Main description:

Rick Soshensky presents a groundbreaking introduction to music's power to heal and transform, weaving collections of uplifting case studies from music therapy practices with ideas from spiritual traditions, philosophies, psychological theorists, and music therapy theorists and researchers. Going beyond just theoretical and clinical information, The Music Therapy Studio centers the stories and experiences of people with disabilities-marginalized people for whom the world allows little time or place but whose extraordinary musical journeys teach us about the unseen depths and indomitably of the human spirit.

In conversational language, Soshensky uses these stories to introduce the concept of the music therapy studio and to investigate core concepts in music-centered approaches to music therapy, where the experience of music as a creative art with clients has intrinsic value that supersedes diagnostic labeling and behavioral goal-setting. The result is a unique and inspiring book that leads us towards a deeper understanding and appreciation of music therapy and music's spiritual benefits.

Contents:

Foreword by Jon Samson

Preface

Part I: Music Therapy Studio: The Foundation

Introduction: Welcome to the Studio

Alan: A Search for Competence

What Makes It Therapy?

Connection, Communication, Expansion

Unconditional Acceptance

Commitment

Generalization

Chapter 1: My Journey into Music Therapy

What is the Relationship Between "Typical" Musicianship and Music Therapy?

Oh, Yeah, My Sister Has a Relaxing Music App: Misunderstanding Music Therapy

Backstory: So You Want to Be a Rock & Roll Star

Paradigm Shift: My Discovery of Music Therapy

Back to School: Well, Not So Fast

William: Unforgettable

Clinician: Who, Me?

Life is Dukkha

Chapter 2: Music Therapy Studio

Activities of Musicians

Which Way Do We Go

Digging the Well

The Four Experiential States of Music Therapy

Beyond Entertainment

The Socio-Political Impetus of Music as Therapy

Love Me for Who I Am

Genius, Prophet, Patient

Daniel: Heaven and Earth

The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind.

Noel: To Make a Better World for All to See

Chapter 3: Sacred Space

The Music Room

Holding Space

Interactive Space

Akasha

Chapter 4: Lessons from Nordoff-Robbins

The Music Child

The Musical Form Itself is the Intervention

We Are Here to Work

Indexing and Assessment

Mutuality

The Archetypal Aspects of Music

Changes in Musical Expression are Seen as Significant Changes in Self

Living in the Creative Now

A New Moral Reality

Thomas: Being in Music

Part II: Music Therapy Studio: The Framework

Chapter 5: Instruction and Practice

Practice, Practice, Practice. Then Forget All That and Just Wail

Susannah: Facing the Challenges of Autism

BioNeuro Music Therapy

We All Learn from Each Other

James: Broken Brain

Chapter 6: Jamming

Improvisation: Playing Without Memory

David: The Healing Power of Coltrane's "Giant Steps"

Owen: A Beautiful Connection

Idiom and Archetype

Facilitating Risky Interaction: Giving Permission to Express What's There

Clinical Aesthetics: The Systems Model of Creativity

Danielle: Not So Tough

Chapter 7: Composing

"Songwriting? What Do I Know About Songwriting?"

JeanMarie: Family

Songs as Personal Mythology

George: Speechless

Chapter 8: Performing & Recording

What You Say Here, Stays Here. What You Play Here Well, That Might Go Somewhere

Hey Gang, Let's Put On a Show!

Public Expression as Therapy: Essential Questions

Community Music Therapy

Director/Producer/Music Therapist: Whose Work is This, Anyway?

Darryl: I Was Alone

Together We Dream - Together We Heal

Some Benefits of a Recording Project in a Post-Acute Rehab Setting We Can (Hopefully) All Agree Upon

Censorship

John: Set Me Free!

Community Reverberations

Chapter 9: Goals

Ronnie: Hello, Goodbye

There is No Such Thing as Resistance, Only Imperfect Communication

What Are We Looking For?

Therapist - 1, Client - 0: Documenting Measurable Behavior.

The Elements of Well-Being

Flow and the Elements of Well-Being

Documenting the Elements of Well-Being

Adapting the Elements of Well-Being

If You Don't Know Where You're Going, You Might Not Get There

Chapter 10: Ritual

The Children's Performance Group: Redefining Expectations

God Bless America: It Almost Didn't Happen That Way.

Music Contains Magic

Clinical Paradigm Shift

Part III: Music Therapy Studio: The Philosophy

Chapter 11: Transcendance

The Famous Double Slit Experiment

And That's Not All

Far Out, Man But What Does This Have to Do with Music Therapy?

Attractor Patterns

David Hawkins's Levels of Consciousness

I'm Picking Up Good Vibrations: Practical Applications

Expression vs. Depression: Shifting the Directionality of Life Energy

The Transcendence of Individual Identity: The Whole Universe is Singing

Rose: Set the Artist Free

Chapter 12: Curing Versus Healing

Akashic Records: Nothing is Irrevocably Lost but Everything is Irrevocably Stored

You Are the Universe

Die and Be Again

No Axe to Grind

Can I Change All the Darkness and Misery in the World? No. Can I Bring Music Into Those Places? Yes

And That's All I Have to Say About That

References