Derrington 2012 thesis.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

emotional and behavioural problems and academic competency. The students
received a block of music therapy sessions for 16 weeks which involved playing
music and other activities to promote academic, social and emotional skills. The
Social Skills Rating System (Gresham and Elliott, 2008), which measures social
skills, academic competency and problem behaviour, was used by teachers before and
after the programme. Some areas of social skills and problem behaviour improved
significantly after this structured music therapy programme but it did not affect the
students’ academic competency.
Montello and Coon’s study (1999) on both active and passive group music therapy
with pre-adolescents with emotional, learning and behavioural disorders, asked
teachers to rate and confirm any noticeable changes in the students’ attention and
motivation. Results showed that, after a period of four months of music therapy, the
most significant change was found in levels of aggression. This ground-breaking
piece of research showed that group music therapy was effective in facilitating the
process of self-expression and could provide a channel for frustration, anger, and
aggression.
2.8 Music therapy in schools III: for youth at risk and disaffected adolescents in
mainstream schools
There are fewer therapists working specifically with this client group in mainstream
schools, as highlighted in the systematic review of literature by Carr and Wigram
(2009). However the literature, mostly by therapist reporting, does suggest that music
therapy is an effective intervention. The majority of the research literature is
qualitative with an emphasis on case studies. More of the quantitative studies are
from the USA but the increasing need for evidence-based practice is promoting
outcome-based studies in Europe (Carr and Wigram, 2009).
Music therapy is gradually carving out a role in some mainstream schools,
particularly for children with special needs. As more students with special needs and
diagnoses such as Autism and Asperger’s syndrome are choosing to attend
mainstream schools, these schools have an obligation to provide an accessible and
broad education following British government inclusion policies (DfES, 2001b;
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