In this article the author defines the phenomenon of “improvised song” and discusses its meaning. The article describes research, conducted at Rusk Rehabilitation Center in New York City, based on observations of music therapy sessions for one month with a traumatic spinal-cord injured young adult. A description of the specific phenomenological method employed is given. The session material is analyzed according to this seven-step method. The analysis brings to light the essential qualities of two music therapy sessions and discovers the meaning of the improvised songs that came into existence during these sessions. It highlights the inherent struggle of this patient's existence and the resources that he draws upon in coping, and shows the meaning of music therapy for him.
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Dana Amir (1990) studied this question.
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