The Ontology of Music in Music Therapy

Abstract

The focus will be on the concept of dialogue. My choice of this concept is grounded on the assumption that it is indeed central and appropriate to apply to the field of music therapy, because it may be considered to be in close accordance with inherent values in music therapy as a practice. The term dialogue has had a broad application within several fields, from theology, to sociology, psychology, and education, to arts and the humanities (Friedman, 1996). Used as a foundational concept the term may serve to illuminate dynamics of relation. This I believe may be very relevant with regards to the many sided and complex question of the role and status of music in music therapy.