How musical engagement promotes well-being in education contexts: The case of a young man with profound and multiple disabilities

Abstract

Students with profound intellectual disabilities disorders (IDDs) have the right to participate in educational opportunities that recognize their unique resources and needs, as do all children. Because of their specific communication challenges, positive relationships with attentive communication partners are critical for success. In fact, the power of positive relationships in schools is recognized to be connected to student well-being more broadly. This article examines the case of one young man with profound IDD and his relationship with his music therapist using a duo-ethnographic informed paradigmatic case study. Video analysis based on multi-voice perspectives is used to generate hermeneutic phenomenological findings to closely examine the relationship between a young man with profound IDD and a music therapist. The voices of four allied health researchers were also gathered to inform the authors’ construction of an informed commentary on the phenomenon. The results suggest that the essence lay in a combination of attentive, responsive and creative being with the other person over time. Four principles of musical engagement were identified in the video footage as critical to the meaningful relationships through music: the music therapist listens; the music therapist takes responsibility for structure; spontaneous initiation is sought from the young person; and the relationship is built over time. These concepts are contextualized within a discussion of student well-being that is underpinned by positive relationships and leads to students achieving their full potential within diverse school contexts.

Exploring the literature on music participation and social connectedness for young people with intellectual disability: A critical interpretive synthesis

“…One author discussed having the intention of introducing opportunities for social contacts outside the session (Clarkson, 1991) and one discussed the significance of this step saying:By actively striving to generalize positive experiences of relationships beyond the therapy room, music therapists will be able to make a more significant contribution to the young person’s well-being while simultaneously acknowledging the strong emphasis they place on the development of relationships with (a person) who has profound intellectual disability. (McFerran and Shoemark, 2013: 12)…”

“…Of the five studies, two are contained in (Agrotou, 1998;McFerran and Shoemark, 2013;Warner, 2005). I extracted a reported communicative behaviour from the participant(s) to illustrate voice and in particular one that indicates intentionality for instance:…”

Music therapy with young people who have profound intellectual and developmental disability: Four case studies exploring communication and engagement within musical interactions

“…This statement is in keeping with findings from a recent case study by McFerran and Shoemark (2013). A panel of experts in early childhood development viewed video footage of a music therapist working with a child with profound IDD and identified four principles of musical engagement within the interactions.…”

Untitled

“…[1][2][3] The health sciences have demonstrated how music can be utilized quite practically in caring situations and contexts establishing, for example, its efficacy as a therapeutic and technical tool in medical research, diagnosis and treatment across various clinical specialities including psychiatry, [4,5] audiology and hearing medicine, [6,7] obstetrics and gynaecology, [8][9] oncology, [10,11] palliative and end-of-life care, [12,13] cardiology, [14,15] general surgery, [16,17] and dentistry [18][19]. Moreover they have also focused on its efficacy for treating particular demographic and client cohorts such as children (in neonatology and paediatrics), [20,21] older people (in gerontology and geriatrics), [22,23] and people with physical and intellectual disabilities (in community health) [24,25]. In terms of benefits, it has been argued that through its positive impact on both the body and mind, music can help reduce pain, blood pressure, stress, depression and tiredness, as well as help increase emotional strength and resilience, confidence, contentment, attention and relaxation.…”