There is a perception which exists throughout the music therapy community that out of all of the various music therapy approaches, Neurologic Music Therapy (NMT) is the most inflexible, dry and unimaginative. The delivery of NMT is often seen as lacking creativity and responsiveness, instead following step-by-step protocols within strictly-defined interventions. Indeed, the codification of the various NMT interventions into predefined contours may be criticised as restricting the capacity of clinicians to adapt in-real time to their client or pickup on their client’s cues.

Similarly, a question is worth asking regarding whether the focus on functional goal outcomes in NMT naturally leads to a more prescriptive approach to session planning. And, if functional gain is the outcome, will creativity only ever be, at best, a means to that end.

This presentation asks: are these perceptions and critiques accurate? In a conference all about creative journeys, does NMT belong, or is it an outsider?

As someone who uses NMT exclusively in my work, I will be sharing case examples of work in pediatric neurodevelopment. This will include case examples of the NMT techniques: Auditory Perception Training: Sensory Integration, Musical Sensory Orientation Training: Arousal and Orientation and others.

As these case examples are shared, the presentation will aim to thoughtfully examine the role of creativity as a therapeutic force, the level of creativity in the design of the various exercises, and the potential for creativity as a potential goal in its own right. As such, the question of the coherence or otherwise of creativity within NMT will come into focus so that it can be considered in a nuanced and illuminating manner.