Using Interactional Analysis to Explore Musical Care: A Conversation Analysis Scoping Review

The importance of social interaction and communication is emphasized in many types of musical care (e.g., music therapy, singing, or dancing group activities). It is surprising, therefore, that the interactional methodology Conversation Analysis (CA) is rarely found in musical care research. In this study, a scoping review was conducted to provide an overview of CA research in musical care settings. The review maps the contexts, types of participants, and disciplines within which CA research has been conducted. The findings and phenomena that have been investigated are explored through seven themes, and the contributions that CA can make to the varied field of musical care are discussed. In particular, the review highlights how CA as a methodology can provide new perspectives and important understanding of the ways in which music can support and facilitate communication and embodied interaction through providing participants with a resource to accomplish social actions, contribute more equally to interactions, be creative, display their identity, and create positive emotional connections with others. The article concludes with a recommendation that conversation analysis should be considered as a valuable tool for those conducting musical care research.