Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Daniel said he did “nothing” to express himself but later on in his interview explained
very articulately that music therapy was a good way for him to “get things off my
chest” (appendix 7.1.2, p.199). This is an indication that some students had limited
understanding of what self-expression means but were able to talk about it in their
own terms.
7.3 The importance and meaning of friendships for students
“A real friend will stick by a friend” (Giles, appendix 7.1.39, p.520).
When students talked about the value of friendship they confirmed the theory that the
issue of identity and peer acceptance plays a vital role in their emotional well-being
(1.2). Students were asked about the importance of friendships before music therapy
but it was omitted in the post-test interviews as more time was needed for questions
about music therapy (and the time allocated for each student was kept the same for
each interview). The results in figure 7.3.1 show that for the majority of students in
both schools, friends are very important.
Figure 7.3.1 Do you think friends are important Responses from the students
Centre School
CVC
10%
90%
Yes,
important
No, not
important
Don't know
Not had
friends
0%
12%
13%
75%
Yes,
important
No, not
important
Don't know
Not had
friends
The detail in the responses from some of the students at The Centre School was
striking because friends carried so much influence on their sense of emotional wellbeing.
For example, when they were asked how important friends were to them, one
student replied: “really important cos like if I don’t have any friends then I don’t have
anyone else” (Clare, appendix 7.1.19, p.348). Another student said: “Yeah, yeah they
mean a lot to me. Without my friends I don’t think there’d be a point in life, without
friends you’re nobody really” (Jamie, appendix 7.1.25, p.395). One student talked
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