Music therapy and interactive musical media in the future: Reflections on the subject-object interaction

How can music therapy contribute to the future design and development of interactive and musical media for co-creation, and vice versa? This question is addressed through a reflective synthesis on selected results of the research project called RHYME (www.rhyme.no), in which the author took part. That project involved families of a child with disabilities and their co-creation with interactive musical media that were designed as home-environment objects (e.g. pillows, carpets, and toys). This paper examines aspects of the project results with regard to the subject-object interaction. One such aspect is that the users would experience the media as active collaborators and not just as another technological thing which they could manipulate into a cause-and-effect reaction. Another such aspect is that successful co-creation with the media seemed to demand an open and empathic (also called dialogical) mind-set among those who took on the role of helper. The paper argues that music therapy competency in human communication and interaction is significant for future developers of interactive media. Music therapy should also note the close connection humans have to the media, and learn from the ways in which this relationship too can be potentially health promoting.