Flute, Accordion or Clarinet?. Jo Tomlinson

connecting these stimuli he was led to express himself in a more controlled manner. In these interactions James would usually choose to play the glockenspiel, a delicate instrument, mirroring the characteristics of my own music, and of the trees, and he would play it gently and sensitively. I felt that I was acting as the mouthpiece for our soothing sounds and landscape. Our interactions would usually sound conversational as we took turns to answer one another in our playing, and our motifs would be slow and reflective. By playing the flute we could bypass James’s anxiety of using his voice, but retain a distinct melodic line. It acted as a voice, detached from ours, but allowed a form of expression still generated by breath, yet controlled and relaxed. I was modelling an alternative, soothing ‘voice’, which was mirrored by his own ‘voice’ on the glockenspiel. As these interactions kept occurring I slowly integrated my contribution, alternating between singing and flute. I would sing or hum in a similar pitch and gentle tone, mimicking the flute. My use of voice was not enough to overwhelm James, and so he would respond as if I was playing rather than singing. Gradually James started to use his voice too, sometimes in a shouty manner, but without escalating out of control as it once would have done. He went on to explore and develop a quieter voice over time.

      In our penultimate sessions, James would still enter singing our greeting song, but with one significant difference; he sang in a softer tone and with more coherence. As I watched the video back and observed us singing ‘Hello’ together for the last time, I realised how much control James had gained over his vocalisations and other expressions. In our ‘Hello’ song James now sang a verse on his own as I accompanied him on the guitar, which had become the normal way for us to start. I realised that a reversal of roles had occurred. I didn’t always need to be James’s voice for him; he could now sing in a moderate and controlled manner, echoing the voice of the flute and glockenspiel, and mirroring the landscape he saw outside.

      Vittorio and the magic flute

      Caroline Anderson

      I began learning the flute in primary school and played in various ensembles, and then went on to take a music degree with major performance on flute. After completing my degree I worked as a peripatetic woodwind teacher and conductor for several years, continuing with lessons and ensemble playing in my own time. We were encouraged to use our first-study instruments in classes and on placements on the music therapy training course. In fact, one of our first assignments was to write a letter to our first instrument, and this task reminded me of how familiar I am with this instrument, the hours I have spent practising, all the exams, concerts and recitals I have poured my energy and emotions into. As I have greater proficiency on the flute than on other instruments, I feel I can respond more effectively and have a wider musical range at my fingertips, while requiring less effort, so focusing more of my concentration on the client.