Experiences of music therapists sharing improvisation remotely during lockdown
Citation
Annesley, L. & Haire, N. (2021) 'Experiences of music therapists sharing improvisation remotely during lockdown', Journal of Music, Health, and Wellbeing, Autumn.
Abstract
Music therapy has faced challenges to practice during lockdown. In this reflexive
study, the authors explored the creative possibilities of multi-tracking as a way of
sharing improvised dialogues. This involved the creation of recorded improvised
‘prompts’, a few minutes in length, which were then ‘answered’ using audio
software. Through reflections which draw on the principles of auto-ethnography,
we seek to describe and explore these experiences and draw meaning from them.
Both authors are improvising musicians, music therapists and music therapy
educators. While the project began as a way of maintaining motivation for
musical activity, affective experiences shared by the authors surfaced the need for
more systematic reflection on the therapeutic and pedagogical potential of the
process.