Exploring parents’ musical agency in resource-oriented music therapy with their preterm infants in the NICU and at home

Shulamit Epstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Engaging parents in musical interactions through singing to their preterm infants is becoming a primary music therapy (MT) approach within the neonatal context. Parents describe their positive experiences during MT in the NICU and post-discharge. A recent longitudinal study offered families resource-oriented music therapy services from birth to home. Aim: Based on an interpretive phenomenological analysis of parental experiences of MT in the LongSTEP trial, I posit musical agency as a theoretical framework for understanding the processes that are enabled during MT with families of preterm infants from birth to home. Method: I explore the concept of musical agency through social and psychotherapy theories and through examples taken from MT sessions and interviews. I illustrate how the guiding principles of a resource-oriented approach to MT correspond with enhancing musical agency. Results: Musical agency is every person’s ability to use music for personal and social needs. Musical agency is released and interchanged through musical interactions between parents and their preterm infants during MT. Resource-oriented principles in MT may offer music therapists ways to empower clients’ musical agency. Discussion: Musical agency may increase other forms of agency and support parents to connect to themselves and their preterm infants, depending on parental appropriation of music’s affordances. Embracing the framework of agency calls for music therapists to be aware of power dynamics and shift to a collaborative approach within MT sessions, aligning with a resource-oriented approach.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)243-260
Number of pages18
JournalNordic Journal of Music Therapy
Volume33
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • music therapy
  • Musical agency
  • preterm infants
  • resource-oriented music therapy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatric Mental Health
  • Anthropology
  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • Complementary and alternative medicine

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