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Chapter 41
Historical Research in Music
Therapy
History
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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
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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
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The systematic study of the practices,
materials, institutions, and people involved in
the therapeutic application of music.
Biography
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Research of the history of people
Boxberger, Crocker, Flagler Fultz, Sears,
Underwood, etc.
History of Places
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Geographics – cities, states, countries
Institutions – schools, clinics
History of Events and Ideas
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Treatment Trends and Philosophies
Technological Advances
Philosophies
Conferences
Topic Selection
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Interest/motivation
Time
Availability of Evidence
Practicality
Delimitations
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Chronology
Geography
Subject matter
Sources of Evidence
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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
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Pictorial records
Written records
Official documents
Personal correspondence
Interviews
Artifacts
Analysis of Evidence
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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
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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
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Informal conversations
Structured, formal interview
Results are analyzed, summarized, and
conclusions are drawn
Ethics
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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
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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”