Sing … Then Think: Musical Interventions and Nondeliberative Forms of Practice in Social Work Groups

ABSTRACT

The positive effects of music have been demonstrated worldwide in many fields including social work, psychology, medicine, and education. Musical interventions including music listening, lyric analysis, and singing have also been found effective in group work. This article, guided by Norma Lang’s nondeliberative theory, aims to provide the “why,” “when,” and “how” of incorporating music into social work groups. It also provides the reader with a toolbox of musical interventions and the encouragement to utilize these “artful, actional, and analogic” activities in group work.

KEYWORDS:

• Music
• musical interventions
• song
• group work
• nondeliberative theory

Acknowledgment

The authors thank Dr. Mark Mattaini and Dr. Cassandra McKay for the feedback and support as well as the guest editors and reviewers for their thoughtful critiques, which greatly strengthened this paper.