Five International Models of Music

Therapy Practice

Introduction

By Barbara L. Wheeler

One of the special features of the 1999 World Congress in Washington, DC,
was a series that presented “Five International Models of Music Therapy
Practice.” As Ken Aigen says in his “Memories of the Ninth World Congress of
Music Therapy” in this issue of Voices:

My idea was to bring special attention to the models of Analytical Music

Therapy (AMT), Guided Imagery and Music (GIM), and Nordoff-Robbins
Music Therapy (NRMT), and to have the founders of each of these
approaches attend the Congress and offer a special presentation together.
Political considerations led to the expansion of the original focus to “Five
International Models of Music Therapy” with Behavioral Music Therapy
(BehMT) and Benenzon Music Therapy (BenMT) being added to the original
three models.
Kenneth Bruscia coordinated this special track, which included special pre-
congress courses, a plenary session, and many session and panels. Ken
Bruscia’s correspondence to those who he asked to help in planning these
sessions is included here. The people who presented at the plenary session
were:

• Rolando Benenzon (Benenzon Music Therapy),

• Helen Bonny (Guided Imagery and Music),
• Clifford Madsen (Behavioral Music Therapy), and
• Clive Robbins (Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy).
• Johannes Th. Eschen represented Mary Priestley (Analytical Music
Therapy), who could not attend.
Ken Bruscia has also shared a listing of those who he invited to present at
some of the courses and panels, although in a few cases, these were not the
people who ultimately were able to present.

I am pleased that we are able to share some memories and additional

materials from people who were involved with these models. Gabriela
 Wagner who coordinated the presentation of the Benenzon Model of Music
Therapy shares her memories from preparations and presentation. Lisa
Summer, who worked closely with Helen Bonny and was one of the
presenters at the conference, writes about her memories of this track. Clifford
Madsen shares his memories as well as the talk that he gave at the plenary
session on Behavioral Music Therapy. In addition to some memories from
Clive Robbins, Alan Turry, who worked closely with Clive Robbins and
presented at the conference, shares some memories of the Nordoff-Robbins
track. Johannes Th.Eschen has kindly shared materials from his books,
Analytical Music Therapy (2002) and Anfängen der Musiktherapie in
Deutschland, Part VII (2010), which express what he would like to share
about the AMT track.

Re ections on the Benenzon Model of Music Therapy Track

By Gabriela Wagner

Gabriela Wagner
Dr. Benenzon invited me to coordinate the presentation of what since then, is
know as Benenzon Model of Music Therapy. I had the great pleasure of
working with him directly as well as with the representatives of the different
areas in different countries. Emerenziana D'Ulises, Giuanluigi Di Franco,
(Italy) Cleo Correia, Marta Negreiros, Lia Rejane Mendes Barcellos (Brasil),
Francisco Blaco Velcher(Spain), Liliana D'Asero, Ofelia Herrendorf and
myself Gabriela Wagner (Argentina), were working with Rolando Benenzon
during the preceding year in order to clarify ideas and to discussing different
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 items. During that year I made a review of Dr. Benenzon's published work
between 1962 and 1999. Finally, I was in charge of different presentations.
Dr. Benenzon’s speech at the conference is reproduced here (pdf 4MB).

Unfortunately not all of the mentioned persons nally could make it to

Washington, but the previous work was a wonderful experience. The
experience of participating in this track will be an unforgettable one for me. I
had the chance and the pleasure in Washington to compare, to look for
coincidence and differences among the above mentioned models. One of
these presentations was my work with an autistic patient which included my
cello when she was 5 and 6 years old and later when she was 26. It was an
incredible experience of non verbal memory where music was the only
symbolic bound.

Other interesting impressions were those dealing with being a WFMT Council
Member, but that is for another opportunity.

Re ections on the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music

(GIM) Track

By Lisa Summer

Lisa Summer and Helen Bonny from 1993

Re ections on the GIM track at the 1999 World Congress of Music Therapy
brings me immediately, and joyfully, to recollections of Helen Bonny. Towards
the end of Helen Bonny’s life in 2010, she often spoke with me about the
development of GIM practice and research around the world. One of her
happiest memories was the excitement of speaking at the “Founders Panel”
at the 1999 World Congress and she had a strong memory of listening to the
other panelists each representing their model. At that keynote presentation, I
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 remember clearly that Helen spoke in such a calm manner yet with such
enthusiasm and intense presence about GIM (as she always did).

I gave the next presentation, a 2-hour Introduction to the Bonny Method of

GIM, and I remember clearly the enthusiasm of the audience. There was a
sense of heightened enthusiasm because of the structure of the conference.
There was a feeling of passing the baton to the next speaker in your track as,
for example, I passed the baton Madelaine Ventre, MA, MT-BC (USA) who
presented 2 experiential sessions on the Bonny Method of GIM. After these
introductory sessions the baton was passed to presenters on the research
panels. Bjorn Wrangsjo, MD (Sweden) and Cathy McKinny, PhD, MT-BC
(USA) represented the Bonny Method for the Panel on Quantitative Research
and Denise Grocke (Australia) represented the Bonny Method for the Panel
on Qualitative Research. Next came two specialty panels: Frances Goldberg,
MFCC, MT-BC (USA) shared her holographic theory of GIM for the Panel on
Clinical Theory and Carolyn Sonnen (USA) shared how classical music is
utilized in GIM for the Panel on the Role of Music. The four panels on clinical
applications were represented by James Borling, MM, MT-BC (USA) for Adult
Applications, Susan Wesley, PhD (USA) for Verbal Children/Adolescents,
Ginger Clarkson, MA, MT-BC (USA) for Nonverbal Clients and Roseann
Kasayka, DA, MT-BC (USA) for Medicine. Finally, Sierra Stokes Stearns,
PhD, MT-BC (USA) presented the paradigm of GIM training for the Panel on
Training.

It is interesting to note that the majority of presenters from the GIM track at
this World Congress were Americans, and this was because the majority of
GIM Fellows were Americans. In the last decade, GIM has truly grown into an
international model: currently the majority – 63% - of GIM Fellows are from
around the globe; 37% are Americans (Association for Music and Imagery,
2010). In fact, GIM has proliferated so strongly in Europe that in 2008 the
European Network for Guided Imagery and Music (ENGIM) was formed to
support its development. For further information about the Bonny Method
contact www.ami-bonnymethod.org and for a collection of articles on Helen
Bonny, and the history, theory, research, and clinical applications of the
Bonny Method see the Voices issue commemorating Helen Bonny’s work and
life at www.voices.no [Voices, Volume 10(3), Co-edited by Lisa Summer and
Carolyn Kenny].

Re ections on the Behavioral Music Therapy Track

By Clifford K. Madsen
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Clifford K. Madsen
I am pleased to add my remembrances for the 1999 event. I remember it very
fondly especially the wonderful personal interactions that the ve of us had
one-on-one during the course of the conference. I guess that the most
important think I remember is in giving the presentation, sensing the
“audience tone” throughout my time and listening to the other four presenters.
Of course, I knew of each individual’s work but getting to interact in a
personal way was very special.

Also, having been given the task of assembling this “approach” I remember
working extremely hard to provide the best possible representation of the
approach I could. After a good deal of thought I decided to organize it with the
following people participating. All of them were absolutely wonderful in
bringing the various aspects of this approach to the conference and making it
“live” through various talks and presentations and interactive discussions.

Every time I think about that conference it makes me smile. Indeed, it was
one of the most memorable experiences of my professional life.

I’ve attached both my speech (pdf 147 KB) and the list of presenters (below)
that were kind enough to help in elucidating this approach.

ORIGIN AND
Clifford K. Madsen
DEVELOPM
ENT:
INTRODUCT Anita Louise Steele & Lori Lundeen Smith
ION:
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 EXPERIENT
Russell Hilliard
AL
WORKSHO
CASE Mary Boyle
STUDY:
RESEARCH: Quantitative research, Jayne Standley
RESEARCH: Qualitative research, Suzanne Hanser
TRAINING: Carol Prickett & Dianne Gregory
ROUNDTAB Comparing models with regard to clinical theory, Judith
LE Jellison & MaryAnn Nolteriek
DISCUSSIO
ROUNDTAB Comparing models on the use of music, Mary Ann Nolteriek
LE & Judith Jellison
DISCUSSIO
1.Nonverbal clients, Alice-Ann Darrow & Kate Gfeller
CLINICAL
2.Verbal children and/or adolescents, Michelle Hairston
APPLICATIO
3.Adult populations, Melissa Brotons & David Wolfe
NS:
4.Medical patients Alicia Clair & Michael Thaut

Re ections on the Nordoff-Robbins Model of Music Therapy

Track

Clive Robbins interviewed by Barbara Wheeler

Clive Robbins
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 Clive Robbins 1998
Clive Robbins shared his memories of being on the Models panel at the
World Congress in a telephone conversation on November 2, 2011.
It was a “whole new level of experience – was very gratifying.” He felt that this
was the rst world congress that truly deserved the title “world congress”
because there were so many people from Asia, representing a very wide
scope. Washington, DC, truly was the center of the world. He made special
connections with the Koreans, with whom he later had more contact. These
were very important connections.
Clive spoke of what fun it was when, after they had spoken, Helen Bonny
said, “Wasn’t it fun to get up there and tell people about the work and have it
accepted?”
He said,
“I was pleased – it took me by surprise in some ways….. was
relaxed.” He was enjoying himself so much that he was
surprised when he saw a sign saying that he had 5
minutes left to speak.

Cliff Madsen also spoke on the panel. Later, Clive and Cliff became very
friendly. They would greet each other warmly at conferences.

Clive was very pleased with the conference. Japan was well-represented. He
thought that Kana Okazaki-Sakaue met her husband there. (According to
Kana, she and Masami [now her husband] actually knew each other before
1999 but they became closer as a result of the congress, as she translated
for him.)

By Alan Turry
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Alan Turry
I remember being moved by the sincerity of each pioneer representing their
models, and the mutual respect that was apparent, despite concerns of
competition or hierarchy. I sensed that having such a wide variety of models
was another step in legitimizing approaches that were both music centered
and psychodynamic, approaches that necessarily at times need to rely on
tacit rather than explicit knowledge. I also remember that during my
experiential workshop we had some healthy debate on what exactly
constitutes particular idioms or styles, and I learned a great deal from the
participants.

Analytical Music Therapy

By Johannes Th. Eschen

Johannes Th. Eschen

After having waited patiently for "the right moment" we are full
of awe and wonder when a psyche is creating a really
great dream or improvisation with incredible depth and
clarity.

Striking for us is the power and delicacy of the signs of hope,

induced by the inborn healing capacity even of very ill
patients.

The humble respect of the unique potentials of just this patient,

just his psyche with his personal biography is growing
from therapy to therapy.

Patients, students and therapists are again and again amazed

and fascinated by the "works of art", the "compositions"
they have created in associative improvisations.

Even musicians with a long fruitful experience of a creative life,

admire, deeply moved, the inner creating capacities,
quite often miles ahead of the conscious possibilities,
and enjoy the sparkling richness, vivid intensity, strength
and delicacy of feelings, the clarity of forms and
developments in associative improvisations.

This is for me a steadily growing beloved special eld full of

rich and impressive experiences with

Music in the life of man.

(From unpublished manuscript for
New York Symposium "Music in the life of man" 1982,
invitation by Barbara Hesser)

Preface and contents list from the book Analytical Music Therapy (Jessica
Kingsley Publishers, 2002) edited by Johannes Th Eschen.
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