Understanding and articulating the processa and meaning of collaboration in participatory music

326 Pages·2014·4.23 MB·English

by  Lucy Bolger

UNDERSTANDING
 AND
 ARTICULATING

THE
 PROCESS
 AND
 MEANING

OF
 COLLABORATION

IN

PARTICIPATORY
 MUSIC
 PROJECTS

WITH
 MARGINALISED
 YOUNG
 PEOPLE

AND
 THEIR
 SUPPORTING
 COMMUNITIES

LUCY
 BOLGER

Submitted
 in
 total
 fulfilment
 of
 the
 requirements
 of
 the
 degree
 of

Doctor
 of
 Philosophy

September
 2013

Faculty
 of
 VCA
 and
 MCM

University
 of
 Melbourne
ii

Declaration

This is to certify that:
• The
 thesis
 comprises
 only
 my
 original
 work
 towards
 the
 PhD,

• Due
 acknowledgement
 has
 been
 made
 in
 the
 text
 to
 all
 other
 material
 used,

• The
 thesis
 is
 fewer
 than
 100
 000
 words
 in
 length,
 exclusive
 of
 tables,
 maps,

bibliographies
 and
 appendices.

Signed:

Name:

  Lucy
 Elizabeth
 Bolger

Date:

  February
 12,
 2014
iii

Abstract

Participatory
 approaches
 are
 increasingly
 emphasised
 in
 music
 therapy,

advocating
 collaboration
 with
 participants
 for
 empowerment
 and
 social
 change.

Participatory
 philosophy
 underpins
 Community
 Music
 Therapy
 (CoMT)
 and
 is
 the

theoretical
 framework
 for
 the
 study
 presented
 in
 this
 thesis.

 To
 date,
 CoMT

theorists
 have
 advocated
 strongly
 for
 participatory
 approaches
 in
 music
 therapy

to
 promote
 health
 and
 wellbeing
 in
 communities
 (Stige,
 Andsell,
 Elefant
 &

Pavlicevic,
 2010;
 Stige
 &
 Aaro,
 2012),
 and
 a
 growing
 number
 of
 case
 study

examples
 offer
 contextual
 examples
 of
 participatory
 practice
 in
 music
 therapy.

Whilst
 collaboration
 is
 frequently
 referred
 to
 as
 an
 underlying
 principle

and
 feature
 of
 participatory
 music
 therapy
 practice,
 there
 is
 a
 notable
 lack
 of

literature
 that
 practically
 examines
 the
 process
 of
 collaboration
 with
 communities

beyond
 single
 case
 examples,
 or
 the
 meaning
 of
 that
 collaboration
 for
 the

community
 participants
 themselves.

 Rolvsjord
 (2010)
 has
 identified

collaboration
 in
 music
 therapy
 as
 a
 shared,
 dialogic
 process
 of
 negotiation

between
 music
 therapist
 and
 participants
 that
 is
 characterised
 by
 equality,

mutuality
 and
 active
 participation
 in
 decision-­‐making.

 In
 CoMT
 projects
 that
 are,

by
 nature,
 outwards-­‐facing
 and
 ecologically
 focussed,
 engaging
 in
 a
 genuinely

shared
 and
 dialogic
 collaboration
 with
 community
 participants
 can
 be
 complex

and
 challenging.

 This
 thesis
 describes
 a
 study
 that
 aimed
 to
 describe
 this

challenge.

In
 this
 thesis
 I
 present
 learnings
 from
 an
 action
 research
 project
 in

Melbourne,
 Australia.
 Three
 communities
 supporting
 marginalised
 young
 people

engaged
 in
 participatory
 music
 projects
 with
 a
 music
 therapist.

 In
 repeating

cycles
 of
 action
 and
 reflection,
 community
 participants
 and
 I
 worked
 together
 to

plan,
 develop
 and
 implement
 their
 music
 projects.

 Alongside
 this
 practical

decision-­‐making,
 we
 reflected
 periodically
 on
 the
 process
 of
 collaborating

together
 and
 the
 meaning
 of
 the
 process
 for
 the
 participants
 involved.

Throughout
 the
 process,
 these
 reflections
 with
 individual
 communities
 were

combined
 and
 shared
 to
 develop
 an
 overall
 understanding
 of
 collaborative

process
 between
 the
 three
 groups.
iv

Comparative
 analysis
 of
 the
 process
 of
 collaboration
 with
 the
 three

participating
 communities
 focussed
 on
 two
 key
 areas:
 to
 understand
 and

articulate
 the
 process
 of
 collaboration
 with
 communities
 supporting
 marginalised

young
 people;
 and,
 to
 understand
 what
 aspects
 of
 the
 collaborative
 process
 were

meaningful
 for
 the
 participants
 involved.

 Using
 these
 key
 areas
 as
 a
 frame,

learnings
 were
 interpreted
 from
 the
 empirical
 material
 in
 this
 study
 using
 an

emergent,
 iterative
 analysis
 process.

The
 analysis
 of
 empirical
 material
 identified
 that
 collaboration
 in

participatory
 music
 projects
 has
 the
 potential
 to
 promote
 positive
 growth
 for

participants
 in
 the
 form
 of
 strengthened
 connections
 with
 peers,
 increased
 self-­‐
esteem
 and
 confidence
 and
 empowerment.

 Learnings
 further
 indicated
 that
 this

potential
 for
 empowerment
 is
 mediated
 by
 the
 degree
 of
 alignment
 between
 the

structure
 of
 the
 chosen
 music
 project
 and
 particular
 contextual
 and
 individual

factors,
 supporting
 a
 need
 for
 active
 and
 engaged
 collaboration
 to
 maximise
 this

alignment,
 and
 subsequently
 the
 positive
 growth
 potential
 of
 participatory
 music

projects.

Based
 on
 the
 interpretation
 of
 empirical
 material,
 I
 propose
 a
 structure
 of

collaborative
 process
 that
 accounts
 for
 contextual
 variation
 between

communities.

 This
 structure
 is
 based
 on
 three
 interpersonal
 interactions
 between

music
 therapists
 and
 community
 collaborators,
 and
 highlights
 vital
 characteristics

of
 collaboration.

 Critical
 aspects
 include
 the
 importance
 of
 a
 ‘hangout
 period’

prior
 to
 active
 collaboration,
 and
 the
 ongoing
 nature
 of
 negotiations
 within
 the

collaborative
 process.

 Implications
 from
 these
 learnings
 are
 proposed
 in
 the
 form
 of
 a
 new

understanding
 of
 collaboration
 in
 music
 therapy
 -­‐
 as
 a
 positive
 growth
 practice.

This
 understanding
 is
 based
 on
 underlying
 principles
 of
 shared
 power
 and
 mutual

responsibility.

 Particular
 emphasis
 is
 given
 to
 the
 critical
 and
 under-­‐explored

role
 that
 participant
 investment
 plays
 in
 music
 therapy
 collaborations.
v

Acknowledgements

  So
 many
 amazing
 individuals
 have
 contributed
 to
 the
 journey
 towards
 this

dissertation.

 I
 would
 like
 to
 take
 this
 time
 to
 recognise
 and
 thank
 the
 many

people
 without
 whom
 this
 research
 project
 would
 never
 have
 been
 possible.

Firstly,
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 the
 inspiring
 young
 people
 and
 their
 supporting

communities
 who
 joined
 me
 in
 this
 research.

 Thankyou
 for
 welcoming
 me
 into

your
 communities
 and
 bringing
 such
 creativity,
 energy,
 and
 thought
 to
 our
 music

projects
 together.

 You
 have
 inspired,
 surprised
 and
 challenged
 me
 through
 our

work
 together,
 and
 I
 have
 learnt
 so
 much
 from
 you
 all.

  I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 incredible
 primary
 supervisor,
 Associate

Professor
 Katrina
 Skewes-­‐McFerran.

 Thank
 you
 for
 your
 generosity,
 support
 and

immeasurable
 insight
 throughout
 this
 project.

 For
 your
 energy
 and
 capacity
 to

journey
 with
 me
 through
 the
 lighter
 and
 the
 darker
 moments
 of
 this
 adventure,

and
 for
 believing
 in
 me
 even
 before
 I
 believed
 in
 myself.

 Working
 with
 you
 has

expanded
 my
 thinking,
 and
 allowed
 me
 to
 grow
 in
 new
 and
 exciting
 directions.

Thanks
 not
 only
 for
 your
 wisdom
 and
 care
 over
 the
 past
 four
 years,
 but
 for
 setting

me
 on
 this
 exciting
 path
 into
 the
 future.

  I
 would
 also
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 secondary
 supervisor,
 Professor
 Brynjulf

Stige.

 The
 opportunity
 to
 work
 with
 you
 has
 been
 a
 privilege
 that
 has
 given
 this

project
 a
 depth
 and
 a
 clarity
 that
 I
 would
 otherwise
 not
 have
 been
 able
 to
 achieve.

Thank
 you
 for
 challenging
 my
 thinking
 and
 broadening
 my
 perspective.

 Thank

you
 also
 for
 the
 invaluable
 opportunity
 to
 explore
 the
 Scandinavian
 part
 of
 my

character
 and
 negotiate
 my
 identity
 as
 a
 music
 therapist
 and
 a
 person,
 towards

my
 very
 own
 ‘southern
 voice’.

  I
 am
 incredibly
 fortunate
 to
 have
 been
 part
 of
 the
 dynamic
 and
 inspiring

National
 Music
 Therapy
 Research
 Unit
 at
 Melbourne
 University.

 Thank
 you
 to
 all

of
 the
 amazing
 music
 therapy
 colleagues
 and
 fellow
 researchers
 who
 have
 shared

their
 thoughts,
 ideas,
 and
 kindness
 with
 me
 throughout
 this
 project.

 Thank
 you

for
 understanding,
 and
 for
 challenging
 me
 to
 articulate
 myself
 and
 clarify
 my

ideas.

 You
 have
 helped
 me
 discover
 who
 I
 am
 as
 a
 researcher.

 Thanks
 also
 to
 the

music
 therapists
 from
 around
 the
 world
 who
 contributed
 their
 wisdom
 and
vi

perspective
 to
 my
 study.

 In
 particular,
 my
 thanks
 to
 the
 music
 therapists
 at
 the

GAMUT
 at
 Bergen
 University
 in
 Bergen,
 at
 Concordia
 University
 in
 Montreal,
 at

the
 Royal
 College
 of
 Music
 in
 Stockholm,
 and
 at
 Music
 as
 Therapy
 International
 in

London,
 for
 your
 time
 and
 contribution
 during
 my
 visits
 to
 your
 institutions.

  I
 would
 also
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 amazing
 network
 of
 friends
 who
 have

supported
 me
 throughout
 this
 Journey.

 Thank
 you
 for
 the
 glasses
 of
 wine,
 the

walks,
 the
 diagrams,
 the
 debriefs,
 the
 cuddles
 from
 little
 ones,
 the
 lus,
 and
 your

interest
 and
 patience.

 Thank
 you
 for
 listening
 when
 it
 was
 needed,
 distracting
 me

when
 it
 was
 needed,
 and
 tolerating
 my
 single-­‐mindedness
 over
 the
 past
 four

years.

 I
 am
 so
 fortunate
 and
 grateful
 to
 have
 such
 an
 amazing
 group
 of
 friends
 in

my
 life.

  Finally,
 I
 would
 like
 to
 thank
 my
 family.

 Thank
 you
 to
 my
 parents,
 who

have
 always
 encouraged
 me
 to
 be
 curious,
 to
 pursue
 my
 passions
 and
 to
 be

myself,
 and
 who
 have
 led
 by
 example.

 Thank
 you
 for
 your
 love,
 support
 and

energy,
 for
 having
 a
 space
 for
 me
 to
 go
 when
 I
 needed,
 and
 for
 giving
 me
 space

when
 I
 needed.

 I
 am
 so
 lucky.

 And
 to
 my
 siblings.

 Our
 wonderful
 relationship
 in

spite
 of
 significant
 distance
 is
 a
 constant
 example
 to
 me
 of
 how
 diversity
 and

difference
 are
 strengths
 to
 be
 celebrated.

 Thanks
 for
 your
 love
 and
 humour,
 and

all
 of
 the
 fun.

 Our
 family
 is
 a
 place
 where
 I
 can
 be
 whoever
 I
 need
 to
 be,
 and
 such

freedom
 and
 acceptance
 is
 precious,
 thank
 you
 all.

  “No
 one
 can
 whistle
 a
 symphony.

 It
 takes
 a
 whole
 orchestra
 to
 play
 it.”

  (H.E
 Luccock)
vii

Table
 of
 Contents

Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………iii

Acknowledgements………………………………………………………………………………..v

Table
 of
 Contents…………………………………………………………………………………..vii

List
 of
 Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………xi

List
 of
 Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………..xi

List
 of
 Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………..xii

Chapter
 One:
 Introduction……………………………………………………………………..1

Motivation
 for
 the
 Study…………………………………………………………………………2

Aim
 and
 Scope
 of
 the
 Study………………………………………………………………...….
 4

The
 Approach
 to
 Inquiry
 in
 this
 Study……………………………………………………..7

The
 Influence
 of
 Kurt
 Lewin’s
 Writings
 on
 this
 Study………………………….8

The
 Influence
 of
 Paolo
 Freire’s
 Writings
 on
 this
 Study………………………..9

Principles
 of
 Participatory
 Inquiry
 Informing
 this
 Study………….…..……10

Overview
 of
 the
 Thesis……………………………………………………………………..……15

Chapter
 Two:
 Literature
 Review………………………………………………………......16

Part
 One:
 Health
 Promotion
 and
 Empowerment…………………………………….16

A
 Broadening
 Perspective
 on
 Health
 Promotion
 and
 Empowerment…16

Empowerment
 and
 Music
 Therapy……………………………………………..……17

A
 Broadening
 Perspective
 on
 Music
 Therapy……………………………………19

Part
 Two:
 Context,
 Participation
 and
 Collaboration,
 and
 Social
 Action…….28

Music
 Therapy
 with
 People
 in
 Context……………………………………………...28

Participation
 and
 Collaboration
 in
 Music
 Therapy…………………………...33

Social
 Action
 and
 Music
 Therapy……………………………………………………...41

Part
 Three:
 Music
 Therapy
 and
 Young
 People………………………………………...44

Music
 and
 Young
 People…………………………………………………………………...45

Music
 Therapy
 and
 Young
 People……………………………………………...……45
viii

Participatory
 Approaches
 to
 Music
 Therapy
 and
 Marginalised
 Young

People……………………………………………………………….……………………………47

The
 Challenge
 of
 Youth
 Participation………………………………………………….50

Articulating
 the
 ‘Gap’
 in
 the
 Literature……………………………………………………..52

Chapter
 Three:
 Methodology,
 Methods
 and
 Procedures…………………………..54

Action
 Research
 Methodology…………………………………………………………………..55

Participatory
 Action
 Research………………………………………………………….59

Introducing
 the
 Participating
 Communities………………………………………………59

Introducing
 the
 Drop-­‐In
 Group……………………………………………………………61

Introducing
 the
 Share
 Home
 Group……………………………………………………..64

Introducing
 the
 Therapeutic
 Camp
 Group……………………………………...……66

Summary
 of
 Participating
 Communities………………………………………..…..68

Action
 Research
 Design……………………………………………………………………………71

Action
 Research
 Design
 in
 this
 Study………………………………………………...72

Set-­‐Up
 Procedures………………………………………………………………………………...…73

The
 Planning
 Stage
 of
 the
 Study………………………………………………………….73

The
 Exploration
 Stage
 of
 the
 Study……………………………………………………..77

Knowledge
 Generation
 Procedures…………………………………………………………..82

Describing
 Knowledge
 Generation
 in
 this
 Chapter…………………………….…84

Experiential
 Knowing
 in
 this
 Research
 Project…………………………………….84

Presentation
 Knowing
 in
 this
 Research
 Project…………………………………...91

Propositional
 Knowing
 in
 this
 Research
 Project……………………………….….93

Practical
 Knowing
 in
 this
 Research
 Project…………………………………...…….96

Summary
 of
 Knowledge
 Generation
 with
 Individual
 Communities……….97

Combining
 the
 Empirical
 Material
 from
 all
 Communities…………………….99

Analysis
 Procedures………………………………………………………………………………103

Overview
 of
 Approach
 to
 Analysis……………………………………………………..103

Articulating
 the
 Focus
 for
 Each
 Analysis…………………………………...………104

Description
 of
 Analysis
 Process………………………………………………...……….106

Trustworthiness
 of
 Research
 Learnings………………………………………………….109

Ongoing
 Reflexivity…………………………………………………………………………..109

Member
 Checking……………………………………………………………………………..110
ix

Checking
 Researcher
 Sense-­‐Making…………………………………………………..112

Trustworthiness
 and
 Social
 Action…………………………….……………………112

In
 Conclusion…………………………….………………………………………………….………113

Chapter
 Four:
 Analysis
 One
 –
 Meaningful
 Aspects
 of
 Collaboration………..115

Interpretative
 Lens
 Used
 to
 Examine
 the
 Meaning
 of
 Collaboration…...115

Empirical
 Material
 Used
 to
 Examine
 the
 Meaning
 of
 Collaboration…...116

Structure
 of
 this
 Chapter…………………………….………………………………….118

Overview
 of
 the
 Analysis
 Process…………………………….……………………………..118

Extracting
 and
 Categorising
 Quotes
 from
 the
 Interview
 Transcripts….119

Identifying
 and
 Clarifying
 Perspectives
 Within
 Categories………………..120

Synthesising
 and
 Interpreting
 Overall
 Learnings
 from
 Analysis………...123

Interpretation
 of
 the
 Young
 People’s
 Voices
 for
 Each
 Category……………...…124

Choice
 in
 Participation:
 Making
 Choice
 About
 Getting
 Involved…….…..125

Tangible
 Purpose:
 Working
 Towards
 Something……………………………….128

Pathways:
 Moving
 Towards
 Independence………………………………………..133

Collaborative
 Support
 Style:
 The
 Role
 of
 the
 Music
 Therapist…………....136

Changed
 Self-­‐Concept:
 Developing
 New
 Ways
 of
 Looking
 at
 Oneself.….141

Skill
 Development
 and
 Mastery:
 Growing
 as
 Musicians………...……………145

Peer
 Connections:
 Strengthening
 Connections
 Within
 the
 Group...……..150

Acknowledgment:
 Showing
 and
 Telling
 the
 World....………………………...153

Summary
 of
 Young
 People’s
 Voices
 from
 Interpretation
 of
 Categories.157

Implication
 of
 Learnings
 from
 Young
 People’s
 Voices…………………………………...158

Chapter
 Five:
 Analysis
 Two
 -­‐
 Understanding
 and
 Articulating

the
 Process
 Of
 Collaboration………………………………………………………………….161

Interpretative
 Lens
 Used
 to
 Examined
 the
 Process
 of
 Collaboration…..161

Empirical
 Material
 Used
 to
 Examine
 the
 Process
 of
 Collaboration…….162

Structure
 of
 this
 Chapter…………………………….………………………………….163

Abstracting
 the
 Empirical
 Material……………………………………………………………....164

Developing
 Concepts………………………………….…………………………………..164

Developing
 Categories………………………………………………………………………166

Developing
 a
 General
 Structure
 of
 Collaborative
 Process…………………………167

Identifying
 Key
 Principles
 of
 Collaboration………………………………………..168
x

Factors
 Impacting
 on
 Key
 Principles
 of
 Collaboration………………...………...171

Combining
 the
 Learnings
 into
 a
 General
 Structure…………………...……...176

Elaborating
 on
 Contextual
 Variation
 in
 the
 Structure
 of
 the
 Collaborative

Process……………………………………………………………………………………………….…..178

Articulating
 Community
 Player’s
 Input
 into
 Each
 Key
 Principle….……..178

Articulating
 Music
 Therapist’s
 Input
 into
 Each
 Key
 Principle
 …………...194

Summarising
 Community
 Player
 and
 Music
 Therapist
 Input……………..203

Summary
 of
 Learnings
 from
 this
 Analysis………………………………………………205

Chapter
 Six:
 Discussion…………………………………………………………………………..209

Chapter
 Overview………………………………………………………………………………….209

Building
 on
 what
 is
 Known
 About
 Collaboration
 in
 Music
 Therapy…………..212

Building
 on
 what
 is
 Known
 About
 What
 Collaboration
 Looks
 Like…….213

Building
 on
 what
 is
 Known
 About
 What
 Collaborating
 Means

for
 People……………………………...………………………………………………………….216

A
 New
 Understanding
 of
 Collaboration
 as
 a
 Positive
 Growth
 Practice………221

The
 Emergent
 Nature
 of
 Collaboration
 as
 a
 Positive
 Growth
 Practice..222

Mutual
 Responsibility…………………………………………………………………….…234

Being
 a
 Player………………………………………………………………………………………..237

‘Buying
 in’
 to
 Collaboration……………………………………...……………………….237

‘Playing
 Through’
 the
 Collaboration……………………………………………….241

‘Sounding
 Out’
 the
 Collaboration……………………………………………………246

Striving
 for
 Collaboration……………………………………………………………………...250

Boundaries
 of
 the
 Learnings
 from
 this
 Study………………………………………….251

Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………...253

References……………………………………………………………………………………………..256

Appendices…………………………………………………………………………………………….273