Dissertation Index
Author: Van Colle, S. J. Title: Music therapy process with young people who have severe and multiple disabilities Institution: University of Reading Begun: April 1988 Completed: January 2003 Abstract: This research was inspired by the responses of children with cerebral palsy and severe and multiple disabilities during music therapy at the Cheyne Hospital for Spastic Children, London, 1985-1986. These responses were surprisingly full of life, optimism and awareness. They prompted the writer to investigate her work in the hope of finding some explanation. A detailed description was made of the processes of interactive music therapy with two groups each of four children who were described as having cerebral palsy and severe and multiple disabilities. The writer's interest was that of a developmental music therapist. The sessions took place over one academic year and were video-taped. Two early and two late sessions were transcribed, first as a written musical score with coded observables, then distilled into a computer file as a list of timed events. The study was qualitative and quantitative. Descriptions and interpretations were made of selected portions, and corroborative evidence of the findings sought by performing analyses of the event list. In relation to the enormity and complexity of the data gathered, this study has only explored a fraction of the possibilities. There were two major aims: (1) to investigate the hypothesis that the role of the music therapist is like that of the 'good-enough mother' as described by D. W. Winnicott (2) to generate some broad guidelines of music therapy. Three main questions were addressed: (1) Did the children take more part in music therapy sessions over a period of time? (2) When did the major child-therapist interactions occur? (3) When the music therapist focused on an individual child how could it be known that the child was aware of this attention? The study showed that the children responded to music therapy and had some expectation of how the music 'worked'. For example, some beat on the downbeat, pitched in the therapist's tonality and followed V7-I shifts. One child sang four notes of a scale. There was every indication that children with severe and multiple disabilities possessed and used a musical understanding which enabled them to connect and relate to the therapist. TOC: Chapter 1 Music Therapy: Introduction and Broad Historical Overview 1.1 A Background to Music Theray 1.2 The Legacy of the Greeks 1.3 The Transitional Period 1.4 Music Therapy in the Middle Ages: Religion and Magic 1.5 The Renaissance and Musical Harmony 1.6 Views of Other Cultures 1.7 Music Therapy in Victorian Britain 1.8 The Development of the Music Therapy Profession 1.9 Difficulty in Defining Music Therapy 1.10 Current Trends in Music Therapy Practice 1.11 The Research of Fenwick and Robertson 1.12 Conclusions Chapter 2 Music Therapy Research in Great Britain 2.1 Foundations of British Research 2.2 The Shape of British Research 2.3 The Writer's Research Position 2.4 Conclusion Chapter 3 Intervals and the Piano 3.1 Introduction 3.2 The Piano as One of Many Instruments in Music Therapy 3.3 Fundamental Properties of the Piano and their Value to the Music Therapist 3.4 The Psychological Relationship Between Therapist and Piano Chapter 4 Donald W. Winnicott 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Towards Sharing the External World 4.3 Environmental Provision 4.4 Early Psychic Functioning 4.5 Conclusion Chapter 5 Mother-Infant Relationship: A Model for the Therapist-Client Relationship? 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Ethology 5.3 Development of the Mother-Infant Relationship 5.4 The Basic Structure 5.5 The Basic Structure and the Good-Enough Mother 5.6 The Writer's Philosophical Position 5.7 Conclusion Chapter 6 Research Methods 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Orientation 6.3 Description of Cerebral Palsy 6.4 Augmentative and Alternative Communication 6.5 The Writer's Clinical Technique 6.6 Design of Study: Development Chapter 7 Measures of Behaviours 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Choice of Sessions 7.3 Choice of Observables 7.4 The Number of Observables 7.5 Reliability Test 7.6 Rating Scales 7.7 Definitions of Observables 7.8 Overview of Catalogue of Observables Chapter 8 Descriptive Analysis of Observables 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Frequency of Observables 8.3 Duration of Observables 8.4 Children's Observables of the Head 8.5 Children's Observables of the Arms and Torso 8.6 Children's Observables of the Legs and Feet 8.7 Children's Observables and BAR 8.8 Children's Vocalisations 8.9 Therapist's Visibles 8.10 Therapist's Audibles 8.11 Helper Observables Chapter 9 Rare Events and Change Events 9.1 Introduction 9.2 Rare Events 9.3 Discussion of Rare Events 9.4 Change Events 9.5 Summary of Change Events 9.6 Conclusions Chapter 10 Therapist's Time-Signature Change 10.1 Introduction 10.2 Background to Episode 10.3 Comments on Background 10.4 Conclusion 10.5 Description of Episode 10.6 Comments on Episode 10.7 Conclusion Chapter 11 Mahmoud's Vocalisation 11.1 Introduction 11.2 Background to Episode 11.3 Comments on Background 11.4 Conclusion 11.5 Description of Episode 11.6 Comments on Episode 11.7 Conclusion Chapter 12 Making Music with an Instrument 12.1 Introduction 12.2 Background to Episode 12.3 Comments on Background 12.4 Conclusion 12.5 Description of Episode 12.6 Comments on Episode 12.7 Conclusion Chapter 13 Barnaby's Imitative Behaviour 13.1 Introduction 13.2 Background to Episode 13.3 Comments on Background 13.4 Conclusion 13.5 Description of Episode 13.6 Comments on Episode 13.7 Conclusion Chapter 14 Christopher's Smile 14.1 Introduction 14.2 Background to Episode 14.3 Comments on Background 14.4 Conclusion 14.5 Description of Episode 14.6 Comments on Episode 14.7 Conclusion Chapter 15 Teachers' Ratings 15.1 Introduction 15.2 Changes in Ratings across each Session 15.3 Mean and Standard Deviation of Change Scores 15.4 Student's t-Test 15.5 Discussion Chapter 16 Examining the Process of Music Therapy 16.1 Introduction 16.2 Short-Term Sequential Analysis 16.3 Long-term Sequential Analysis 16.4 Analysis of Observables on the Downbeat 16.5 The Basic Structure and Child-Therapist Relationship 16.6 The Three Research Questions 16.7 Music Therapy Guidelines 16.8 Ways in which the Research could have been Improved 16.9 Conclusions Appendix A Themes of the Basic Structure Appendix B Consent Form Appendix C Register of Attendance Appendix D Detailed Definitions of Observable Codes Appendix E The Event List: Format and Sample E.1 Event List Format E.2 Sample Excerpt Appendix F Reliability Test Results (Kappa) Appendix G Observable Occurrence Totals Appendix H Descriptions of Rare Events Appendix I Descriptions of Change Events Appendix J Transcriptions Appendix K Teachers' Ratings Appendix L Short Term Sequential Analysis Results Appendix M Long Term Sequential Analysis Results Appendix N Methods of Data Analysis N.1 Reliability Test (Kappa) N.2 Co-Occurrence Analysis and Long-Term Sequential Analysis N.3 Short Term Sequential Analysis N.4 'Downbeat' Analysis References Contact: Email: suevancolle@sjvc.co.uk |