Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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ItemUnderstanding sustainability in school arts provision: stakeholder perspectives in Australian primary schools(Routledge - Taylor & Francis, 2018)Although the notion of sustainability is popular in rhetoric associated with arts programmes in Australian schools, shared meanings are lacking. References to sustainability may be rooted in any combination of pragmatic, economic and/or health bases. We chose to investigate what stakeholders involved in the provision of school-based arts practices understood about the notion of sustainability in the specific context of those programmes. To do this we interviewed a range of school professionals and asked them to explain how sustainability related to arts programmes in their schools. In this article we present the particular elements that stakeholders described as being sustainable. Five categories emerged through inductive analysis that included: benefits for students, benefits for the schools, the arts programmes themselves, physical artefacts, and the capacity for schools to provide arts experiences. Notable were descriptions of sustainability from several schools that saw ongoing programmes as less important than brief arts experiences that students could carry into other areas of their life. Results illustrate the diversity of understandings about what should be sustained from arts engagement for 27 professionals in Australian Catholic Primary Schools. An ‘exposure’ model of arts programmes is articulated that captures the sustainable benefits beyond sustained involvement in and provision of arts programmes in primary schools.
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ItemImprovising Using Beat Making Technologies in Music Therapy with Young People(Oxford University Press, 2019-03-01)This article offers insights into using various music technologies associated with beat making culture in music therapy improvisation groups. Discussion regarding the use of music technology in music therapy practice dates back several decades, yet practical resources to help therapists implement this technology in everyday practice remains relatively limited. With the increasing centralisation of beat making in youth cultures and mainstream popular music, the use of beat making equipment is also becoming a more common part of music therapy practice. This article presents three music therapy improvisation procedures that use music technology and locate this technology within the traditions and aesthetics of beat making culture. To do so, the paper draws on our experiences setting up a beat making laboratory to trial different electronic methods in therapeutic groups and to teach music therapy graduate students basic beat making techniques for practice settings. We discuss the benefits and challenges of each procedure and present several practical recommendations. The procedures and recommendations offered do not aim to represent a comprehensive or exhaustive model of what is possible. Rather, they are intended as starting points to help practitioners imagine the multitude of possibilities that beat making and music technology can offer music therapy and the clients the discipline exists to serve.
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ItemArts programs in schools : Seven models and a decision-making matrix for school leaders(Australian Council for Educational Leaders, 2019-09-01)The provision of arts programs in Australian schools is diverse. Studies of music have shown that the quality of music education in private schools is high and well resourced, but in government-funded schools there is greater variation with schools in some states offering little to no embedded programs. Because the arts are not considered core, school leaders have the freedom and responsibility to determine how much, how often, and what kinds of programs should be offered. Without mandated guidelines, our research shows that this is often influenced by leaders' personal experiences of music in their history or family context. School leaders have also described needing to overcome significant barriers in order to justify the provision of programs. Further complicating the picture are the varying views held by school leaders and staff about exactly which benefits arts programs afford. While most agree on the intrinsic value related to artistic skills and creativity more generally, some are less sure about additional benefits such as psychosocial wellbeing benefits or community building, with a diversity of perspectives also reflected in policy documents.
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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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ItemShifting the Focus to Teachers: A New Approach for Music Therapists Working in Schools(OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2023-05-06)Abstract This paper presents a new approach for music therapists in schools wishing to support the work of teachers. This music therapy approach is underpinned by theoretical resources drawn from community music therapy and a critical inclusive approach to education. Illustrative examples of the first authors’ music therapy practice as part of a teacher professional learning program, Music for Classroom Wellbeing, are offered. Two practice principles, “focus on the teacher” and “enable sharing,” are presented to provide a framework for music therapists striving to support teachers. Following these principles may allow teachers to grow their musicality, teaching, and self-care practices. This paper concludes with implications of reframing the focus of music therapy practice with teachers for other music therapists working in the current performance-driven schooling system.
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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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ItemThe importance of passionate individuals for navigating school arts provision in 19 Australian schools(SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2023-04)Arts programs are increasingly recognized for their role in promoting student development and cohesive school communities. Yet, most Australian schools are left to navigate a landscape characterized by shifting policy goals and external providers of diverse quality and intent. Drawing on interviews with 27 stakeholders from 19 Catholic primary schools in Melbourne, Australia, we explored key approaches to arts provision in this context, and conditions that hinder and support it. Approaches varied markedly, from school-wide programs embedded across the curriculum, to one-off incursions. Conditions consistently affecting provision ranged from leadership support to a community’s view of the arts. Programs regularly relied on individuals passionate about arts to go beyond their paid roles, yet this frequently jeopardized sustainability. Overall, the approaches identified, and conditions affecting their sustainability, reveal a lack of value for school arts at policy and administration levels. This lack of value is not demonstrated in the provision of other traditional school activities like math or literacy, which begs consideration by policymakers and school administrators.
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ItemWhat About the Teacher? A Critical Interpretive Synthesis on Literature Describing Music Therapist/Teacher Consultation in Schools(Universtity of Bergen Library, 2020-02-25)This article presents findings from a critical interpretive synthesis of the literature pertaining to music therapist teacher support. Descriptions of music therapists providing support to teachers were identified in 40 publications and subject to a process of critical interrogation. Through this process, three tensions were identified that had the potential to impact negatively on teachers’ sustainment of outcomes from the music therapist teacher support experience. These included the challenge of a prevailing focus on students rather than teachers, an underlying tension between descriptions of education and therapy, and a lack of teacher-driven learning intentions. Within the following paper we argue for a shift from a focus on the needs of students to the agency of teachers to maximise possibilities for achieving sustained outcomes from future music therapist teacher support programs. We further propose widening the scope of music therapist support in schools to better align with the professional role of teachers.
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ItemNo Preview AvailableGroup Music Therapy as a Preventive Intervention for Young People at Risk: Cluster-Randomized Trial(OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC, 2017-07-01)BACKGROUND: Music forms an important part of the lives and identities of adolescents and may have positive or negative mental health implications. Music therapy can be effective for mental disorders such as depression, but its preventive potential is unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether group music therapy (GMT) is an effective intervention for young people who may be at risk of developing mental health problems, as indicated via unhealthy music use. The main question was whether GMT can reduce unhealthy uses of music and increase potentials for healthy uses of music, compared to self-directed music listening (SDML). We were also interested in effects of GMT on depressive symptoms, psychosocial well-being, rumination, and reflection. METHODS: In an exploratory cluster-randomized trial in Australian schools, 100 students with self-reported unhealthy music use were invited to GMT (weekly sessions over 8 weeks) or SDML. Changes in the Healthy-Unhealthy Music Scale (HUMS) and mental health outcomes were measured over 3 months. RESULTS: Both interventions were well accepted. No effects were found between GMT and SDML (all p > 0.05); both groups tended to show small improvements over time. Younger participants benefited more from GMT, and older ones more from SDML (p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: GMT was associated with similar changes as SDML. Further research is needed to improve the processes of selecting participants for targeted interventions; to determine optimal dosage; and to provide more reliable evidence of effects of music-based interventions for adolescents.