Exploring music therapists' engagement in personal musicking

Sarah, McLean

Sarah, M. L. (2024). Exploring music therapists' engagement in personal musicking.

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Title	Exploring music therapists' engagement in personal musicking
Abstract	This study explores music therapists’ experiences of personal musicking. The research question is: What role does personal musicking play in the music therapist’s life? Data was collected using individual, semi-structured interviews with five music therapists in the United States. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes using reflexive thematic analysis. Seven themes emerged from the participant transcripts, which were (1) facets of positive musical relationship; (2) personal and professional connections; (3) ways of musicking; (4) music aspirations; (5) hindrances to musical relationship; (6) emotions; and (7) barriers to musicking. Within each theme, three to six subthemes were also identified, totaling 30 subthemes. Participants described a variety of music experiences which contribute to a positive musical relationship though many internal and external factors inhibited their actual ability to engage in musicking as much as they would like or desire. Participants compared their experiences of musicking in clinical spaces with that of their personal musicking, and the boundaries drawn between clinical and personal music were unique to each participant. Implications for the music therapy profession include: considerations of thinking styles and values around different types of musicking; a call for curricula adaptation in music therapy training to encourage musical identity formation via many ways of musicking; and encouragement for practicing clinicians to continue exploring their sense of musicianship to maintain ethical practice and recognize the ways that musicking influences their own health and wellness.
Date	2024

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Title: Exploring music therapists' engagement in personal musicking
Author: McLean, Sarah
Abstract: This study explores music therapists’ experiences of personal musicking. The research question is: What role does personal musicking play in the music therapist’s life? Data was collected using individual, semi-structured interviews with five music therapists in the United States. Interviews were transcribed and coded for themes using reflexive thematic analysis. Seven themes emerged from the participant transcripts, which were (1) facets of positive musical relationship; (2) personal and professional connections; (3) ways of musicking; (4) music aspirations; (5) hindrances to musical relationship; (6) emotions; and (7) barriers to musicking. Within each theme, three to six subthemes were also identified, totaling 30 subthemes. Participants described a variety of music experiences which contribute to a positive musical relationship though many internal and external factors inhibited their actual ability to engage in musicking as much as they would like or desire. Participants compared their experiences of musicking in clinical spaces with that of their personal musicking, and the boundaries drawn between clinical and personal music were unique to each participant. Implications for the music therapy profession include: considerations of thinking styles and values around different types of musicking; a call for curricula adaptation in music therapy training to encourage musical identity formation via many ways of musicking; and encouragement for practicing clinicians to continue exploring their sense of musicianship to maintain ethical practice and recognize the ways that musicking influences their own health and wellness.
Advisor: Hadley, Susan
Committee Members: Miller, Vern
Chambers, Janelle
Date Issued: 2024
Degree Granting Institution: Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania
College of Liberal Arts
Music
Degree Name: Master of Music Therapy (MMT)
Degree Level: Masters Degree
Degree Discipline: Music Therapy
Genre: Dissertation/Thesis
Topics: Music therapists -- United States -- Attitudes
Music therapists -- Mental health -- United States
Copyright Statement: The copyright to this item is owned by the author and falls under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Public License. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)