Using the Violin in Music Therapy Sessions when Working with Young People Age 6-21: Living with Visual Impairments

This reflexive qualitative case study was employed to answer the research question: How can I, a music therapist researcher student, use the violin in music therapy (MT) sessions when working with young people aged 6-21, living with visual impairments (low vision or blind)? The context of this research was in satellite schools of a nationwide network for young people living with visual impairments. I was part of this community as a music therapy student completing placement experience for three days per week for nine months during a year in which the floods on the North Island of Aotearoa significantly impacted local communities and individual and family wellbeing. I was interested in this topic because of my strong classical violin background and I wanted to understand how I could best utilise this instrument in music therapy sessions when working with this community. Through a reflexive and reflective process, I analysed two cases of my work with young people living with visual impairments and studied examples of my use of the violin with each. Reflexive thematic analysis was used to break down and understand experiences at a deeper level and to link the work as a whole. The themes generated across the cases were: therapist relationship with violin; forming connections; collaborative playing (in improvisation and therapeutic teaching); navigating challenges. The process generated hidden meanings about my practice as a music therapist in training where I explored different ways to use the violin with participants. I understood the importance of being aware of the violin, participant and therapist’s limitations and adaptations required when choosing to use the violin in music therapy sessions to support therapeutic goals. I found that the violin had a place within my music therapy sessions as it created meaningful relationships and promoted a range of therapeutic goals. It is hoped that other instrumentalists can resonate with these discoveries and build from this study.