Karen Burland

An Exploratory Study of the Use of Electronic Music Technologies in Clinical Music Therapy

In line with wider health and educational services, there is a growing demand for music therapists to apply electronic music technologies in clinical practice. Despite a handful of accounts indicating the benefits these tools offer, an objective assessment of their role in music therapy and guidelines for their application in therapy are lacking. A qualitative study collected data in semi–structured individual interviews from music therapists experienced in using electronic equipment using MIDI generated sounds triggered by specialist input devices. Interview transcripts were analyzed independently by two multidisciplinary investigators using open coding procedures from Grounded Theory, with member checking to enhance credibility. The findings propose a five–step treatment model when using technologies with people with complex needs. Accurate assessment of movement, positioning of the technology, and establishing the clients awareness of cause and effect are central to meeting clinical aims. Clinical indicators include complex physical and sensory disabilities, motivational problems, and specific needs pertaining to expression of identity. Their use is contraindicated in cases where it is known the client has no awareness of cause and effect.

Understanding Jazz Audiences: Listening and Learning at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

Abstract This paper considers the ways in which jazz audiences participate in and contribute to musical events, and examines the roles that music plays in their lives and identities. Analysis of a large-scale survey and in-depth interviews, carried out at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival in 2007, reveals a sense of community and atmosphere within which audience members value the opportunity to be amongst like-minded jazz enthusiasts. The jazz festival is shown to be enhanced by the city and the context of the larger Edinburgh Festival, with the size and character of the venues also contributing significantly to the intimacy and success of each event. The findings challenge the prevailing view that jazz audiences tend to be younger than those for classical music (S. Oakes, 2003, Demographic and sponsorship considerations for jazz and classical music festivals, The Service Industries Journal, 23(3), 165–178), and offer points of comparison with recent studies of classical music audiences (S.E. Pitts, 2005, What makes an audience? Investigating the roles and experiences of listeners at a chamber music festival, Music and Letters, 86(2), 257–269; S.E. Pitts, 2005, Valuing Musical Participation. Aldershot: Ashgate; S.E. Pitts & C.P. Spencer, 2008, Loyalty and longevity in audience listening: Investigating experiences of attendance at a chamber music festival, Music and Letters, 89(2), 227–238), showing a stronger sense of individual taste amongst jazz listeners, expressed through loyalty to performers and genres, rather than to the festival itself.

Developing identities using music technology in therapeutic settings

This paper considers the ways in which the use of music technology in therapeutic settings helps people with a range of differing abilities to establish a sense of identity as they adjust to changing physical abilities. A total of 12 interviews with six music therapists, each experienced users of electronic equipment using musical instrument digital interface (MIDI)-generated sounds triggered by specialist input devices, and working within a variety of therapeutic settings, considered the various applications, benefits, and risks of using technology in such contexts. Examination of case study video footage provided by each therapist was incorporated within the interviews in order to facilitate a detailed and focused discussion (cf. Davidson & Good, 2002). Data were analyzed independently by two multidisciplinary investigators using open coding procedures from grounded theory (Strauss & Corbin, 1998). The findings suggest that music technology provides a means to assist people with complex needs to form alternative identities by: (1) offering a sense of empowerment, independence and achievement; and (2) allowing access to alternative identities through associations with wider cultural contexts. The implications are far-reaching and suggest that music technology has a valuable role to play within therapeutic contexts which has not previously been identified.

Using Electronic Music Technologies in Music Therapy: Opportunities, Limitations and Clinical Indicators

In recent years there has been growing interest in the use of a range of electronic technologies in music therapy. However, there remain no empirical investigations into the clinical applications of these tools, nor guidelines for their use. This article draws from a recent research study which explored how music therapists are using technology in practice with children, adolescents and adults across special educational, community, hospice and rehabilitation settings in the UK (Magee & Burland in press). Particular focus was given to technology requiring switches and sensors. The purpose of this article is to make clinical recommendations regarding the opportunities and limitations of using technology in music therapy, using illustrative data extracts from therapists experienced in using technology in practice. The study shows that music therapists turn to technology to enable a client to participate actively or to widen the clients musical expression. Technology offers improved access for people with complex physical needs to engagement in active methods of music therapy. Using technology in music therapy has benefits for the client, the therapist and the wider interdisciplinary treatment team. Despite its positive role, technology is experienced as offering a lesser aesthetic experience than acoustic instruments. Finally, clinical indicators and contra-indicators are offered to guide clinicians in understanding when technology may be helpful and when it might be avoided in the clinical context.

Listening to live jazz: an individual or social act?

Purpose – This article seeks to understand how audience members at a live jazz event react to one another, to the listening venue, and to the performance. It considers the extent to which being an audience member is a social experience, as well as a personal and musical one, and investigates the distinctive qualities of listening to live jazz in a range of venues.Design/methodology/approach – The research draws on evidence from nearly 800 jazz listeners, surveyed at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and in The Spin jazz club, Oxford. Questionnaires, diaries and interviews were used to understand the experiences of listening for a wide range of audience members, and were analysed using NVivo.Findings – The findings illustrate how listening to live jazz has a strongly social element, whereby listeners derive pleasure from attending with others or meeting like‐minded enthusiasts in the audience, and welcome opportunities for conversation and relaxation within venues that help to facilitate this. Within t...

Understanding live coding events

ABSTRACT As an arts practice, live coding has strong roots in musical performance, and the fact that its ‘liveness’ requires the performer to write and modify algorithms in real time [Collins, N., A. McLean, J. Rohrhuber, and A. Ward. 2003. “Live Coding in Laptop Performance.” Organised Sound 8 (3): 321–330] means that it is often treated as a kind of music improvisation. Organised live coding has now passed its tenth year [Magnusson, T. 2014. “Herding Cats: Observing Live Coding in the Wild.” Computer Music Journal 38 (1): 8–16], and during this decade it has been manifested in a variety of contexts. Whilst there is a growing body of research addressing aspects of live coding from the coder’s perspective, little is known about the audiences for these events. Using an online questionnaire, this paper seeks to explore the motivations, experiences, and responses of live coding audiences and to examine their perceptions of the projected source code during live coding events. We aim to shed new light on the role of openness and technology in live coding performances, providing rich context for fuller understanding of this emerging practice and its impact on audience experience.