Professor Colin Lee

'The Analysis of Therapeutic Improvisatory Music with People living with the Virus HIV/AIDS'

This project investigated music therapy in work with HIV/AIDS, and used musicological analysis of clinical improvisation as the method. Three individual clients were chosen and invited to be part of a research project where they could choose method and analysis as a part of the therapeutic process. Two improvisations from each client were analysed by four outside participants: a musician, psychotherapist, music therapist and the client. The findings considered the possible links between musicology and music therapy as well as considering the effectiveness of music therapy and HIV/AIDS. Colin Lee developed 'Aesthetic Music Therapy' (AeMT) from this research, and developed the Master's of Music Therapy (MMT) programme at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, where he directs the programme. This project was the beginnings of the author's lifetime work and could not have happened without the support of the Music Therapy Charity.