Nicky Haire
Published: 21 January 2019
Investigating humour in music therapy.
University of Edinburgh
Investigating humour in music therapy.
Nicky Haire is a music therapist and violinist. She is currently researching humour in music therapy at the Institute for Music in Human and Social Development within the Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh. She is a dynamic performer (Glasgow Improviser’s Orchestra; Something Smashing; Bitches Brew) and has a specific interest in free improvisation and the process of empathic improvisation. She is also an active member of inter-disciplinary improvisation research network Concurrent, University of Edinburgh. She co-leads the Improvisation Network Co-ordinator for British Association for Music Therapy and is passionate about cross-disciplinary dialogue across the arts and health spectrum. Humour in music therapy is not a new topic, yet it is largely taken for granted as a phenomenon by music therapists and there is little documented around the experiences and views of people music therapists work with.
This phenomenological study focuses on an exploration of relational experiences of humour and improvisation in music therapy. Drawing on Finlay and Evans (2009) concept of relational-centred research and arts based methodology the ways in which humour is played out in improvisation and how it affects reciprocal exchanges in music therapy will be investigated.
First published: 21 January 2019