ABSTRACT
The development of music therapy over the second half of the twentieth century to its current professional status has been motivated by the concept that the art form of music is an effective therapeutic medium because of its potential for conveying creativity, expressivity, and communicativeness to humankind. There are a number of different schools of music therapy. Historically, the two main approaches have conceived of music either as a behavioural tool (offering contingent reinforcement and programmed learning for clients who come for therapy) or as a psychotherapeutic tool (for exploring the emotional needs of an individual in their unconscious world, and providing a therapeutic intervention for them). The latter approach has been the predominant focus in the development of music therapy in Europe, where methods of application have relied on improvisational techniques.
