“The piano is a wooden box with false teeth” – Perspectives in anthroposophical music therapy as revealed through interviews with two expert practitioners

This paper provides an overview of some key aspects of anthroposophical music therapy (AnMt)1 including two expert practitioner perspectives about this widely practiced approach. AnMt's theoretical complexity and the features of its practices are endeavoured to be revealed. As a qualified non-anthroposophical music therapist who prior to her training worked in an anthroposophical community alongside AnMt practitioners, the author proposes to use this article to provide an information bridge between the AnMt tradition and other music therapy approaches in which the tenets of AnMt are little known. Some of the concepts described here include a. the use of intervals and planetary scales in AnMt, b. the diagnostic process, and c. deliberations about the prescriptive side of the AnMt approach.A close examination of the literature along with excerpts from interviews recorded with expert practitioners in AnMt is intended to reveal and introduce some of the basic tenets of the anthroposophical music therapy approach.

Research highlights▶ Anthroposophical music therapy has some prescriptive features. ▶ Anthroposophical music therapy uses planetary scales. ▶ Anthropsophical music therapy assumes that musical elements have universal qualities. ▶ Anthroposophical music therapy also uses joint play and co-improvisation.