Newsletter - Manfred and Penny Conrad Institute for Music Therapy ...

A Message of Introduction22Another winter sped by as we all prepared for a busy spring and (hopefully)relaxing summer time. Since the first Soundeffects and our first Annual SpringSymposium I have found it very interesting to hear about the research interestsof the LCMTR members all around the world. I have been especiallyimpressed with the high level of enthusiasm displayed. It has also been mostenjoyable to develop and start several Canadian interdisciplinary music therapyresearch projects.With this second issue of Soundeffects I hope to extend not only our readership,but also our topics, concerns and lines of communication. As a musictherapy researcher I often feel frustrated when applying for health care relatedfunding in Canada, and as a result find out that the reason I did not receiveanything was because “music therapy is not a recognized health care profession”or, because “there are not enough previous research available.” As aresponse for that, I personally have two options to choose: either become traumatized,paralyzed, depressive and stop trying, or start doing something veryconcrete... Since I obviously chose the latter of those options my passion stillremains in music therapy. My mission is to strengthen the relationshipbetween clinical practice and research, and my vision is to advance the statusof the music therapy discipline and profession. Doing something concretetogether will ultimately make some difference. To being with, we in the mentalhealth/medical/rehabilitation communities are living in an age of accountability!The global problem all over the world is that governmental money is beingslashed. Crucial questions we are facing are “Does music therapy work?” and“How can you prove that music therapy is working?” Concerns about theanswers to these questions have given rise to the LCMTR.It is not enough if we have this personal passion for music therapy. We oughtto do something in order to encourage government, private industry, insurancecompanies, mental health professionals, and consumer groups to understandand support music therapy as a viable health care profession. It is anodd paradox that music therapy has been recognized by the modern world foralmost seventy years and we music therapy researchers are still consideredpioneers of the field! In order not to behave like storks (those birds who hidetheir heads on the ground), we need to do something concrete. Building theLCMTR together could be one of those activities.One major objective I have is to promote a closer relationship between us(management board people and research cluster co-ordinators) and membership.I really believe there is no effective leadership without effective participatorymembers. We all need to be working together on the same page, topursue a shared set of destinations that stimulate a greater sense of mutualownership and responsibility for LCMTR. This will depend upon increasingcommunication between membership and administration. We need to continueto build an open, courteous contributory culture. I want you to feel thatyour voice is being heard, and that your voice can make a difference. I hopeto capture and make powerful use of the resources of our members in orderto continue to expand. That’s why I want to learn about the members’research needs, dreams and passions. I urge you to take your part in theLCMTR. The availability of this Soundeffects newsletter, our brand newwebsite, our chatting-rooms under each research cluster that will soon be upand running, memberships, e-mail correspondence, along with the more traditionalforms of mail and fax, all make it possible to keep closer communication,exchanging ideas, and collaborating.By completing research projects together at the LCMTR, we will endorse evidence-basedand practise-based approaches, maintaining the understandingthat research should represent the bedrock of clinical music therapy practise.As a music therapy research community we need to address how to definesuccess in music therapy treatment, and what constitutes satisfactory evidence.Our music therapy techniques, our understanding and our fields ofoperation are constantly expanding. LCMTR would like to be part of thisprocess.The following are the research clusters that we already have:>a “music psychotherapy cluster” accommodates research topics interested indifferent music psychotherapy and music group psychotherapy issues;>a “neuropsychological music therapy cluster” concentrates on music therapywith clients with neuropsychological challenges, such as dementia,Alzheimer’s and Autism;>a “communication accentuated music therapy cluster” includes early-infantinteraction research and music based communication research adapted tomusic therapy;>a “clinical recording of popular music as a music therapy tool cluster,”>a “using voice as a music therapy tool cluster,”>a “using voice as a music therapy tool cluster;”>a “music therapy and child birth cluster” researches the use of music therapyin the birthing process and in the development of mother-child relationships;>a “vibro-physioacoustic music therapy cluster” accommodates studies involvingvibroacoustic or physioacoustic research;>a “clinical improvisation and clinical listening cluster” includes studies thatare interested in analysing improvisation and clinical listening;>an “aesthetic music therapy cluster” welcomes a variety of musicological andethno musicological studies, Please, investigate our web-site and join theresearch cluster of your interest.Dr. Heidi Ahonen EerikainenDirector LCMTR