Performing spirituality in music therapy: Towards action, context and the everyday Giorgos Tsiris Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy PhD in Music Therapy Programme Nordoff Robbins / Goldsmiths, University of London United Kingdom 2018 Copyright © 2018 Giorgos Tsiris. Declaration I certify that the work presented in the thesis is my own. All material which is not my own work has been identified and acknowledged as such. No material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Funding statement This study was partially funded by The Music Therapy Charity (Registered charity number: 259077) and the British Association for Music Therapy (Registered charity number: 1137807). Abstract Despite various theoretical explorations of spirituality in music therapy, including debates about its perceived threat to music therapy’s development as a legitimate profession, only a relatively small number of empirical studies have been conducted to date. Exploring mostly individual experiences of spirituality, these studies tend to focus on positive aspects of spirituality, such as peak moments. With no single definition of spirituality, this thesis sets outs to open up a space where diverse, even conflicting, spiritualities are explored. It is based on two complementary studies through which I explore music therapists’ perceptions of spirituality and its (ir)relevance to music therapy (pilot study) as well as the performance of spirituality in everyday music therapy contexts (follow-up study). The pilot study is an international survey of 358 qualified and trainee music therapists whilst the follow-up study is an ethnographically-informed exploration of spirituality within three UK-based music therapy contexts. The survey findings provide an insight into music therapists’ perceptions of spirituality, including its place in their training, practice and professional life. Music therapists’ dilemmas and suggestions for future actions regarding spirituality are also highlighted. Adopting a performative view of spirituality, the ethnographically-informed study offers an exploration of spirituality in-action and in-situ. The findings expand beyond immediate music-making situations, to include broader professional practices, systems and frameworks pertaining to spirituality in and around music therapy. This involves a critical investigation of professional vocabularies, identities, and organisational values and agendas in connection to music therapists’ stances and practices. The thesis suggests a hybrid pneumatology in music therapy. Characterised by interpretative elasticity, spirituality emerges as a ‘boundary object’; a hybrid construct which affords the co-existence of unfinished spiritualities as well as their multiple and heterogeneous translations. Repositioning spirituality as a vital subject area in music therapy, the thesis draws implications for further developments in the field. i Acknowledgments I express my gratitude to my supervisors Prof Gary Ansdell and Prof Mercédès Pavlicevic. Their wise guidance, insightful questioning and gentle support were of essence throughout my research journey. Behind the scenes of this six-year-long journey, a number of individuals contributed in different ways and at different stages. This includes ad-hoc conversations with colleagues, friends and family which led, at times, to unexpected learnings and realisations, and fed in diverse ways to this study. Acknowledging every single person is impossible, but I would like to particularly thank: Dr Neta Spiro and Dr Simon Procter as well as the whole Nordoff Robbins Research Team for their support; Dr Stuart Wood, Claire Flower, Erinn Epp, Jessica Atkinson, Maren Mettell and Kjetil Hjørnevik for being my ‘critical friends’; Tamsin Dives and Evangelia Arachoviti for piloting the survey questionnaire; Prof Tia DeNora and Dr Cochavit Elefant for their feedback at pivotal points of the study; Dr Tommi Himberg for his advice on data analysis; Stefanos Evangelou for providing technical support; Dr James Robertson for proofreading the thesis. I also thank all the music therapists and other professionals, as well as the clients, their families and carers who took part in the study, and I express my appreciation to the research sites for their organisational support and hospitality. The names of research participants and sites are not revealed, but their input was vital for making this study possible. I am particularly grateful to the three music therapists who generously served as key informants. During their prolonged research participation, they welcomed me in their work environments, they shared intimate stories and discussed openly about their questions and dilemmas regarding spirituality and its place in their work. The Music Therapy Charity and the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) kindly funded aspects of this research and I am thankful for their contribution. My current and previous employers – Nordoff Robbins Scotland, Queen Margaret University, Nordoff Robbins (England and Wales) and St Christopher’s Hospice – have also supported me by granting valuable time for PhD work. My intellectual curiosity regarding music, health and spirituality has been experientially founded in my music therapy work with dying people and the communities within which they live and die. This thesis would not have been possible without the insights I have gained from this work. Special thanks to my parents, Sotiris and Maria, for inspiring me and for their ongoing support. Eirini and Philemon have been my sources of beauty and love. I thank them for sharing what matters in everyday life. ii Brief contents Abstract .................................................................................................................. i Acknowledgments ................................................................................................. ii List of appendices, figures, photographs, tables and vignettes.............................. ix List of acronyms…………………………………………………………………………………………….….xiii Prologue ................................................................................................................ 1 i) Background ................................................................................................................................................ 1 ii) Thesis structure ......................................................................................................................................... 4 iii) A note on my writing voice ...................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter I Literature review ................................................................................................... 6 1 Defining spirituality .................................................................................................................................... 6 2 Spirituality, health and healing .................................................................................................................. 8 3 Tracing spirituality in music therapy literature ........................................................................................ 10 4 An evaluative overview of music therapy research in spirituality ........................................................... 15 Chapter II Music therapists’ perceptions of spirituality: A survey ......................................... 23 1 Research aim and questions .................................................................................................................... 23 2 Epistemological and methodological considerations ............................................................................... 24 3 Data collection ......................................................................................................................................... 26 4 Data analysis ............................................................................................................................................. 27 5 Strengths and weaknesses of method ..................................................................................................... 29 6 Research ethics ........................................................................................................................................ 30 7 Findings .................................................................................................................................................... 31 8 Situated summary of findings .................................................................................................................. 63 iii Chapter III Interlude: From roots to routes ........................................................................... 66 1 Revisiting the survey’s function ............................................................................................................... 66 2 Towards action, context and ‘the everyday’ ............................................................................................ 69 Chapter IV Performing spirituality in everyday music therapy contexts: An ethnographically-informed study.................................................................... 76 1 Research aim and questions .................................................................................................................... 76 2 Epistemological and methodological considerations ..............................................................................
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