Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Walker, Jan
• BoyceTillman, June

Titel

Music lessons on prescription The impact of music lessons for children with chronic anxiety problems

Ist Teil von

• Health Education, 2002, Vol.102 (4), p.172-179

Ort / Verlag

MCB UP Ltd

Erscheinungsjahr

2002

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• The aim of this study was to examine the potential role of music lessons as part of a treatment programme for children diagnosed as having severe chronic anxiety disorders. The findings are presented as a series of individual case studies based on the recorded observations of the children, parents, musicteachers and family therapists. Over the period of a school year five children were recruited to receive lessons on an instrument of their choice from an experienced professional musicteacher. Music lessons were credited with improvements in feelings of efficacy and selfconfidence, increased social ease and independence, new opportunities to express creativity and emotional feelings, and control over intrusive thoughts and feelings. Normalisation of the therapeutic environment, combined with freedom from parental pressure to succeed, appears to emerge as a key feature of the success of the project. The findings indicate that music lessons on prescription may offer a useful complement or alternative to therapy for difficult and complex childhood anxiety disorders.