Music is an underutilized resource for research in the social sciences. This article presents examples of musical elicitation methods that were used within a study that explored how adolescents who were referred to group music therapy for aggression produced meanings of aggression through the therapeutic process. The study was conducted within a poststructuralist paradigm, particularly using the theoretical thinking tools of Deleuze and Gergen. The elicitation methods discussed include drumming, creating images during music listening, and songwriting. The article argues for the role of musical elicitation methods particularly within research that values a radical relational stance that allows participants to comfortably territorialize the research encounter, and in light of considering the transformative potential of research itself.
This study explored the lived experiences of teenagers in a children’s home who participated in a choir that was facilitated from a community music therapy perspective in Pretoria, South Africa. Sixteen weekly choir sessions were held. These included a variety of interactive vocal
techniques. A performance marked the end of the process, where songs selected by the teenagers were performed. Qualitative data were collected through fourteen semi-structured individual interviews at the end of the process. All interview transcripts were analysed through utilizing interpretative
phenomenological analysis. The study concluded that participation in this community music therapy choir offered the teenagers perceived meaningful intra- and interpersonal experiences. At an intrapersonal level, the participants experienced discovering their musical voices; accessing inner
strength to take action both in the here-and-now and in the future; increased self-awareness, self-esteem and self-confidence; as well as expressing and regulating emotions. In terms of interpersonal experiences, the teenagers experienced growth in relationships; improved social skills; and
greater connection with the broader community.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.