Therapeutic Songwriting

Felicity Baker is Associate Professor and Australia Research Council Future Fellow based at The University of Melbourne. She has dedicated her career to the study of songwriting as a therapeutic practice. Felicity has achieved numerous awards including a Foundation Research Excellence Award, an Australian Leadership Award, and an Australian Teaching Award. She is currently Associate Editor of the Journal of Music Therapy.

• PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction, Research Focus and Method 2. Songwriting - A Coming of Age PART II: FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SONGWRITING PROCESS 3. Environmental Factors 4. Sociocultural Factors 5. Individual Factors 6. Group Factors 7. Role of Music and Music Technology PART III: SONGWRITING METHODS 8. Introducing Songwriting Methods 9. Songwriting Methods that Emphasize Lyric Creation 10. Songwriting Methods that Emphasize Both Lyric and Music Creation 11. Songwriting Methods that Emphasize Music Creation PART IV: ORIENTATION 12. Outcome-Oriented Models of Songwriting 13. Experience-Oriented Models of Songwriting 14. Context-Oriented Models of Songwriting 15. Songwriting as an Integral Practice

"The inclusion of a range of easy-to-reference tables is also a very helpful addition, and it enables the reader to put some shape and meaning to various orientations of songwriting models. ... the author has managed to draw together a huge amount of detail and thinking and to present the findings in a format that is both accessible and informative. A very welcome and important contribution to our developing understanding of song creation as a therapeutic intervention." (Bob Heath, PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 61 (18), May, 2016) "Combining over 20 years experience as a clinician, researcher, and educator, Dr. Baker weaves together a wealth of information that encompasses a rich and remarkable breadth of approaches to, and information about, songwriting for and in music therapy. This multifaceted resource is a unique and exciting addition to the literature." - Robert E. Krout, Professor and Chair, Music Therapy Department, Southern Methodist University, USA "This text outlines valuable information on methods and models of songwriting informed by the different orientations practiced by music therapists. Enlightened by the author's extensive experiences as a clinician it includes: identification of environmental and sociocultural factors, group factors shaping the songwriting process, and the role of music and technology." - Amy Clements-Cortes, Assistant Professor, MaHRC, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada "Felicity Baker is at the center of the development of songwriting as a music therapy intervention. She has interviewed music therapists from around the world to explore how they use song writing, examining what occurs in the process of songwriting, what makes it effective, and possibilities for its use. Professor Baker's passion for the subject, evident throughout the book, will inspire and inform readers." Barbara L. Wheeler, Visiting Professor of Music Therapy, Temple University, USA and Professor Emerita, Montclair State University, USA "'Songs tell people's stories'. In this brilliant book you will learn how songs are created and how they may transform peoples' lives. The book is not only helpful in understanding therapeutic songwriting; it also is an excellent model for how to link practice methods with broader perspectives and meta-thinking." Hanne Mette Ochsner Ridder, Head of Doctoral Programme in Music Therapy, Aalborg University, Denmark "Therapeutic Songwriting is a timely and important book inviting everybody to create subjective soundtracks of their life, individually or in a group. Songs are musical narratives of our human existence and songwriting is a creative health resource linked to the vital quality of hope. Therapeutic songwriting is about performing health." -Gro Trondalen, Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Norway