Symbolic Play and Creative Arts in Music Therapy with Children and Families

Comprehensive book exploring the central topic of play in music therapy

Including case studies from a range of international music therapists, this book presents a wide range of their creativity and professional skills in working not only with music but also across all modalities. It demonstrates how other forms of play and use of creative arts can be understood and worked with from a music therapy perspective.

With verbal children and families increasingly referred to music therapy, this edited book explores the topic of play in music therapy and sets itself apart by focusing on child-led play and symbolic play.

The book presents a wide range of experienced music therapists' creativity and professional skills in integrating music and expressive arts modalities, from musical, developmental, attachment, and psychodynamic perspectives. Examining the question of how all the expressive arts are intrinsic to music or 'mousike', the chapters explore various styles, clinical and theoretical approaches, providing a deeper understanding of play and symbolic play processes and the different ways they arise and are worked with in music therapy.

Including chapters from diverse settings, and addressing work across age groups with children with emotional difficulties, attachment problems, early trauma, as well as children with autism, this comprehensive book is essential for music and other creative therapists who work with children in all forms of play, expressing their feelings, imaginations and internal worlds.