Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy
type: channel
description: Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy is an open access peer-reviewed journal inviting diverse perspectives on music therapy practice, profession and discipline. As a Greek-English publication, Approaches fosters interdisciplinary dialogue bridging local and global aspects of music, health and wellbeing. Welcome to the new website of Approaches! On this new website you will find the current issue, all First View publications, and the latest edition of the Music Therapy Dictionary. The archive of past issues is still available on https://approaches.gr/issues/ We thank you for your patience and support while our team is working in the background to migrate all the archive to this new website. During this transitional phase, any new article submissions or enquiries should be addressed via email to approaches.editor@gmail.com
publisher: Queen Margaret University
language: en
publication name: Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy
issn: 2459-3338
items: Reflecting on the impulse to connect and the role of distinction
items: Trusting the uncertainty: Music therapy with young people who have experienced attachment trauma
items: Understanding the silences, not just the sounds: An exploration into music therapists’ meaning making of silence in improvisational music therapy
items: A commentary on “An analysis of caregiver perceptions of early childhood music therapy telehealth groups” (Knight & Blank)
items: Music therapy newly defined
items: Responsive practice and responsive publishing
items: Imagining windmills: Trust, truth, and the unknown in the arts therapies (Cao, Hougham & Scoble, eds.)
items: Ethical musicality (Trondalen)
items: Ethics Online Conversations: A new interactive approach to encourage and facilitate ethical discourse in music therapy
items: Noise, doubt, empathy or surprise? A qualitative collective self-study exploring the phenomenon of disruption in clinical trials
items: Breathing war, dreaming connection: Dialogue as an ethical foundation for collaborative work of Palestinian and Jewish music therapists in Israel
items: The role of pluralism in fostering an ethic of social justice: Policy recommendations for music therapy education and training
items: How much glass can I break before they fire me? Negotiating ethically-constructive education in a fractured political landscape
items: Ethical considerations for International Service-Learning in Music Therapy (ISL-MT)
items: Ethical questions in transforming music practices
items: Community music and/or dance programmes and interventions for refugee minors: A literature review
items: Identifying different states of music-facilitated relaxation
items: Finding common ground: Exploring speech language pathologists’ experiences of collaboration with music therapists in treating people living with aphasia
items: A first-person phenomenological pilot case study exploring the efficacy of using whole-body low frequency sound vibration to treat stress and anxiety
items: The effect of patient-initiated rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait speed status post stroke
items: Spectacular listening: Music and disability in the digital age (McDaniel)
items: Music-centred psychotherapy for adults with mood and anxiety disorders: A programme evaluation
items: Intersectionality in the arts therapies (Collier & Eastwood, Eds.)
items: An analysis of caregiver perceptions of early childhood music therapy telehealth groups
items: The 11th Nordic Music Therapy Conference ‘Let's face the music’
items: An introduction to neurodiversity and autistic culture for (music) therapists (Leza)
items: The 3rd Music Therapy Charity Conference: The Value of Research for Music Therapy
items: Music Meet Up online edition: The pivot to an online music therapy group for adolescents and young adults with cancer
items: The musician's journey: Crafting your career vision and plan (2nd ed.) (Timmons)
items: Singing the psyche: Uniting thought and feeling through the voice (Brownell et al., eds.)

Reflecting on the impulse to connect and the role of distinction
type: item
description: Making meaning of our practice as music therapists is a curious and multi-faceted process. Who we are trying to communicate our ideas to and our motivation for sharing and describing our work can profoundly impact the way we describe therapeutic practices and encounters, shaping the discourse of our field in important ways. With a breadth of influences and intended audiences informing the ideas emerging from our discipline, there is great scope for variety and diversity of thought and action in music therapy. This breadth of perspectives challenges us as a profession to witness and hold space for complexity, which can feel exciting and hopeful, uncertain and unclear, and downright uncomfortable on occasion – as complexity so often does. As I sat down to write this editorial, I noticed my own intention to find commonalities in the many perspectives on music therapy research and practice presented in this issue of Approaches. I felt my desire to seek a shared theme that would neatly ‘bring together’ the concepts presented the articles; to create a common thread between the authors’ ideas that I could present and discuss cohesively in the shared context of music therapy. It felt natural to seek these connections, and I found some. I identified, for example, the different perspectives on relationships explored theoretically by Hadar in their meta-analysis of dyadic improvisation, practically by Christensen and Gattino in their case study with a boy with Down Syndrome, and professionally by Krüger et al. in their reflection on relationship building with other disciplines during student place-based learning. I also noted a theme around novel practice approaches that encompassed the diverse use of sound and vibration in music therapy by both Gal and Elefant and Leandertz and Ala-Ruona, as well as Avery et al.’s and Knight and Blank’s evaluation of online practices with adolescent and early childhood groups respectively, and Margett’s study of a music therapy consultation m…
subject: Editorial
  topic: section
creator: Lucy Bolger
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Lucy Bolger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-10-16
publication date: 2025-10-16
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.639

Trusting the uncertainty: Music therapy with young people who have experienced attachment trauma
type: item
description: Psychological trauma has recently received increased attention in music therapy, resulting in a dramatic increase in writings about this subject. However, the voice of clinicians and participants is not represented strongly in the literature. This paper is an attempt to begin to fill in this gap, providing examples from practice presented through narratives that illustrate music therapist’s perspective on the work, the clients’ expressions, and relationships. Following case vignettes taken from music therapy sessions, reflections on the work are integrated with relevant literature. The vignettes capture moments where key concepts of trauma-informed practice, such as trust and safety, are being challenged and questioned. They serve as a starting point for connecting theoretical knowledge with lived experiences and are intended to bring awareness to the reader in a way that is intuitive and emotional, as well as intellectual.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: attachment trauma
  topic: keywords
subject: trauma-informed music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: safety
  topic: keywords
subject: trust
  topic: keywords
subject: voice
  topic: keywords
creator: Ludwika Konieczna-Nowak
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Ludwika Konieczna-Nowak https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-10-22
publication date: 2025-10-22
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.638

Understanding the silences, not just the sounds: An exploration into music therapists’ meaning making of silence in improvisational music therapy
type: item
description: 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.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: improvisational music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: silence
  topic: keywords
subject: phenomenological analysis
  topic: keywords
subject: meaning making
  topic: keywords
creator: Garrick Wareham
creator: Luke Annesley
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Garrick Wareham, Luke Annesley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-10-20
publication date: 2025-10-20
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.637

A commentary on “An analysis of caregiver perceptions of early childhood music therapy telehealth groups” (Knight & Blank)
type: item
description: A commentary on “An analysis of caregiver perceptions of early childhood music therapy telehealth groups” (Knight & Blank).
subject: Commentaries
  topic: section
creator: Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Eugenia Hernandez-Ruiz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-10-03
publication date: 2025-10-03
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.634

Music therapy newly defined
type: item
description: The definition of a therapeutic discipline provides an important demarcation and offers guidance for patients, interested parties, and professional actors in health care. The definition of music therapy serves to portray the therapeutic profession both to music therapists and to others within the public health care system. Thus, it contributes decisively to the profession’s political profiling. A definition of music therapy must incorporate a wide range of approaches and methodologies. It must be valid for the fields of psychotherapy and remedial/special education, as well as more physiological forms of therapy such as neonatology and neuro-rehabilitation. In this article, different definitions are presented and critically questioned. This was carried out by using the grammatical and semantic units for defining music therapy that were introduced by Bruscia. Against the background of new developments within music therapy, the necessity for a new definition is shown. A new definition of music therapy is presented, and its conceptual components are explained.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: definition
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: intervention
  topic: keywords
subject: methods
  topic: keywords
creator: Stefan Mainka
creator: Eckhard Weymann
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Stefan Mainka, Eckhard Weymann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-10-15
publication date: 2025-10-15
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.631

Responsive practice and responsive publishing
type: item
description: I am writing this editorial as I return to South Africa after having been lucky enough to attend the 2025 European Music Therapy Conference in Hamburg, Germany. I witnessed a range of presentations on music therapy practice in many spaces and with diverse groups of people, from children in palliative care to groups of refugees, students with mental health struggles, people with disabilities, and youth from opposing sides within conflict situations, as a few examples. Such conferences in our field are certainly celebrations of what music therapy offers and the transformation that it can bring. Whilst I held the value of this meaningful work, I also kept hearing a question bubbling up in my mind. In 2017, on the podcast Music Therapy Conversations, Luke Annesley interviewed the late Mercédès Pavlicevic, who was an influential lecturer and mentor for me when I trained as a music therapist at the University of Pretoria. In response to a question about what led her to become a music therapist, Mercédès reflected on her training during the time of Apartheid protests. She said, What led me to music therapy was living in South Africa during the riots. I was at university and the military were on the campus. My sister was very politicised and ended up in prison along with other people, and I kept thinking, ‘What am I doing playing Bach while this place is blowing up?’ And at the same time, I knew it was really important to be playing Bach. But the two caused me enormous anguish. I couldn’t put the two together. So right from the start, there was a social-political conundrum around what’s the role of music in this place at this time with these people? Through Mercédès’ career, she found ways of integrating these concerns, especially through Community Music Therapy (Pavlicevic & Ansdell, 2004; Stige et al., 2017). At the European Music Therapy Conference, I was aware of deep concerns amongst delegates about how the world is “blowing up” in many ways, especially related to ongo…
subject: Editorial
  topic: section
creator: Andeline dos Santos
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Andeline dos Santos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-08-29
publication date: 2025-08-29
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.620

Imagining windmills: Trust, truth, and the unknown in the arts therapies (Cao, Hougham & Scoble, eds.)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "Trust, truth, and the unknown in the arts therapies" edited by Marián Cao, Richard Hougham & Sarah Scoble. Title: Imagining windmills: Trust, truth, and the unknown in the arts therapies Editors: Marián Cao, Richard Hougham & Sarah Scoble Publication Year: 2022 Publisher: Routledge Pages: 250 ISBN: 9780367626693
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Bridget Grant
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Bridget Grant https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-13
publication date: 2025-06-13
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.619

Ethical musicality (Trondalen)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "Ethical musicality" authored by Gro Trondalen. Title: Ethical musicality Author: Gro Trondalen Publication year: 2023 Publisher: Routledge Pages: 106 ISBN: 978-1032111261
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Taru-Anneli Koivisto
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Taru-Anneli Koivisto https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.618

Ethics Online Conversations: A new interactive approach to encourage and facilitate ethical discourse in music therapy
type: item
description: Societal changes, economic challenges, and multiple global crises require reorienting and repositioning in relation to ethical questions. The need to deal and cope with these challenging circumstances also applies to music therapists and the field of music therapy. To address such ethical issues in music therapy and to provide a forum for exchange and discussion, we started organising online meetings open for music therapists and music therapy students in June 2020. Each meeting is dedicated to a topic or question illustrated by case vignettes. In some cases, experts with specialised knowledge in music therapy or related fields are also invited as discussants to speak on specific topics. So far, the following topics have been covered: (1) ethical issues in times of the pandemic, (2) ethical aspects of listening, (3) facts and opinions: What to do when "conspiracy theories" emerge in music therapy sessions?, (4) the virtuous music therapist, (5) decision-making models, (6) confidentiality, (7) music therapy with people affected by migration or those forced to flee, (8) dealing with the history of colonialism in songs in music therapy, (9) the art of confidence in times of crisis, and (10) ethical implications of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in music therapy. In this report, we describe the advantages and challenges of this new online format as a case example for developing an open space for ethical discourse. Connecting ethical theories to questions arising from clinical work in music therapy is at the core of this approach. We consider this new format an essential add-on for teaching ethics in music therapy and for continued professional development.
subject: Reports
  topic: section
subject: interactive online format
  topic: keywords
subject: ethical thinking
  topic: keywords
subject: ethical competencies
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: continued professional development (CPD)
  topic: keywords
creator: Thomas Stegemann
creator: Eckhard Weymann
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Thomas Stegemann, Eckhard Weymann https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.617

Noise, doubt, empathy or surprise? A qualitative collective self-study exploring the phenomenon of disruption in clinical trials
type: item
description: Disruptions, i.e. things or events that interrupt the normal or expected, may be experienced as something positive, but also as something negative. They are an integral part of clinical trials, often representing ethical challenges. As researchers, we are the agents of disruption: we intervene in participants’ lives by implementing interventions and collecting data; we engage stakeholders and ask colleagues for support. How do these disruptions affect the researchers themselves? In this study, we explore disruptions from a researcher’s perspective in a qualitative self-study of our experiences while working together on an international randomised controlled trial. The data comprises qualitative interviews with us, the music therapy research team in the Norwegian partner institution of the trial. The interviews were analysed using a collaborative reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes, representing different types of disruption and qualities in our experiences of them, were identified: background noise, rejection, empathic disruption, and disruptive dissonance. These themes share the characteristics of being relational, sometimes ambiguous, and influencing each other, requiring interpretation in context. This complexity makes them challenging to define and navigate. We argue that continuous reflection on different disruptions and negotiation of their boundaries are vital to ensure high ethical research standards and to support researchers’ self-care.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: disruption
  topic: keywords
subject: clinical trials
  topic: keywords
subject: self-study
  topic: keywords
subject: ethical dilemmas
  topic: keywords
subject: researchers' self-care
  topic: keywords
creator: Kjersti Johansson
creator: Tone Kvamme
creator: Kristi Stedje
creator: Runa Bosnes Engen
creator: Unni Johns
creator: Solgunn E. Knardal
creator: Anette Moltubak
creator: Hanne Cecilie Webb Aamod
creator: Karette Annie Stensæth
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Kjersti Johansson, Tone Kvamme, Kristi Stedje, Runa Bosnes Engen, Unni Johns, Solgunn E. Knardal, Anette Moltubak, Hanne Cecilie Webb Aamod, Karette Annie Stensæth https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.616

Breathing war, dreaming connection: Dialogue as an ethical foundation for collaborative work of Palestinian and Jewish music therapists in Israel
type: item
description: A collective of six Palestinian-Arab and Jewish music therapists, researchers and educators, and citizens of Israel convened to explore and foster the specific needs of Arab music therapists in Israel. As a primary ethical step, we embarked on a participatory study, delving into our personal and professional experiences as music therapists in a country deeply affected by long-term trauma and conflict. All group members participated in a 90-minute focus group designed as a semi-structured interview, with one member acting as an interviewer and another as a translator. The interview was recorded and transcribed. It was analysed by three group members, Jewish and Arab, to afford triangulation. Following three successive rounds of thematic analysis, a 90-minute Zoom consultation solidified the emergence of five key themes: (1) blurred boundaries challenge ethical thinking; (2) shaped by war; (3) fragmented identities; (4) cultural loneliness; and (5) music in therapy – between polarisation and shared identity. Several themes also had subthemes. The findings were shared with all group members, who provided additional input. The discussion highlights the profound implications of cultural division and hierarchy on all group members, the lack of authentic and culture-based professional growth, and a gap in culturally-sensitive professional ethics for Palestinian-Arab participants. We grappled with the ethical challenge of holding multiple truths as Israeli music therapists, while embracing the hopeful notion that music can serve as a unifying medium, bridge cultural divides, and foster a pluralistic approach to music therapy.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: war-zone
  topic: keywords
subject: ethics
  topic: keywords
subject: culture-sensitive dialogue
  topic: keywords
creator: Efrat Roginsky
creator: Tamar Hadar
creator: Nihal Midhat-Najami
creator: Buran Saada
creator: Rozan Khoury
creator: Maimounah Hebi
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Efrat Roginsky, Tamar Hadar, Nihal Midhat-Najami, Buran Saada, Rozan Khoury, Maimounah Hebi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.615

The role of pluralism in fostering an ethic of social justice: Policy recommendations for music therapy education and training
type: item
description: Recent social justice-focused and anti-oppressive scholarship has called for broader and more intentional inclusion of critical analyses and constructivist epistemological frames to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and decolonisation in music therapy education and training. The recent expansion of social justice content in the revised code of ethics of the Canadian Association of Music Therapists (CAMT) is a step in the right direction. It requires certified music therapists to actively identify, understand, and eliminate implicit biases and discriminatory practices and to cultivate awareness of the harms that have been exacted by oppressive practices within and beyond the profession. We argue, here, that preparing music therapy students to meet professional standards of practice and adhere to the social justice-focused ethical principles articulated in the code of ethics requires Canadian music therapy education programs to intentionally integrate dissension as a key aspect of social justice work throughout their curriculum. In this critical contemplation, we posit that mobilising a commitment to social justice education must first and foremost be grounded in a pluralistic ethos, which values diverse ways of being, thinking, learning and knowing. We then explore the critical integration of lived knowledge, the notions of dignity safety and intellectual insecurity in educational spaces, and arts-based social pedagogies as potentially transformative practices in socially-just music therapy education.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: music therapy education
  topic: keywords
subject: social pedagogy
  topic: keywords
subject: critical disability studies
  topic: keywords
subject: code of ethics
  topic: keywords
subject: social justice
  topic: keywords
subject: pluralism
  topic: keywords
creator: Annabelle Brault
creator: Cynthia Bruce
creator: Vivek Venkatesh
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Annabelle Brault, Cynthia Bruce, Vivek Venkatesh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.614

How much glass can I break before they fire me? Negotiating ethically-constructive education in a fractured political landscape
type: item
description: Amid the myriad of political disagreements that arise among collective identity groups vying for space within the educational curriculum, we offer in this article a theoretical framework through which we argue that schools are uniquely positioned to serve as spaces in which students can negotiate the ethical and moral selves of their choosing. Drawing upon the work from educational philosopher Maxine Greene (1988) and ethics philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah (2005), we suggest that 1) the development or ‘becoming’ of one’s identity is an ethical endeavour, 2) negotiating identity space in both education and society at large is a moral endeavour, 3) acting upon both the ethical and moral dimensions of identity construction requires that individuals hold a form of socially-contextualised personal freedom, and 4) that practices and policies in education which privilege or marginalise individuals with particular identities ought to be questioned and potentially disrupted. Throughout our articulation of this central argument, we weave in contextualised examples from scholarly literature, recent current events in U.S. news and politics, and autoethnographic reflections. To tailor these ideas more specifically for the music education-focused reader, we draw upon a variety of sources from international music education journals that emphasise settings in which students are prompted to explore and construct aspects of their identities through music.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: identity
  topic: keywords
subject: collective identities
  topic: keywords
subject: ethically-constructive education
  topic: keywords
subject: morality
  topic: keywords
subject: freedom
  topic: keywords
subject: disruption
  topic: keywords
subject: music
  topic: keywords
subject: art
  topic: keywords
creator: Mya Scarlato
creator: Katie Kelly
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Mya Scarlato, Katie Kelly https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.613

Ethical considerations for International Service-Learning in Music Therapy (ISL-MT)
type: item
description: Music therapists are increasingly engaging in international opportunities such as International Service-Learning (ISL) and international clinical volunteerism. Although research on international music therapy activities is burgeoning, there is an absence of literature regarding ethical considerations when participating in international music therapy projects. The purpose of this paper is to initiate discourse and reflect on the ethics of International Service-Learning in Music Therapy (ISL-MT) based on a review of existing literature in the field. I define ISL-MT as a structured experience in another country in which individuals participate in an organised service activity involving “music therapy” to address identified community needs, learn through direct intercultural musical and non-musical interactions, and reflect on the experience to deepen their understanding and appreciation of “music therapy” as well as global and intercultural issues. Utilising a postcolonial ethics of care, which integrates postcolonial theory, postdevelopment theory, and feminist ethics of care, I describe and discuss ethical issues that emerge from the complex interactions during ISL-MT between and within the sending organisation (staff and participants) and the host community (local staff and recipients). Reflecting on these ethical dilemmas, I propose three recommendations for engaging in ISL-MT: adopting a posture of cultural humility, reimagining ISL-MT as reciprocal learning and relationship building, as well as integrating anti-colonial strategies into ISL-MT research. Given the paucity of research, scholars should investigate the impact of ISL-MT from the host community’s perspective. As international music therapy projects continue to grow, more discourse around the ethics of such activities is needed, particularly in conjunction with other global issues such as the climate crisis.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: ethics
  topic: keywords
subject: international, service-learning
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: postcolonial
  topic: keywords
subject: ethics of care
  topic: keywords
creator: Jonathan Tang
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jonathan Tang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.612

Ethical questions in transforming music practices
type: item
description: The themes of equity and justice in professional activities are becoming increasingly important for those working in music-related fields. This special issue explores these topics through the lens of ethical dilemmas and challenges, drawing on international perspectives from scholars and practitioners. Ethical decision-making requires professionals not only to engage in critical thinking and self-reflection but also to take action by transforming organisational and institutional structures. In music-related professions, where individual practitioners often have significant autonomy and agency (see Dileo, 2021; Hoover, 2021; Kivijärvi, 2021), ethical challenges are complex, spanning both systemic and micro-level practices. Moral and value-based dilemmas rarely have clear-cut answers, particularly when navigating conflicts within communities or reconciling divergent ethical beliefs. Professionals frequently encounter implicit questions such as: “Which stakeholders, policies, or societal values do my professional and ethical choices support?” or “How do my musical practices shape individual, community, or societal power dynamics?” Emerging discussions in music-related fields, including care ethics (e.g., Lynch et al., 2016), decolonisation (e.g., Rakena et al., 2024), and anti-oppressive practices (Baines, 2021), raise further critical questions: “Whose well-being, participation, and agency does my work serve, and why?” By addressing these inquiries, among others, professionals can contribute to the equity of music practices, and society more broadly. Ethics play a crucial role in guiding behaviour, shaping laws and protocols, influencing decision-making, and fostering social cooperation. Beyond adhering to professional ethical codes and institutional or societal frameworks, it is essential to make well-informed choices on these key issues (see Subramani, 2021; VIRT2UE, 2024). This special issue seeks to support practitioners in music-related professions in: reflecting…
subject: Editorial
  topic: section
creator: Sanna Kivijärvi
creator: Taru-Anneli Koivisto
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sanna Kivijärvi, Taru-Anneli Koivisto https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-06-18
publication date: 2025-06-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.611

Community music and/or dance programmes and interventions for refugee minors: A literature review
type: item
description: The recognition of the arts' role in enhancing social well-being has led to the development of art-based practices that target vulnerable social groups. Today, community arts constitute a distinct field of artistic practice and scientific research that aims to manage social problems and strengthen social cohesion. The refugee issue is timeless and particularly topical in recent years. Refugee children face many difficulties during their acculturation process, such as access to public goods and services, destabilization, emotional challenges, identity issues, social discrimination, and marginalisation. The present research aims to study music and dance practices that are used in programmes aimed at refugee minors in terms of their content and effectiveness. A descriptive review of research on community music and/or dance programmes targeting to refugee minors was conducted to achieve this aim. According to the results, the content diversity is extensive, focusing on music, while dance seems to be used mainly as a complementary activity in community music programmes. It is important that regardless of the programmes’ content, music and dance emerge as valuable tools for personal development and communication. At the same time, they can contribute to social cohesion and the enhancement of intercultural dialogue.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: community music
  topic: keywords
subject: community dance
  topic: keywords
subject: community programmes
  topic: keywords
subject: community interventions
  topic: keywords
subject: refugee minors
  topic: keywords
creator: Nafsika Theodoridou
creator: Olympia Agalianou
creator: Lelouda Stamou
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Nafsika Theodoridou, Olympi Agalianou, Lelouda Stamou https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-16
publication date: 2025-05-16
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.608

Identifying different states of music-facilitated relaxation
type: item
description: Music-facilitated relaxation is commonly employed by professionals such as music therapists, as well as used recreationally by music listeners. According to the Russel's Circumplex model of affect, relaxation can be understood as a state of low arousal whilst Smith suggested that it includes a variety of positive affect states. The goal of this study was to explore how music listeners describe music-facilitated relaxation. The aims are to investigate 1) whether Smith’s relaxation model can be applied to music-facilitated relaxation, and 2) what is the role of valence and arousal in music-facilitated relaxation. Data was collected using an online survey. 109 participants were asked to describe their experience of music-facilitated relaxation in an open-ended question. Based on Smith's relaxation model and circumplex model of affect, the data was analysed using mixed methods content analysis. Participants described states of both reduced arousal and increased arousal, as well as positive and negative valence. Smith’s model could not be used to successfully identify all music-facilitated relaxation states. Based on the data and Smith’s model, five main categories, comprising 15 states of music-facilitated relaxation, were identified: Mindful (36% of total relaxation descriptions), Restful (21%), Transcendental (21%), Fulfilment (16%), and Energetic (6%). These results suggest that music-facilitated relaxation cannot be understood a state of low energy and positive emotions but rather aimed at achieving an optimal state for a current activity and situation. The findings of this research can inform future research and practitioners when planning to use music for relaxation or assessing client's music use.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: relaxation
  topic: keywords
subject: music-facilitated relaxation
  topic: keywords
subject: self-regulation
  topic: keywords
subject: arousal
  topic: keywords
subject: tension
  topic: keywords
creator: Nerdinga Snape
creator: Gulnara Minkkinen
creator: Suvi Saarikallio
creator: Esa Ala-Ruona
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Nerdinga Snape, Gulnara Minkkinen , Suvi Saarikallio, Esa Ala-Ruona https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-05-14
publication date: 2025-05-14
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.607

Finding common ground: Exploring speech language pathologists’ experiences of collaboration with music therapists in treating people living with aphasia
type: item
description: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to investigate speechlanguage pathologists’ (SLPs’) experiences of collaboration with music therapists (MTs) in treating people with aphasia. Our analysis of the data yielded mixed outcomes, highlighting/identifying aspects that support and challenge collaboration. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with three participants. The participants were SLPs who had experience treating people with aphasia in hospital and community-based settings. Thematic analysis was used to identify components of MT-SLP collaborations in treating aphasia. Results revealed the following themes: personal and clinical aspects, and systemic challenges of MT-SLP collaborations. Participants’ feedback on the thematic analysis was incorporated into the discussion which presents insights into the overarching qualities of successful MT-SLP collaboration and the contributions of music in aphasia treatment. This research provides a list of music interventions which may be a resource for SLPs and MTs in treating aphasia. Additionally, topics discussed in this research may assist SLPs and MTs in advocating for collaborative care of people living with aphasia.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: phenomenology
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: speech-language pathology
  topic: keywords
subject: aphasia
  topic: keywords
subject: interdisciplinary collaboration
  topic: keywords
creator: Christine Hudson
creator: Heidi Ahonen
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Christine Hudson, Heidi Ahonen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-04-29
publication date: 2025-04-29
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.605

A first-person phenomenological pilot case study exploring the efficacy of using whole-body low frequency sound vibration to treat stress and anxiety
type: item
description: The purpose of this pilot first-person case study was to test if whole-body low frequency sound vibration decreases stress and anxiety and to evaluate the equipment used to measure the effects of vibration to inform a more extensive, long-term clinical study in the future. The Next Wave Physioacoustic Chair was used to apply the treatments, which consisted of six 20-minute sessions spread out over 15 days. Qualitative data consisted of daily journal entries and pre- and post-treatment observations. A phenomenological analysis involved the identification of emerging themes. Quantitative data was collected using a Garmen Vivosmart 4 device worn on the wrist twenty-four hours daily (except when charging). The device measured pre- and post-treatment heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV), and sleep quality. An overall stress score was computed using HRV measurements and sleep. The results showed that Physioacoustic treatment can have a positive effect on stress and anxiety levels. This was shown by a consistently lowered heart rate following each treatment, increased body awareness and connection, decreased pain and tension, and a sense of relaxation, calm, mental clarity, and focus. The recommendation is for further long-term studies using a more significant number of participants reporting high levels of stress and anxiety along with control groups. Further studies may also benefit from incorporating electroencephalogram (EEG) measurements to examine brainwave activity to further understand stress-related outcomes.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: low frequency sound
  topic: keywords
subject: vibration
  topic: keywords
subject: anxiety
  topic: keywords
subject: stress
  topic: keywords
creator: Christa Mercey
creator: Heidi Ahonen
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Christa Mercey, Heidi Ahonen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-04-25
publication date: 2025-04-25
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.604

The effect of patient-initiated rhythmic auditory stimulation on gait speed status post stroke
type: item
description: Rhythmic auditory stimulation (RAS) has been found to be an effective, low-cost, and easily applied intervention for improving gait speed post-stroke. Music-based RAS, the use of auditory rhythmic cues in the form of metrically accentuated music, can result in improved temporal abilities of gait through rhythmic practice. No study has observed the effect of patient-initiated auditory cueing, in conjunction with music-based RAS, on gait speed. Therefore, this study aimed to determine if having the patient initiate an external audible cue, by controlling the timing of their foot adorned with a shoe bell contacting the ground, coordinated with music-based RAS during gait training, will produce further improvement in gait speed. A single-centre randomised pilot study was conducted, consisting of 20 patients with a stroke diagnosis randomised into two groups. The control group (n = 7) received music-based RAS using only music during gait training, whereas the intervention group (n = 13) received music-based RAS using both a shoe bell and music during gait training. The 10-m walk test was conducted to determine each participant’s pre- and postintervention preferred and fast gait speed. Preferred speed was the comfortable, naturally chosen speed by the participant, and fast speed was the patient’s maximum speed. The t-test showed that there were no statistically significant differences between groups. Paired t-test showed that there were significant improvements in gait speed between pre- and post-test within groups. The inclusion of a shoe bell, in conjunction with music-based RAS during gait training, resulted in a slightly larger improvement in preferred gait speed, whereas music alone during gait training results in a slightly larger improvement in fast gait speed.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: stroke
  topic: keywords
subject: gait speed
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
creator: Karen Lanier
creator: Shenae Samuels
creator: Trenton Barrick
creator: Valerie Killoran
creator: Rachel Woolley
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Karen Lanier, Shenae Samuels, Trenton Barrick, Valerie Killoran, Rachel Woolley https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-03-28
publication date: 2025-03-28
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.597

Spectacular listening: Music and disability in the digital age (McDaniel)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "Spectacular listening: Music and disability in the digital age" authored by Byrd McDaniel. Title: Spectacular listening: Music and disability in the digital age Author: Byrd McDaniel Publication Year: 2024 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pages: 216 ISBN: 9780197620465
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: David Limmer
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 David Limmer https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-04-02
publication date: 2025-04-02
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.596

Music-centred psychotherapy for adults with mood and anxiety disorders: A programme evaluation
type: item
description: This paper outlines the creation and programme evaluation of a music therapy group for adults within an inpatient mood and anxiety disorder treatment programme in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The author first discusses the process involved in programme development and facilitation of a four-session closed group framework of resource-oriented and music-centred psychotherapy. The author then presents the results from a programme evaluation that included 154 patients, elucidating lived experiences from the music therapy group. Quantitative results trace patients’ perceptions of music therapy’s impact within the domains of mood, anxiety, interpersonal connections, expression, and musical resource development. Qualitative themes explore patients’ experiences in music therapy in the areas of lightness and depth, interpersonal connections, relationships to music, and trying something new. Patients’ lived experiences and perceptions of the group’s impact validate that music therapy can invite in-depth therapeutic process while also developing and celebrating patients’ resourceful use of music in their everyday lives.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: music psychotherapy
  topic: keywords
subject: programme evaluation
  topic: keywords
subject: depression
  topic: keywords
subject: anxiety
  topic: keywords
subject: music-centred
  topic: keywords
subject: resource-oriented
  topic: keywords
creator: Elizabeth Mitchell
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Elizabeth Mitchell https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-03-13
publication date: 2025-03-13
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.593

Intersectionality in the arts therapies (Collier & Eastwood, Eds.)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "Intersectionality in the arts therapies" edited by Jessica Collier and Corrina Eastwood. Title: Intersectionality in the Arts Therapies Editors: Jessica Collier & Corrina Eastwood Publication Year: 2022 Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers Pages: 272 ISBN: 9781787754348
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Sangeeta Swamy
creator: AJ Phipps
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sangeeta Swamy, AJ Phipps https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-02-25
publication date: 2025-02-25
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.590

An analysis of caregiver perceptions of early childhood music therapy telehealth groups
type: item
description: Early childhood music therapy research typically examines the effects of music therapy sessions on children, but little research has examined the perspectives of caregivers: parents of the children and classroom teachers/staff. The purpose of this study was to formally analyse the perceptions of both groups of caregivers of the children who received music therapy services in this 12-week programme. Participants included six Parents and Legal Guardians (PLG) and five Early Childhood Professionals (ECP) who voluntarily took part in individual interviews after the 12-week sessions had concluded. The researchers conducted a thematic analysis of the interviews and created codes, categories, and themes. We identified six themes: two specific to PLG experiences and two specific to ECP, alongside two that were similar across all participants. Results indicated that both groups seemed to need more information as to the purpose of music therapy sessions. Secondarily, stress from the pandemic may have hindered the capacity of both groups to integrate the information from the music therapy research team over the period of the study. Future goals for music therapy researchers in early childhood education settings regarding their relationships with PLG and ECP are discussed.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
creator: Andrew Knight
creator: Carol Ann Blank
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew Knight, Carol Ann Blank https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-02-27
publication date: 2025-02-27
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.589

The 11th Nordic Music Therapy Conference ‘Let's face the music’
type: item
description: The 11th Nordic Music Therapy Conference ‘Let's face the music’ 26–29 June 2024, Aalborg, Denmark
subject: Conference Reports
  topic: section
creator: Sunny Yat-Cheong Wong
creator: Napak Pakdeesatitwara
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Sunny Yat-Cheong Wong, Napak Pakdeesatitwara https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-02-18
publication date: 2025-02-18
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.581

An introduction to neurodiversity and autistic culture for (music) therapists (Leza)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "An introduction to neurodiversity and autistic culture for (music) therapists" authored by Jessica Leza. Title: An introduction to neurodiversity and autistic culture for (music) therapists Author: Jessica Leza Publication Year: 2023 Publisher: La Migdalia Press Pages: 239 (pdf) 359 (paperback) ISBN: 979-8-218-22073-0 E-ISBN Kindle edition: B0C56DQ3N8
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Bronte Arns
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Bronte Arns https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-01-28
publication date: 2025-01-28
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.580

The 3rd Music Therapy Charity Conference: The Value of Research for Music Therapy
type: item
description: The 3rd Music Therapy Charity Conference: The Value of Research for Music Therapy 17-18 January 2025, Cambridge, UK
subject: Conference Reports
  topic: section
creator: Lee Cheng
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Lee Cheng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-04-03
publication date: 2025-04-03
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.577

Music Meet Up online edition: The pivot to an online music therapy group for adolescents and young adults with cancer
type: item
description: The COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the unique emotional and social needs expressed by adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer. To help address this, we adapted an in-person developmentally tailored group music therapy intervention to an online format. The purpose of this study was to gain preliminary data to explore the acceptability of the online version of the group. A qualitative descriptive approach was chosen to understand the experiences of program participants, who were patients at a tertiary cancer centre in Toronto, Canada. One-to-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants, and data was analysed using thematic analysis. A total of six interviews were completed, with five participants identifying as women. Ages ranged from 24-35, and various cancer types were represented. Overall, participants felt the online version of the program was beneficial. However, interviews pinpoint advantages and disadvantages with the online format. Delivering the program online enhanced accessibility but also created issues of disrupted/impaired “connectivity” between participants and the music. Online group psychosocial interventions, including music therapy, may continue to be offered long after the pandemic. These lessons could inform how other online music therapy interventions are delivered to AYAs between 18-39 years of age and beyond.
subject: Articles
  topic: section
subject: adolescent and young adult
  topic: keywords
subject: psychosocial
  topic: keywords
subject: music therapy
  topic: keywords
subject: group therapy
  topic: keywords
creator: Jonathan Avery
creator: Serena Uppal
creator: Karuna Sehgal
creator: Shayini Shanawaz
creator: SarahRose Black
creator: Chana Korenblum
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Jonathan Avery, Serena Uppal, Karuna Sehgal, Shayini Shanawaz, SarahRose Black, Chana Korenblum https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-01-15
publication date: 2025-01-15
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.575

The musician's journey: Crafting your career vision and plan (2nd ed.) (Timmons)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "The musician's journey: Crafting your career vision and plan (2nd ed.) (Timmons)" authored by Jill Timmons. Title: The musician’s journey: Crafting your career vision and plan (2nd ed.) Author: Jill Timmons Publication Year: 2023 Publisher: Oxford University Press Pages: 232 ISBN: 9780197578520
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Natalie Jack
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Natalie Jack https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-01-10
publication date: 2025-01-10
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.574

Singing the psyche: Uniting thought and feeling through the voice (Brownell et al., eds.)
type: item
description: This is a review of the book "Singing the psyche: Uniting thought and feeling through the voice" edited by Anne Brownell, Deirdre Brownell and Gina Holloway Mulde. Title: Singing the psyche: Uniting thought and feeling through the voice Editors: Anne Brownell, Deirdre Brownell & Gina Holloway Mulder Publication Year: 2023 Publisher: Charles C. Thomas Publisher Pages: 320 ISBN: 978-0-398-09424-9
subject: Reviews
  topic: section
creator: Tina Warnock
rights: Copyright (c) 2025 Tina Warnock https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
date: 2025-01-13
publication date: 2025-01-13
doi: 10.56883/aijmt.2025.573