Opening the door – first insights into the music therapy room’s design

ABSTRACT

The basis of the present paper is formed by the assumption that the physical environment of music therapy influences the music therapy protagonists and the therapy process. The first part of this research consists of an explorative theoretical study, in which pertinent disciplines are searched for findings regarding the relation between people and space. The revealed interdisciplinary findings offer a multi-perspective on the present topic and serve as basis to establish music therapy room’s atmospheric parameters. In the second part, a systematic search of music therapy publications was carried out with focus on considerations and recommendations regarding the music therapy room and its atmospheric parameters. A mutual interaction between people and space can be acknowledged. The music therapy room’s atmospheric parameters include the room’s characteristics, lighting, temperature, odours, colours and the room’s design, arrangement and equipment. The extracted statements in the second part point out some important topics for music therapy, like sound-insulation, the seating arrangement or the therapy room’s possible function as a safe place. It becomes obvious that the influence of the music therapy’s environment is taken as self-evident in music therapy literature. However, the present topic represents an almost blank field in music therapy research and publication.

KEYWORDS:

• Music therapy room
• atmosphere
• design
• aesthetics
• spatial experience

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mag. art. Catrina Cassidy, Lena Raffetseder BA, Bastian Auer BSc, Miriam Soltesz, Elisabeth Brahier and Susi Wiesenegger for correcting and giving their feedback. Additionally, we express gratitude to Dr. Elena Fitzthum for the opportunity to take and use a photograph of her therapy room.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

M. J. Goditsch

Mag. art. M. J. Goditsch is a licenced music therapist and a singer-songwriter. He works with children and adolescents in an outpatient setting in Lower Austria.

D. Storz

Mag. art. Dr. sc. mus. D. Storz is a psychodynamic music therapist and psychotherapist and works with adults in private practice. She is co-founder of the Vienna Institute of Music Therapy, Wim and since 1982 she is a lecturer at the Department of Music Therapy at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.

T. Stegemann

Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Dr. sc. mus. T. Stegemann is a child and adolescent psychiatrist, a licensed music therapist, and a family therapist. Since 2011 he serves as Professor of Music Therapy and Head of the Department of Music Therapy at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Austria.