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

The Laurier Centre for Music Therapy Research is poised to lead the field inmusicological research. It is my hope to begin initiatives linking the disciplines ofmusicology, aesthetics, composition, ethnomusicology, and music therapy, and to lookfor connections that will inform our practice as well as cultivate an understanding fromthe professions contained in music. Future projects may include comparisons of theories ofimprovisation and developments in contrasting theories of world music and the implicationsfor developing musical resources.As Director of the Music Therapy program at Wilfrid Laurier University, I am honoured tobe involved in the development of our innovative research centre. As music therapyresearch moves into the next millennium, we are poised at Laurier to make significantcontributions to the future of clinical practice both nationally and internationally.–Dr. Colin Andrew LeeResearch at LCMTRWilfrid Laurier University“A Sampling of Listening Perspectives”Listening to the musicPerhaps the most obvious, although multifaceted level of listeningis a musical one. In this perspective, music therapistsattune to the music itself, keeping in mind that music is composedof sound and silence. They may also interpret themusic on a descriptive level, including a client’s musical characteristicsor emerging musical shapes and patterns. Whenlistening to improvisations (either in or after sessions), musictherapists may differentiate the client’s musical responsesfrom their own music or focus more on the musical dialogue.This perspective can also be a “listening out there” to themusical totality of an improvisation co-created by both clientand therapist.Listening from musical historyOur musical background, culture, gender, experiences as amusician, music listened to, and musical education influencehow we listen as music therapists. As a pianist, I learned andinternalized classical and contemporary piano repertoire andtechnique. When improvising with clients, these musical influencescan be quite subtle such as a melodic shape, phrasingor elements of a composer’s style, or they may be actualmotives from composers’ pieces.Listening by observingThis perspective draws on visual information in order to formulatetherapeutic interpretations. Music therapists listen byobserving a client’s body movements or stillness, gestures,breathing, gaze, and actions. Based on these observations,possible interpretations are made of a client’s mood, facialexpression, body language or quality of presence.Listening for significanceThis perspective could be described as a kind of listening“vision.” Music therapists listen for changes in a client’s energy,intention, relatedness, expressiveness or the ability to bepresent. They listen for a client’s potential to be engaged ininteraction, to communicate, and to be creative. Listening inthis perspective includes the potential for musical connectionand flow. When improvising or listening back to improvisations,music therapists may listen for both intentional and intuitiveelements of their own music.Listening with an improvisational attitudeThis kind of listening rests on the ability to enter into theimprovisational experience with its qualities of ambiguity andunpredictability. It is allowing ourselves to be in music withanother person, to be spontaneous and to take needed risks.An improvisational attitude assumes a curiosity about theworld, a delight in being surprised, and emotional sturdinessfor coping with unexplainable events. This attitude is a willingnessto go beyond what is know or comfortable, to sharemusic with others, and to learn from others’ music-making.Taken from Arnason, C. (2003). Music Therapists’ ListeningPerspectives in Improvisational Music Therapy: A QualitativeInterview Study. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 12(2), 124-138.Dr. Carolyn Arnason, MTA, Associate ProfessorWilfrid Laurier University.8