Digital instruments and their uses in music therapy

Abstract

Technology could represent an ally in easing the formulation of a bond between music therapist and client. So far, both scholars and therapists have claimed that the implementation of technology could be paramount in transforming the client’s therapeutic process, beyond representing a new and effective methodology for session analysis. This article proposes the implementation of musical technologies within the daily practice of music therapy, the latter understood as the appropriate field for the application of interactive systems technology, which track the user’s movements and transform them into audiovisual and haptic feedback. The article presents an exploratory review of the use of digital instruments, based on motion tracking, in order to develop a new basis for music therapy procedures, and discusses how specific features of digital musical instruments could benefit music therapy sessions. All discussions are set within the framework of embodied cognition. We provide a discussion on how multisensory integration may be used in the treatment of clients with severe cognitive and motor difficulties. We advocate the need for an interdisciplinary approach to the practice of music therapy, and propose future lines of research concerned with the design of multimodal and empowerment-based technologies.