23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

other professionals involved with a particular client, in
order to discuss progress or pass on suggestions.
Parents might be surprised to find how well a child is
concentrating when engaged in a musical
improvisatidn, for example, or a physiotherapist might
pick up a song that a child particularly likes to
encourage walking.
Videotapes of music therapy sessions can be viewed by
the music therapist and the family to discuss the ways in
which different people are interacting. One mother was
surprised to see how little she was looking at her son in
a musical conducting game, for example. Some other
parents couldn't believe how well behaved the two
children they perceived as naughty and disruptive were
when they were all singing an action song together.
These parents were so concerned by the difficulties
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their children were presenting that they needed
reminding that at times they were able to have fun
together as a family. Videotapes of family sessions will
often help parents and the music therapist to identify
and focus on particular communication difficulties.
Families may also be agreeably surprised by the
amount of cogress they have made when comparing
videotapes taken at different stages of treatment.
Videotapes that can remind a client of a positive or
exciting moment can be of great value to depressed
clients or difficulties believing that anything they do is of
value. One of the most moving therapeutic uses of video
tapes that I have come across was that of the music
therapist Barbara Griessmeier working on a children s
cancer ward in Germany. The therapist videotaped
some music therapy sessions of a little girl who was