A Qualitative Research Approach to Analytical Music Therapy

Abstract

Qualitative research approaches appear to be promising in providing insight into interventions in music therapy that are determined by all participants' subjectivity, intuition, and wholeness. Using the procedure of triangulation (pa­ tient, therapist, independent describers), this article illus­ trates an interactive method of analyzing music therapy that is consistent with the treatment. The starting point is the concept of the resonator function that describes all par­ ticipants' capacity to perceive the elements of the improvi­ sation that are emotional and that characterize the patient's relationships. Then, from the musical notations and the descriptive accounts provided by the participants, induc­ tive qualities and motifs are compared to the clinical case study. In this research process, methodological results from qualitative social research can be helpful. What really takes place when music therapy goes on? What is specific to music therapy? What are the conditions and factors that make music therapy effective? In order to answer these questions, methods must be developed that meet the specific requirements of clinical practice. The therapeutic processes within music ther­ apy are determined by highly subjective factors in the very inti­ mate sphere of joint music-making. Investigating such processes 59