Ways to Gain Understanding of Music Therapy

There are many methods of music therapy, many ways to gain an understanding of it. And only one of all the ways is the right one: striving for getting knowing more. Looking back to the end of the year 1998 I remember my first research work in psychology about music and its influence on a human: There were too few literary sources to find in a library, limit of time to get the work ready.

Some months later in an international office of State University of Zaporizhzhie I held a list of subjects to choose for guest study at the faculty for Social Services and Public Health according to a new collaborative agreement between State University Zaporozhzhie and University of Applied Sciences Magdeburg-Stendal /Germany/. The task then was to study social work in Germany. But a list of subjects changed everything at once. Theoretical basics of music therapy, group work with music, receptive music therapy, music therapeutical fields of activity sounded much more interesting for me than introduction into the methods of social work, organizing of social work, social safety in EU.

There were lots of recommendations of my home supervisor in psychology about what to look for, what to ask during studying MT, and visiting practical institutions. So my first attempts were to find lists of music to use in therapeutical sessions. A lecturer in music therapy answered, saying me something like: "Everything depends on a concrete situation, on a concrete patient. You can't speak about certain lists of music for certain cases". Searching in libraries I tried to find, what I had to, by myself.

Permanent confrontation with a task to find "treatment programs of music therapy" and a client-centered approach was a quite difficult thing to manage. So my first semester was spent between two different understandings of music therapy and could not get almost anything from lectures: perception was tuned to certain programs in music therapy, and nobody wanted to tell me about them. The new world of music therapy seemed to be like a secret laboratory with a plate above it "No entrance without a code".

Home during my summer holidays, I tried to define this code by analyzing copies of books brought from Germany, drawing a brain with different centers responsible for processing of different sounds. Going home I had had a feeling that I had all I needed for my research work in psychology. But during the next meetings with my home supervisor I understood that all that I could find was not enough. I said to my supervisor: "They do not give me any lists". Together we came to a conclusion that this information was a professional secret of every therapist. So we decided that next semester I had to write down all music which would sound in a classroom during seminars in MT and in clinics during sessions with a hope of getting an understanding of music therapy in this way.

Now when I look at my research work, which was devoted to the theme "Influence of music on emotional-psychical condition of a person," I smile remembering my feeling of wanting to know a secret. In this work many things were analyzed: psycho-physiological influence of rhythm, melody, style of music on a person; auditory and vibration sensation; differences of processing music by right and left cerebral hemispheres; biological reactions of organism on simple and musical sounds, emotional-affective reactions of a human during listening to music, influence of music on conciousness.

With warmth in my heart I remember questions I got during my holidays home like "When are you going to practice MT in clinics of Zaporozhzhie?" "Do you plan to teach MT?" To this time I could hardly say what was going on in music therapeutical sessions. I was only a student and had no idea about my future and my future occupation. I knew only one thing - I had to do a lot to come to understand MT a bit better.

I remember two examples, which were mostly used to start a conversation about MT: increasing of yield of milk because of using music by W.A.Mozart and a bible story about Saul and David.[1] Or sayings like "oh, music therapy, it's great! Sing or play something for me to make me feel better!" All these experiences are unforgettable for me.

After the 2nd and 3d semesters, when I had not only observation but also practical using of methods of music therapy, I got one more time a feeling of having learned a secret. At the same point I also noticed that a 40- minute session sometimes needed more than 2 hours of supervision discussion after it. I realized that some things came to my mind only during speaking about them with an "adult" music therapist.

In 2000, a collaborative project was started. Some more students began their striving to learn to understand music therapy. This way was already much straighter than mine. It was like a new beginning of my own way: the same questions I once had, the same answers from a lecturer I once got. It was like winding off of a film which you have seen earlier. I had been alone in a new world and then my lecturer appeared in a world of Ukrainian understanding of music therapy. I felt support of ideas that I had gotten and was glad that others might get to learn about them.

My first experiences of using methods of music therapy in a clinic in Ukraine were in 2001 and 2002. I had at home neither a co-therapist nor a supervisor to discuss lots of things about working with a group of depressive patients. But a contact with my lecturer in music therapy still remained, I could write some mails to ask questions, speak about some points during his visits at our University.

Client-centered approach was a rather unusual thing at the clinical department where I made my first researches in MT. But everybody tried to help me as she or he only could: physicians, nurses and patients. I came home tired but very happy because I could see good progress. It is still a wonder for me how could it be possible to enjoy so much trust. During defense of a diploma project I was asked questions like "Did you use any equipment to measure the influence of music? " "How can you be sure that exactly music caused positive progresses?" It was like a new test for me.

Working as a lecturer I see how much experience is needed to bear the responsibility we have giving lectures or leading seminars even in psychology: so many students and colleagues could be influenced by our ideas and our work. After being a co-mentor of some research works of our project students I see that the real way of mine has only began, that there is much to do and it could be impossible without further collaboration. It is good to have colleagues in MT and some students of our project with their own points of interest to share this task in the future.

So I have been asked to take part at a seminar giving for social pedagogues working with children with special needs as a voluntary post-graduate short-course recently. The great wish of participants was to learn about music therapy, particularities of using it with children having special needs in mental level, and to get "some exercises" to use them in practical activities. For all these points the organizing staff could offer not more than 30 minutes. After some discussions the conclusion was made that such a thing needs more time and maybe a whole day. So there are plans to try to do it in a nearest future. And I suppose, some day Alena Svatyeva could be the right person for making a short presentation of her experiences and giving examples which could illustrate that this theme needs even more than one day to touch upon.

Some time ago, our project student Tatyana Tyby presented to an examining committee her final work in social psychological rehabilitation with music and had to give an answer on following statement: "All this sounds great and how could you prove that it was music which caused changes? Did you use any methods for measuring musical influence?"

Every of us have her or his own ways to get to understanding of things, not every of us has enough experiences, but sometimes there are similar points and we can join efforts to give common ideas more chances for development of Music Therapy in Ukraine.

Notes

[1] 1 Saul, the king of Israel, was unhappy in his palace and felt very bad because of evil spirits. He told his servants to find someone who could play the harp well and the music would make the king feel better. David came to the king's palace. when he played his harp, Saul felt much better and the evil spirits left him. 1 Samuel 16:14-23, Old Testament.