Claire Molyneux

Claire Molyneux For media enquiries please contact the Press Team
Senior Lecturer

Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR)

Faculty:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences
School:
Cambridge School of Creative Industries
Location:
Cambridge
Areas of Expertise:
Music therapy
Courses taught:

Claire is ARU's Lead for Music Therapy and Course Leader for our MA Music Therapy and MA Dramatherapy. She is a registered music therapist with over 20 years’ experience working with children, young people and adults with diverse needs, and currently divides her time between teaching, research, clinical work and clinical supervision. She is a member of Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research (CIMTR).

[email protected]

Background

Claire trained as a music therapist at Anglia Ruskin University. She worked in the fields of special education and Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Leicestershire before moving to New Zealand in 2005, where she was Head of Clinical Services at the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre, Auckland (2005 – 2014).

Prior to returning to the UK in 2017, Claire worked as a music therapist in specialist palliative care services and private practice in West Auckland. While in New Zealand, Claire had an active role in Music Therapy New Zealand as Chair of the Registration Board (2007 – 2013) and as a member of the Council (2013 – 2016).

Claire is an experienced supervisor of newly qualified and experienced music therapists and arts therapists and has a particular interest in the way in which music and arts-based techniques can enhance supervision for music therapists and other health care professionals.

Her research experience includes exploratory research in music therapy and autism and collaborative action research on goal setting and reviewing in music therapy with children. Claire’s current research is in the area of music therapy and dementia.

Research interests
  • Music therapy supervision
  • Music therapy in palliative care
  • Music therapy with children with autism
  • Music therapy and dementia
Teaching

Claire currently teaches on all modules for MA Music Therapy and MA Dramatherapy.

Qualifications
  • PG Certificate Learning and Teaching, Anglia Ruskin University
  • PG Certificate Health Sciences (Advanced Psychotherapy Practice: Clinical Supervision) AUT, Auckland
  • MA in Music Therapy, Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge
  • PG Diploma in Music Therapy, Anglia Polytechnic University, Cambridge
  • BA (Hons) De Montfort University, Leicester
Memberships, editorial boards
  • Fellow, HEA
  • Registered with the Health and Care Professions Council, UK
  • Registered with the New Zealand Music Therapy Registration Board
Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

New Zealand Lottery Community Sector Research Grant (2009 – 2010) to undertake a collaborative Action Research Project (Collaborative goal setting and reviewing in music therapy for children with special needs: An action research project to improve practice and measure efficacy) at the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre, Auckland, New Zealand.

Selected recent publications

Molyneux, C., Hardy, T., Lin, Y-T., McKinnon, K., Merchant, H., Smith, R. & Odell-Miller, H. (2021). Still Together in Sound: narratives from online music therapy with people with dementia and their companions during lockdown. Journal of Music, Health and Wellbeing.

Molyneux, C., Hardy, T., Lin, Y-T., McKinnon, K. & Odell-Miller, H. (2020). Together in Sound: Music therapy groups for people with dementia and their companions – moving online in response to a pandemic. Approaches: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Music Therapy. ISSN 2459-3338.

Molyneux, C. ed. (2018). Tales from the music therapy room: Creative connections. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Molyneux, C., Talmage, A. and McGann, H., 2016. A Music Therapy New Zealand report on music therapy provision in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy 14, pp.25-54.

Rickson, D., Castelino, A., Molyneux, C., Ridley, H. and Upjohn-Beatson, E., 2016. What evidence? Designing a mixed methods study to investigate music therapy with children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in New Zealand contexts. The Arts in Psychotherapy 50, pp.119-125.

Rickson, D., Molyneux, C., Ridley, H., Castelino, A. and Upjohn-Beatson, E., 2015. Music therapy with people who have autism spectrum disorder: Current practice in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy 13, pp.8-32.

Talmage, A. and Molyneux, C., 2014. Individual music therapy for an adolescent with severe cerebral palsy. In: C. Miller, Ed. 2014. Assessment and outcomes in the arts therapies: A person-centred approach. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Molyneux, C., Koo, N-H., Talmage, A., Piggot-Irvine, E., Travaglia, R. and Willis, M., 2012. Doing it together: Collaborative research on goal-setting and review in a music therapy centre. New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy 10, pp. 6-38.

Cooper, A. and Molyneux, C., 2009. Singing the same tune? Co-therapy to support clients experiencing a change of music therapist. New Zealand Journal of Music Therapy 7, pp.32-60.

Molyneux, C., 2008. Music therapy as part of a multidisciplinary family assessment process and The Stone Family: A Case study. In: K.Twyford and T. Watson, Eds. 2008. Integrated team working: Music therapy as part of transdisciplinary and collaborative approaches. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Molyneux, C., 2005. Music therapy as a short-term intervention with individuals and families in a Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service. British Journal of Music Therapy 19(2), pp. 59-66.

Recent presentations and conferences

Molyneux, C., 2021. Making music, building community: Practice-based research and collaboration in group music therapy with people living with dementia and their companions. Invited Webinar for Music Therapy New Zealand Research Webinar Series. Online: 16 June 2021.

Clarke, R., Stearn, M., & Molyneux, C., 2021. Research collaborations session 3: art and music programmes. In: Cambridge Arts Network Conference: Culture Under COVID – Shifting Perspectives on Arts and Culture, Audience and Community. Online, 4 March 2021.

Molyneux, C., 2019. Therapeutic and research partnerships in group music therapy with people living with dementia, their carers and supporters. In: 11th European Music Therapy Conference: Fields of Resonance. Aalborg, Denmark, 26-30 June 2019.

Odell-Miller, H., Molyneux, C., Ellis, N., and Hallas, L., 2018. Together in sound: Music therapy for people with dementia and their carers in a community setting linked to a concert hall. In: Third British Association for Music Therapy Conference: Music, diversity and wholeness. London, UK, 16-18 February 2018.

Hoskyns, S., Molyneux, C., Rickson, D., and Richards, E., 2018. Unsettling ourselves and working with what we cannot explain in intercultural practice in music therapy: A round table to explore music therapists’ learning about different worldviews of health. In: Third British Association for Music Therapy Conference: Music, diversity and wholeness. London, UK, 16-18 February 2018.

Molyneux, C. 2014: Sounding the self: Introduction to music therapy. Hospice West Auckland Music Therapy Symposium, Auckland, New Zealand, March 2014.

Molyneux, C. 2013: Different perspectives – a common goals: Reflections on ten years of the Raukatauri Music Therapy Centre. New Zealand School of Music Conference ‘Linking cultures: Collaborative partnerships in music therapy and related disciplines’, Wellington, New Zealand, November 2013.

Molyneux, C. 2013: (Keynote) Sounding the self: Finding individual strengths through the power of music therapy. Central Kids Huihuinga, Rotorua, New Zealand, September 2013.

Molyneux, C. 2013: (Workshop) Sing me your song: Sharing strategies from music therapy to support student led assessment and learning. Special Education Principal’s Association NZ Conference, Auckland, New Zealand, September 2013.

Molyneux, C. 2013: Jesse: A journey towards self-determination in music therapy. Altogether Autism Conference, Hamilton, New Zealand, July 2013.

Molyneux, C. 2011. The role of supervision in thinking and working systemically in music therapy with children. Australian Music Therapy Association Annual Conference, Brisbane, Australia, September 2011.

Molyneux, C. 2010. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts: Thinking and working systemically in music therapy with children. Music Therapy New Zealand Conference, Christchurch, New Zealand, October 2010.

Bagley, M., Talmage, A. and Molyneux, C. 2010. Max, Hugh and Reuben: Celebrating three creative journeys in music therapy. Autism New Zealand Annual Conference, Wellington, New Zealand. September 2010.

Media experience
Podcast
Radio
Print
  • The New Zealand Herald, Music opens doors to life skills by Peter Calder, 19 March 2014
  • The New Zealand Listener, Counting the beat by Nick Smith, 11 November 2006
Television
Web