Music Therapy and qualitative research: dialogs

Abstract

Qualitative research has figured prominently in music therapy investigations. In order to study this phenomenon, the objective of this study was to describe the qualitative research main principles and its relations with music therapy investigation. The text was organized in four parts as follows: 1) a historic evolution of the Western scientific knowledge until the advent of qualitative research, 2) aspects and practices that distinguish qualitative research, 3) a literature review that systematized music therapy research published in journals InCantare and Brazilian Journal of Music Therapy, 4) a final discussion which articulated these parts in a whole. The work is a qualitative historic review that adopted a dialectic perspective considering people and historic events in its concrete circumstances of life. Results showed the prevalence of qualitative research in music therapy investigation as well as observations and field reports as data sources. Data suggested music therapy research stages and demands on methodological strategies to enhance research and theoretical music therapy production.