Aesthetic Perspectives in Music Therapy * - World Federation of ...

Frohne-Hagemann, I (2001) Aesthetic Perspectives in Music Therapy. Music
Therapy Today (online), November, available at www.musictherapyworld.info
communication: a very important task from the point of view of commitment. It
means to give up the anaesthetization of the body.
From the post modern attitude of stressing the unexpected and overcoming
rigid rules follows that also the music therapist should be open to the
possibility that an improvisation might not develop along the therapeutic lines
he/she was expecting that it should or could.
Play rules should be considered as an open framework which can be
abandoned each time it is needed for a single client in regard to his
perceptions, feelings and actions within the therapeutic relationship.
To summarize: we have experienced in the history of aesthetics a
development and the shift from a metaphysical position towards a physical
orientation of aesthetics (in the meaning of "aisthesis") where the awareness
of the process lies in the creation in itself.
However, in spite of such a shift the anaesthetizing process goes on
spreading as a social way of anaesthetizing which leads to ignore the social
needs. The results of modern aesthetical research do not find any resonance.
Could a music therapy code of aesthetical awareness possibly contribute to
change this process? From the aesthetical point of view it would be a major
social service given by music therapy, not only to people in need of being
treated but also to each and everybody.
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