Intersubjectivity and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy (Nordoff & Robbins, 2004, 2007) emphasizes the universality of musical expression and the development of a music-therapeutic relationship built on interactive musical communication and exchange. It can be considered a form of psychotherapy in the broad sense that music affects the inner workings of the mind (Turry, 2000). Intersubjectivity, as defined by infant researchers Stern (1985, 1990) and Trevarthen (1994; Trevarthen & Malloch, 2000), provides a theoretical framework through which to understand client-therapist musical interactions. The concept of shared intersubjective experience, applied in psychotherapy to the relationship between client and therapist (Mitchell, 1988; Scharff & Scharff, 2011; Stolorow, 1988; Wayne, 2008), elucidates an important aspect of NRMT, particularly as it relates to the musical relationship that develops through improvisational music therapy.