Music therapy teaming and learning: how transdisciplinary experience shapes practice in an autism specialist school

© 2017 Bronte ArnsMusic therapists are increasingly working in teams alongside professionals from other disciplines, in multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary frameworks. However, in recent decades, discipline-specific teams of music therapists are also appearing as part of larger health care and special education organisations. Whilst research literature on collaboration between music therapists and other professions is growing, there is a lack of understanding around how the experience of transdisciplinarity may shape music therapy practice over time. There is also a lack of literature around the experience of teams of music therapists working together, and how their practice is impacted by collaboration within, and across disciplines. This study is set at Giant Steps Sydney, a transdisciplinary, specialist school for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In this setting, five music therapists integrate their practice across all programs, teaching and learning across multiple layers of teaming. To explore the lived experience of this music therapy team and the factors informing their practice, a qualitative, phenomenological approach was taken, with data collected through semi-structured interviews. Throughout the study, a range of reflexive strategies were drawn upon, as the researcher navigated the roles of team leader, clinician and researcher. Results of the individual and group data analyses revealed that the layers of teaming in a transdisciplinary environment provide a rich source of learning, support and satisfaction for the music therapist. Group Themes voiced a number of considerations for leading music therapy teams, including the music therapists’ preferred styles of professional learning, the value of diversity and creativity in team collaboration, and the importance of peer support in building resilience. Three professional issues for the music therapist in transdisciplinary schools were uncovered, including the benefits and challenges of working with individuals and groups with self-regulation challenges, working across the school day in non-music therapy programs, and building trusting relationships with support staff in music therapy sessions. When viewed through the lenses of systems theory and transdisciplinarity, the experiences of the music therapists, the team leader and the school leadership team formed interactive layers within the school system. Each layer was articulated as a practice cycle, involving a range of professional responsibilities to ensure best practice and a healthy team culture. A reflexive analysis highlighted a number of implications for the music therapy team leader, including the need to create a collaborative, creative space where diversity is welcomed, and to provide a bridge between the music therapy team and the school executive. The findings of this study begin to illuminate the experience of music therapists working simultaneously in teams of music therapists, and within a transdisciplinary school model. An understanding of system leadership is paramount to the growing number of creative arts therapy teams around the world