Proceedings, Oxford, UK (2002) - World Federation of Music Therapy

exceeded the expectations of the team, who had embarked upon this
workshop with considerable misgivings about the validity of even their
own assessment procedure, in which complete sessions are watched and
discussed by the whole team. Finding that a “naïve” audience arrived at
six out of eight correct verdicts, despite having no prior information
about each child such as is available to the team, was therefore quite
encouraging.
The team has since decided to retain the video observation component of
their assessment procedure. They feel that it often adds force to detailed
prior evidence of a child’s emotional disturbance, and may illuminate the
character and possible sources of the disturbance. In paradoxical cases
such as the referred child whom workshop participants incorrectly but
understandably judged, from the evidence before them, not to be
emotionally disturbed, the child’s apparently normal reactions in music
therapy are highly significant. They may point to strengths in that child
which music therapy could reinforce and develop. They may also offer
clues as to areas of the child’s home or classroom experience which may
elicit the disturbed behaviour reported in those very different
environments.
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