Oldfield, A., & Flower, C. (2008). Music therapy with children and their families.
Williams, Kate
Oldfield, A., & Flower, C. (2008). Music therapy with children
and their families. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. 208 pages.
Cost: AUS $47.95
This book, as the introduction claims it to be, is the first to
focus entirely on the use of music therapy with families. Co-editor
Amelia Oldfield is arguably the largest contributor to the published
literature in this field to date, and much has stemmed from her work, as
evidenced by the fact that her publications are cited in almost every
chapter of this book. However, as the introduction also points out, it
is clear that other clinicians have been developing unique work with
families for some time, "away from the limelight" as such, and
many of the chapters document this previously unpublished work.
The book is a collection of ten chapters each by a different author
(including one each from each of the editors), covering a range of
populations including children with learning disabilities, autism and
psychiatric disorders, and children in palliative care, in adopted
families or in state care. The children range in age from toddlers to
adolescents and the family members involved include mothers, fathers,
siblings, grandparents, adoptive and foster parents. The range of
settings include the community, private practice, a mainstream school,
and various clinics. Most chapters describe individual family work, with
a few looking at groups of families. Some authors seem to see the
involvement of family members in a child's music therapy as
innovative, risky and challenging, whilst others appear to have
developed the view that family members are essential to the successful
therapeutic process and an innate part of music therapy. Likewise,
differences occur in how family members are treated within the therapy
room. Some authors view them as co-therapists or partners in the
child's therapy, others describe them as essentially just
'being in the room' whilst the child's therapy happens,
and others still view the parents as clients as much in need as the
child, with some of the therapeutic goals therefore designed to address
the adult and family needs, as well as the child's.
What holds these ten chapters together is the pervasive use of case
study material throughout. Some chapters focus on describing one case in
detail, whilst others use up to three different case vignettes to
illustrate points made. For those readers who love a good yarn and find
stories a useful learning resource, you will appreciate this style. For
readers who would prefer to see more of the theoretical underpinnings of
the work described and would like to gain a more clear understanding of
the methodology or the 'how to' of this work, you may be
disappointed. However, there are some exceptions. Chapter 2 provides a
brief but sound summary of some of the theory underpinning parentchild
music therapy work (e.g. infant directed speech and singing, Trevarthen,
Trainor, Trehub etc). Chapter 3 draws in some useful theory from the
family therapy field on multiple family groups, and Chapter 10 sets out
some models for conceptualizing the different levels of relationships
that may form between therapist, child and family members. Chapter 4 has
a useful summary of the effect of autism on the attachment relationship
between parent and child.
All of the work described is set in the United Kingdom and so the
use of improvisation as the main therapeutic tool is found throughout
the case studies, as would be expected in a country with a strong
history of Nordoff Robbins music therapy. Whilst this does add to the
cohesion of the book, a broad international perspective is missing and a
limited range of interventions are described. However, as a first of its
kind, the book's aim of collecting together rich descriptions of
music therapy work with families from clinicians actually working in the
field has been achieved.
Kate Williams, RMT
Co-National Director, Sing & Grow.
