Overcoming a child’s resistance to attending music therapy sessions calls for creative and innovative new ideas. The use of a dyad has until now primarily been referred to that of parent/child. This paper will describe a case study utilising a dyad consisting of the child plus a friend of the same age and examines the benefits of a young person practicing fundamental social skills with peers, using evidence-based music therapy interventions. Sam* was diagnosed with ASD level 2 in 2020 at age five and commenced music therapy sessions in 2021. Following an assessment period, music therapy objectives were designed to address goals targeting communication and social skills. After approximately one year of successful and progressive 1:1 music therapy, during school time, Sam began to resist attending sessions. The cause of his resistance was discovered to be his unhappiness at missing out on connection with his friends at lunchtimes and in the classroom. To address this, I invited one of Sam’s friends to join in with a session. Sam showed excitement at the prospect of showing a friend what he does in ‘music.’ The following week, a different peer was invited and soon a ‘roster’ was drawn up for a classmate to join Sam at music each week. The friends joined Sam for activities such as active music-making, improvisation and song-writing. Thereafter, both Sam and his chosen friends were enthusiastic to attend music therapy sessions and Sam continued to show exponential progress towards his NDIS goals. The communication and social skills Sam is practicing in sessions with his peers are directly transferable to the classroom and playground and the case study, with recordings and videos presents a new approach that could be used in many diverse situations.

Academic stress has been linked to anxiety, depression, social isolation, low self-esteem, insecurity and even substance abuse in secondary school students. Current research has suggested that music therapy can be an effective approach for reducing academic stress and enhancing coping abilities in adolescent students. Studies have demonstrated that music therapy has a positive impact on brain regions which help to regulate stress and encourage executive functioning skills (i.e. problem solving, critical thinking etc.) for developing coping strategies. This presentation will explore the potential benefits of music therapy in helping adolescent students manage their academic stress. A literature review was conducted to inform this presentation and included journal articles that highlighted adolescents' experiences with academic stress exclusively in a secondary co-education system and assessed the effects of music therapy in managing academic stress. The literature indicated that music therapy is an effective approach toward helping adolescent students manage academic stress and develop coping strategies. Future research may needed to compare the results of single-sex education to co-education for different potential outcomes. Additionally, further investigation may be needed for students who have experienced trauma during childhood or adolescence compared to students who have not experienced trauma.

Nothing exists in isolation. No person, no deed, no desire. Music Therapy practice of course falls into this – no practitioner, participant, goal, or intervention exists in isolation. When looking at supporting our participants, we are often met with the sometimes overwhelming concept of being able to support them in a myriad of ways, with many diverse goals and interventions to meet their needs and desires. We can often question, are these goals valid for music therapy? How do they help support this participant’s health and wellbeing? And even, how do they relate to their NDIS goals? I believe that often we ask ourselves these questions and doubt ourselves as practitioners, when actually, everything interconnects. Every way we interact with our participant and their support people, every intervention we use, every goal we work towards are related to and impact each other. This reality is important to recognise so that we can be intentional in our journey with participants.

Once we have recognised this, we are then invited to be creative in the way we approach working with our participants. With sometimes many and diverse ways that we can support them, creatively thinking about how we use music, instruments, and understanding which interventions support which goals is paramount. Seeing each person not as a sole individual, but existing in their environment and community, we need to support them with flexibility and creativity.

This presentation will share theoretical considerations and practical strategies for working creatively and holistically across the journey with participants, through the lens of an individual music therapy case study. Goals related to connection to past, positive mental health, motor skills, cognition, and connection with others will be discussed along with a diverse range of interventions. However, even these diverse goals and interventions do not exist in a bubble. For this participant, music therapy sessions are often a time of great joy not just for him, but also other people in his home environment, whether they’re directly involved in the session or not and it can impact the way they view the participant. This presentation will therefore encourage RMTs to be flexible and integrated as they support and journey with clients.

The term ‘social singing’, proposed by Fahey et al. (2022), encapsulates the innately interpersonal and emotional connection that occurs when individuals sing together within a group context. As a society music is often used to fulfill several social functions, including social contact, cognition, awareness of empathy, communication, coordination, cooperation and cohesion (Koelsch, S., 2015). Within the context of adult inpatient mental health and rehabilitation, social singing can not only support the biopsychosocial and mental wellbeing of individuals, but also provide a safe, inclusive, and contained space for them to express themselves, form positive social connections, increase or maintain cognitive function and empower them to reclaim their sense of self by acknowledging and developing their ‘voice’.

This poster presentation highlights the benefits of ‘social singing’ within a diverse mental health and rehabilitation setting and outlines the process of establishing a “choir group” QI project to further address the social, mental, emotional, and physiological wellbeing and goals of those experiencing mental ill-health across both acute and rehabilitation services. Furthermore, it presents the lived experiences of individuals attending the group over the past 6 months, and their personal reflections and feedback regarding the benefits of experiencing music therapy within the framework of a “choir group”.

References
Fahey, H., Phelan, H., Clift, S. & Moss, H. (2022) A chorus of voices: social singing and health promotion. Health promotion international, 37(1), i1–i3. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daac033

Koelsch, S. (2015). Music -evoked emotions: principles, brain correlates and implications for therapy. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337, 193–201. https://doi.org/10.1111/nyas.12684

Group music therapy has been shown to improve quality of life and self-esteem in individuals facing serious mental health challenges, as well as providing creative avenues for social connection through singing and songwriting (Grocke et al., 2013). Songwriting, particularly from a recovery perspective, can evoke deep insights into participants’ lived experiences (Kooij, 2009), and even a single session can enhance a sense of agency and hope (Silverman, 2016). Incorporating metaphors within lyric writing enriches the therapeutic songwriting process, as metaphors facilitate meaning-making, reframe challenges, and allow a person to process at a subconscious level (Esparza, 2001).

This e-poster presents the ‘Jar Poetry’ Songwriting Process, tailored for group music therapy in mental health inpatient settings, where single-session interventions are necessary. The process supports recovery by fostering self-expression and social connection. Participants engage in group discussion and creative writing to explore the pairing of a conceptual theme with an imagery-based theme. This process supports them to articulate emotions through lyrics that incorporate metaphor and vivid imagery. Results showed positive mood shifts, enhanced social interaction, and a sense of accomplishment. Themes within the lyrics emerged of support and community, resilience during adversity, shifts in perspective, wisdom, and a recognition of hardship alongside hope. While the ‘Jar Poetry’ process shows promise in enhancing well-being within a single session, further research is needed to validate these findings and explore its long-term benefits.

References

Esparza, D. P. (2001). Therapeutic Metaphors & Clinical Hypnosis. Hypnogenesis - Hypnosis & Hypnotherapy Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2024, from https://hypnos.co.uk/metaphor-esparsa.html


Grocke, D., Bloch, S., Castle, D., Thompson, G., Newton, R., Stewart, S., & Gold, C. (2013). Group music therapy for severe mental illness: a randomized embedded-experimental mixed methods study. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 130(2), 144–153. https://doi.org/10.1111/acps.12224


Kooij, C. (2009). Recovery Themes in Songs Written by Adults Living with Serious Mental illnesses. Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 15(1), 37.


Silverman, M. J. (2016). Effects of Educational Music Therapy on State Hope for Recovery in Acute Care Mental Health Inpatients: A Cluster-Randomized Effectiveness Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01569

So much of the time we read or discuss the theory behind Music Therapy, and the success of programs and research trials, but we rarely get into the details of what actually happened in the sessions. Which songs and instruments are we using? How are we prompting and scaffolding for our clients’ increased participation and learning?

This framework is intended to help RMTs develop an in-depth, systematic approach to singing with clients with speech and language delays. It lays out a system of prompting, establishing goals and useful repertoire, as well as the various ways speech and language delays can present in our clients. This framework highlights and expands upon techniques, such as anticipation and echoes (or call and response), that RMTs might already be using, perhaps in some cases intuitively rather than knowingly. It is not an entirely new technique, but the intentional use of existing techniques in a specific order that has proven consistently successful in my own work.

Navigating competitive soccer with ADHD poses unique challenges for female identifying adults. This pilot study examines the use of calming music as a pre-performance intervention in empowering this demographic. With coaching predominantly led by men, understanding of neurodivergences like ADHD is limited, often resulting in lack of support and potential player exclusion.

This qualitative study explores the subjective experiences of female identifying adults with ADHD regarding the effects of calming music on their soccer performance and emotional regulation. Through semi-structured interviews and surveys, participants diagnosed with ADHD share their perspectives.

Early findings suggest that pre-match exposure to calming music positively influences performance and emotional well-being. Participants report improved emotional regulation, increased confidence, and improved task engagement post-music intervention. Calming music also helps alleviate symptoms of hyperarousal, like anxiety and impulsivity, leading to more focused play.

This pilot study underscores the potential efficacy of calming music as a therapeutic tool for female identifying adults with ADHD in soccer. By addressing emotional and cognitive hurdles associated with ADHD, music therapy emerges as a promising avenue for enhancing athletic performance and overall well-being. The study emphasises the importance of fostering understanding and support within coaching staff to ensure players with neurodivergences are given opportunities to thrive. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore music therapy's broader efficacy.

In this modern era of technological acceleration, there is a need to harness digital innovation opportunities to expand accessibility and inclusivity to the applications many practising music therapists use in their current contexts. Music therapists utilising digital devices may have come up against the barriers to entry of either the costs associated with their purchase or the predatory practices technology companies use to harvest data from participants or use free apps to expose their users to advertising or unwanted content. This presentation proposes the development of a central suite of music therapy applications designed to democratise access to therapeutic resources and empower broader populations. 

By integrating a suite of essential tools for Music Therapists to either use or prescribe for their participants, we can ensure these applications cater to a diverse population and functional level - offering a scalable solution that extends therapy outside of the session, thereby increasing engagement and adherence to any proscribed interventions. 

At the core of this proposal is a user-centric design methodology that fosters active collaboration among music therapists, technologists, and the communities they serve. This approach ensures the applications are not only functional but also relevant to the diverse needs of the users. By fostering an ecosystem of trust and mutual respect, we can create a suite of applications that truly serve the music therapy community, benefiting all stakeholders.

The potential impacts of our proposed suite of applications are far-reaching. By offering an accessible and trustworthy array of tools, we can extend the reach of meaningful music therapy interventions to underserved populations. This not only addresses a significant societal need but also lays a solid foundation for base technology that can support more advanced systems for both users and music therapy researchers.