Historical Research in Music Therapy: Uncovering the Past and Shaping the Future
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Presentation Transcript
Chapter 41 Historical Research in Music Therapy
History • Renier’s Definition (1961)=The story of the experiences of men and women living in civilized societies • Latin = ‘histore’ (narrative/story) • Develop historical knowledge = through study of evidence and artifacts of the past
History • Events of the past • That which has been written about the past • Ideas, images, or memories that exist about the past in people’s minds • A way of knowing (scholarship) about the past
Historical Research in Music Therapy • The systematic study of the practices, materials, institutions, and people involved in the therapeutic application of music.
Biography • Research of the history of people Boxberger, Crocker, Flagler Fultz, Sears, Underwood, etc.
History of Places • Geographics – cities, states, countries • Institutions – schools, clinics
History of Events and Ideas • Treatment Trends and Philosophies • Technological Advances • Philosophies • Conferences
Topic Selection • Interest/motivation • Time • Availability of Evidence • Practicality
Delimitations • Chronology • Geography • Subject matter
Sources of Evidence • Primary Sources: firsthand witness • Secondary Sources: not firsthand One must know how the source is being used in order to determine whether it is primary or secondary
Various Sources • Pictorial records • Written records • Official documents • Personal correspondence • Interviews • Artifacts
Analysis of Evidence • Determine accuracy and credibility • Resolve contradictions • External criticism – location and age of evidence, existence of corroboratory evidence, suspicion of artificiality, etc. • Internal criticism – deals with accuracy of written information (genuineness does not imply accuracy); real vs. literal meaning, internal contradictions, writer bias, etc.
Oral History • Oral history is as old as history itself • Can be small in scale – good first project • Researcher can obtain precise information from credible source • Oral history helps to preserve aspects that might otherwise be lost (not formally documented)
Types of Interviews • Informal conversations • Structured, formal interview • Results are analyzed, summarized, and conclusions are drawn
Ethics • Sharing values of historians: trust and respect • Guaranteeing integrity of the record • Leaving a trail for others to follow • Giving credit where credit is due • Recognizing multiple truths of history • Attending to one’s biases • Acknowledging financial and other support
Benefits of Historical Research • Inspire • motivate • Educate • Inform • Organize • Unify Historical research can “increase our collective sense of identity and purpose and ensure continued progress and evolution of our discipline”