
Editorial (p3)
Articles
A Potential Space: Approaching "Outsider Research" with Classroom Practitioners Working with Children with Complex Needs in Belarus (p6-23)
view abstract
This paper will discuss approaches to ethical issues encountered in the development of the pro-posal for a PhD research project, to be undertaken by the first author, entitled “Psychodynamic music therapy and the work of classroom practitioners working with children with complex needs in Belarus: A potential space”. This research will be based at Novi Dom, a special school in Minsk, Belarus, and follows two skills-sharing projects undertaken there during 2009 (Margetts, Wallace and Young 2010), which were requested initially to support person-centred teaching initiatives by one of the founding charities of Novi Dom. The positive outcomes of these first two projects led to a request for further music-therapy-based input. The impetus for the first author’s PhD research project has therefore evolved in response to this locally identified need (Trimble and Fisher 2006: 6). Writing and research around multicultural competency in music therapy have increased in recent years with commentators offering further consideration of the knowledge, skills and qualities needed by therapists, supervisors and trainers to work successfully with the complexities of the multicultural environment (Gilboa, Yehuda and Amir 2009; Wheeler and Baker 2010). The unique, rich sociocultural context of post-communist and modern Belarus offers an opportunity to explore fascinating areas of divergence and meeting of approaches to working with children with complex needs. A brief overview of geographical, historical, political and social factors which have contrib-uted to this very specific context will be drawn from literature, as well as from both the experience of the authors, and that of fellow music therapists who have undertaken music-therapy-based skills-sharing projects in other post-communist countries (Quin 2004, 2007; Salcin-Watts 2007). Fundamental ethical challenges of psychodynamic music-therapy-based research within special education in Belarus will be explored from the perspective of outsider research as defined by Da-vid Bridges (2001, 2009). This discussion will be illustrated with clinical material from the projects at Novi Dom in 2009.
“That’s the Joy of Music!” An Evaluation of Partnership Working with a Teacher in Planning and Delivering a Music Therapy Group for Three Children with Autistic Spectrum Conditions (p24-39)
view abstract
In educational settings in Scotland Allied Health Professionals (AHPs) are currently being guided towards working in partnership with other professionals, particularly to develop roles as consult-ants, advisors or trainers within schools (Scottish Government 2010). AHPs are being encouraged to meet therapeutic objectives indirectly and decrease the hours of direct work with pupils. This study aimed to evaluate ways in which a music therapist might support a teacher to offer interac-tive group music-making to children with additional support needs. Themes were generated from the analysis of a semi-structured interview with a nursery teacher who, together with the author, was involved in planning and delivering an eleven-week intervention for three children on the au-tistic spectrum. Responses from two questionnaires completed by classroom assistants who also supported children in the group as well as the experience of the therapist in collaborative work added to the discussion and reflection. Findings suggest that the flexibility of the music therapist in direct work is highly specialised and cannot be easily replicated in other classroom music activi-ties, but that experiential music therapy groups offer some level of transferable learning for teaching and support staff and potential for developing more indirect approaches. Keywords: autistic spectrum condition, collaborative work, educational setting, music therapy group
Inner Spirit: Investigating How Music Therapists’ Expe-riences of Their Spirituality May Be Relevant to Their Work (p40-51)
view abstract
This article describes research undertaken by Marion Barton into the spirituality of music thera-pists in relation to their work. While much has been written about the spirituality of the client, this project aimed to consider the spiritual outlook of the therapist and how this influenced, sup-ported or challenged their practice. Interviews were undertaken with three music therapists; the results were then transcribed and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis and various themes were identified. Results from the research showed that therapists do use their spirituality as a resource in their work and that music is intrinsically linked with the spiritual for many. It was also recommended that therapists work carefully in supervision to understand the spiritual connections that can take place in music therapy and as part of boundaried practice. Fur-ther conclusions and recommendations for additional research are also discussed as part of this article. Keywords: End of life, faith community, interpretative phenomenological analysis, music therapy, spirituality
Book Reviews
Healing Childhood Trauma through Music and Plan (with DVD excerpts), Jacqueline C Birnbaum (p52-54)
Music Language and Autism: Exceptional Stratgies for Exceptional Minds, Adam Ockelford, Forward by Francesca Happe (p55-56)
Music Therapy and Psychodrama: The Benefits of Integrating the Two Methods, Heidi Fausch-Pfister (p57-61)
Text Watch (p62-65)
view abstract
The BJMT Text Watch appears in the second issue of each volume. It aims to raise awareness of music therapy writing outside the principal English-language music therapy journals, and to act as a guide to the proliferating literature of our profession. It seeks to draw attention to relevant ma-terial from publications that may be less accessible to music therapists, and which therefore might otherwise be overlooked. It makes no claim to comprehensiveness, and should not be viewed as a substitute for a literature search for research purposes. It includes music therapy and related publications in English published in the current or previous calendar year, except for articles published in English-language music therapy journals, which are listed in Journal Watch (included in the first issue of each volume). Authors are invited to email references for inclusion in Text Watch in the next edition to strangemusic@ntlworld.com.
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