Our Researchers
- The Research Department consists of a small team of music therapist researchers with a broad range of experience and an international profile:
- Dr Gary Ansdell (Co-Head of Research)
- Prof Mercédès Pavlicevic (Co-Head of Research)
- Simon Procter (Research Associate)
Dr Gary Ansdell (Co-Head of Research)
Dr Gary Ansdell trained at the Nordoff-Robbins Centre, London in 1987 and later at the Institut für Musiktherapie, Universität Witten-Herdecke, Germany. From 1994-7 he was Research Fellow in Music Therapy at City University, London, during which time he completed his doctoral thesis: ‘Music Therapy as Discourse and Discipline’. He has worked with many client groups in the UK and Germany (currently in adult psychiatry), and has been involved in developing and researching the Community Music Therapy approach. At Nordoff-Robbins he established the Research Department in 2002 and designed the first music therapy doctoral programme in the UK and the new MA in Music Therapy (Community Music Therapy / Nordoff-Robbins). He is Honorary Research Fellow in Community Music Therapy at the University of Sheffield. His book on Nordoff-Robbins music therapy with adult clients, Music for Life was published in 1995, and he has co-authored (with Mercédès Pavlicevic) Beginning Research in the Arts Therapies − A Practical Guide (2001), and the recently published Community Music Therapy: International Initiatives (2004).
Key Publications
Books
Ansdell, G. (1995) Music For Life : Aspects of Creative Music Therapy with Adult Clients. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Ansdell, G. & Pavlicevic, M. (2001) Beginning Research in the Arts Therapies − A Practical Guide. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Pavlicevic, M. & Ansdell, G. (2004) Community Music Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Selected articles and chapters
Pavlicevic, M. & Ansdell, G. (in press) ‘Between Communicative Musicality and Collaborative Musicing : Perspectives from Community Music Therapy’. In S Malloch & C. Trevarthen (eds) Communicative Musicality. Oxford University Press.
Ansdell. G. (2006) ‘Community Music Therapy: Ein Neuer Alter Gedanke’. Musiktherapeutischer Umschau, Heft 2006, 27, 3.
Ansdell, G. & Pavlicevic, M. (2005) ‘Musical Companionship, Musical Community: Music therapy and the process and values of musical communication’. In Miell, MacDonald & Hargreaves (eds) Musical Communication. Oxford University Press.
Ansdell, G. (2005) ‘Musicing, Time & Transcendence: Theological Themes for Music Therapy’. British Journal of Music Therapy, vol.19 no.1.
Ansdell, G. (2005) ‘Being Who You Aren’t; Doing What You Can’t: Community Music Therapy & the Paradoxes of Performance. VOICES [online], vol.5, no.3.
Ansdell, G. (2004) ‘Music Noise & Anger: A Response to Simon Frith’s Essay’. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, vol.13 no.1
Ansdell, G. (2004) ‘Rethinking Music & Community: Theoretical perspectives in support of Community Music Therapy’. In Pavlicevic & Ansdell (eds) Community Music Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Ansdell, G. (2003) ‘The Stories We Tell: Some Some meta-theoretical reflections on music therapy’. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, vol.12 no.2.
Ansdell, G. (2002) ‘Community Music Therapy and the Winds of Change’ In C.Kenny & B.Stige (eds) Contemporary Voices in Music Therapy: Communication, Culture and Community. Oslo: Unipub
Ansdell, G. (2001) ‘Musicology: Misunderstood guest at the music therapy feast?’ In D. Aldridge, G. di Franco, E. Ruud & T. Wigram (eds) Music Therapy in Europe. Roma: ISMEZ/Onlus.
Ansdell, G. (2000) ‘Will the Real Edward Kindly Stand Up? A Fictional Response to the ‘Edward Commentaries’. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, vol.9 no.1.
Ansdell, G. (1999) ‘Challenging Premises’. British Journal of Music Therapy, vol 13 no.2.
Ansdell, G. (1997) ‘Musical Elaborations: What has the ‘New Musicology’ to say to music therapy?’ British Journal of Music Therapy vol 11 no.2.
Ansdell, G. (1996) ‘Talking about Music Therapy: a dilemma and a qualitative experiment.’ British Journal of Music Therapy vol.10 no.1.
Prof Mercédès Pavlicevic (Co-Head of Research)
Prof Mercédès Pavlicevic completed the Nordoff-Robbins training in 1981, and completed her doctoral studies at the Department of Psychology with Colwyn Trevarthen, in 1991. She has a wide range of music therapy experience with children, adults and old people in a range of institutional and community settings, both in Scotland, and in South Africa. She co-instituted South Africa’s first accredited music therapy training programme, and was Head of Training on the Master’s Music Therapy programme at the University of Pretoria until 2006. She was African editor of VOICES, until 2006, and chairs the Nordoff-Robbins Education Committee. She is the author, co-author (with Gary Ansdell) and editor of several music therapy books.
Key Publications
Books
Pavlicevic, M.(ed) (2005) Music Therapy in Children’s Hospices − Jessie’s Fund in Action. London & New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pavlicevic, M. & Ansdell, G.(eds) (2004) Community Music Therapy. London & New York: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pavlicevic, M. (2003) Groups in Music: Strategies from Music Therapy. London and Bristol, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Ansdell, G. & Pavlicevic, M.(2001) Beginning Research in the Arts Therapies: A Handbook. London and Bristol, PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pavlicevic, M. (1999) Music therapy - Intimate Notes. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Pavlicevic, M. (1997). Music Therapy in Context: music, meaning, and relationship. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Selected Articles and chapters (2000-)
Pavlicevic, M. (2006) "Between Sense and Sensibility: Listening to Context in Music Therapy Practice." Japanese Journal of Music Therapy 6(2): 97-108.
Pavlicevic, M. (2006) Music Performance as Social Action: a case for Music Research. Shifting Boundaries of Knowledge: a view on social science, law and humanities. T. Marcus and A. Hoffmaener. Durban, University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Press.
Pavlicevic, M. (2006) "Worksongs, Playsongs: Communication, Collaboration, Culture and Community." Australian Journal of Music Therapy 17: 85-99.
Pavlicevic, M. (2005) Towards Straight Talking: multiple narratives in multi-lingual, multi-disciplinary work (or: I shot the dog, then I shot my mother). The Arts in Psychotherapy 32: 346 - 357.
Ansdell, G. & Pavlicevic, M. (2005) ‘Musical Companionship, Musical Community: Music therapy and the processes and values of musical communication’. In Hargreaves, North & MacDonald (eds) Musical Communications (Oxford University Press).
O’Neill, N. & Pavlicevic, M. (2003). What am I doing here? Exploring a role for music therapy with children undergoing bone marrow transplantation. British Journal of Music Therapy 17(1):8-16.
Pavlicevic, M. (2002) Uncertain Listenings: Perspectives from Music Therapy with South African Children. In J. Sutton (ed) Music, Music Therapy, and Trauma. London and Bristol PA: Jessica Kingsley Publishers).
Pavlicevic, M. (2002). Other Music: Community Sounds [online] Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Available at: http://www.voices.no/columnist/colwheeler250202.html
Pavlicevic, M. (2002). With Sound and Silence. [online] Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. http://www.voices.no/columnist/colpavlicevic250302.html
Pavlicevic, M. (2001) Fragile Rhythms: Music Therapy with children in South Africa. In M Smyth & K Thomson (Eds) Working with Children and Young People in Violently Divided Societies. Belfast, CCIC and the University of Ulster.
Pavlicevic, M. (2001) A Child in Time and in Health: Guiding Images for Music Therapy practice. British Journal of Music Therapy.15(1):14-21.
Bunt, L. & Pavlicevic, M. (2001) Music and Emotion: Perspectives from Music Therapy. In Music and Emotion (Eds) P Juslin & J Sloboda , Oxford University Press. 161-201.
Pavlicevic, M (2000) Improvisation in Music therapy: Human Communication in Sound. Journal of Music Therapy XXXVII(4):269-285
Pavlicevic, M (2000) Improvisation in Music Therapy: Does a Musical Analysis Suffice? SA Journal of Musicology Vol 19, 47-55
Simon Procter (Research Associate)
Simon Procter (Research Associate) trained at the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre, London, from 1995 to 1997. He has worked as a music therapist in schools, hospitals, social service day entres and community mental health settings. He currently works within a non-medical mental health resource centre for adults in East London. From 2000 to 2007, he was Research Assistant for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and in this capacity encouraged and supported the development of research within the Centre. In 2007 he was appointed Director of the MMT Training Programme at the London Centre, a post he combines with his continuing music therapy work in adult mental health and active research activity. He is currently pursuing doctoral research within the Sociology Department of the University of Exeter (www.projects.ex.ac.uk/socarts) and is also Editor of the British Journal of Music Therapy.
Publications
Procter, S. (1999) ‘The therapeutic musical relationship: a two-sided affair?’ British Journal of Music Therapy 13(1): 28-37
Procter, S. (2000) ‘Czy wspó_improwizcja mo_e by_ terapia?’ (“Can co-improvisation be therapy?”). In S. Sidorowicz & P. Cylulko (eds) Muzykoterapia w agresji, l_ku i cierpieniu. Wroc_aw (Poland): Akademia Muzyczna im. Karola Lipinskiego we Wroc_awiu
Procter, S. (2002) ‘Empowering and enabling - music therapy in non-medical mental health provision’. In C. Kenny & B. Stige (eds) Contemporary Voices in Music Therapy. Oslo: Unipub.
Ansdell, G.; Pavlicevic M. & Procter, S. (2004) Presenting the evidence: a guide for music therapists responding to the demands of clinical effectiveness and evidence-based practice. London: Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre.
Procter, S. (2004) ‘Playing politics: Community Music Therapy and the therapeutic redistribution of musical capital for mental health’. In M. Pavlicevic, & G. Ansdell (eds) Community Music Therapy. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Procter, S. (2005) ‘Parents, children and their therapists. A collaborative project examining therapist-parent interactions in a music therapy clinic’. British Journal of Music Therapy 19(2): 45-58.
Procter, S. (2006) ‘Music therapy: why not in education?’ In A. Paterson & S. Zimmermann (eds) No Need for Words: Special Needs in Music Education. Matlock: National Association of Music Educators.
Procter, S. (2006) ‘Music therapy and social capital: What are we playing at?’ In R. Edwards, J. Franklin & J. Holland (eds) Assessing Social Capital: Concept, Policy and Practice. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press.
Talwar, N.; Crawford, M.J.; Maratos, A.; Nur, U.; McDermott, O. & Procter, S. (2006) ‘Music therapy for in-patients with schizophrenia: an exploratory randomised controlled trial’. British Journal of Psychiatry 189: 405-409.