GVI Music Therapy Project (version 0.2)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploration of the use of Group Vocal Improvisation as a Music Therapy technique with Mental Health service users.
IRAS ID
200717
Contact name
Irene Pujol Torras
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 0 days
Research summary
There is extensive evidence about the benefits of music therapy in mental health settings, both in individual and group formats. Group work offers benefits from a cost-efficiency perspective and is also a platform to explore interpersonal struggles or difficulties, which are be very relevant for the everyday functioning and wellbeing of people suffering from a mental health illness.
The established use of group music therapy in mental health settings consists mainly in improvising with a range of available instruments. In the last decade there has been an increasing interest to address the voice as an important element in music therapy, especially in community choirs. However, the combination of improvisation and voicework in a group setting has been overlooked in previous research.
The evidence suggests that voicework is a powerful medium to reinforce social cohesion and therefore this study intends to provide a space of embodied self-expression where the relationship between self and others can be experienced in a creative and safe context. The clear separation in the literature between voicework and instrumental approaches also indicates a strong potential for uncovering innovative modes of unfolding of therapeutic processes and dynamics.
This study will consist of two music therapy groups – one of group vocal improvisation and another one of ‘general’ (mainly instrumental) music therapy. The groups will take place in the day area of a London NHS psychiatric hospital and will be formed of community service users attending weekly sessions.
Data will be collected via audio recordings of the sessions, questionnaires after sessions and an interview at the end of the treatment. All data will be anonymised. This research is partially funded by the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and partially self-funded.
REC name
Wales REC 4
REC reference
17/WA/0356
Date of REC Opinion
15 Nov 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion