Understanding the silences, not just the sounds: An exploration into music therapists’ meaning making of silence in improvisational music therapy

Abstract

Silence is a common experience in music therapy, potentially rich in meaning, however there is limited literature available about silence within improvisational music therapy. This article draws connections between musicological, psychological, phenomenological, and music therapy literature on: typologies of silence, silence as an intersubjective phenomenon, and silence as a space for reflection and processing. The importance of meaning making and silence in improvisational music therapy is explored through semi-structured interview data and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The IPA interview analysis produced three superordinate themes, developed by the primary author and reviewed by the secondary author, comprised of ten subordinate themes: Anxiety and Tension In, and After, Silence; Silence as a Space; and Clinical Considerations of Silence. Connections are made between the analysis of participant interviews and existing phenomenological, musicological, psychotherapeutic and music therapy literature on silence. The discussion finds that the therapist’s perceived strength of the therapeutic relationship is key to the experience of silence in the therapy environment. It also outlines silence as a space of reflection and self-actualisation, and as a facilitative aspect of clients experiencing empowerment and authenticity. This paper also presents a theory, based on the interview data gathered, providing a grounded theory angle. The theory offers a model of the continuation and cyclical recontextualisation of meaning from the musical, into silence, and beyond. The study identifies implications for practice and further opportunities to solidify existing theory and develop concepts unique to silence within music therapy.