research

“Engagement is a significant element to measure, as without the musical engagement no therapeutic relationship can exist and therefore, no clinical goal can be achieved. Once you’ve trained in MES, it is very easy and time-saving to use it and it gives valuable information for both research and clinical work. It made me think about why an intervention was effective and why not, and I think that this made me a better music therapist myself. It was wonderful staying connected to the global music therapy community, researchers and clinicians from different fields and this – interdisciplinary collaborations – is something that the Music Engagement Scale encourages.”

- Vasiliki Tsakiridou, Music Therapist, BMGIM Therapist

School of Music Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

“As a participant in a virtual, week-long group music therapy summer course in 2021, I was impressed by Dr. Turry's commitment to showing that music therapy helps support autistic children, and by his presentation of the MES (Music Engagement Scale) as a response to the 2017 TIME-A study. I decided to volunteer as a research assistant, and completed the MES rater training led by Dr. Turry. In teaching both group music therapy and the MES, Dr. Turry created an inviting space, where students were invited to try things out, while maintaining clear objectives with respect to transmission. Through the summer course, and through the training, I learned a lot about both the history of the Nordoff Robbins approach and about what constitutes engagement in music therapy in this tradition. Since then, as part of work to finalize the MES, the research team has discussed excerpts from Dr. Turry's music therapy sessions. He is very skilled at creating musical spaces for his clients to step into. When they do, their contributions are treated creatively, and with respect. Creating these spaces is an act that requires confidence, and patience. Dr. Turry has an ear, and a way of imparting what he hears, that elicits excitement about listening in both his students and his clients. I feel privileged to have learned more about the Nordoff-Robbins approach through his teaching.”

- Heidi Arsenault, Music Therapist in private practice in Montreal, QC

“Alan inspired my desire to obtain a PhD and my ongoing interest in music therapy research. I am really glad to be participating in the online training regarding the Music Engagement Scale he has developed at NYU. I think the MES will provide good support for clinicians and researchers as it focuses on the client’s engagement level during music therapy sessions. This is  closely aligned with an idea that informed my PhD study as well, i.e. that data from within sessions are crucial to reveal the clinical changes that are the  milestones of the music therapy process.” 

- Paolo Pizziolo, PhD

Music Therapist 

Centro Toscano Musicoterapia (CeToM)  

Registered at Italian Professional Association of Music therapy AIM 385/2021

“It should be noted that the instrument complies with the guidelines for test construction entitled, "The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing", which was organized by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), American Psychological Association (APA) and National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) in the year 2014. 

One of the points to be highlighted is that the instrument is a revised version of the Music Therapy Communication and Social Interaction (MTCSI). It is still uncommon in music therapy to revise existing assessment instruments, recognizing their possible limitations and aspects that can be improved for greater use. In fact, in a review prepared by Gattino (2021), only three assessment instruments presented precise changes concerning an earlier version.

Instrument modifications are usually the result of the wide use of a tool in clinical practice. Thus, recognizing the excellence of the assessment practices within Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, it is clear that these changes came from the needs that emerged in the clinical practice.”

- Gustavo Gattino, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Music Therapy, Aalborg Universitet