The Role of Music in Developing Infant Attachment: An Interview With Cynthia Briggs

by | Sep 1, 2012 | Music Therapy, Parents, Young Children

Matt Logan, MT-BC

In this podcast, Matt Logan interviews Cynthia Briggs, a music therapist and psychologist who directs the music therapy program at Maryville University. She lectures and presents on the topic of music and infant attachment. In this interview, the speakers explain the theory of infant attachment, identify music’s role in the process, and present practical applications for parents and clinicians.

Resources:

  • Ainsworth, M. D. S., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment, a psychological study of the strange situation. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

  • Als, H. (1982). Toward a synactive theory of development: Promise for the assessment and support of infant individuality. Infant Mental Health Journal, 3(4), 229-243.

  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base, parent-child attachment and healthy human development. London: Basic Books (AZ).

  • Cevasco, A. M. (2008). The effects of mothers’ singing on full-term and preterm infant and maternal emotional responses. Journal of Music Therapy, 45(3), 273-306.

  • DeCasper, A. J., & Fifer, W. P. (1980). Of human bonding: Newborns prefer their mothers’ voices. Science, 208, 1174-1176.

  • Fisher, C. B., & Als, H. (2004). Trusting behavioral communication. In M. Nöcker Ribapierre (Ed.), Music therapy for premature and newborn infants (pp. 1-19). Gilsum, NH: Barcelona.

  • Mackinlay, E., & Baker, F. (2005). Nurturing herself, nurturing her baby. Creating positive experiences for first-time mothers through lullaby singing. Women and Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture, 9, 69-89.

  • Rock, A., Trainor, L., & Addison, T. (1999). Distinctive messages in infant-directed lullabies and playsongs. Developmental Psychology, 25(2), 527-534.

  • Standley, J., & Madsen, C. (1990). Comparison of infant preferences and responses to auditory stimuli: Music, mother, and other female voice. Journal of Music Therapy, 27(2), 54 97.

  • Stern, D. N. (1994). The first relationship: Infant and mother. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  • Trehub, S, & Trainor, L (1990). Rules for listening in infancy. In J. T. Enns,  (Ed). The development of attention: Research and theory (pp. 87 119). Oxford, England: North-Holland.

  • Trehub, S. E., Unyk, A. M., Kamenetsky, S. B., Hill, D. S., Trainor, L. J., Henderson, J. L., Saraza, M (1997). Mothers’ and fathers’ singing to infants. Developmental Psychology, 33(3), 500-507.

  • Winnicot, D. W. (1994). Holding and interpretation: Fragment of an analysis. New York, NY: Grove Press.

About the Interviewee:

 Cynthia Briggs, Psy.D., MT-BC, is the director of the music therapy program at Maryville University in St. Louis, MO. She is a clinician and lecturer on the topic of infant attachment.

About the Author:

Matt Logan is a music therapy practitioner in Iowa City and is currently pursuing a Master’s of Arts degree in music therapy at The University of Iowa. He works primarily in hospice and palliative care settings, but is also interested in using lullabies with premature and full-term infants. Matthew is the owner of the website www.APerfectLullaby.com. and writes about his experiences and insights on MusicTherapySource.com. Contact: matt@musictherapysource.com

 

Suggested Citation:

Logan, M. (Author). (2012, September 1). The Role of Music in Developing Infant Attachment: An Interview with Cynthia Briggs. Retrieved from www.imagine.musictherapy.biz

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