Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Research Publications
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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.