Field of Play model

1. Introduction

Version followed: Carolyn Bereznak Kenny's Field of Play as set out in her doctoral dissertation (The Field of Play: A Theoretical Study of Music Therapy Process, The Fielding Institute, 1987) and book (The Field of Play: A Guide for the Theory and Practice of Music Therapy, Ridgeview, Atascadero CA, 1989), read through her own late restatement (Kenny, 2014, Voices 14(1)) and the 2018 Voices special issue on her work. The 1989 book and the 2006 anthology (Music and Life in the Field of Play, Barcelona Publishers) are not drawn on directly; page-referenced points from them come via quotations in the secondary articles. [source: Kenny 2014; Carroll 2010; Bruscia 2018; Merrill 2018; Baines 2018] [uncertain: the date "1989" is the book; the model first appeared in the 1987 dissertation. Summers (2018, Approaches) gives the 1989 subtitle as the dissertation title, so citations of the subtitle vary.]

What it is. The Field of Play is not a therapy method or protocol. Kenny called it a "general theory or perhaps a pre-theory or philosophy" of music therapy, not tied to any technique, population or diagnosis. She wrote that it "does not prescribe particular methods of practice" such as improvisation or imagery, and that it "is not a theory about how to do" (Kenny, 2014). It describes how a music therapist is with a client, and which conditions to notice, while the therapist keeps using their own methods, protocols and ethical codes. [source: Kenny 2014; Baines 2018, quoting Kenny 2016b: no list of prescribed procedures]

Core idea of change. Each person, client and therapist alike, is an "aesthetic": a whole, unique "field of beauty" that organises itself toward wholeness (Kenny, 1989, pp. 75, 84, quoted in Carroll 2010 and Merrill 2018). When two aesthetics meet through music, a contained, intimate musical space forms. Once the client feels secure there, an open field of play can emerge. In that field, ritual, a particular state of consciousness, power and creative process interact, and new patterns, images and behaviours become possible. Kenny summed this up as moving toward beauty is moving toward a wholeness that already exists in the person (Kenny 1989 p. 77, via Summers 2018; Kenny 2016b p. 9, via Baines 2018). She named love and the creation of beauty as the system's two core constructs (Bruscia 2018). Kenny drew on systems and field theory, phenomenology, Winnicott and Huizinga on play, and the teachings of Indigenous Elders (her mother was Choctaw). [source: Kenny 2014; Bruscia 2018; Baines 2018]

Professional frame. Kenny wrote the Field of Play for qualified music therapists. It has no separate credential, training institute or certification. In the UK, "music therapist" is a protected title: you must hold an HCPC-approved master's degree and be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. BAMT is the professional association [source: BAMT, "What is a Music Therapist?"]. In the US the usual route is an AMTA-approved degree followed by the CBMT board-certification exam (MT-BC) [uncertain: check AMTA/CBMT]. Some practitioner guidance (the being, aesthetic and ritual stances) can inform any psychotherapist's work. However, if you are not a qualified music therapist, do not offer clinical musical improvisation as "music therapy" or present this as "the Field of Play method". Co-work with or refer to a registered or credentialed music therapist. [synthesis]

2. Framework

No phases, no fixed session count. Kenny said a field is "not a stage or a level". It is a space with particular conditions that can arise at any point once the client feels secure (Kenny 2016b, p. 7, via Baines 2018). The three primary fields need not come in sequence and can be present at once (Kenny 2014). Session number, length, individual or group format and setting come from the host method and service (Kenny's examples cover hospital rehabilitation, psychiatry, music psychotherapy, a convalescent home and Nordoff-Robbins child work). [source: Kenny 2014; Baines 2018]

The seven fields (the qualities are Kenny's descriptive "guide posts", not operational definitions; Kenny 1996, p. 94, via Bruscia 2018):

[source: Carroll 2010; Bruscia 2018; Kenny 2014; Merrill 2018] Carroll (2010) labels fields 4–7 "secondary". Kenny (2014) places four fields inside the field of play and does not give the state of consciousness its own heading there. [uncertain: minor differences in labelling between sources]

Movement between fields. Kenny gives no criteria. She describes all fields as opening and closing "just like breath" (Kenny 2014), and says the field of play emerges when the client feels secure in the musical space. A practical reading for a session [synthesis]:

• Stay with aesthetic and musical space while the client is new, distressed, guarded or trauma-affected. Kenny notes that many clients, especially trauma survivors, cannot yet reach playfulness, so safety comes first (Kenny 2016b p. 7, via Baines 2018).
• Signs the musical space is established [synthesis]: the client returns to shared forms, anticipates your musical moves, initiates, and tolerates closeness in sound.
• Signs the field of play is open [synthesis]: variation, surprise and humour, new instruments or sounds, the client leading, ambiguity tolerated without anxiety.
• Return to ritual or musical space when play produces anxiety, disorganisation or dysregulation [synthesis].

Typical session arc (illustrative, not Kenny's protocol) [synthesis, built from Kenny 2014 practices]: (1) the therapist prepares and treats arrival, instrument set-up and greeting as ceremony; (2) a familiar opening form (ritual); (3) improvisation or song work in the host method, with you noticing shifts across the fields; (4) a familiar closing form; (5) reflection and notes.

3. Guiding principles

• Being over doing. Presence comes before technique. In practice: pause, allow silence, and do not rush to fix. [source: Kenny 2014]
• The person is an aesthetic, a "field of beauty". In practice: before you formulate problems, note the client's qualities, preferences and beauty, even amid suffering. [source: Kenny 1989 pp. 74–75 via Merrill 2018; Kenny 2014]
• Begin with beauty; wholeness already exists. In practice: frame aims as deepening what is there, not repairing deficits. [source: Kenny 1989 p. 77 via Summers 2018; Kenny 2016b p. 9 via Baines 2018]
• Attend to the "conditions in the space". In practice: track room, timing, energy, mood and the client's nature and history rather than delivering a planned activity. [source: Kenny 2014]
• The therapist's aesthetic is a powerful field that can support or inhibit growth. In practice: watch your own musical habits, taste and volume so they do not crowd out the client. [source: Kenny 1989 p. 94 via Carroll 2010]
• Therapist as equal, active participant and witness. In practice: play with the client; you are not a neutral observer or dispenser of rewards. [source: Merrill 2018; Kenny 1999 p. 129 via Baines 2018]
• Mutuality and non-hierarchy. "I learn as much from my clients as they learn from me" (Kenny & Merrill unpublished draft, via Merrill 2018). In practice: share decisions, and let the client teach you their music. [source: Merrill 2018; Lindan 2015 via Baines 2018]
• Non-interference: provide conditions, do not determine the growth. In practice: hold aims lightly. Kenny questioned the word "intervention" as a kind of interference and rejected goals imposed to make society more comfortable. [source: Kenny 2016b p. 12 and Lindan 2015 pp. 32, 36 via Baines 2018]
• Safety before play. In practice: with traumatised clients, build a secure musical space before you invite freedom. [source: Kenny 2016b p. 7 via Baines 2018]
• Ritual makes risk possible. In practice: keep recognisable musical constants so that new things can be tried. [source: Kenny 1989 p. 106 via Carroll 2010; Kenny 2014]
• Trust the process; "the only goal is to play". In practice: tolerate not knowing where a session will go. [source: Kenny 2016b p. 12 via Baines 2018; Kenny 2014]
• Notice subtle, quiet, non-verbal cues. In practice: small changes in sound, breath or posture may show natural healing patterns. [source: Kenny 1989 p. 139 via Baines 2018]
• Phenomenological attitude (bracketing). In practice: suspend stereotypes and pre-understandings and meet the client freshly. [source: Merrill 2018]
• As much structure as necessary, as much freedom as possible. In practice: adjust the musical frame in both directions. [source: Carroll 2010; attributed there as a guiding maxim, not quoted from Kenny] [uncertain: origin of maxim]
• Honour other protocols. In practice: keep to medical, educational and ethical requirements, your own method and cultural commitments alongside the model. [source: Kenny 2014]
• Cultural humility; engage with concepts, do not copy ceremonies. Kenny urged engaging with Indigenous concepts rather than copying practices, to avoid colonising appropriation. In practice: do not perform Indigenous ceremony; Navajo Blessing Way references in Kenny's writing are her explanatory analogy, held by those communities. [source: Kenny 2002a via Baines 2018; Kenny 2014]
• Stay close to the earth. Kenny presents this as a personal and cultural imperative from her Native roots, not a technique. [source: Kenny 2014]

4. Intervention inventory

Read this first. Kenny explicitly said there is no list of prescribed procedures, and she questioned the word "intervention" (Kenny 2016b p. 12, via Baines 2018). What follows is therefore an inventory of the practices and stances that Kenny and her commentators describe, arranged so they can be used in session. The actual musical methods (improvisation, song, receptive listening, imagery) come from your own training. Where a step sequence is my operationalisation of a practice Kenny describes, it is marked [synthesis]. All example wording is illustrative unless quoted and cited.

Safety applying to all practices below [synthesis, informed by sources cited]:

• Hearing safety. NIOSH recommends that average noise exposure not exceed 85 dB(A) over an 8-hour day. Percussionists average about 95 dB(A), and risk accrues after roughly an hour at about 94 dB(A) [source: NIOSH]. A UK case study found a music therapist's noise dose exceeded the lower action values of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 [source: MacMahon & Page 2015]. In practice: offer quieter instruments (soft mallets, hand drums, shakers, voice); use a phone sound-level app occasionally to check group drumming; keep musician's earplugs available for you and clients; take quiet breaks; get your hearing checked annually. Ask about hyperacusis, tinnitus, hearing aids and autism-related sound sensitivity at intake.
• Musical trauma triggers. Music can trigger symptoms, traumatic memories or experiences, so clinicians must use its power knowingly and sequence treatment [source: Heiderscheit & Murphy 2021, abstract]. At intake, ask about music, songs, genres, instruments, sounds (e.g. sirens, marching drums, church music, a perpetrator's favourite music, music from war or detention, loud bangs) and volume levels that are distressing or linked to bad experiences. Record these as "avoid unless the client chooses". Agree a stop signal before you play. Keep sudden loud accents, startling timbres and sustained drones away from trauma-affected clients until you know them.
• Physical safety. Check instruments for sharp edges, loose parts and choking hazards (children, people with cognitive impairment). Clean wind instruments and shared mouthpieces, or give individual ones. Check posture and space for heavy drums and keyboards.

4.1 Pre-session preparation and "modern ceremony"

• Purpose / when: Before every session, to bring your attention into a receptive state and treat ordinary acts as meaningful containers. [source: Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) Before the session, bring the client to mind: Kenny described imagining her clients the night before. (2) Arrange the room and instruments deliberately; choose and place instruments with this client's aesthetic in mind. (3) Some therapists may use a brief meditation (Kenny suggests this for some). (4) Treat entering the room and greeting as a small ceremony: unhurried, with full attention. [source: Kenny 2014; steps 2–4 order is synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Welcome back. I've put the drum you liked last time by your chair, and the guitar is here if you want it."
• Watch for: Ceremony becoming showy or spiritualised in ways the client did not ask for. Keep it everyday and secular unless the client brings faith. It is working if you arrive calm and notice more in the first minutes.

4.2 Being present (pausing, silence)

• Purpose / when: Throughout, and especially when you feel pressure to fix or fill space. It expresses "being over doing". [source: Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) At the start, and after significant moments, pause before playing or speaking. (2) Let silence sit for several breaths. (3) Notice the client's breath, posture and gaze, and the room's sound. (4) Respond from what you noticed, not from your plan. [synthesis operationalising Kenny 2014]
• Example language (illustrative): "Let's just sit with that sound for a moment before we go on."
• Watch for: Silence that feels threatening to anxious, paranoid or traumatised clients. Shorten it, or fill it with a soft steady sound [synthesis]. It is working if the client settles, or begins sound-making on their own initiative.

4.3 Perceiving the client as an aesthetic ("begin with beauty")

• Purpose / when: From the first contact. It sets your perception of the client as whole and unique, a "field of beauty", before diagnosis or deficit. [source: Kenny 1989 pp. 74–75, via Merrill 2018; Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) After the first session, list the client's qualities: musical preferences, timbres, tempi, humour, values, how they hold an instrument, what they care about. (2) Write a short description of the person as a landscape or whole (Kenny compared people to an alpine meadow, a swamp, a prairie; Merrill 2018, citing 1989 p. 74). (3) Note your stereotypes or labels and set them aside (see 4.4). (4) Let this description, not the problem list, shape how you open the next session. [source: Merrill 2018; Kenny 2014; step sequence synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "I noticed how carefully you chose that sound. Tell me about the music that matters to you."
• Watch for: Idealising and missing real risk. Keep a parallel standard risk and needs assessment [synthesis]. Kenny's own example is a shift in how she perceived a client, Debbie, from a stereotyped view to a field of beauty (Kenny 1996a p. 57, via Merrill 2018). It is working if your notes and music start to reflect the person's particulars rather than generic activities.

4.4 Bracketing and phenomenological observation

• Purpose / when: Before and during sessions, to meet direct experience without pre-understandings (epoché). [source: Merrill 2018]
• Steps: (1) Before the session, write down your expectations, labels and theories about the client. (2) In session, describe to yourself what you hear and see in plain sensory terms (tempo, loudness, timbre, gaze) before you interpret. (3) Afterwards, return to recordings or notes repeatedly and re-interpret until the essentials stand out. Kenny held that phenomenology and hermeneutics cannot be separated (Kenny, Jahn-Langenberg & Loewy 2005 p. 342, via Merrill 2018). (4) Optionally, use free variation: imagine or compare several instances of a phenomenon to find what is essential to it (Kenny 1989 p. 58, via Merrill 2018). [source: Merrill 2018; step order synthesis]
• Example language (internal, illustrative): "What did I actually hear before I decided it was 'agitated'?"
• Watch for: Recording requires informed consent and secure storage under your service's data rules [synthesis]. It is working if your descriptions become more specific and less diagnostic.

4.5 Learning the client's musical aesthetic

• Purpose / when: Early sessions and ongoing. You meet the client in their own sound world, which forms the basis of the musical space. [source: Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) Offer a range of instruments and invite exploration. (2) Notice preferences: favoured key or tonal centre, rhythms, tempi, timbres, songs. (3) Learn these through play, matching and reflecting them back. Kenny's hospital client Jack, after a serious injury, favoured the tonality "g"; she treated this as meaningful and learned his favoured rhythms through play, without requiring verbal interpretation (Kenny 2014). (4) Use the client's tonal and rhythmic home as the base for later sessions. [source: Kenny 2014; steps 1–2 and 4 synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "You keep coming back to that note. Shall I play underneath it?"
• Watch for: Imposing your own preferred styles (the therapist's aesthetic can inhibit; Kenny 1989 p. 94, via Carroll 2010). Check the trauma-trigger list before introducing songs. It is working if the client recognises their own music in yours and plays more freely.

4.6 Establishing the musical space

• Purpose / when: Once you and the client know something of each other's aesthetics. The therapist "provides the conditions" for a musical space that is contained, intimate, aesthetic and sacred, a secure home base (Kenny 1989 p. 79, via Summers 2018). [source: Kenny 2014; Summers 2018]
• Steps: (1) Agree simple frames: start and end signals, where each person sits, who chooses instruments. (2) Build shared musical forms from the client's material, such as a repeated groove, a melodic phrase or a call-and-response. (3) Build the space's boundaries together with the client through musical forms, as Kenny did with her music psychotherapy client Robyn (Kenny 2014). (4) Protect the space: avoid interruptions, keep consistent times and rooms. (5) Let the space expand only as the client signals readiness. [source: Kenny 2014; Carroll 2010 on noticing your physical position; steps 1, 4, 5 synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "This pattern can be our home. We can always come back to it." / "Where would you like me to sit while we play?"
• Watch for: Too much intimacy too fast (enmeshment, or fear in clients with relational trauma). Adjust distance, volume and eye contact. It is working if the client returns to shared forms, anticipates your moves and initiates.

4.7 Recognising and holding ritual

• Purpose / when: Throughout, to offer "the security of constants" within which to take risks (Kenny 1989 p. 106, via Carroll 2010). Ritual is any repeatable form arising from the conditions present (Bruscia 2018). [source: Kenny 2014; Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Watch for repeatable musical elements (melody, rhythm, timbre, colour) and trust that they will emerge rather than imposing them (Kenny 2014). (2) When one appears, mark it by returning to it, for example at openings and closings. (3) Honour repeated requests: Kenny's 102-year-old client Maggie repeatedly asked for one song, which Kenny understood as a ritual bridging life and death (Kenny 2014). (4) Use the ritual as the launching point and return point for experiments. [source: Kenny 2014; step 4 from Carroll 2010 on ritual and risk]
• Example language (illustrative): "Shall we start with our song?" / "Let's go back to the beat we know, then see where it takes us."
• Watch for: Ritual hardening into rigid repetition that blocks change (see Section 5). It is working if the client relaxes at the familiar form and then ventures from it.

4.8 Supporting the particular state of consciousness

• Purpose / when: During improvisation or listening. This is a state of "deep concentration and focused attention, yet deep relaxation" that allows receptivity to new sounds and forms (Kenny 1989 p. 88, via Merrill 2018). [source: Merrill 2018; Carroll 2010; Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) Use ritual forms to settle attention (Kenny 2014 links ritual to this state). (2) Keep the musical ground steady while the client explores. (3) Notice signs of absorption: slowed breathing, softened gaze, longer phrases, time passing unnoticed. (4) Before closing, bring the client gently back with a familiar form and orienting words. [source: Kenny 2014; steps 2–4 synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Take your time coming back. Notice your feet on the floor. What do you hear in the room now?"
• Watch for: Absorption tipping into dissociation (glazed, unresponsive, frozen, losing orientation). That is not the intended state. Stop, orient, ground, and simplify the music. With trauma-affected clients, keep eyes-open and shorter episodes [synthesis]. It is working if the client describes calm focus and new images or ideas, and reorients easily.

4.9 Opening the field of play

• Purpose / when: When the client feels secure in the musical space. It allows freedom, discovery, experiment, ambiguity and surprise; the therapist is playful too. [source: Kenny 2014; Bruscia 2018; Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Check readiness: the client is secure, initiating and regulated (see Section 2 signs). (2) From the ritual base, introduce small variations: tempo, register, a new instrument, a pause, a playful "mistake". (3) Follow and amplify the client's variations rather than leading. (4) Let yourself play: humour, surprise, unexpected sounds. (5) Allow ambiguity, without asking the client to explain. (6) Return to the ritual base if anxiety rises. [source: Kenny 2014 on play for client and therapist; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "What if we turned it upside down?" / "I have no idea where this is going. Let's find out."
• Watch for: Pushing play on a client who is not ready. Kenny notes many trauma survivors cannot yet reach playfulness, so safety comes first (Kenny 2016b p. 7, via Baines 2018). It is working if you see surprise, laughter, client-led novelty and ease with not-knowing.

4.10 Attending to power

• Purpose / when: When energy builds in a session. Kenny: "Power is a closed space. It builds energy over time." That energy then breaks free as embodiment, confidence and renewal, in individuals, groups and cultures (Kenny 2014). In 1989 she called power "actualization and action" (p. 95, via Carroll 2010). [source: Kenny 2014; Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Notice energy building: crescendo, faster tempo, stronger attack, upright posture, voice. (2) Provide a containing musical frame (steady pulse, harmonic ground) so the build has walls. (3) Let the client lead the peak; match without overpowering. (4) After the release, mark it with a slower, warmer form, and invite reflection if the client wishes. [source: Kenny 2014 for the concept; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "That was strong. How was it to play that loud?" / "I'll keep the beat steady while you take it wherever it needs to go."
• Watch for: Hearing levels at loud peaks, especially drums and cymbals; use soft beaters and time limits (see safety box). Arousal tipping into aggression, panic or trauma re-experiencing; slow down and return to ritual. Do not equate loudness with empowerment. It is working if the client stands, speaks or plays with new confidence and reports feeling stronger rather than flooded.

4.11 Trusting the creative process

• Purpose / when: Throughout, especially when outcomes are unclear. Creative process is both product and process, shaped by and shaping all fields; "The process is the product" (Kenny 2014). Its quality is epiphany or awakening (Bruscia 2018). [source: Kenny 2014; Carroll 2010; Bruscia 2018]
• Steps: (1) Hold session aims loosely; let the music evolve. (2) Note emergent forms, such as a recurring motif becoming a song, and support them. (3) When a moment of insight or awakening appears, slow down and give it room. (4) Record the process (with consent) so that later reflection can see what emerged. [synthesis operationalising Kenny 2014]
• Example language (illustrative): "Something new just happened there. Shall we stay with it?"
• Watch for: Using "trust the process" to avoid noticing deterioration or risk [synthesis]. It is working if new musical forms and personal meanings arise that neither of you planned.

4.12 Attending to subtle, non-verbal cues

• Purpose / when: All sessions, and especially with non-verbal, severely disabled, very young, very old or medically ill clients. Kenny emphasised quiet, subtle, non-verbal cues that may show natural healing patterns (Kenny 1989 p. 139, via Baines 2018). [source: Baines 2018]
• Steps: (1) Lower your volume and density so that small signals are audible and visible. (2) Track micro-changes: a finger tap, a breath timed to the music, eye movement, a held note. (3) Respond musically to them, for example by echoing a tap. (4) Note them in records as observations, not interpretations. [synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "I heard you tap along there. I'll keep that rhythm going."
• Watch for: Over-reading random movements as communication. Look for consistency across sessions [synthesis]. It is working if the cues become more frequent or more clearly contingent on the music.

4.13 Mutuality and appropriate self-disclosure

• Purpose / when: To build a non-hierarchical relationship. Kenny cited an Elder's example of sharing personal stories and argued that clients need to know the therapist as a person (Lindan 2015 p. 37, via Baines 2018). [source: Baines 2018; Merrill 2018]
• Steps: (1) Let the client teach you their music and accept their musical leadership. (2) Share brief, relevant things about yourself as a musician or person when it serves the client: what music means to you, a song you love. (3) Check the effect and return focus to the client. [source: Baines 2018 for concept; steps and limits synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "That's a song my grandmother used to sing. Would you teach me how you play it?"
• Watch for: Disclosure that burdens the client or blurs boundaries, especially in psychotherapy with relational trauma or in forensic settings. Keep within your professional code and discuss it in supervision [synthesis]. It is working if the client takes more initiative and the relationship feels more equal without boundary confusion.

4.14 Balancing structure and freedom

• Purpose / when: Each session, adjusting moment by moment. Carroll (2010) uses the maxim "as much structure as necessary and as much freedom as possible". [source: Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Before planning, listen and observe what the client brings to the space (Carroll 2010). (2) Choose a starting level of structure: a set song or groove for a dysregulated client, open improvisation for a secure one. (3) Increase freedom when the client shows security, and increase structure (ritual, steady pulse, clear turn-taking) when they show anxiety or disorganisation. [source: Carroll 2010; step 3 synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Would you like me to keep a steady beat, or shall we both play freely?"
• Watch for: Defaulting to your own comfort level of structure. It is working if the client's regulation and initiative grow together.

4.15 Therapist positioning: participant or observer

• Purpose / when: Each session. Your physical and musical presence shapes the field. Carroll advises awareness of where you sit and whether you are participant or observer. [source: Carroll 2010; Kenny 1999 p. 129, via Baines 2018, on the therapist as participant and witness]
• Steps: (1) Decide where to sit relative to the client: beside for alliance, opposite for dialogue, further away for space. (2) Decide whether to play or witness. (3) Change position deliberately when needed and notice the effect. [source: Carroll 2010; steps synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "I'll just listen for this one. You play."
• Watch for: Positions that block exits or feel threatening to trauma-affected clients. Keep the client's route to the door clear [synthesis].

4.16 Groups: the group as an aesthetic

• Purpose / when: Group music therapy, and teaching. The group becomes an aesthetic in itself while one-to-one dialogues continue within it; Kenny: "whenever two aesthetics link, a sevenfold interactive process begins" (1989 p. 123, via Carroll 2010). [source: Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Learn each member's aesthetic and the group's emerging one. (2) Develop group rituals such as an opening groove or closing song. (3) Allow one-to-one musical dialogues within the group sound. (4) In discussion, invite members' observations before offering your own (Carroll 2010). [source: Carroll 2010; steps 1–3 synthesis]
• Example language (illustrative): "Before I say anything, what did you each notice?"
• Watch for: Group volume (drumming circles easily exceed safe levels); dominant members drowning out quiet ones; triggering sounds for some members. Screen at intake and agree group rules about volume and stopping [synthesis].

4.17 Using the field qualities as observation guide posts

• Purpose / when: In-session awareness and after-session notes. Kenny offered the qualities as descriptive "guide posts" (Kenny 1996 p. 94, via Bruscia 2018). [source: Bruscia 2018]
• Steps: (1) After each session, ask which qualities were present: anticipation (aesthetic), intimacy (musical space), surprise (field of play), repetition (ritual), suspendedness or flight (consciousness), intensity (power), epiphany or awakening (creative process). (2) Note shifts between them and what preceded each shift. (3) Use the pattern over sessions to guide how much safety versus freedom to offer. [synthesis; not a validated assessment]
• Watch for: Turning the qualities into a checklist or outcome measure. Kenny deliberately left the fields loosely defined (Bruscia 2018). This is not a validated assessment and should not be used for diagnosis or outcome reporting; use your service's validated measures for that [synthesis].

4.18 Integrating with the host method and protocols

• Purpose / when: Always. Kenny says to notice shifts in consciousness and fields while still following your own techniques, theories, protocols and ethical codes (Kenny 2014; Baines 2018). [source: Kenny 2014]
• Steps: (1) Deliver your method (e.g. Nordoff-Robbins, psychodynamic music therapy, GIM if AMI-trained, song-writing, receptive work) as trained. (2) Use the Field of Play as a lens: which field are we in, and what conditions support the next step? (3) Meet medical, educational and service requirements (goals, notes, risk) alongside Kenny's stance of holding goals lightly. [synthesis]
• Watch for: Conflicts between "no imposed goals" and service-mandated goals. Write goals collaboratively in the client's terms (Section 5).

4.19 Honouring endings

• Purpose / when: Final sessions, discharges and deaths. Kenny gives anecdotal examples, not a procedure: with Maggie, the repeated song was a ritual bridging life and death, and after Maggie's death Kenny gave a sketch she had made of her to the family (Kenny 2014). Kenny saw healing as possibly including death, with the client as "a soul on a journey" (Lindan 2015 p. 32, via Baines 2018). [source: Kenny 2014; Baines 2018]
• Steps (synthesis): (1) Anticipate endings in advance and name them. (2) Return to the client's rituals in the final sessions. (3) Offer a closing form, such as a last playing of the client's song or a recording if they want it. (4) Any gift or contact with the family must follow your service's policy on gifts and confidentiality.
• Example language (illustrative): "We have three sessions left. Would you like our song at the end of each?"
• Watch for: Your own grief, and unplanned endings. Use supervision.

4.20 Post-session reflective practice

• Purpose / when: After sessions, to deepen understanding of the client's process without premature labels. [source: Merrill 2018]
• Steps: (1) Listen back to the recording (with consent) more than once, interpreting and re-interpreting until the essential features emerge (Kenny, Jahn-Langenberg & Loewy 2005, via Merrill 2018). (2) Optionally, as Merrill did in a Kenny-informed study of an improvisation group for people with end-stage dementia, use free-verse poetry or mandala drawing as your own reflective tools (Merrill 2018). These were research and reflection methods, not client techniques. (3) Note which fields and qualities were present (4.17). (4) Bring questions to supervision. [source: Merrill 2018; steps 3–4 synthesis]
• Watch for: Mandala drawing here is a personal reflective form, not a spiritual or diagnostic claim.

4.21 Training and supervision: improvisational role-play

• Purpose / when: Educating music therapy students or supervising clinicians. [source: Carroll 2010]
• Steps: (1) Students use musical improvisation to rehearse clinical situations, one playing client, one therapist. (2) Vary how much structure and freedom the "therapist" offers. (3) Use predictable routines (ritual) so students dare to experiment. (4) Invite peer observations before the educator's. (5) Students reflect on their assumptions about music, the therapeutic relationship, play and creativity. [source: Carroll 2010]
• Example language (illustrative): "Try offering more structure this time and notice what changes."
• Watch for: Students' own material surfacing in role-play. Keep it a training exercise with clear de-roling and personal-therapy referral if needed [synthesis].

5. Handling problems

The Field of Play sources address problems only through a few principles: safety before play, ritual as security, non-interference, and the therapist's aesthetic as a possible inhibitor. Almost everything below is therefore [synthesis], built from those principles and from general music therapy and psychotherapy practice. Kenny-derived points are cited.

Client cannot play or stays stuck in the musical space. Kenny notes that many clients, especially trauma survivors, may be unable to access playfulness, and that safety comes first (Kenny 2016b p. 7, via Baines 2018). Responses: do not push toward the field of play; strengthen ritual and predictability; reduce choices to two; use receptive listening or familiar songs; let the client control volume and stopping. Treat staying in the musical space as legitimate work, not failure. [source: Baines 2018 + synthesis]

Resistance, refusal, "this is childish". Non-interference means you do not coerce (Lindan 2015, via Baines 2018). Responses: return to the client's own aesthetic (their genres, their phone playlist, adult-appropriate instruments); offer witnessing roles such as choosing music for you to play; name the choice openly ("We don't have to play; we can listen or talk"). With adolescents and adults, avoid toy-like instruments. [synthesis]

Overwhelm, flooding or a musical trauma trigger. Signs: sudden freezing, startle, tears with dissociation, leaving, aggression, a racing breath. Responses: (1) stop or drop to a very soft steady sound at once; (2) orient (name the room, the time and your presence); (3) ground (feet, breath, holding a familiar object or instrument); (4) when settled, ask what happened, and add the trigger to the avoid list; (5) shorten and simplify subsequent sessions; (6) assess risk and follow up between sessions as your service requires. Prevention: the intake trigger screen, a stop signal, volume caps and sequencing (stabilise before deeper work) [source: Heiderscheit & Murphy 2021 abstract on triggers and sequencing; responses synthesis]. Know your scope: complex trauma needs adequate training, consultation and supervision (Heiderscheit & Murphy 2021).

Dissociation mistaken for the "particular state of consciousness". Kenny's state is relaxed and concentrated and playful. A blank, frozen, unreachable state is not it. Responses: keep eyes open, add orienting cues, shorten improvisations, check in by name, and return to ritual (see 4.8). [synthesis]

Power surges: loud, chaotic or aggressive playing. Responses: contain musically with a steady pulse and harmonic ground; match intensity briefly, then lead down in gradual steps; set physical safety limits (no hitting people or throwing instruments, soft beaters); protect hearing with time limits at high volume and earplugs available. Afterwards, reflect on what the energy was about. If it is menace rather than empowerment, prioritise safety and your service's violence-management policy. [synthesis; hearing levels source: NIOSH; MacMahon & Page 2015]

Ritual becomes rigid (endless repetition, perseveration). Responses: honour the form, then introduce a very small variation inside it, such as a change in timbre or a pause. In clients with autism, dementia or brain injury, repetition may itself be regulating and meaningful (compare Maggie's repeated song, Kenny 2014), so change slowly and only if the client shows interest. [synthesis + Kenny 2014]

The therapist's aesthetic dominates. Kenny warned that the therapist's aesthetic can support or inhibit growth (1989 p. 94, via Carroll 2010). Signs: you choose the keys, styles and instruments; the client follows; the music sounds like you. Responses: play less, play softer, mirror, ask the client to lead, record and listen back for whose music it is. [source: Carroll 2010 + synthesis]

Too much freedom too soon (anxiety in open improvisation). Responses: add structure (a fixed pulse, a mode, turn-taking, a time limit) following "as much structure as necessary" (Carroll 2010), then loosen again. [source: Carroll 2010 + synthesis]

Non-adherence (missed sessions, disengagement). Responses: check whether the musical space feels safe or exposing; review practical barriers; repair any rupture (below); co-create a simple ritual that the client looks forward to. There is no homework in this model. Do not add music "assignments" unless your host method uses them. [synthesis]

Ruptures. Typical sources: a song that triggered, your playing overriding theirs, a broken expectation of ritual, self-disclosure that landed badly. Responses: name it gently; take your share of responsibility; invite the client's view; repair musically too, for example by returning to the shared form or letting the client lead the next piece. [synthesis]

Service-mandated goals versus Kenny's "no imposed goals". Kenny rejected goals imposed to change behaviour for society's comfort (Lindan 2015, via Baines 2018) but told practitioners to honour medical and educational protocols (Kenny 2014). Responses: write goals collaboratively in the client's own terms, such as "feel safe enough to try new things in music"; use validated outcome measures where required; describe Field of Play observations as process notes, not as assessment or diagnosis. [source: Baines 2018; Kenny 2014; reconciliation synthesis]

Over-interpreting music as evidence. Do not treat a client's key, rhythm, loudness or song choice as evidence of abuse, diagnosis or disorder. The Field of Play has no validated assessment component. If a client discloses harm in words, follow safeguarding procedures. [synthesis; brief Domain VIII rule]

Suicide and self-harm. Themes of death can appear in music, and Kenny saw healing as possibly including death in end-of-life work (Lindan 2015, via Baines 2018). That stance applies to palliative care, not to suicidality. If a client expresses suicidal thoughts or self-harm, carry out your service's standard risk assessment and safety planning, including lethal-means counselling on safe storage and removal, and involve the wider team. [synthesis]

Children and young people. Get consent from parents or carers and age-appropriate assent; agree how parents are kept informed while protecting the child's space; know your local safeguarding and mandatory-reporting duties and your designated lead; use child-sized, non-toxic, choking-safe instruments; keep sessions shorter and more ritual-based for young or dysregulated children. [synthesis]

Touch. Field of Play sources do not discuss touch. If you use any touch (hand-over-hand playing, passing an instrument, physical guidance with disabled clients), ask first each time, describe what you will do, offer a no-touch alternative, respect cultural and trauma-related refusal, and stop at once on any sign of discomfort. Never use sexual or genital touch. Document touch per policy. [synthesis]

Cultural and spiritual material. Kenny drew on Indigenous teachings and used the Navajo Blessing Way as an analogy for beauty already present (Kenny 2014). She urged engaging with Indigenous concepts rather than copying practices (Kenny 2002a, via Baines 2018). Responses: do not perform or imitate ceremonies, sacred songs or instruments of traditions you do not belong to; when a client brings their own cultural or religious music, follow their lead and, where relevant, support their connection with their own community's recognised knowledge-holders; describe "sacred space" to clients in secular terms unless they frame it spiritually. The model's spiritual language is Kenny's own philosophy, not a claim about physical healing. [source: Kenny 2014; Baines 2018; responses synthesis]

Hearing problems in you or the client. Tinnitus, muffled hearing after sessions or sound sensitivity are warning signs. Lower session volumes, use earplugs, review your weekly exposure (especially if you run several drumming groups), ask your employer for a noise risk assessment and hearing checks, and see an audiologist [source: NIOSH; MacMahon & Page 2015 recommendations for employers].

You are not a music therapist. If you are a psychotherapist without music therapy training, use the stance principles (being, beginning with beauty, ritual, safety before play) in your verbal work and with receptive music the client chooses. Refer clients who would benefit from clinical improvisation to an HCPC-registered (UK) or board-certified (US) music therapist, or co-work with one. [source: BAMT; synthesis]

Sources

Sources

• The Field of Play: An Ecology of Being in Music Therapy (Kenny, 2014, Voices 14(1))
• The Field of Play in Music Therapy Education (Carroll, 2010, Voices 10(2))
• The Enduring Concepts of Carolyn Kenny (Bruscia, 2018, Voices 18(3))
• Phenomenology in the Field of Play: Direct Experience, Aesthetics and Interpretation (Merrill, 2018, Voices 18(3))
• Justice Values in Kenny's Theoretical Contributions (Baines, 2018, Voices 18(3))
• Carolyn Kenny: Influence and inspiration (Summers, 2018, Voices 18(3))
• EinScream!: Possibilities of New Musical Ideas to Form a Community (Numata, 2009, Voices 9(1))
• A tribute to Carolyn Bereznak Kenny (Summers, 2018, Approaches 10(2))
• Music and Life in the Field of Play: An Anthology (Barcelona Publishers, publisher page and contents)
• NIOSH: hearing loss prevention for musicians (CDC archive)
• Noise induced hearing loss in music therapists: a case study (MacMahon & Page, 2015)
• Trauma-informed Care in Music Therapy: Principles, Guidelines, and a Clinical Case Illustration (Heiderscheit & Murphy, 2021), abstract record
• BAMT: What is a Music Therapist?

Books and papers cited (not drawn on; content via the articles above)

• Kenny, C. B. (1987). The Field of Play: A Theoretical Study of Music Therapy Process. Doctoral dissertation, The Fielding Institute.
• Kenny, C. B. (1989). The Field of Play: A Guide for the Theory and Practice of Music Therapy. Atascadero, CA: Ridgeview.
• Kenny, C. B. (1996). The dilemma of uniqueness: An essay on consciousness and qualities. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 5(2), 87–96.
• Kenny, C. B. (2006). Music and Life in the Field of Play: An Anthology. Gilsum, NH: Barcelona Publishers.
• Kenny, C. B. (2016b), cited in Baines 2018 [uncertain: full reference; a Kenny chapter in Dileo (Ed.), Envisioning the Future of Music Therapy, Temple University, 2016].
• Lindan, 2015, interview with Kenny, cited in Baines 2018 [uncertain].
• Kenny, C., Jahn-Langenberg, M., & Loewy, J. (2005). Hermeneutic inquiry. In Wheeler (Ed.), Music Therapy Research (2nd ed.), cited in Merrill 2018 [uncertain].
• US credential route (AMTA-approved degree, CBMT MT-BC) [uncertain].