International perspectives

I am writing this editorial as I am flying back from the Nordic Music Therapy Congress in Stockholm, Sweden. What an amazing conference this was! The conference took place at Rönneberga Konferens, located adjacent to the Baltic Sea. Conference attendees could go for long walks in nature, swim in the Baltic Sea, or enjoy a luxurious indoor spa with pool, saunas, and whirlpools. The combination of a relaxing conference location with delicious food was the perfect recipe for much needed self-care for many of the music therapists in attendance, including myself. As if this was not enough, we were treated to an evening reception in the “Golden Hall” in Stockholm’s City Hall, home of the annual Nobel Prize Banquet. The conference committee clearly went to great lengths to make this conference truly special. Besides the fantastic venue and food, it was the conference attendees, from no less than 22 countries, who made this conference special. The presentation rooms and hallways overflowed with excitement, innovative ideas, and a hunger for international collaborations. On many occasions, I witnessed international groups of scholars and clinicians talk about shared research interests and explore potential collaborations. The fact that the conference venue was relatively small and all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) were provided naturally created a fertile ground for productive networking with international clinicians and scholars during breaks and over meals.

As I was working on this editorial, I noticed that in this issue alone, we have contributions by authors of eight different countries. Across the five issues of 2018, authors from 18 different countries are represented (Austria, Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hong-Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the USA). It is clear that both the Nordic Music Therapy Congress and the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy truly represent and serve an international audience. Besides geographical diversity, this issue also includes a wide variety of research methodologies including grounded theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, thematic analysis, non-experimental quantitative research, and historical research.

In 2016, Bonde (2016) wrote a Letter to the Editor in which he lamented the fact that very few music therapy studies to date have focused on the analysis of music itself leading to a lack of understanding of the main vehicle for therapeutic change in music therapy. In this issue, several studies focus on music analysis in research, music analysis in practice, and the use of one’s primary instrument in music therapy sessions. In their grounded theory study, Nerdinga Letulė and colleagues set out to explore how and when psychodynamic music therapists use music analysis in their clinical practice (p. 448). Their findings portray an intriguing picture of factors that appear to contribute to music therapists’ decisions regarding the use of music analysis in music therapy sessions including one’s professional identify (i.e. musician versus therapist), sense of professional responsibility, type of clinical practice, model-based versus context-base theoretical stances, and so on.

Suzanne Metzner and colleagues (p. 360) analyzed music improvisations in psychodynamic music therapy with people with acute psychosis. Specifically, they analyzed improvisations created during the very first music therapy session for the presence of rhythmic attunement. Their findings suggest that people with a psychotic disorder are far better able to join in rhythmic interactions early on in treatment than previously thought. The authors also examined the timing and quality of rhythmic attunement in the first session as a predictor for the reduction of psychotic symptoms.

Tamar Hadar and Dorit Amir (p. 381) also focused on music-specific aspects in therapy, but rather than focusing on music analysis, they examined the use of a therapist’s primary instrument in sessions. They interviewed three flutist music therapists about their relationship with their primary instrument (outside of therapy sessions) and the use of the flute in clinical practice. Through interpretative phenomenological analysis, they uncovered several layers of meaning and functions that the flute holds in clinical practice such as being an emotional resource, strengthening one’s identify as a musician and as a therapist, and creating special intimacy and empathy. The authors conclude with several suggestions for flutist music therapists for engaging with their primary instrument during music therapy training and in clinical practice. Amelia Oldfield, in her commentary on this article, offers additional reflections on the use of one’s primary instrument in clinical practice (p. 337).

Elena Partesotti and colleagues (p. 399) describe the use of digital musical instruments based on motion tracking technology in music therapy. Through a review of the literature from the past 15 years, they present the myriad of uses of digital instruments in music therapy practice and the multitude of benefits it offers for patient expression, creativity, empowerment, and enrichment of the therapeutic process, especially with clients with severe cognitive and motor disabilities. In the previous issue, Stensæth (2018) contributed an article reflecting on the use of interactive musical media in music therapy. In this issue, a commentary by Wendy Magee on Stensæth’s reflections is included (p. 334).

Ayelet Dassa (p. 419) presents an autobiography interview technique with elderly that can be used by music therapists as well as other health-care professionals or caregivers. The findings of her grounded theory study suggest that interviewing elderly people using music-based reminiscence and joint music-making (e.g. singing songs) helps to restore a sense of identity and self-worth in the elderly person and may change attitudes towards the elderly person in the interviewer. A commentary on the article is provided by Melissa Mercadal-Brotons (p. 339).

Silverman and colleagues (p. 431) explored the experiences of music therapy students working as camp counselors for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. This is the first study looking at the value of non-clinical leadership experiences to the development of music therapy students. It reminded me of the many summers I spent as a counselor in a camp for youth with developmental disabilities. Although these experiences predated my music therapy training, they played a major role in my ability to interact in meaningful ways with children and teenagers with severe developmental disabilities and certainly influenced my career choice.

Finally, this issue also includes a historical research article by Andrea Korenjak (p. 341) in which she discusses the development of music therapy in Vienna from c. 1820 to 1960.