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

So this makes me a teacher and a therapist at the same
time. This may sometimes be confusing, but on the
other hand it can make things also a lot easier.
About my teaching:
What is special about teaching a patient to play a
musical instrument in general?
-I confer my lessons to my students.
Nothing special here, that is the general mode of any
musical teachers.
-Just making music can have a therapeutical effect.
But doesn't that apply to all of us? I can hear you think...
So it must be the special relationship with my pupils
which makes te first real difference; The reason for our
acquaintanceship is not because the pupil has a
spontaneous desire to follow music lessons, rather, the
patient has had a past in which his aberrational
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behaviour has led him to forced treatment in our clinic of
which my lessons take a part.
It is quite a different thing to say to a pupil: "this is your
exercise, you must practice at your home."
As opposed to: "You must practice in your room."
This implicates a totally different relationship.
You involve yourself much more into their private life,
you participate in their dayly routine.
Another difference regarding normal music lessons is
that we have a secondary goal apart from learning to
play an instrument, and that is the indication to follow
music lessons.
Herein lies formulated what a patient can learn by
means of these lessons towards an alleviation of his
problems.