Victorian College of the Arts - Research Publications
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ItemWhose choice? Exploring multiple perspectives on music therapy access under the National Disability Insurance Scheme(Australian Music Therapy Association, 2018)The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a new national funding system for people with disabilities in Australia, which has been tested in some trial sites since 2013 and is now instigated across the Nation. Whilst music therapy and other music services are included on the list of recognised providers, inclusion of these services within individual case plans has been questioned at times by those with authority within NDIS trial sites. This research project aimed to build a collaborative relationship between the University of Melbourne, Australian Music Therapy Association (AMTA), and the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) to better understand the needs and capacity for contribution of each organisation involved in the access of people to music therapy. To this end, interviews were conducted with three NDIA employees, five Registered Music Therapists (RMTs) who had experiences providing music therapy services as NDIS providers, and one parent of an eight-year old participant in the scheme who had accessed music therapy. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was used to identify gaps in knowledge and awareness between the different stakeholders. Fourteen emergent themes and three final themes revealed different perspectives on the matter, but all agreed that it is a significant time to promote music therapy and educate the NDIS planners, allied health professionals, the participants of the scheme and their families. In plain language:This research study investigates how different stakeholders perceived access to music therapy under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in the trial sites between 2013 and 2015. Nine people who had the lived experience of the matter such as NDIS planners, Registered Music Therapists (RMTs) and a parent of a boy with a disability were individually interviewed. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis reveals that everyone believed that music therapy was not fully understood or received well by everyone, and RMTs need to take more active roles in educating and promoting music therapy to staff in the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), allied health professionals, as well as parents of people with disabilities.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableProfessional Pathways for Musicians with Disability in Victoria, Australia(ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD, 2022-01-02)The work of disabled musicians has become the focus on of an increasingly large body of academic work; however, existing literature rarely provides details about the educational experiences of these musicians, or how disability impacted these experiences. This study interviewed eleven performing musicians living with disability in Australia to elucidate the barriers and enablers that they faced in their music educations and careers. We developed a ‘nested model’ based on a qualitative narrative analysis which identified barriers and enablers coming from ‘the musician’, ‘the self’, ‘other people’, and ‘the system’. We used this model to draw out further themes and counter-themes across the interviews to begin to illuminate the barriers. Each of our participants was able to identify numerous barriers to access, which they had experienced during their musical careers. Despite this, ten of our eleven participants continued to find ways to participate and express their creativity in musical activities, and they provided many practical suggestions for improving access. Future studies that seek perspectives from disabled music students, or those who are in the early stages of their careers, may provide further insights to better understand barriers and enablers.
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ItemCorrigendum: What young people think about music, rhythm and trauma: An action research study.(Frontiers Media SA, 2022)[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905418.].
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ItemWhat Young People Think About Music, Rhythm and Trauma: An Action Research Study(FRONTIERS MEDIA SA, 2022-06-14)A number of popular theories about trauma have suggested rhythm has potential as a mechanism for regulating arousal levels. However, there is very little literature examining this proposal from the perspective of the young people who might benefit. This action research project addresses this gap by collaborating with four groups of children in the out-of-home-care system to discover what they wanted from music therapists who brought a strong focus on rhythm-based activities. The four music therapy groups took place over a 12 month period and each cycle of action and reflection led to adjustments in what activities were offered, as well as exploring different levels of structure and ways of building relationships in the groups. The initial group incorporated a strong emphasis on highly structured rhythm-based activities, but young people found the format difficult to engage with. The second cycle included more opportunities for creativity and self-direction within semi-structured activities which children reported enjoying, but too much freedom also became overwhelming at times. The two groups in the third cycle seemed to balance structure and responsiveness successfully but were also influenced by the introduction of individual sessions prior to group commencement, which was designed to contribute to safety and trust building. Final reflections on the role of rhythm in supporting young people who have had adverse experiences were centred around the ideas of co-regulation. This was qualitatively different to our expectations that practicing rhythm-based activities would lead to an expanded window of tolerance that resulted in less time being spent in either hypo-arousal or hyper-arousal. Instead of entraining to an external rhythm, young people felt safe when their rhythms were matched, even if they were irregular, out of time and unpredictable. The small moments of co-regulation resulted in pleasure, comfort, satisfaction and peace and these moments were highly valued by the young people, who described just wanting to be relaxed and happy. Although not as rhythm-specific as the literature might suggest, music making with trusted adults helped the young people in this study feel more content.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableDemonstrating Sustainability in the Practices of Music Therapists: Reflections from Bangladesh(Universtity of Bergen Library, 2013)Sustainability is a concept that has been implied but not overtly discussed in the music therapy literature. Nonetheless, the literature does describe projects that work towards self-supporting music projects and capacity building. In this article, a music therapist's contribution to an international development project in rural Bangladesh is used to illustrate how music therapists can embed sustainability principles into their practice. We propose that a commitment to sustainability involve time, collaboration and realistic expectations and that these are relevant throughout the planning and process of programs that work towards the achievement of independent music outcomes. It is our contention that principles of sustainability are essential to contemporary music therapists' practice and warrant further explicit discussion.
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ItemRecommendations for the investigation and delivery of music programs aimed at achieving psychosocial wellbeing benefits in mainstream schools(Australian Society for Music Education, 2014)
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ItemEnabling Tailored Music Programs in Elementary Schools: An Australian Exemplar(Redfame Publishing, 2014-09-30)
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ItemBarriers and Enablers for Implementing Music in Australian Schools: The Perspective of Four Principals(Sciencedomain International, 2015-01-10)