I was invited to give a talk to the Massachusetts Music Therapy Alliance (MMTA) in Weston MA on December 8, 2012. The theme of all MMTA talks this year is Collaboration. In my talk, I spoke about collaboration in music therapy research.
I large point I made in my talk was on the importance of recognizing expertise in music therapy and in other fields of practice. As individuals (music therapists), we cannot be expected to excel at all that we do. To be able to reach out to others and collaborate in our work is a unique and valid element for good practice. When it comes to research, there are multiple layers involved in producing meaningful outcomes. There is a need for a team of people who can work together to produce the best possible research related to the work at hand. As music therapists we have special skills in understanding musical concepts, individual (participants) needs, behavioral / psychological normality, use of space/ time, and session structure. With all of these areas of skill in music therapy, the potential for great contributions to research is unbounding. Music therapists do however rely on other experts (non-music therapists) to contribute to the analysis, writing, testing measures, involved in the research process.
When reviewing the literature in the field I have found that, the majority of music therapists work with other music therapists in order to produce research. Furthermore, much of that research is anecdotal and includes small samples and case studies. I think that with collaborations with experts outside of the field of music therapy more expansive and meaningful contributions can be made to the literature. I don't mean to say that research produced solely by music therapists isn't meaningful, however I would like to indicate the potential of reaching broader audiences and scientific communities through collaborative research.
From conversations with other music therapists, it seems that many clinicians are interested in participating in research, but don't know where to begin. I think that if music therapists reached beyond music therapy lines that research could be produced more quickly and scientifically. Someitmes we work better when we are encouraged and supported by others in our process. We all have so much to contribute to the world and we don't need to do it all alone.
A link to my presentation has been posted on the MMTA page http://massmusictherapy.org/?page_id=843
Please feel free to take a peek at the presentation. Perhaps I will further develop this presentation for other forums.
Enjoy!
Nice work! :)
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