Integrative Review of Introductory Guitar Teaching Research and Recommendations for Music Therapy Education

Guitar is a primary clinical instrument for many music therapists; however, minimal research focuses on effective guitar teaching methods (GTMs) in music therapy education. The purpose of this integrative review was to synthesize and critically evaluate the existing literature on GTMs to develop recommendations for music therapy guitar education. The research questions included: (a) What are the characteristics (i.e. participants, study design, teaching method, course type, dosage) of studies using GTMs in music therapy education and training? (b) What are the measures, outcomes, and de/limitations from GTMs studies in music therapy education? Three studies met the criteria. These studies included GTMs of behavioral contracting, audio and video modeling, and learning music “by ear.” Studies indicated that (a) playing “by ear” may improve student musicianship, (b) experienced instructor modeling improves learning, (c) evaluation could include accuracy behavioral markers, and (d) experiential and social learning benefit students in introductory guitar courses. Implications for music therapy education and training and recommendations for further research are discussed.