Nordic Journal of Music Therapy

ISSN: 0809-8131 (Print) 1944-8260 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rnjm20

Prevention of violence through music: Empirical

impact analysis of a music therapy model project

Andreas Wölfl

To cite this article: Andreas Wölfl (2019): Prevention of violence through music: Empirical
impact analysis of a music therapy model project, Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, DOI:
10.1080/08098131.2019.1606847

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NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY
https://doi.org/10.1080/08098131.2019.1606847

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE

Prevention of violence through music: Empirical impact

analysis of a music therapy model project
Andreas Wölfl
Freies Musikzentum, Institut Musiktherapie, Munich, Germany

ABSTRACT
Introduction: This article describes the main results of an empirical impact analysis
of a music therapy model project for the prevention of violence in schools, devel-
oped and investigated by the author.
Methods: Based on the investigation of research hypotheses, the assumed effects of
the program were explored in a quasi-experimental evaluation study. The study was
carried out in two regular secondary schools (middle schools) in the 5th year level.
Results: The experiment showed significant but heterogeneous effects. Of 42 time-
by-group interaction effects tested, 21 were significant. In one of the two project
classes (treatment groups), the positive effect of violence prevention through the
project model was confirmed by the research results throughout. In the other project
class, the research hypotheses were predominantly rejected with the exception of a
highly significant decrease in the category of aggressive acts.
Discussion: The results are analyzed and evaluated in terms of class and project
variables. For this purpose, interviews with experts are methodically evaluated in
a qualitative analysis, which was carried out after completion of the project work.
On the basis of the summaries of these research steps, knowledge is obtained
indicating which conditions promote preventative effects, such as relations
between the students or common interest in the project work, and under
which conditions steps for modification of the program are required, such as
little willingness to show consideration for others or a sudden decrease in
motivation due to a lack of immediate success and a lack of common interests
and goals.

ARTICLE HISTORY Received 27 March 2015; Accepted 21 February 2019

KEYWORDS Violence prevention; music therapeutic prevention program for schools; empirical impact analy-
sis; mixed methods

The necessity of preventing violence and aggressive behavior in schools has

received increased attention in various countries including Germany. It has
been, and still is, a challenge to develop effective methods in various psychosocial
approaches to prevention, including music therapy. Even though music therapy
approaches with preventive effects are carried out in practice, there is little
description of specific approaches and scientific evaluations.1

CONTACT Andreas Wölfl andreas.woelfl@t-online.de

1
This article presents a summary of the pilot study of the doctoral dissertation of the author (Wölfl, 2014).
© 2019 GAMUT – The Grieg Academy Music Therapy Research Centre
2 A. WÖLFL

Impact of music in the context of school

Investigations on the impact of music in the context of schools indicate a number of effects.
For the most part, the studies focus on aspects of improving performance through music
(Campbell, 1997). These relate predominantly to music listening (Rauscher, Shaw, & Ky,
1993) or to instrumental instruction, which takes place in individual settings or in small
groups (Schellenberg, 2004). Investigations of transfer effects of music lessons in schools in
Switzerland and Germany show some positive results. In a long-term study, Bastian (2000)
provides evidence of prosocial, integrative, intelligence- and creativity-promoting effects of
music lessons. The interpretations and the scientific method of investigation in this study
have been critiqued, however. Previously, Weber, Spychiger and Patry (1993) did identify
transfer effects of music, particularly in reference to expertise, social climate and motivation
of the pupils in a study over four years with 1200 pupils.
From a neurobiological perspective, Hüther (2004) describes important salutoge-
netic effects (those focused on health and wellness) of individual selected/preferred
music, which is founded in new knowledge about neurobiological processes. These
results illustrate the need for approaches that pay particular attention to the indivi-
dual’s relationship to music, as is the case in music therapy.
For the impact of music therapy for children and adolescents, a meta-analysis by
Gold (2005) demonstrates clear effects in the music therapy treatment of mentally ill
children and adolescents.
A number of music therapy researchers have investigated school-based programs for
students with a range of behavioral challenges, although none have focused on the devel-
opment of programs specifically for violence prevention. Sausser and Waller (2006)
described a potential model for students with emotional and behavioral disorders for
students in psychoeducational settings, as has Derrington (2012). Students with ADHD
have also engaged in music therapy research, with mixed findings that demonstrate how
complex it is to promote self-expression within school environments (McFerran, 2009;
Rickson, 2006). A study at a primary school in Austria (Pfeifer, 2014) with immigrant and
non-immigrant children shows that music therapy interventions seem to have a positive
effect on the development of self-concept and to support interaction and communication.
McFerran has described a number of different projects with bereaved teenagers in
schools focusing first on psychodynamic approaches (2000), and then moving towards
more humanistic models (McFerran, 2010), with the intention of fostering emotional
coping and enhancing sense of identity. A number of authors have investigated programs
with refugee students (Baker & Jones, 2005; Choi, 2007; McFerran & Hunt, 2008), with
results suggesting that students benefited from opportunities to use music to engage in
meaningful ways with peers. This focus on social encounters is strong in the research
literature, and Kim and colleagues (Kim et al., 2006) describe a program designed to
promote relationships and improve self-control with adolescent girls.
Preventative programs have rarely been investigated, although McFerran and colleagues
have recently published one RCT about preventative programs with students in schools
using music therapy (Gold, Saarikallio, Crooke, & McFerran, 2017). Their program did not
find any statistical improvements when comparing group music therapy to independent
music listening, but the program described was similar in that it used instrumental
improvisation and songs to engage young people in music therapy groups. Other than
this one recent study, no research about group music therapy programs as preventative
programs are described in the literature.
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 3

This research aimed to examine whether a drum-based program would be effective for
the purposes of preventing violent behavior and also increasing student confidence in the
face of bullying. It addresses the question of whether and how a specific group music
therapy program can make an effective contribution to the prevention of violence in
schools. The program was developed by the author together with various colleagues work-
ing in practice and worked out methodically in the context of his doctoral dissertation
(Wölfl, 2014). It is published under the title “DrumPower – music for a better community in
the classroom: Group music therapy program for violence prevention, social integration
and empowerment in schools” (Wölfl, 2016).

Method
The investigation, which is described below, is a focused summary of the research section
of the author’s dissertation. The paper focuses on the essential steps of this pilot study.
More differentiated derivations and discussions can be found in the German-language
original (Wölfl, 2014). The dissertation includes a description of the program, an
examination of the program and the development of methodical conclusions drawn, as
well as suggestions for further research. The investigation was designed as a comparative
pilot study supplemented with a methodical process analysis and an analysis of expert
interviews to discuss (deepen) the issues arising from the results of the comparative
study. The investigation seeks to answer the following question: Can the implementation
of the program (project-model) prevent violence in the school context?

Hypotheses and research design

The methodical construction of the quasi-experimental study design focused on the
hypotheses described in Table 1.
According to the conditions in the context of a regular secondary school (middle
school) and the resources for the execution of the pilot study, a quasi-experimental
research design with two project classes/treatment groups and two control classes/control
groups was developed, evaluating the changes in the classes with different measuring tools
to collect information from the perspective of both the students and the teacher.2
Two of the research tools that were used were standardized questionnaires;
two other research tools were developed especially for this project as part of the
study.

Table 1. Hypotheses of the study

1. The program results in a reduction of violent acts (= aggressive behaviora) in the class
2. The program results in a reduction of willingness to resort to violence in the class
3. The program causes an increase in pro social behavior in the class
4. The program causes an increase in empathy in the class
5. The program causes a promotion of self-awareness in the class
6. The program causes an increase in learning behavior in class
Violent actions like emotional, physical and verbal attacks or “cyber-bullying”.
a

2
The quasi-experimental research design was planned and arranged by the author in cooperation with
scientific partners (University of Innsbruck, Institute Competto) who conducted the investigation indepen-
dently and objectively.
4 A. WÖLFL

● FEPAA – Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Empathie, Prosozialität,

Aggressionsbereitschaft und aggressivem Verhalten (Lukesch, 2006) [Questionnaire
for the assessment of empathy, pro-sociability, aggression and aggressive behavior
(FEPAA), completed by students]
● LSL – Lehrereinschätzliste für Sozial- und Lernverhalten (Petermann &
Petermann, 2006) [List for the assessment of social and learning behavior
(LSL), completed by the teacher]
● FBV – Schülerfragebogen zum Verhalten in der Klasse (Wölfl & Uffelmann, 2009)
[Questionnaire for classroom behavior (FBV), completed by students]
● PV – Projektives Verfahren zur Aggressionseinschätzung (Drexler, 2009) [Projective
test for assessing students’ aggression (PV), completed by students]

The analyzed characteristics are described in Table 2.

While planning the study, special consideration was given to prediction probabil-
ity to ensure that the research tools could be accurately and thoroughly processed by
the study participants and that both a sufficient motivation in cooperating, as well as
the ability to cooperate, existed. Accordingly, study modifications were avoided when
deemed too complex for implementation and exceeding the extent of cooperation
possible in the schools and with the students, or including research groups, whose
cooperation could not be sufficiently ensured. The study hypotheses were recorded
using different scales, as summarized in Table 3.
Because of the limits and weaknesses of a quasi-experimental study design, addi-
tional expert interviews were carried out with teachers and trainers. The expert
interviews were developed and evaluated in discussion with the criteria of Mayring
(2007). The informants’ descriptions were used to inform the discussion of results,
following the completion of the project.
The study was conducted with two 5th year project classes and two 5th year
control group classes in two regular secondary schools. The age of the students
was between 10 and 13 years. The study lasted a total of nine months. During this
time, two project weeks were carried out in both project classes for a period of 14
weeks and examined at four time points. The design of the study is described in
Table 4.

Table 2. Attributes analyzed in the study

Self-evaluation of the students Evaluation of the students by the teacher
FEPAA: LSL:
● Ability for empathy ● Co-operation
● Positive social behavior ● Self-awareness
● Willingness to resort to ● Self-control
violence ● Empathy
● Frequency of aggression ● Assertiveness
FBV behavior in the group: ● Social contact
● Cohesion in the group ● Willingness to try
● Aggressive behavior ● Concentration
● Positive behavior ● Autonomous learning
● Learning behavior ● Accurate learning
Projective method:
● Aggressive content
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 5

Table 3. Attribution of the research tools

Hypotheses Instrument
Frequency of aggression FEPAA-AH
Willingness to resort to violence FEPAA-AL
FBV behavior in the group
Projective test 1
Projective test 2
Projective test 3
Positive social behavior FEPAA-P
LSL Scale A
LSL Scale F
FBV behavior in the group
FBV behavior in the group
Ability for empathy FEPAA-E
LSL Scale D
Assertiveness LSL Scale B
LSL Scale C
LSL Scale E
Learning behavior LSL Scale G
LSL Scale H
LSL Scale I
LSL Scale J
FBV behavior in the group

Table 4. Design of the study

Time Project Time Interim Project Time Interim Time
point 1 week 1 point 2 phase week 2 point 3 phase point 4
FEPAA-A, FEPAA-B, LSL, FEPAA-A, LSL, Projective FEPAA-
LSL, FBV – method FBV – B
Projective behavior in behavior in the group
method the group

Table 5. Participants
Treatment group Control group Total
School A 23 24 47
School B 18 15 33
Total 41 39 80

Table 6. Gender distribution

School A School B
Gender Male Female N Gender Male Female N
Treatment-group 16 7 23 Treatment-group 7 11 18
Control-group 13 11 24 Control-group 7 8 15

Participants
A total of 80 students between the ages of 10 and 13 participated in the study. Forty-one
students participated in the project, 39 students were involved in the control groups as
listed in Table 5.
Thirty-seven students were female and 43 were male. The distribution was accord-
ing to the respective composition of the school classes as shown in Table 6.
6 A. WÖLFL

Setting
The study was conducted in two regular secondary schools (middle schools) in
Munich. All participants were regular students of the middle school of each district.
The neighborhoods have a mixed population. The classes were each newly formed
after a large group of former classmates had moved to grammar school.3
The project took place in each class over two intensive one-week periods, with a
16-week break in between. During these weeks, each class had five daily lessons of the
Drum-Power program each day, for a total of 25 school lessons (each lasting 45
minutes) in that week. This resulted in a total of 50 lessons over the whole project
period for each school. The second project-class (School B) began two weeks after the
first one (School A).
The program aimed to leverage the high level of interest many young people have
for music listening and playing music by offering opportunities for active participa-
tion. The program has two main goals based upon experiences of affect regulation
and positive social contacts that are made possible using easy to play instruments.
They are:

● to avoid destructive conflict and violence in the school classes

● to offer vulnerable children an opportunity for behavioral change in a con-
structive manner.
● To achieve these goals, the program combines the following methods:
○ music improvisation with easy to play instruments
○ music improvisation and discussion concerning the topic of violence
○ aiming for a performance (planning, development, implementation)
○ reflective exchange with the teacher

Four elements are particularly important to the program improvising with drums,
perception of sounds, vocal expression, and role-play.

The structure of the program is divided into three phases: 1) introduction and
expansion, 2) focusing, and 3) performance framed by preparation and conclusion.
Within this framework, the music therapy exercises and interventions are methodo-
logically coordinated in response to the needs and capabilities of the participants in a
process-oriented way. The methodical structure of the DrumPower-Program is
described in detail in several publications (Wölfl, 2012, 2014, 2016).

Description of the process of the project work

In each of the first weeks, basic working methods were taught and initial ideas for
dealing with aggression and violence were developed. At the end of the first week,
each class created a first workshop-presentation. Based on the experiences of the first
week further ideas from the class were taken up in order to develop both the musical

3
In the German school system, after four years of elementary school most of the well-performing students
change to grammar school (Gymnasium) or secondary modern school (Realschule). Only a small percentage
of the elementary students stays at the regular secondary school (Mittelschule) (Statistisches Bundesamt,
2016). Generally, there are more lower-performing as well as psycho-socially challenged students in the
classes of the regular secondary school.
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 7

experiences and the work on aggression, violence and conflict in the second week.
The process in both classes had similarities and differences in details, according to
their interests and their needs. For example:
In Project Class A, active participation and group cohesion were worked out for a
longer time. Often, they needed a lot of time to find a common rhythm and often
some of the students did not play together with the others. Accordingly, there was
less time to work on conflict issues in the role-plays and to develop their own
solutions. On the other hand, Project Class B easily succeeded in terms of playing
together in the drum improvisations and they had fun playing together. Furthermore,
they liked working on conflict issues and developing their own solutions in the music
therapy role-play. The different procedures in both classes are described in detail in
the dissertation (Wölfl, 2014).

Results
The study was largely carried out as planned. There was one deviation due to the
unexpected departure of a class teacher the following school year. For this reason, the
evaluation of the teachers’ perspective could not be completed and evaluated at the fourth
measurement time point and only data from the students’ survey could be used for the
follow-up survey. More than 30.000 pieces of data were collected.
In preparing for analysis, the data from the students which were considered faulty were
removed from the student questionnaires (FEPAA and self-developed questionnaire). This
was the case for students who had not completed a questionnaire for at least one measure-
ment time point. In the FEPAA questionnaire, missing item values were replaced in
otherwise correctly completed questionnaires by the determination of a mean value from
the other members of the individual scale items. A total of 24 value calculations were carried
out. That corresponds to less than 1% and is statistically acceptable. In preparing the teacher
questionnaire, data from students were excluded if they had not participated in one project
phase or could not be assessed due to absence at a measurement time point. Overall, the
percentile ranks for the evaluated study groups in student questionnaires reach between
82.5% (FEPAA) and 95% (FBV) and in the teacher questionnaires 86.25%. This is well
above the acceptable benchmark of 80% (see Babbie, 2001). Ultimately, the answers of 69
students could be evaluated.

Results of the statistical analysis

In the statistical analysis, different correlations between the project classes and the
control classes were examined. The analysis covered effects over time, effects of the
interaction between the groups over time, and effects between the groups. The p-
values resulting from the ANOVA analyses comparing the project classes to the
control classes are shown in Table 7. The experiment shows significant (p ≤ .05)
and highly significant (p ≤ .01) effects; it presents, however, heterogeneous results.
The results are explained in detail in the following sections.

Example of school A
The results of School A are shown in Figure 1. The LSL questionnaire (teacher views;
1st panel) reveals a significant decrease in cooperation after the first project week.
8 A. WÖLFL

Table 7. Summary of statistical results

Outcome School A Outcome School B
Interaction Interaction
Hypotheses Instrument Time time-group Group Time time-group Group
Frequency of FEPAA-AH 001*** .034* .317 .002** .132 .000***
aggression
Willingness to FEPAA-AL .006** .995 .995 .028*a .214a .465
resort to FBV behavior in .495 .140 .047* .668 .111 .000***
violence the group
Projective test 1 .832 .162 .132 .728 .612 .513
Projective test 2 .598 .262 .597 .851 .851 .559
Projective test 3 .053 .618 .611 .749 .588 .382
Positive social FEPAA-P .666a .931a .975 .001*** .006** .004**
behavior LSL Scale A .016* .000*** .736 .013*a .014*a .598
LSL Scale F .426 .000*** .098 .000***a .002**a .156
FBV behavior in .028* .225 .099 .365 .032* .006**
the group
FBV behavior in .552 .455 .165 .795 .022* .001***
the group
Ability for FEPAA-E .857 .375 .203 .038* .025* .499
empathy LSL Scale D .008** .000*** .006** .000***a .018*a .000***a
Assertive-ness LSL Scale B .259 .000*** .070 .000*** .001*** .797
LSL Scale C .123 .000***a .282 .003**a .419 .250
LSL Scale E .007** .000*** .028* .001***a .003**a .318
Learning LSL Scale G .674 .000*** .354 .002** .195 .065
behavior LSL Scale H .242 .000*** .043* .000*** .021* .007**
LSL Scale I .357 .000***a .247 .000***a .502 .607
LSL Scale J .638 .000*** .299 .000*** .215 .056
FBV behavior in .534 .324 .161 .251 .333 .000***
the group
Note. * p ≤ .05, ** p ≤ .01, *** p ≤ .001. aValues of significance corrected according to Greenhouse Geisser due
to lack of sphericity

From the second to the third measurement time, an improvement is again observed,
but without reaching the initial level again. Both the changes over time and the
interaction between the treatment group and the control group are significant.
Accordingly, a significant decrease in cooperation in the control group in relation
to the time as well as in comparison to the control group can be observed with
significant effect sizes. The graph of the corresponding scale of the students’ ques-
tionnaire (FEPAA; 2nd panel) shows that social behavior decreases during the project
work (from time 1 to 3). The effects are neither significant over the time nor between
the treatment group and the control group. Similarly, the teacher’s assessment of
assertiveness (3rd panel) shows a significant decline from the first to the second
measurement point. From the second to the third measurement point, the rating
remains low. Both the measurements of changes in the group and over time as well as
the interaction between the treatment group and the control group show effects in the
significant range. Correspondingly, there is a marked decrease in assertiveness in the
treatment group within the group, over time and compared to the control group with
significant effect sizes. The graph of the frequency of aggressive behavior (FEPAA;
4th panel) marks an exception in the study results with School A. The follow-up
measure shows the highest level of significant effect. This shows a decline in aggres-
sive behavior in the longer term.
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY

Figure 1. Statistical results in School A.

9
10 A. WÖLFL

Example of school B
The results of the LSL questionnaire (Figure 2, 1st panel) reveal significant positive effects in
terms of cooperation. While this is considered relatively low compared to the control group
at the beginning and also after the first week of the project, it distinctly increases up to the
end of the second week of the project. The graph of the corresponding scale of the students’
questionnaire (FEPAA; 2nd panel) shows that the young people in the Project Class B assess
their positive social behavior during the project phase (1st to 3rd measurement point) as
relatively high and constant. In the follow-up measurement, four months later, a very clear
increase is visible. In comparison with the control class, significant effects are found in the
whole group, over time and in the comparison between the groups. The teachers´ assess-
ment of assertiveness in School B (3rd panel) shows a decline from the first to the second
measurement point and an evident increase at the third measurement point after the second
project week. The measurement shows significant effects over time and between the
treatment-group and the control-group. The graph of the frequency of aggressive behavior
(FEPAA; 4th panel) shows a lower level of aggressive behavior in the project group
compared to the control group, which shows an evident decrease in the follow-up measure-
ment. The statistical analysis shows significant effects in the group and over time.

Outcomes
The review of the hypotheses (Table 1) according to the previous operationalization
(Table 3) of the findings of each of the single scales (Table 8) results in the following
outcome.
In School A, hypothesis 1 is accepted, hypothesis 2 is not accepted, hypotheses 3, 4, 5
and 6 are clearly rejected.
In School B, all hypotheses from 1 to 6 are accepted.
The overview of comparison results of the two project classes is shown in Table 8.
By comparing the outcomes between both school classes, a heterogeneous result can
be observed.

● In Project Class B, all hypotheses are significantly confirmed in the study. These
results demonstrate the achievement of the project objectives.
● In Project Class A, the hypotheses of the study are mostly rejected, except in
relation to a reduction of violence, for which the hypothesis is confirmed. Thus,
the findings largely contradict the prediction impact of the project model.

The investigation results are reviewed in a detailed analysis in terms of uncontrolled

influence factors. For the results of Project Class A, high influence of the evaluation from the
teacher perspective after the first project week is detected. For both project classes, it is
evident that changes manifested earlier in the teachers´ perspective and later in the students’
perspective. The detailed analysis confirms the validity of the study results.

Discussion of the results and analysis of process protocols and expert

interviews
Diverse results from the two project classes raise important issues for interpretation
and conclusion. The discussion is carried out under the following categories.
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY

Figure 2. Statistical results in school B.

11
12 A. WÖLFL

Table 8. Comparison between the outcomes in both schools

School A School B
Decrease in frequency of Decrease in frequency of aggression (significant effects)
aggression (significant effects)
Willingness to resort to violence increases Decrease in willingness to resort to violence (significant
throughout the course and then decreases after effects)
the project
Decrease in positive social behavior (significant Increase in positive social behavior
effects) (highly significant effects)
Decrease in ability for empathy Increase in ability for empathy
(highly significant effects)
Decline in assertiveness Improvement of assertiveness
(significant effects) (highly significant effects)
Decline in learning behavior Improvement of learning behavior
(highly significant effects) (highly significant effects)
Note. Accepted hypotheses are highlighted in italics.

● Methodical discussion of the results with regard to the key questions:

○ How can the difference between the research results in the two schools be
explained?
○ What are the implications for the implementation of further projects?
● Research specific discussion relating to the following questions:
○ Can the study design be used to answer the research questions?
○ What are the implications for further studies?

The methodical discussion identified specific and nonspecific factors, based on the
analysis of project performance and evaluation interviews with the experts. On the one
hand, the results of the investigation confirmed positive effects in Project Class B and on
the other hand the results of the investigation identified negative potentials in the Project
Class A. These relate to specific variables in the project results and non-specific variables
within the class profile, which are differentiated in the following aspects.

● Class Profile – class variables (non-specific factors)

● Student Group
● Level of interpersonal and social skills of pupils
● Group dynamics
● Interaction between students and instructors
● Project effects – variables of the project work (specific factors)
● Student motivation
● Primary project effects
● Interaction between students and instructors
● Procedures and theme development in the course of the project
● Working atmosphere

Results of qualitative analysis

Based on the qualitative analysis of process protocols and experts’ interviews, impor-
tant factors can be identified concerning the significant differences between the
project classes, both in relation to class profile and in the resulting project effects,
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 13

Table 9. Comparison of class profile and project effects in the Project Classes A and B
Class profile School A School B
Class structureClass size is relatively large with a total of 23 Class size is average with a total of 18
students. students.
Class has a significantly higher proportion of In the class slightly more girls (7 m., 11 w.).
boys (16 m., 7 w.). Molded class structure with established
There is a high level of self-interest and roles, hierarchies and accepted regulatory
barely developed group regulating mechanisms.
structures.
Class dynamics Dynamics among the students are Students can relate to each other.
conflictive, the students are self-centered Class dynamics promotes group
(Own interests, low impulse regulation, cohesiveness and a sense of belonging
little willingness to show consideration, Class is social and cooperative.
low frustration tolerance, rapid escalation Class is constructive and regulative, with
of conflicts). willingness to show consideration.
Interaction Students accept teacher. Students show great acceptance and
teacher- Teacher leads the class sternly. idealization of the teacher.
students Teaching style is teacher-centered. Teacher specifically promotes prosocial and
constructive attitudes and actions and
strengthens the self-esteem of students
through positive feedback.
Project effects
Primary effects The students are interested in the project to The students are interested in the project to
of the prevent violence with music and prevent violence with music and highly
project motivated to participate. motivated to participate.
Project covers difficult class dynamics and Project excites students and mobilizes
personality structures (conflictive class positive goal orientation, creativity and
dynamics, strong self-centeredness, low cooperation.
cooperation and problem-solving skills).
Trainer- Students recognize that the authority of the Students are enthusiastic about the project
Students trainer is not adequate. and willing to accept provisions of the
Interaction Announcements of the coaches are often trainer team.
ignored.
Authority must be supported by the
teacher.
Dealing with Direct and reflective processing of the Students are very interested in the violence
topics I conflictive and destructive group prevention project theme with music and
dynamics is very difficult and only bring a high input of own ideas.
partially possible. Strong desire to make music and positively
Promotion of basic skills is possible at the represent themselves and the class.
level of the music. Basic motivation of the
pupils can be activated again.
Dealing with Working in small groups, constructive and Great willingness to deal with target and
topics II successful. actual comparisons of conflict and
Interest in performance allows goal-oriented violence related topics
work. Willingness to deal with group dynamics
problems and to seek constructive
solutions.
Working Working atmosphere is very stressful and Excited and constructive.
atmosphere difficult, tends to be overwhelming.

which determine a positive or a negative project progression, despite comparable

entrance criteria in school selection. These are summarized in Table 9.
The analysis of course documentation and expert interviews also shows significant
differences between Classes A and B in terms of motivation and commitment, as seen in
Table 10.
14 A. WÖLFL

Table 10. Comparison of motivation and commitment of the Project Classes A and B
School A School B
Motivation and Decrease in motivation by: Common interest of the students in the
commitment ● Lack of quick success, success of the project.
● Low frustration tolerance, Willingness and ability of the students
● Limited common interests and goals. to participate.

The differences in the two project classes are primarily due to the level of personal
and social skills of the students, the group dynamic within the classes, the line of
acceptance of teachers and trainers, and the associated ability to implement the
project as intended (see Wölfl, Drexler, Ferdig, Fromberg, & Uffelmann, 2010, p
130–131). The analysis showed primarily that in addition to a motivation for the
music project, which was prevalent in both project classes, a willingness to cooperate
and the ability to implement these skills contribute to the success of the project with
measurable positive impact. This willingness is supported in reference to the follow-
ing non-specific factors of the class profile: 1) an existing or evolving class structure
with accepted roles and regulatory mechanisms, 2) class dynamics with the desire for
a common group feeling (sense of belonging), 3) common success in the project
work, and 4) acceptance and appreciative interaction between the students and
teacher. This applies even to students with difficult and challenging personality traits.
In terms of specific project effects, particularly positive effects can be achieved when the
motivation of the students is identified and intensified in the project work on a musical,
verbal and interactive level and the students are ready – even in difficult situations – to
accept the instructions of the trainer and implement solutions. This is favored when a
majority of students can be taught to detect the reflexive project contents and show a
personal interest in the development of constructive solutions. Under these conditions, the
project targets the early prevention of violence. This happens at the level of music
experiences like music making or musical roleplaying and at the level of class dynamics
that are purposely implemented, including the examination of individual pupils at risk. An
excited and cooperative working atmosphere supports this developmental process in the
project work.
Working on emotional and cognitive confrontation with issues of aggression,
conflict and violence, brings with it the emergence of negative emotions and related
destabilizing processes. This does not signify a failure of the project model per se,
despite evidence of these challenging developments in the research findings.
Assessments of the expert interviews underline how subsequent positive effects,
first appearing in student behavior at a later point in time, can be achieved through
intensive and demanding confrontation with these challenging aspects in active
dialogue with the students. The significant improvement of the challenging Project
Class A in relation to the frequency of aggressive behavior in the follow-up study
measurement serves as an indication for this assessment.
Nevertheless, the project development in Project Class A is considered to be less than
optimal for all involved due to the primarily negative research results and an atmosphere of
extreme tension and intermittent excessive demands, as demonstrated in the expert inter-
views and identified in the analysis. The controlling intervention methods used by the
trainers as an attempt to manage these destabilizing processes and to cope with the class
often took effect only after great delay and considerable teacher support. In addition, these
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 15

proved to be, at least partially, an additional strain which in turn triggered destructive
responses. Thus, a subjectively positive student perception of the project work was first
achieved with the performance at the end of the project. Although the study could not
explicitly detect positive effects in terms of violence prevention, it captures initial recogni-
tion of probable favorable effects as a result of the study.

Ongoing considerations
In the second part of the discussion, conceptual conclusions are derived theoretically
and differentiated from the analysis of the research project. These relate to the
following areas:

● The preparation phase should include a more sophisticated initial survey of the
class profile made in the selection of classes to which the methodology is aligned
● The methodologies should be differentiated so that working with target groups,
comparable to the Project Class A, are very structured from the start and
freedom in playing is gradually extended.
● Targeted efforts should be made to strengthen the cooperation between trainer
and teacher
● Improved monitoring of the transfer into the regular school routine

The conclusions are summarized in Table 11.

The final part of the discussion draws research specific conclusions from the pilot
study. The evaluation of study design, methodology and results is scientifically
acceptable. All of the applied standardized research instruments, including the pre-
paration and implementation of the pilot study, correspond to scientific quality

Table 11. Conceptual conclusions

Motivation Severity of mental
Class climate health problems
Group dynamics Educational
Socio-metric Leadership
Selection of classes Differentiated output diagnostics status
Concept Stronger differentiation in different Thematic concerns of the class/school
modification formats/approaches Structure and regulation skills in the
classroom
Differentiation of the Development of a more highly structured
methodological approach for approach
classes where individuals or the Creative space to play is gradually extended
group as a whole lacked an ability
to self-regulate behavior.
Trainer Strengthening the management Close cooperation with the class teacher
task Active structure-giving instruction/control of
the process
Integration of structured and instructive
aspects in therapeutic self-understanding
Reflection of resonance phenomena, role
and team conflicts
Teacher More intensive monitoring of Collegial discussions for analysis of transfer
transfer to the regular school possibilities in daily life
routine Modification of musical elements for the
school day
16 A. WÖLFL

criteria. The self-developed questionnaire (FBV) and the projective method (PV) do
not currently fulfill these requirement standards and add no additional insights.
Therefore, they can be discarded in subsequent studies regarding the same research
question. For a renewed scientific application, these tools (FBV and PV) require
further methodical development so that an increase in knowledge (projective
method) or a considerable simplification of the study (self-developed questionnaire)
can be achieved. The relationship between the quantitative research methods in the
evaluation study and the qualitative research tool in the semi-structured survey, as
well as the analytical evaluation of expert interviews, opens up a significant increase
in knowledge for understanding the research results. With this, the significance and
replication potential of the combined quantitative and qualitative research methods
becomes evident. Future studies should focus on further methodical development.
Upon completion of the pilot study, additional related research with a larger
sample population size should be considered. In addition, future studies are needed
to focus on the following aspects:

● self-control
● emotional control
● mentalization
● social perception
● teaching style and self-image of teachers
● gender-specific influences
● class and school climate.

Moreover, there is interest in the investigation of music therapy specific issues

within the context of violence prevention projects.

Concluding thoughts
This study demonstrates in a quasi-experimental comparative study that the investi-
gated music therapy program DrumPower can achieve significant effects in terms of
reducing destructive behavior and aggressive atmosphere as well as improving
empathy, positive social behavior, assertiveness and performance. The study identi-
fied potential effects with significant results for the music therapy program (project
model) used with two fifth grade classes in middle schools in Germany. Including a
comprehensive follow-up and evaluation analysis, the effects can be differentiated
methodologically for different target groups. The results demonstrate that the project
model can be carried out with significant impact in classes with sufficient motivation
and basic cooperative competence. Those classes are the main target groups in the
field of primary prevention. The model needs to be revised for use in classes with low
motivation and where individuals or the group as a whole lacked an ability to self-
regulate behavior. In this regard, the findings point to a need for more differentiated
initial diagnostics, more structured procedures, more empowerment of the trainers,
and a more intense monitoring of the transfer. Altogether the findings substantiate
the assessments of previous publications that music therapy approaches can make an
effective contribution to the prevention of violence.
Regarding the research method in the field of music therapy prevention of
violence in schools, this pilot study demonstrates for the first time a quasi-
 NORDIC JOURNAL OF MUSIC THERAPY 17

experimental comparative study. It captures some central effects of a music therapy

approach with standardized measuring instruments (questionnaires). During the
study, it was found that the research design, with the exclusion of the self-developed
questionnaire (FBV) and the projective method (PV), is in accordance with scientific
quality criteria. This deems it suitable to be applied in studies with larger subject
numbers. This is especially important when the teacher survey is conducted in the
fourth time period measurement. The connection with the analysis of the experts’
interviews for the discussion of the results was found to be extremely useful and
methodically practical in the pilot study (Wölfl, 2014).
This study confirms the potential value of music therapy methods in the field
of prevention of violent and aggressive behavior. Based on our practical experi-
ence and the research results, it is clear that there is a need to develop differ-
entiated music therapy approaches for preventive aims and target groups, along
with continued methodological development. In this respect, the study is an
important step in terms of both demonstrating the effectiveness of a music
therapy method for preventing violence and furthering methodological evolution
in this area.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor
Andreas Wölfl is Music Therapist, Psychotherapist for Children and Adolescents, Supervisor. He is
music therapist in a hospital for child and adolescent psychiatry since 1989 and has a practice for
supervision, coaching and music therapy since 1999. He is Head of the music therapy training BWM
and the workgroup „prevention“ at the Institute of Music Therapy at the „Freies-Musikzentrum
München e.V.“.

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