The accordion is useful in playing Jewish Klezmer music and also in providing an easy, effective accompaniment to Middle-Eastern as well as Eastern European music. Santilly (2009) described the use of different scales on the accordion to produce an Asian or Middle-Eastern effect, which has been important in his work.
With relevance to music therapy work, older people who are now in their 70s, 80s and 90s will undoubtedly remember the piano accordion in its heyday. In my work with groups of people with dementia, the accordion has often proved a valuable reminiscence object as group members recall their dance band days and beloved family members who used to play the accordion for social functions. They consistently tell stories of a treasured old accordion in an attic somewhere.
Accordion characteristics in music therapy practice
Portability and adaptability to different therapeutic environments
The ability to play in close proximity to clients in different situations was specifically noted by all of the accordionists. All stressed its suitability for use in hospitals, schools and residential homes, or outside, where they could play wherever the person was, rather than where the instrument was situated. The importance of the client being able to both see and hear the accordion from wherever they were was described by all the therapists, who mentioned that playing accordion allowed interaction visually and through facial expression, which is of course particularly important with those who had lost the ability to communicate verbally. Bert Santilly (2009) explained how he has played his accordion in a special school whilst lying on his back on a mattress beside a child having physiotherapy.
Dawn Loombe found her accordion useful in a children’s nursery, where space was limited. It has also been valuable in circle games involving movement, where the accordionist could dance and physically be a part of the group, rather than remotely playing the piano. In dementia groups, the accordionist can walk around the room playing, which seems to hold the group together, whilst also being able to move to support an individual who is singing or playing a solo.
Use of the accordion bellows to breathe
The accordion is unique in its bellows arrangement. All of the therapists noted the likeness of the accordion bellows to human lungs and to breathing. The accordion’s air valve can be used effectively to produce breathing and sighing sounds without using the reeds.
The accordion’s ability to be shared
Harriet Powell and Dawn Loombe both described sharing the playing of an accordion in their work. The therapist wears and retains overall control of the instrument, whilst allowing the melody to be played by a client on its keyboard.
The changing aspect of the accordion
The accordion is unique in the way that it changes shape as it is played. Different colours are revealed as the bellows open and close. Also, when a long note or chord is played on the accordion, the bellows expand or contract accordingly, meaning that it is represented visually as well as audibly.
Percussive effects
The accordion has many different surfaces to tap, producing a variety of rhythmic effects – its hard casing to use as a drum, buttons couplers and keys to tap or click, and bellows to use as a guiro.
Vibration
Santilly (2009) and Claus Bang (2006) both mentioned the importance of the accordion in their work with deaf and hearing-impaired children, where the children could touch or hold the outer casing of the instrument as the therapist played, enabling them to feel the music.
The attraction of mechanical aspects – buttons, keys, couplers and bellows
As noted in the case vignettes of Dawn Loombe and Susan Greenhalgh, children have been particularly interested in the mechanics of the accordion; especially children with autistic spectrum disorder, who seem drawn to its geometric shapes, buttons and couplers and the way it is constructed.
The dynamic range of the accordion
The use of the accordion couplers allows the player a wide pitch range and also a range of timbres. The use of the bellows for dynamics and musical expression was also mentioned, allowing the player to vary the volume of a single note or a chord whilst sustaining it, or even to have a series of peaks. (Also, the accordionist can sing at the same time as playing the instrument.)
A complete harmonic instrument
Bert Santilly (2009) called the accordion ‘an orchestra in a box’. It is capable of providing a full, strong, harmonic accompaniment. All of the accordionists remarked on the fact that the accordion provides the therapist with a variety of musical options: a single-line melody with or without a chordal accompaniment, as well as being polyphonic.
Social and cultural aspects
The accordion is a popular instrument in many cultures and social groups and has associations with certain styles of music, which might have particular relevance with clients in music therapy. Also, the accordion can be a useful reminiscence object with older people in music therapy. The increased use of the accordion in TV and film soundtracks and in pop culture was also mentioned as relevant.
References
Aldridge, D. (ed.) (2000) Music Therapy in Dementia Care. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Aldridge, D. (ed.) (2005) Music Therapy and Neurological Rehabilitation.. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Alvin, J. and Warwick, A. (1978) Music Therapy for the Autistic Child (2nd edition, reprinted 1994). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
Ansdell, G. (2002) ‘Community music therapy and the winds of change.’ Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy 2, 2.. Retrieved 5 April 2009 from https://voices.no/index.php/voices/article/view/83/65.
Bang, C. (2006) A World of Sound and Music. Retrieved 11 April 2014 from www.clausbang.com.
Bright, R. (1997) Wholeness in Later Life. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Bright, R. (2002) Supportive Eclectic Music Therapy for Grief and Loss. St. Louis, MO: MMB.
Bright, R. (2006) ‘Significant music in externalising grief in coping with change: The supportive role of the music therapist.’ Australian Journal of Music Therapy 17, 64–72.
Bright, R. (2007) Thoughts on Music Therapy. Retrieved 11 April 2012 from www.fightdementia.org.au/common/files/NAT/20050500_Nat_CON_BrightMusicTherapy.pdf.
Bright, R. (2008) ‘Editorial.’ Creative Expression, Communication and Dementia Newsletter, 2 (March), p.3. Retrieved 24 August 2014 from http://cecd-society.org/assets-australia/Hilary_Newsletter_mar_08.pdf.
Gaertner, M. (1999) ‘The Sound of Music in the Dimming, Anguished World of Alzheimer’s Disease.’ In T. Wigram and J. De Backer (eds) Clinical Applications of Music Therapy in Psychiatry. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Howard, R. (2005) An A to Z of the Accordion and Related Instruments, Volume 2. Stockport: Robaccord Publications.
Loombe, D. (2009) The Use of Piano Accordion in Music Therapy: A Qualitative Study and Critical Analysis of My Own Case Work. Unpublished MA thesis, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge.
Pavlicevic, M. and Ansdell, G. (eds) (2004) Community Music Therapy.. London, UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Powell, H. (2004a) ‘Light on my feet – the Accordion.’ Musicing: The Newsletter of Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapists, December 2004. Retrieved 11 April 2014 from http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music.olde/file_uploads/Musicing_2004.pdf.