Theme and variations: the introduction of commentaries to promote reflection.

Baker, Felicity

As we move towards celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Australian Journal of Music Therapy in 2009, it is exciting to witness the new developments occurring in music therapy research, the contributions to the development of music therapy theory, and new and emerging areas of clinical practice. To date, The Australian Journal of Music Therapy has had a key role in the dissemination of information, providing opportunity for music therapists to reflect upon how the developments in the profession may better inform their own practice. To further stimulate reflection, the current volume and forthcoming volumes of the journal will include commentaries to accompany each of the articles. Here, a researcher or clinician writes a short commentary on the theme of the article as seen from his or her perspective--a variation on the theme. The invited author comments on the article considering issues such as its importance to the field, what it might offer clinicians, how it contributes to the developments in that specific field, and how it might fit or not fit with the invited author's own research or perspectives on practice. I hope that the commentaries provide readers with deeper insights to the themes being addressed.

The four articles in this volume are diverse in their approaches and themes. The first article by Dr. Helen Shoemark and Trish Dearn present research which identifies issues needed to provide effective clinical services with families of hospitalised infants within a family-centred care approach. Dr. Deanna Hanson-Abromeit offers her insights on the need for family-centred approaches. The article by Melina Roberts and Dr. Katrina McFerran examines how music therapy has been reported by the Australian media. Dr. Michael Silverman comments on the article from the perspective of a researcher from the U.S. The third article for this volume is by Melissa Smith. She reports on her study on the use of music as a relaxation tool to reduce anxiety in a highly stressful work environment, with comment by Professor Jaakko Erkkila. The final article by Dr. Barbara Daveson, an experienced clinician and researcher working in neurodisability in the United Kingdom. She presents a meta-model of music therapy for the field of neuro-disability across the lifespan. Her model promotes patient-led and patient-centred care through a model that includes the appropriate choice of restorative, compensatory, or psycho-social-emotional approaches. Dr. Simon Gilbertson provides a commentary on the article.

Felicity Baker, Editor

Australian Journal of Music Therapy

University of Queensland