E-Book of Articles - World Federation of Music Therapy

Introduction
Turry, Alan: Performance and Product ....
Performance and Product: Clinical Implications for the Music
Therapist
Alan Turry
Can a music therapist be fully attending to the needs and issues of
their clients when performing with a client or group of clients? What
happens when the therapy consists of or includes working towards a product
such as a recording of music from sessions? How can we discern what clients
can benefit from these experiences and when it may be contra-indicated? As
the music therapy profession has developed, the idea of therapists
performing and creating products with clients has become a controversial
subject. There are many issues to be aware of when integrating
performance and creating products in our clinical work.
Background 46
When the field of music therapy was in its infancy, music therapists
were often hired on lines that were previously relegated to recreation
therapists or music teachers. 47 Music teachers in special education often did
performances with their students, and music therapists struggled to
establish their own professional identity. Some therapists who were trained
to use music in a recreational fashion were unaware that there were other
considerations aside from the product. The music therapy literature
contained research which described how clients “performed.” Music was
46 Though I have done some research in discussing the historical development of performance and
product in music therapy, I admit that some of the ideas I am presenting are conjecture, based on my
analysis of the situation rather than first hand accounts.
47 Ruppenthal, one of the founders of the NAMT and one of the first registered music therapists to work
in psychiatry, described a battle (that he eventually won) over maintaining his autonomy rather than
being part of a centralized department with occupational and recreational therapists. He describes some
of the events in his program as rhythm bands, church choirs, and vocal and instrumental ensembles.
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