ABSTRACT
The way in which music and music therapy can build links is a key theme of this chapter. In Chapter 1 we observed that much of the early work of the professional music therapist began in the large institutions for mentally handicapped and mentally ill people, to use the terminology of the day. Only forty years later we are currently witnessing major changes in the way in which society is adapting to people with such problems. The terminology is shifting, with the current terms ‘learning difficulties’ and ‘mental health problems’ replacing the older ones. A further radical change is the closing-down of these large institutions and their replacement by more community-based day centres, small units and hostels. We are currently living through the difficult implementation stages, with the concomitant implications of additional human and financial resources. The start of the 1990s has also seen an increase in unemployment, homelessness and further strain on our probation and prison service. What is the music therapist’s response to all these changes? The profession is working hard to develop an effective service outside the security of a hospital department. We are only a small profession, and today’s market is stressing a supply-and-demand, purchaser-and-provider model. We shall need to organise our small resources to meet the enormous demand and challenges in a fashion that will gain the support of the funding bodies. Otherwise there is the real danger of the profession losing some of the momentum it has gained over the last few decades as it struggles again to find a new identity, indicate its efficacy and hold its own in the open market-place.
