What is music ‘for’ in schools? This compendium of current practice by music therapists in the UK describes a gamut of musical activities, designed largely for non-musical ends, in a variety of settings. The book provides a lucid overview of the music therapy profession at work in schools and with school-aged children at the beginning of the 21st century. Whilst the 13 chapters are written by different music therapists, working with different types and ages of clients, there is still an overall unity of approach. The chapters take the same shape. Environment, ways of establishing the relationships with parents and professionals, the canon underpinning work, then the details of the actual musical interaction in vivid vignettes make up most of the text. The interpretation of the impact of this endeavour is more varied. The broad picture painted is of clarity through the detailed training of musicians and then mutual support within the profession. The book charts the blossoming of music therapy in the UK, initiated by pioneers in the 1960s and 1970s, with the work in schools by Nordoff and Robbins and then the establishment of the first music therapy course by Juliet Alvin.
Most of the work so clearly and simply described is with individual pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN), a term defined by the Warnock report in 1978. The music therapy profession considers itself young. Its pioneering zest is shown by most authors setting up the work described from scratch, needing to secure trust, and funding. Music education for all and music therapy have similar life spans (Lloyd, Reference LLOYD2003, Reference LLOYD2008). Much musical activity in special schools is similar to music therapy sessions, particularly in groups, rather than one to one. Improvisation is the root of most musical interaction. It is in the interpretation of the music-making where music therapy makes a unique contribution to child development and well-being. As Williams writes: [it is] ‘the ability on the part of the practitioner to sustain an improvised musical encounter which is used in appropriate and effective ways.’ (p. 11). One large difference, however, emerges: music therapy reaches only a few pupils whereas music education is currently a statutory entitlement for all pupils up to the age of 14.
The first four chapters involve work by Rosscornes and Davies, and O'Neill, with nursery-aged children – some with severe learning difficulties, some with autism, some with behavioural and emotional difficulties – with group play as well as one-to-one sessions. Some work fosters the bond between parent and child. Achenbach writes that for children ‘music therapy offers a robust and trustworthy setting in which their responses, behaviours and emotions can be contained and accepted’ (p. 53). The last nursery chapter, by Bruce and High, describes the responses to video clips of one-to-one sessions of mainly vocalisation and clapping by the speech and language therapist, physiotherapist, class teacher and her mother who were asked to comment particularly on what related to their specific role and what was different. The complex world of a student with complex needs! After lists of professional input, one can appreciate the class teacher's straightforward comment about music therapy where ‘everyone can just be’ (p. 72). The professionals comment only on non-musical benefits, but it is a mother who notes that music has always been important to her child and that in music therapy her daughter has ‘got control – that's why she likes it’ (p.74).
Hall eloquently describes how being a music therapist expands her work as a music teacher, whilst being full-time in her all-aged special school enables her to know all the children well and facilitates liaison with all staff, particularly other therapists. Brackley, in her work with children with behavioural difficulties, gives the fullest analysis of the therapeutic element, as she deliberates on how far the therapist should go in reflecting anger expressed by clients. The role of her own clinical supervisor is acknowledged. Tomlinson furthers this. She takes just one element of her work – ‘imitative and reflective responses’ (p. 104) – analysing the literature and then illustrating this with her own detailed vignette. Harrison is building on the pioneering work of the Abbotsons started in 1984 with their music therapy bus complete with then state-of-the-art music technology. Her group work is linked to progress mainly in verbal communication.
The variation between working methods with pupils with no verbal understanding and those where music-making and language are combined is shown in the three chapters working with older children. The dichotomy between music being directly therapeutic and music as the medium for psychotherapy is addressed in various asides in this book. That the two most common other therapies in special schools – physiotherapy and speech and language therapy – are direct therapies, muddies the waters for music therapists in schools, resulting in little discussion of measurable outcomes. Music therapy in schools is, however, inspected by OFSTED and favourable reports are quoted. McTier works with students who have a lack of ‘emotional security and stability’ (p. 155). He uses the double bass as a foundation to improvisation. Casey in a hospice and Derrington in ‘the Garage’ both use pop music the students bring and music technology. Derrington has adopted DVD, used by most writers in this book, as the medium for her students to record and then analyse their own work. She has also designed accreditation for her clients, outlined in an appendix.
All elements – context, client type, musical interaction, analysis – are presented as having difficulties to be overcome by Diamond in her work with pupils in Northern Ireland. The pervading hostility, and the perception that no one can be neutral, extends to the music therapists themselves, labelled by what kind of drums they use. Fear makes improvisation too free a starting point. Hearts and minds, though, are won through the music sessions. Smiles and trust ensue. Diamond generalises from this unique work, concluding that music therapy in ‘communities where there is a high level of fear and mistrust’ (p. 150) has great benefits.
Strange starts his chapter with detailed analysis of work in a further education college. Working with students with profound difficulties, he sees music as therapy, picking up as many musical gestures from the group members as he can. Using his compositional skills, he weaves the threads given by participants into a musical garment. He gives the clearest account of group dynamics, focusing on the impact of the support staff, mentioning their own therapeutic needs.
Whilst the chapters fit together to make a coherent snapshot of current practice, a rather more detailed introduction would aid the general reader in distinguishing between what is continuity and what is innovation. That damaged young people can be freed by working in an untainted medium, music, whilst being provided with both a safety net and reinforcement by the therapist, is evident on every page. Those without power are empowered. Any expression is turned into communication. There is freedom not available in much of the rest of the school day, time for play, time for free ‘conversation’. That the music therapist has time also for detailed analysis, building a musical vocabulary with clients over time, must be part of the success.
The music therapists’ journeys are most clearly described in this book. A wealth of detail is observed in movement, gesture and music-making, of the moment. That these activities are bubbles of great worth in pools of uncertainty on shifting sand is clear, not least from the precarious ways many sessions are funded. In the foreword, Williams urges those who allocate budgets, who may consider cutting funding to music therapy, to read this book before deciding. To what extent this book enables that to be done based on faith in what is largely only the music therapist's judgement is questionable. This is part of the larger debate on the value of music in education for largely non-musical purposes.
