ABSTRACT
Music therapy practice is often characterised as improvisatory and co-created. It is challenging, in investigating this practice, to design research that aligns with the emergent nature of the work itself while also meeting the demands of the institutions in which both research and practice take place (Edwards, 2012; Ansdell and DeNora, 2016).
This chapter explores methodological issues raised in practice-led music therapy research within an NHS Child Development Service. The study investigated musical-social processes between child, parent and therapist. In this chapter, I address the challenges of finding research methods that are congruent both with health service requirements and the aims of a study (Procter, 2014). This includes discussion of the sensitivities of researching everyday practice, particularly when the practice setting is also the researcher’s place of work. I will focus on the particular use of clinical video material within the study to illustrate the issues discussed. The chapter concludes by arguing that everyday practice methods, such as the use of video in this instance, be used to inform approaches to research.
