Postgraduate Training in Music Therapy Research in Aalborg University: An International Enterprise
By Lars Ole Bonde
Motivation: The prize is given "for having developed music therapy in Denmark to a broadly scoped, research based profession with a strong international reputation, and for having made a contribution to enhancing the perspectives of humanistic research by building a bridge between the humanities and health care science."
From 1997 to 2010, Professor Tony Wigram was Head of what was then called "The Graduate School of Music Therapy Research" (from 2009 "The Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy"). In those years he transformed a small Scandinavian research training network into a full-scale international and worldwide acknowledged program where young as well as mature clinicians from four continents have learned their research skills and defended their research projects. With 26 students in 2011, the program is now the largest music therapy research training program in the world.
This article presents a brief history of the training program and reports from an empirical study of how 13 PhD students (graduated between 1998 and 2005) disseminated their research.
Until 1993, researcher training of music therapists in Aalborg was an individual enterprise, with only one candidate (Barba Zimmermann Friis) graduating (1994). In 1993 music therapy was acknowledged as one of two PhD programs in the (at the time) Department of Music and Music Therapy. In the same year, Associate Professor Inge Nygaard Pedersen received a three-year grant from the Nordic Research Academy (NorFa) to build a Nordic Network of Music Therapy Research. The creative and intense work of the network took place in seminars at beautiful old castles, and the results are documented in a report (Pedersen & Mahns, 1996). Among the guest teachers were David Aldridge, Ken Bruscia and Daniel Stern; the quality was very high from the beginning. Colleagues from the Nordic training programs in music therapy participated together with a small group of students, including Niels Hannibal and Ulla Holck who both received full stipendiates, and Torben Moe, Wolfgang Mahns and Gudrun Aldrigde who first studied on a scholarship basis and had their last year of study fully financed. Inge Nygaard Pedersen was the formal leader of the PhD program/Network for the first three years, assisted by Lars Ole Bonde and Tony Wigram.
In 1997, Tony was named head of the program, and from then on, The Graduate School of Music Therapy Research at Aalborg University grew into something very special. He managed to get huge grants to develop the program, first in 1997, later in 2004 and also in 2010. Regular PhD courses, supervisor training, and post.doctoral. support were parts of the recipe. The list of guest teachers and examiners (Wigram, 2007) is a true "Who's Who" of leaders in the field, and quality control was secured through the involvement of an international board.
The list of the first 16 completed and defended dissertations show some of the characteristics of the program: students from many countries, a mixture of young talents and more mature students, a broad range of clinical areas and issues, and process as well as effect studies.
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Mahns, W. (D) (1998). Symbol development in analytical music therapy with children. (written in German) Aldridge, G.(D) (1998). The development of a melody in the context of improvisational music therapy (written in German) Hannibal, N. (DK) (2001). Preverbal transference in music therapy (written in Danish) Moe, T. (DK) (2001). Restitutional factors in group music therapy with psychiatric patients, based on modified GIM (written in Danish) Holck, U. (DK) (2002). 'Commusical' interplay in music therapy. Qualitative video analyses of musical and gestural interactions with children with severe functional limitations, including children with autism. (written in Danish) Aasgaard, T. (N) (2002). Song Creations by Children with Cancer - Process and Meaning. Elefant, C. (Isr) (2002). Enhancing Communication in Girls with Rett Syndrome Through Songs in Music Therapy. Ridder, H. M.(DK) (2003). Singing Dialogue. Music therapy with persons in advanced stages of dementia. A case study research design. Gold, C. (A) (2003). An analysis of long-term music therapy intervention with mentally ill children and adolescents in Austria. Baker, F. (Aus) (2004). The effects of song singing on the affective intonation of people with traumatic brain injury. Garred, R. (N) (2004). Dimensions of dialogue: an inquiry into the role of music and of words in creative music therapy. Backer, J. D. (B) (2005). Music and psychosis: the transition from sensorial play to musical form by psychotic patients in a music therapeutic process. Bonde, L. O. (DK) (2005). The Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (BMGIM) with Cancer Survivors. A psychosocial study with focus on the influence of BMGIM on mood and quality of life. Kim, J. (Kor) (2006). The Effect of Improvisational Music Therapy on Joint Attention Behaviours in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Odell-Miller, H. (UK) (2007). The Practice of music therapy for adults with mental health problems: The relationship between diagnosis and clinical method. Pedersen, I. N. (DK) (2007). Counter transference in music therapy. |
The first 13 projects were included in my study of how this research was disseminated and what careers the researchers had after their defense. If we take the last question first, it becomes clear that the PhD study had a significant influence on the researchers' status.
1 researcher (Mahns) left music therapy and became head master of a German public school 1 researcher (Moe) continued as a clinician, with support and new options for research 2 researchers (Backer, Bonde) were already university professors and continued as such 9 researchers (the rest) obtained fulltime or part-time positions at music therapy training programs in 4 countries (Denmark, Norway, Germany, Australia) If the last three of the 16 are included the numbers according to category are: 1 / 1 / 4 / 10 |
Based on information from the 13 researchers plus databases, I have documented how and where the researchers have disseminated and presented parts of their research, both during their PhD training and after their defense. The following table illustrates publications and other forms of dissemination after the defense.
| n=13 | Books | Pdf.- public | Articles with PR | Chapters with PR | Articles other | Chapters other | Conference present | Other |
| Year 1 | 0 | 9(7) | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 21 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 31 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 12 | 6 | |
| Year 4 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | |
| Year 5+ | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 3 | |
| Total | 4 | 11 (9) | 27 | 24* | 11 | 12 | 86 | 26 |
| Mean | 0,31 | 0,85 | 2,08 | 1,85* | 0,85 | 0,92 | 6,62 | 2 |
In column 1 each year after the defense is given. In 2007, for some candidates 10 years had passed since their defense, for others only two. Therefore, the numbers in rows 3,4 and 5+ would increase with the inclusion of entries after 2007.
Column 2 indicates how many dissertations that were published as books (more or less revised).
Column 3 indicates how many dissertations were publicly available for download in 2007. (It was always Tony's policy that dissertations should be accessible from the homepage).
Column 4 gives the number of articles published in journals with peer review.
Column 5 gives the number of chapters or articles in peer-reviewed books.
Column 6 and 7 give the number of publications without peer review .
Column 8 gives the number of presentations (keynotes, papers, posters) in national and international conferences. Column 9 indicates presentations in public media (radio, TV, newspapers etc.).
The list is quite impressive, and Tony was satisfied with the efforts of his students, who also published during their enrollment and continued to do so after 2007.
Some conclusions related to the tables presented here:
- A PhD project in music therapy at AAU has an "afterlife" of a minimum of 2-5 years
- The research is disseminated in articles and chapters, and in some cases as books, mainly in acknowledged journals and publishing houses
- Oral presentations are given mainly at national and international conferences
- The "average" candidate has published the dissertation as a pdf.file with public access and written 4 peer reviewed and 2 other articles/chapters. Presented at 6-7 conferences and in a few other media.
- Most candidates obtain (or maintain) academic positions
Until 2009, the PhD completion rate was 100% (and only a few students have left the program since) - a fact that Tony was rightfully proud of. He explained it as an effect of the demanding as well as inspiring and supportive milieu, of which he was not only the head but also the heart. Also PhD students from programs in other countries have benefited from their visits to Aalborg. Tony was inclusive and welcomed guests.
The Danish Research Council of the Humanities (FKK) did not know the statistics presented here when the music therapy research milieu in 2007 was awarded the prize as "The most dynamic humanistic research milieu of the year. "Tony decided that the prize (100.000 DKK) should be used to produce a DVD demonstrating and documenting music therapy in Denmark in theory and practice – as an evidence-based form of treatment. The DVD was published in 2010.
Tony's last triumph was a grant of 1.600.000 Euro to finance mobility stipends in music therapy. This meant the enrollment of 9 new PhD students in 2010. Tony's legacy will live on for many years.
References
Mahns, W. & Pedersen, I.N. (1996) NorFa Network in Music Therapy. Aalborg: Aalborg University
Wigram, T. (2007). Doctoral Research School in Music Therapy, Aalborg University. In Ridder, H.M. (Ed.) Musikterapiuddannelsen 25 år. Festskrift. Aalborg: Aalborg University, p. 73-77.
