Through the adoption of Mikhail Bakhtin's terms, this book presents a new creative theory called Musical Responsiveness. The theory proposes that responsiveness in improvisation is an open-ended, continual process, and that it involves not just creating meaningfulness and harmony, but also engaging laughter, struggle, dispute, and misunderstanding. To become musically responsive is a process of becoming answerable to the client; and in doing so, the therapist undertakes ethical challenges and tensions. Although without immediate implications for what to do, this book offers new insights and fresh perspectives on the use of improvisation in the practice of music therapy. Table of Contents Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Figures Prelude INTRODUCTION The Book’s Scope Personal and Professional Context CHAPTER 1: (RE) DEFINING CORE CONCEPTS Responsiveness Music Therapy Health Music Therapy Improvisation Music Therapist Client Meaning Time Aesthetics Ethics in Donald Schön’s Perspective Theory CHAPTER 2: ACTION Action and Socialization “To Increase Possibilities for Action” Dag Østerberg on the Phenomenon of Action The Relationship between Action and Intention in Music Therapy Improvisation Playful Action A Short Summing up on Action CHAPTER 3: INTRODUCING THE MUSIC THERAPY NARRATIVE The Observations CHAPTER 4: THE NARRATIVE OF JAKOB AND KARLA The Guitar Excerpt The Djembe Excerpt Both Excerpts CHAPTER 5: SUMMING UP THE NARRATIVE CHAPTER 6: INTRODUCING MIKHAIL BAKHTIN AND HIS CONTEXT About Bakhtin CHAPTER 7: CONCERNING MY TRANSPOSING OF INSIGHTS OF BAKHTIN’S IDEAS My Perspective CHAPTER 8: MIKHAIL BAKHTIN’S TERMINOLOGY Answerability Dialogue Other Related Concepts Carnival A Short Summing Up of Bakhtin’s Ideas CHAPTER 9: BAKHTIN’S IDEAS ON DIALOGUE, TRANSPOSED TO RESPONSIVENESS IN MUSIC THERAPY IMPROVISATION Responsiveness in Music Therapy Improvisation CHAPTER 10: BAKHTIN’S IDEAS ON ANSWERABILITY, TRANSPOSED TO RESPONSIVENESS IN MUSIC THERAPY IMPROVISATION Responsiveness and Answerability The Music Therapist’s Responsibility CHAPTER 11: “WE:” A COMMUNITY OF MUSIC THERAPY IMPROVISATION A Community of Music Therapy Improvisation Chapter 12: BAKHTIN’S IDEAS ON CARNIVAL, TRANSPOSED TO RESPONSIVENESS IN MUSIC THERAPY IMPROVISATION Carnival and Improvisation Kjetil Steinsholt’s Carnival: Carnival as Play Summarizing the Main Aspects of “My” Carnival Is the Music Therapist a Jester? CHAPTER 13: MERGING PERSPECTIVES ON CARNIVAL, PLAYFULNESS, AND ACTION Conditions for Responsiveness Materializing Time Aspects in the Improvisation Between Jakob and Karla Action Versus Interaction Maintaining a Dialogical Mind-set in the Carnival Summing Up CHAPTER 14: “MUSICAL ANSWERABILITY:” A THEORY ON RESPONSIVENESS IN MUSIC THERAPY IMPROVISATION INSPIRED BY BAKHTIN Introducing My Theory Placing Musical Answerability within Three Perspectives Summarizing the Main Characteristics of the Theory CHAPTER 15: DISCUSSING THEORY ASPECTS Musical Answerability as an Interlevel Theory Is the Theory Music-Centered? Returning to the Question of Authorship CHAPTER 16: A RETURN TO THE QUESTION, WHAT IS MUSIC THERAPY? Framing the Question Responsiveness and Musically Answerable Acts Postlude No Last Words References Attachments Endnotes Index |