Music Therapy 1: Fundamentals

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• theoretical concepts from developmental psychology and psychoanalysis that have and continue to influence music therapy practice.
• key characteristics and formal procedures involved in traditional music therapy practice.
• the application of music analysis in a clinical setting.

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• discuss the purpose and application of music therapy in a wide range of settings.
• apply observational and analytical skills to clinical and non-clinical settings, explaining how music is acting as a therapeutic agent.
• understand the methods and techniques utilised by practitioners and their theoretical origin.

A series of topics will be presented over the semester with each topic exploring a different aspect of music therapy or client group. Video and audio case studies will be used to demonstrate the application of music therapy and allow discussion. Examples of topics that may be explored include:

 Who music therapy is accessible to

 Why music is used in therapy; how it works

 Where music therapy is used and when it might be appropriate

 The different music therapy approaches used in different settings

 How music therapy developed as a profession

 Developmental theory that underpins music therapy techniques

 Psychoanalytical theory that underpins music therapy techniques

 Therapeutic characteristics of community music projects

Examples of specific client groups considered and analysed include:

 Adults with learning disabilities

 Children with learning disabilities (including Autistic Spectrum Disorder)

 Adults with dementia

 Children who have experienced emotional abuse

 Children with behavioural difficulties

 Adults with mental health difficulties

 Children in palliative care

Teaching methods include:

 Lectures

 Workshops

Learning activities include:

 Individual study

 Library-based research

 On-line based research

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Group presentation

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Verbal feedback from the tutor and peer assessment will be utilised for the formative assessment. Students can request to see their exam script/comments and discuss these with the module tutor.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: Yes

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.