Contributions to Discussions

Discussions for Voices can be viewed as something in between an informal discussion between colleagues and a discussion in a journal. We want to make this space available for different kinds of discussions and different forms of debate. We hope that it will be a space with possibilities for testing ideas and developing perspectives, a space which is not as formal as the printed text. This space is also an opportunity to practice communicating our ideas, and receiving feedback from other contributors. Contributions to the Discussion are not articles or essays but rather more brief comments and critiques in an open dialogue. We welcome contributions from music therapists, students, other professionals, and other interested people. Please follow the following guidelines for Contributions to Discussions, which may be of two types: moderated and unmoderated.

MODERATED DISCUSSIONS on Topics of Voices are discussions of articles from the Main Issues of Voices, Country of the Month or Columnist of the Week. Contributions to the moderated discussions should be e-mailed as an attachment in MS Word or rtf to either Joke Bradt, USA () or Thomas Wosch, Germany ()

UNMODERATED DISCUSSIONS of Music Therapy are of topics of interest that are not related to the articles or discussion from the main issues of Voices. For these, you may participate in one of the ongoing discussions or may start your own discussion on your favorite theme. Content of unmoderated discussions is the complete responsibility of the writer. Unmoderated discussions should not be comments to or critique of other texts published in Voices, but should concentrate on more general topics and concerns within the field of music therapy. Contributions to the unmoderated discussions should be written directly to the web forum. Follow instructions given by our webforum, a service hosted by:

Guidelines for both moderated and unmoderated discussions

1. Feel free to write in a personal and engaging style, but remember that the Discussion is not a competition in rhetoric. The most important thing is not to win a debate, but to contribute in a process that hopefully can clarify and develop ideas.

2. Be short and focused. Since the basic principle is dialogue, you will always be given new chances to add points and arguments on other occasions.

3. Concentrate on the arguments and avoid personal criticism of others in the Discussions in which you participate.

4. If your arguments are based upon published writings, include references in the text and a list of references at the end of your contribution. However, you are free to choose a more conversational style without references.

5. Since English is the language for Voices, all contributions should be in English. If you are uncomfortable with your command of written English, feel free to e-mail your contribution in English to Joke Bradt, who will gladly edit it for English grammar, etc., and return it to you to post after you check the editing for accuracy.

These guidelines have been developed based on the Guidelines for the Nordic Journal of Music Therapy; used with permission.

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