Wheeler, B. (Ed.) (2005). Music therapy research.

Shoemark, Helen

Wheeler, B. (Ed.) (2005). Music therapy research. Second edition. Gilsum NH: Barcelona Publishers. US$72. ISBN: 1-891278-26-6

The over-riding impression one has from reading Music therapy research is that every music therapist will need to access it at some point in his or her career. In reviewing this text it may be useful to understand my perspective as a clinician, who completed an experimental study for my Masters (Kansas University 1986) and is mid candidature for a PhD involving a qualitative inquiry for the dissertation (NaMTRU, University of Melbourne).

In the ten years since Barbara Wheeler produced the first edition of Music therapy research: Quantitative and qualitative perspectives, music therapy research has grown exponentially. This is reflected in the diversity of topics and richness of material offered in the new volume. At 41 chapters, in an A4 hardback format, the second edition of Music therapy research may well kill you if you fall asleep reading it in bed! This foreboding format actually belies the user-friendly contents within.

Barbara Wheeler has utilised several devices to promote access throughout the text. The book is formulated into five contained sections--an overview, the research process, types of quantitative research, types of qualitative research and other types of research. Within each section the chapters unfold in a logical process, building the reader's understanding of underpinning and practical issues on each topic. Where viable, the chapters themselves have a common format allowing the readers to skip between chapters to compare features. Some chapters are particularly succinct offering a sharp burst of pithy insight into the topic. Others take time to unfold through rich discussion of complex topics and issues.

There are two further devices which make this text easy to traverse. While each chapter is a self-contained unit, clear links are offered to other relevant chapters. When the reader finds a model or concept that is pertinent to their project, it is easy to develop an understanding across several chapters without always needing to search the index. While building this full picture, the other powerful device is the central use of music therapy research to illustrate concepts. Where a new concept might be difficult to appreciate in the abstract, the music therapy example provides a pertinent illustration.

Twelve authors from outside the USA contribute significant chapters to the book. These authors also enhance their chapters with examples of music therapy research giving us access to research from their own regions and rare access to key research completed in other languages. This helps the reader to access outstanding theses, dissertation, and projects described in key literature outside the dominant journals.

The remainder of this review will overview the five sections. Section one provides a broad framework which could serve a stand alone primer for clinicians and new researchers, but also serves to introduce deeper concepts in subsequent sections of the book. Of particular note is Chapter 2 Developments and issues in music therapy research (Jane Edwards), which provides a useful history of music therapy research, but also a challenge for us to engage intelligently with the international literature.

Chapters 4 and 5 serve as clear indicators of the benefits of the 'cut and dry' quantitative methods we are more accustomed to, and the nebulous and enticing world of qualitative research. The only chapter that seems somehow out of place is Chapter 6 Funding music therapy research but it is difficult to see where this functional chapter might have otherwise been located.

Section 2 provides 14 chapters which outline the processes for creating effective quantitative or qualitative research from topic development through to writing a report. The quality of writing in this section is exemplified by in-depth concept delineation and functional instruction. The opening chapter Research topics and questions in music therapy by Ken Bruscia is an elegant articulation that heralds the pithy content in chapters to come. Chapter 8 Developing a topic provides an exposition of a critical step not often presented in detail. The 'how-to' chapters on reviewing literature (Dileo) and statistical analyses (DeCuir) demonstrate the a fuller potential and finer execution than we often see in such a text. Unfortunately, chapters explaining computer software (13 and 15) will have a short shelf life. QSR International has already released NVivo 7 making the explanation of NVivo 2 redundant.

It was in this section that I re-engaged with an awareness that the language and concepts we use when discussing research are historically derived from our basis in quantitative research. This section provides a primer to expand the reader's vocabulary and conceptual understanding for qualitative research. For the researcher interested in making a shift, chapters on designing research (11), data analysis (14), writing and evaluating qualitative research (17 and 20) may overwhelm the novice, but the music therapy illustrations keep new concepts clearly connected to a reality we already understand.

Sections 3 and 4 are dedicated to quantitative and qualitative methodology respectively. Case study research, in both its quantitative and qualitative forms (chapters 24 and 35 respectively), clarifies essential foundations and components for anyone who is interested in writing about their work. Further chapters on meta-analysis and applied behaviour analysis offer step-by-step instruction so that the independent music therapist could be confident in pursuing such methods.

The twelve chapters of Section 4 herald the burgeoning application of qualitative inquiry. Authors such as Ken Bruscia, Kenneth Aigen, Brynjulf Stige, Carolyn Kenny and several others leave us in no doubt about the rigor of the methods and the significant contribution such studies will make to the quality of music therapy clinical work. The surprises come in an excellent chapter on first person research (Bruscia) which straddles so many parts of clinical work and research, and innovative methods such as morphological research (chapter 34) and arts-based research (chapter 36).

The final section presents just four chapters of intense information on essential topics such as researching music itself and developing theory. These concluding chapters are truly international in nature and elegant in presentation.

This is an essential first text for anyone embarking on music therapy research. The concepts are beautifully presented, but perhaps most powerful of all is the inspiration to be gained by the rich display of music therapy research itself.

Helen Shoemark MME RMT

Neonate & Infant Program, Music Therapy Unit, Royal Children's Hospital

Honorary Research Fellow, Murdoch Children's Research Institute

PhD Candidate, National Music Therapy Research Unit, University of

Melbourne