Why is music so important to most of us? How does music help us both in our everyday lives, and in the more specialist context of music therapy? This book suggests a new way of approaching these topical questions, drawing from Ansdell's long experience as a music therapist, and from the latest thinking on music in everyday life. Vibrant and moving examples from music therapy situations are twinned with the stories of 'ordinary' people who describe how music helps them within their everyday...

* Are you about to write a dissertation for an MA in an arts therapy?* Is your workplace pressuring you to do research on your practice?* Do you fancy trying your hand at a bit of research without any pressure from anyone?* Are you bewitched, bothered and bewildered?A mystique about research usually comes from reading a) writers who launch into philosophical dialectics about research and avoid the basics; b) poorly written research papers full of undeciphera...

Caring for Music describes musical life in Hill House, a residential care home and the site of the AHRC Care for Music research project (https://careformusic.org/) which ran from 2018–2023.The book’s primary aim is to let the people and situations involved show readers, from the inside of musical engagement, what can happen when music is present in scenes of care in late life – when people care for music. Watching what happens when music happens can illuminate how...

Music therapists from around the world working in conventional and unconventional settings have offered their contributions to this exciting new book, presenting spirited discussion and practical examples of the ways music therapy can reflect and encourage social change. From working with traumatized refugees in Berlin, care-workers and HIV/AIDS orphans in South Africa, to adults with neurological disabilities in south-east England and children in paediatric hospitals in Norway, the contri...

"Music triggered a healing process from within me. I started singing for the joy of singing myself and it helped me carry my recovery beyond the state I was in before I fell ill nine years ago to a level of well-being that I haven't had perhaps for thirty years."This book explores the experiences of people who took part in a vibrant musical community for people experiencing mental health difficulties, SMART (St Mary Abbotts Rehabilitation and Training). Ansdell (a music therapist/r...

This practical guide aims to inspire ethically-aware practitioners to become ethically-aware researchers, evaluators and participants. Conducting a research project, whatever the setting, requires not only knowledge of research methods but also an in-depth understanding of research ethics. Embedded in 'real life' experiences of research ethics applications, this guide navigates the reader through research ethics procedures, drawing from legislation and a range of research ethics committee ...

This international collection examines the opportunities for using music-induced states of altered consciousness to promote physical and mental healing, treat substance dependence, and in spiritual and palliative care.The contributors describe the successful use of altered states and their therapeutic potential, providing examples from different cultures and clinical, therapeutic and spiritual settings. Their observations cover a wide range of music types capable of inducing altere...

Music in Groups happens all the time: in the street, the classroom, in music colleges, community centres, hospitals, prisons, churches and concert halls; at raves, weddings, music festivals, public ceremonies, music therapy sessions, group music lessons, concerts and rehearsals.Some group musicking seems to 'work' (and play) better than others; some sessions feel exhausting even if things are going well; and at other times, we can't begin to explain the complex musical and relation...

This practical book describes the specific use of receptive (listening) methods and techniques in music therapy clinical practice and research, including relaxation with music for children and adults, the use of visualisation and imagery, music and collage, song-lyric discussion, vibroacoustic applications, music and movement techniques, and other forms of aesthetic listening to music. The authors explain these receptive methods of intervention using a format that enables practitioners to ...

Reflecting thoughtfully on your work is vital for improving your own self-awareness, effectiveness and professional development. This newly updated fifth edition of Gillie Bolton’s bestselling book explores reflective writing as a creative and dynamic process for this critical enquiry.New to this edition:An expanded range of exercises and activitiesA new emphasis on using e-portfoliosFurther guidance on reflective writing assignmentsEnhan...

`A thought provoking and interesting book that will be of interest to nurses and others supporting patients′ - Accident and Emergency Nursing`It is a relevant and timely book that will remind therapists of the importance of the telling of client′s stories as an important component of the therapeutic process. Whatever approach we use, the client′s story will be a part of what we work with, so a sophisticated questioning of what ′stories/narratives′ are will benefit our work. This bo...

Developed from the author’s long teaching career, How to Rethink Human Behavior aims to cultivate practical skills in human observation and analysis, rather than offer a catalogue of immutable ‘facts’. It synthesizes key psychological concepts with insights from other disciplines, including sociology, social anthropology, economics, and history.The skills detailed in the book will help readers to observe people in their contexts and to analyze what they observe, in order t...