- Reactions of therapist to music as process
Including feelings and thoughts immediately after the session, and reflective comments on the
client’s process. - Client listening
The client comments on the taped improvisation. The therapist records and transcribes the conver-
sation. - Consultant listening
One or several relevant experts comment on the improvisation. The therapist records and tran-
scribes the conversation. - Transcription into notation
Different types of notation are possible, including aural transcription, computer-assisted representa-
tion, and diagrams. - Segmentation into manageable musical components
e.g. according to changes in texture, themes, or tonality. - Verbal description
Concise description of striking or substantial elements. - In-depth analysis of segments and comparison of data
This is the culmination of the analysis. A variety of analytical questions are relevant (pp. 157-165). - Synthesis
Integration of all obtained data, and clinical conclusions pertinent to the information gathered.
It is Lee’s aim to find a balance between musicology and clinical rigor, attempting ”to connect two
separate yet inherently connected worlds; the personal and the musical” (p. 166). His method is pro-
found and elaborate. The progression displays similarities with Ferrara’s eclectic method (this chap-
ter p. 20), in its combination of repeated listening, variable focus, verbal description, analytic scrutiny,
and systematic interpretation.
2.3.7. Forinash (2000): On Listening to Edward
In her article ”On Listening to Edward. I have to wait for the moment that I’m doing the music to figure
out what the meaning is”, Michele Forinash describes a practical application of Ferrara’s approach in
the training of music therapy students’ listening skills.^30
Edward’s desperate cries
For classroom listening with a group of students, Forinash chooses the cassette tape recording of
”Edward”, a well-known case study published by Nordoff and Robbins (1977:23-36), and reprinted
in Nordic Journal of Music Therapy (1998).^31 Edward is a 5 ½ year-old autistic boy, and the tape ex-
cerpts provide striking examples of the therapist’s response to Edward’s violent screaming. In the first
and third sessions, the therapist establishes a dramatic and provocative musical interchange, and this
strategy eventually leads to expressive, intercommunicative singing and playing in the ninth session.
30 Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 2000, 9 (1), 83-96. Forinash’s article is part of an article series, ”Dialogues on the
study of Edward”.
31 Nordic Journal of Music Therapy 1998, 7 (1), 57-64.