Paola Pecoraro Costa Esperson

Indicative thesis title: Group music therapy in primary schools to develop tolerance and inclusion: laying the foundations for future peace.

Background

Supervisory team: Prof Amelia Oldfield (1st), Prof Jörg Fachner (2nd)

Paola started to apply group music therapy for inclusion (MTI) experimentally in mainstream schools in Italy. The method applied in this current research is the result of eighteen years of research and study in the unique Italian framework of full inclusion.

In this international research project, Paola’s focus are not only the disabled children, but all pupils, all differently able. She hopes and aims to collect significant data to encourage the use of music therapy in education as an effective tool to combat discriminatory attitudes and build an inclusive society.

Research interests

• Music therapy
• Inclusion
• Emotional intelligence
• Peace building
• Education

Qualifications

• MA Art Therapy

Selected recent publications

Esperson Pecoraro P., Rickson D., Jordan A. K., Kantor J., Sabbatella P., 2020. The art of fostering inclusion and social activism: music therapy perspective and research. Music therapy today: proceedings of the 16th WFMT World congress of music therapy, July 7-8, 2020, South Africa, p. 108.

Chiappetta Cajola, L., Esperson Pecoraro, P., Rizzo, A. L., (2008). Music Therapy for Integration. Didactic strategies and assessment tools (Milan: Franco Angeli)

Pecoraro Esperson, P. (2006). The pleasure of being differently able: Integration through music therapy in primary schools. Music Therapy Today, VII(2), pp. 413-429.