Music therapy is a relatively new discipline; although the power of music to alleviate illness and distress has been recognised for centuries, it is only in the twentieth century that systematic research into the reasons for its efficacy has really begun. Leslie Bunt has written this book to explain the purposes and techniques of music therapy as it is practised today to a wide audience of mental health professionals, not just music therapists, and for all those interested in the use of creative arts in therapy.

After setting the development of music therapy in its historical context, and looking at its relationship with other forms of therapeutic intervention, he goes on to discuss, with practical examples, the particular contributions of the different elements of music (such as pitch, rhythm, timbre) to the therapeutic process. From this sound basis of understanding the reader is then easily led into the clinical chapters of the book describing detailed practice with both adults and children in schools, hospitals and the community. While not failing to acknowledge the creative and emotional power of the medium with which he works, Leslie Bunt makes it clear throughout the book that a strong research base is necessary if music therapy is to develop its full potential as a therapeutic intervention; that the way forward lies in the successful synthesis of artistic and scientific processes.

Leslie Bunt is a qualified music therapist, Director of The MusicSpace Trust and Research Fellow in Child and Mental Health, University of Bristol.