The Therapeutic Relationship and Use of Music in "The King's Speech"

Have you seen “The King’s Speech?” Here’s the official trailer for the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hKF8RSFqCw This film tells the story of King George VI of England, who sought treatment for stuttering from a therapist who was using a rather unorthodox approach for the time. This therapy became especially important when war with Germany broke out shortly after his ascension to the throne, necessitating radio broadcasts of speeches to the nation. This movie was especially interesting to the music therapist in me for a couple of reasons. I enjoyed the scenes showing how the therapeutic relationship developed between the king and his therapist, Lionel. The way Lionel approached his reluctant patient was excellent and, hopefully, true to life. This character did a good job of establishing rapport, helping his client achieve some success early on, and starting by working from the king’s comfort zone then challenging him to work even harder, in different ways than the king initially expected. I thought Lionel’s character served as a pretty decent model for developing the therapeutic relationship. (He even modeled confidentiality quite well!) Of course, I also have to point out that this film portrayed a couple of therapeutic uses of music. The use of singing was portrayed as one method for working through stuttering. We know that singing uses different neural pathways than speech, which is why a technique like melodic intonation therapy works for people who have lost verbal abilities due to strokes. Dancing to music to release inhibitions, increase fluency, and take the focus away from the stutter also played a part in this movie. I have not done any clinical work myself with people who have stutters, but I have heard that Colin Firth, who played King George VI, did a great job of portraying what it is like to have this particular problem. Listening to the discussion about stuttering and this movie on the call-in show Talk of the Nation is a great companion to this movie. Have you seen “The King’s Speech?” What did you think?]]>

4 Comments

  1. Elise Ivey on January 17, 2011 at 5:00 pm

    Many of my friends have been discussing this film, but I had not yet taken the time to watch the trailer and learn what it was about. What an intriguing film!

    I’m looking forward to watching it soon and looking for the things that you mentioned. Thanks for sharing, Rachelle!

    • soundscapemusictherapy on January 17, 2011 at 11:00 pm

      I hope you get to enjoy it, too!

  2. Roia on January 23, 2011 at 7:24 pm

    I heard a piece on NPR (may have been Talk of the Nation, but it could also have been Fresh Air), and I was so intrigued. I think Colin Firth is a phenomenal actor, and I’m hoping to see this film at some point. I will try to take note of the elements you mentioned. But if I know me I’ll probably just sit there with a box of tissues and have a weep-fest. Oh, the horomonality of it all! :- )

  3. Jessica Edwards on January 24, 2011 at 2:32 pm

    I actually had a client’s mother, a retired piano teacher, tell me I needed to see the movie. I don’t believe she’d seen it yet, either, but a friend had mentioned it to her. Thanks for the information; now I definitely plan to see it. 🙂

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