DETAIL
Mr Cecil Du Valle MMus, BMus, BMus Ed
Contact Details
Name: Mr Cecil Du Valle
Job Title: Lecturer Music, Performing Arts
Address: Cornwall College, St Austell, Trevarthian Road, St Austell, PL25 4BU
Tel: 01726 226 734
Email: cecil.duvalle@st-austell.ac.uk
Work History
1995 to Present: Music Lecturer
A Level , National Diploma, National Certificate,
First Diploma
1995 to Present:
Research Details
Music Makes Me Tick film report 2011.
Music Makes Me Tick is a film documenting life for a young man who suffers from Tourette syndrome. Permission has been granted by Rob to make this report and to be named.
My involvement consisted of 20 one-hour music sessions, which used music as therapy to help Rob cope with his tourettes. Before I agreed to do this work, I spent a few weeks researching tourettes and reading case studies that have been written concerning music as an intervention for the syndrome. With medical problems related to the brain and emotions, I feel music seems to sometimes relieve and improve the situation rather than to completely cure.
Music therapy sessions occurred over a six-week period. Permission has been obtained from the person involved to present this information for public use in a music therapy education and presentation context.
I approached the work as a case study to show results from a short-term intervention and to hopefully discover a helpful pathway for Rob to follow and help with his condition.
The first few sessions developed in bonding as well as in understanding the process that we were going to follow with using music as the method of intervention. Rob had been a performing arts drama student at Cornwall College St. Austell. He was familiar and comfortable with the environment of the room that we used at the college for our sessions.
Rob often stated in the first few sessions that he aspired to have similar experiences as I have had in the music business. Some of his heroes are people that I have been associated with during my performing years. I felt during the early sessions that this type of relationship could be detrimental to Rob’s own positive progress. Fortunately as time passed, he was able to look inward and value the sessions as personal and a pathway to find a possible relief from tourettes. It seemed as if I began to be perceived by Rob as a person who was willing to give time to explore his feelings rather than being perceived as a pop music person.
The documentary explains and shows the process that was used in the sessions. Film of actual sessions was included. Not all sessions were filmed. A professional did the filming. At times I felt that the cameraman’s presence interfered with concentration and communication. We were both able to adapt to this unusual type of session.
I value filming within sessions for it helps me to recap moments where I could possibly improve my work. I feel that filming is less intrusive when done with a camera set in a fixed place without someone operating it. It is easier for all involved to forget that there is a camera recording if it is placed in an unobtrusive place within the room. My feeling is that the most engaging sessions were without the cameraman’s presence.
There was noticeable relief while music was shared. Tics were not evident during playing but gradually appeared after talking began. At times Rob arrived very distressed and anxious. It quite often seemed as if Rob arrived to the session disturbed and looking forward to the playing for relief. I feel that we were successful in attaining temporary relief. My difficulty during supervision was in accepting that temporary relief may only be the end result. I’ve gradually introduced meditation into the musical intervention process and am finding the results extremely exciting. The playing seems to introduce relaxation and the meditation process seems to extend the relaxation deeper and for longer. There is a noticeable facial change, which I was unable to see during the music process. The face seems completely relaxed and unaffected by any of the tourette symptoms. This has developed within the last 3 sessions so we are exploring this at present. Both Rob and I hope to continue the sessions during the year.
Cecil Du Valle
CORNWALL COLLEGE ST. AUSTELL
BRINGING HUMAN FEELINGS INTO A DRUM (PDF)
RESEARCH PROJECT OVERVIEW (PDF)
PATIENT/CLIENT CASE STUDY (PDF)
Cecil's details were last updated on 27th Mar 2012