Music-healing-therapy? Music therapy and “Singing Hospitals” in the tension between self-positioning and any understanding of therapy

Introduction: The presentation deals with the assessment of music therapy due to the appearance of the German non-profit organization “Singing Hospitals”. As a fast-growing network, it promotes the healing and preventive effects of singing as a result of group singing in hospitals worldwide.Which similarities and differences are visible between Singing Hospitals and music therapy?Due to the current boom of alternative healing and therapy work, the aim of this study is a contribution to a deeper insight into late-modern-age understanding of “healing” and “therapy” with music.Methodology: Elements of the “Grounded Theory” and the “Interpretative Organization Research” serve as the methodological framework for this exploratory study. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were held with stakeholders of Singing Hospitals and music therapy from Austria and Germany.Discussion: The emergence of the Singing Hospitals can be understood as an action call for music therapists to discuss identity constructions on th...